5 best French players to have played in the Premier League
With the eyes of the world on the Premier League, plenty of foreign players have established themselves in the English top flight. Germans. Italians. Spanish.
Fans have seen the likes of Xabi Alonso, Claude Makelele, Jurgen Klinsmann et al. feature for Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. The list could go on, but we’ve picked the five best French players to represent their country in the Premier League.
Honourable mentions include Patrick Vieira, Frank Leboeuf and Didier Deschamps but arguably these top five have reinvented Premier League football with their tenacity, power and skill.
#5 Marcel Desailly
Former France international and two-time Champions League winner Marcel Desailly was one of the most prominent central-defenders during his time in the Premier League.
Winning five major honours at AC Milan, Desailly joined Chelsea in 1998 as a figurehead for a relatively inexperienced side. During his time at Stamford Bridge, the Frenchman achieved great things – winning the UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and the Charity Shield.
Although Chelsea are now seen as a European powerhouse, back in the day they didn’t have the backing of Roman Abramovich. Desailly once wrote that Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Liverpool in 2003 was one that changed his life.
The London club went a goal down, before Desailly himself scored the equaliser, in the final game of the season. Legendary Jesper Gronkjaer then scored the winner which brought Champions League football to Stamford Bridge.
For Chelsea, Desailly was a dominant performer whilst being extremely consistent. Very rare did the central-defender put a foot wrong during his time in the Premier League.