A number of English players
have plied their trade in France, but only some of them deserve to be regarded
as the best in Ligue 1.
The French top flight is no
stranger to English players. There have been plenty of them to sign for the Ligue
1 side to improve their career on the continent.
The 1980s till early 1990s
was one of the darkest eras in football, especially for English football. All
English teams were banned from European competitions for five years due to the
Heysel tragedy in the 1985 European Cup. That was the time when a number of
Englishmen moved to other major leagues, including Ligue 1, and sought a chance
to play in Europe.
After barely any Englishmen
switched sides to France for years following the rise of the Premier League,
with the exception of very few EPL stars in the latter stage of their career
such as Joe Cole, Joey Barton and David Beckham, this season one English
forward manages to steal the spotlight. Mason Greenwood has been in the
headlines after matching Didier Drogba’s goals this weekend.
The Marseille forward has
notched up 19 goals and provided four assists after netting one in the 4-1 win
over Stade Brestois in his first season, which is equal to the former Chelsea
star’s goals in his first season. The former Manchester United man could, in
fact, add to his tally with three games remaining.
Greenwood might not win any
title this season, as PSG has sealed the title earlier. Yet, the English
forward who has decided to switch allegiance to the Jamaica national team could
still help OM finish second this season to secure the UCL berth.
Throughout history, several
Englishmen had better spells in France than Greenwood in the current campaign.
Here are those notable Englishmen in the French top flight.
Angel Gomes (Lille 2021 - now)
Before Greenwood’s arrival in France, Angel Gomes
had already stolen the spotlight when he joined Lille. Although he was not part
of the squad when they won the league in the 2020/21 season due to being loaned
out to Boavista, he immediately cemented his place in Les Douges’ midfield.
Since 2021/22, Gomes has featured in 134 games in
all competitions and contributed 10 goals and 19 assists. He helped his team
win the French Super Cup in 2021 and finish third in the 2023/24 season. The
product of the Manchester United academy is known for his versatility. He can
be deployed as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder, the number 10 or
playmaker, as well as a winger on both flanks.
The 24-year-old midfielder has earned four
international caps. He made appearances in all games of Nations League 2024
while England was under the caretaker, Lee Carsley. His chance to add up his
caps with England is still wide open, and he can still be called up for the
upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
|
Season |
Notable games |
|
2021/22 |
Ligue 1=> vs
Monaco 4-3 (H) – one assist UCL => vs Wolfsburg
3-1 (A) – one goal and one assist |
|
2024/25 |
UCL => vs
Feyenoord 6-1 (H) – one assist |
Trevor Steven
(Marseille 1991-92)
He was England international
player in the 1980s and early 1990s. Steven joined OM in August 1991 and stayed
for one season. He put a satisfying display on the pitch as he was fielded 34
times and registered three goals and two assists.
The former Glasgow Rangers
and Everton man was mainly deployed as a right midfielder but also given a more
defensive role in the second line. Unlike Greenwood, Steven did lift the league
trophy at the end of the season, which also marked OM’s last Ligue 1 title in
the 1990s.
Trevor Steven made 36
appearances for the Three Lions and scored four goals plus made two assists. He
was included in England squad for three major tournaments, 1986 and 1990 FIFA
World Cup plus EURO 1988 and 1992.
|
Season |
Notable games |
|
1991/92 |
Ligue 1 => vs
Nantes 4-0 (H) – one goal |
|
1986 FIFA World Cup |
Group stage => vs Poland 3-0 – one assist |
Glenn
Hoddle (AS Monaco 1987-1991)
The former England boss in 1998
FIFA World Cup was once known as the versatile midfielder. He signed for AS
Monaco and played under the manager who then became synonymous to The Gunners
glory, Arsene Wenger. Hoddle played alongside with young George Weah and former
AC Milan man, Mark Hateley helped them win league title in his first season and
reach final in French Cup 1989 as well as quarterfinal in European Cup in the
same year.
The former Spurs key man in the
early 1980s contributed well during his stint in France. He scored 30 goals and
set up one in 87 games with the principality side. Unfortunately, he suffered
severe injuries which kept him on the sidelines in the latter years.
On the international stage,
Hoddle was part of the England squad in 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup, plus EURO
1988. He was capped 53 times with eight goals and four assists.
|
Season |
Notable games |
|
1987/88 |
Ligue 1 => vs RC Paris 3-0(H) – one goal |
|
1988/89 |
Ligue 1=> vs Marseille 3-0 (H) – one goal Ligue 1 => vs Lille 4-2 (A) – two goals Ligue 1 => vs Bordeaux 4-2 (H) – two goals Ligue 1 => vs Nantes 4-1 (H) 4-1 – two goals |
|
EURO 1988 |
Group stage => vs USSR 1-3 – one assist |
Chris
Waddle (Marseille 1989 -1992)
Last but not least, his name
cannot be ruled out when it comes to Englishmen in France. Chris Waddle has
been notably the best one so far. He was a key man in OM’s golden era in the
late 1980s to early 1990s. Waddle won three league titles with French giants
consecutively and helped them advance to the 1991 European Cup final. Sadly,
they lost on penalties against Red Star Belgrade. The versatile winger
featured in 140 games for OM and registered 28 goals and 36 assists.
The former left winger was a
rare breed in English football at that time. He was left-footed and excelled at dribbling and crossing, a non-typical yet technical English footballer. No
wonder he thrived better on the continental side. The former Newcastle United,
Spurs and Sheffield Wednesday man had been unfortunate on his home soil, as he
never won a single piece of silverware despite playing in domestic cup finals
three times! Once with Spurs in 1987 and twice in the same season with The Owls
in 1992/93.
Some other proofs indicating
that lady luck was often not on his side were the fact that when he left OM,
they came out as an unlikely winner in the 1993 Champions League final, the
same season he failed in two finals while playing for Sheffield Wednesday.
Waddle also had a chance to score in the semifinal against West Germany in the
1990 FIFA World Cup, but his shot hit the post. His penalty in the shootout
also flew slightly over the crossbar.
That was his last major
tournament for England. He was no longer part of the squad in EURO 1992 due to
falling out with his boss, Graham Taylor. In 1994, when Terry Venables was
appointed for The Three Lions, he was interested in calling him up, but Waddle
was injured. Thus, he missed one last shot to wear the England shirt before he
hung up his boots.
Overall, he was only capped
62 times at the international level, with only six goals and one assist. Waddle
was named in England’s final squad for the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups plus
EURO 1988.
|
Season |
Notable games |
|
1989/90 |
Ligue 1 => vs Monaco 3-1 (A) – two assists Ligue 1 => vs Bordeaux 2-0 (H) – two goals UCL semifinal => vs Benfica 2-1 (H) – one goal |
|
1990/91 |
Ligue 1=> vs PSG 2-1 (H) – one goal, one assist Ligue 1 => vs Monaco 3-1 (A) – two assists Ligue 1 => vs Bordeaux 1-1 (A) – one goal Ligue 1 => vs Lyon 7-0 (H) – two assists Ligue 1 => vs Auxerre 1-0 (H) – one goal UCL quarterfinal => vs AC Milan 1-1 (A) – one
assist UCL quarterfinal => vs AC Milan 3-0 (H)– one goal
UCL semifinal => vs Spartak Moscow 3-1 (A) –
two assists |
|
1991/92 |
Ligue 1 => vs Auxerre 2-0 (H) – one goal Ligue 1 => vs Monaco 3-0 (A) – one assist |
|
1990 FIFA World Cup |
Group stage => vs Ireland 1-1 – one assist |
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