13 players who were given perfect 10/10 ratings by L'Equipe
L'Equipe is one of France's leading newspaper dailies devoted to sports. The French media outlet is very famous and is widely known for being quite harsh with their performance assessments and ratings.
L'Equipe evaluates player performances in domestic league and cup games, European matches, and international competitions.
L'Equipe are usually very stingy with their ratings
The UEFA Champions League also falls within its ambit. L'Equipe have placed the bar very high with regards to what they consider a perfect or complete performance. Since their formation in 1946, L'Equipe have given a 10/10 rating to only 13 players.
Yes, you read that right. Only 13 players have been awarded a 10/10 performance by L'Equipe in the span of 76 years.
Without further ado, let's take a look at those 13 players who were given perfect 10/10 ratings by L'Equipe.
#13 Franck Sauzee vs Greece u21s, 1988
L'Equipe's first two 10/10 ratings were given to two u-21 players in the same game. It was in the second leg of France's U21 European Championship final against Greece. France midfielder Franck Sauzee whipped out a masterclass of a performance, scoring two goals and helping France to a 3-0 win in the game.
That was arguably the greatest performance of his career. He went on to appear in 39 international games for the French senior side, scoring nine goals in the process. Sauzee also won the Ligue 1 title thrice with Marseille.
#12 Bruno Martini vs Greece u21s, 1988
The 1988 U21 European Championship final was a game that was thoroughly well received at L'Equipe. In addition to Sauzee, France's goalkeeper Bruno Martini was also awarded a 10/10 rating for his heroics between the sticks.
He helped France keep a clean sheet in the final against Greece as the Blues won the game 3-0.
Bruno Martiní
#FrenchGK 🇫🇷
with the Under-21 European Cup after beating #Greece in 1988 https://t.co/F1DqzI6MT4
#11 Oleg Salenko vs Cameroon, 1994
L'Equipe did not give any player a 10/10 rating for six years after the 1988 U21 European Championship final. Then along came Russian striker Oleg Salenko. He scored six goals in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and ended up sharing the Golden Boot with Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov.
Salenko scored as many as five goals as Russia thumped Cameroon 6-1 in the group stage. He earned a 10/10 rating for that but unfortunately, that was the last time that Salenko turned out for Russia.
#OnThisDay at USA 94: the greatest day of Oleg Salenko’s life.
The Russia striker scores five against a Cameroon defence with more holes in it than OJ Simpson’s alibi.
https://t.co/tIE6zYJqIQ
#10 Lars Windfeld vs Nantes, 1997
Lars Windfeld is a Danish goalkeeper who was denied the limelight by the legendary Peter Schmeichel. Windfeld was playing for Danish club Aarhus in 1998 and they were up against Nantes in the first knockout stage of the UEFA Cup.
After the first leg ended 2-2, Windfeld produced a powerhouse second-leg performance to keep Nantes at bay and help his side to a narrow win. He earned a 10/10 rating from L'Equipe for his awe-inspiring display.
Lars Windfeld – Aarhus vs Nantes, 1997.
Only the second goalkeeper to be awarded a 10/10 for his amazing performance in goal.