Top 5 French players who have scored the most goals in Premier League history
The Premier League houses 63.8% of foreign players as of now. Among those, a majority hail from France. The French side have undoubtedly boasted a bagful of talent ever since the beginning.
The reigning world champions have their starlets deployed across various top-level clubs across Europe's top five leagues. However, this isn't just the story of the present. France were always one of the front-runners when it came to talented individuals.
Since the 1992-93 season (when the Premier League was founded), 226 French players have plied their trades in the world's most-followed league. Football fans from around the globe were treated to a high level of skilled football by the French players.
On the same note, let's take a look at some French players who got the crowd excited the most.
Top 5 French players who have scored the most goals in Premier League history.
Note: Only stats from 1992-93 (when the league was renamed to the Premier League) until today are being considered.
#5 Eric Cantona (Leeds, Manchester United) โ 70 goals
Lauded as one of the greatest footballers of his time, Eric Contana managed to secure 70 goals in the Premier League. Starting off his career with Auxerre back in 1983, Cantona spent subsequent years at numerous clubs without much stability.
After being signed by Leeds in 1992, the Frenchman embarked towards England. He didn't have to wait long to find glory at his new home. Eric Cantona was signed by Manchester United upon special request by Sir Alex the following year itself.
Eric Cantona remained a Red Devil for five seasons. Along with his infamous kung-fu kick, Cantona also used his feet to score 64 league goals for United.
Eric Cantona in 1992-93 for both Manchester United and Leeds United:
๐ฅ โ 35 appearances
๐ค โ 33 starts
โฝ โ 15 goals
๐ฏ โ 17 assists
๐ฅ โ 94:11 minutes per goal contribution
For ยฃ1.2m (ยฃ22.8m in today's market) it still remains one of the greatest bargains in history. https://t.co/FrAAhMAb9g
#4 Louis Saha (Newcastle, Fulham, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham, Sunderland) โ 85 goals
Louis Saha is not just the fourth highest scoring Frenchman in the history of the Premier League but also one of the most loved French players in England.
Between 1999 and 2013, the Paris-born forward played for six different English teams. Saha enjoyed most of his glorious days at Fulham and that is where he accumulated the most number of goals (53) too.
His heroics against Manchester United urged Sir Alex to rope-in the Frenchman at Old Trafford. Saha, who was excited about the interest from United, handed in the transfer request and moved to Manchester where he scored six goals in his first six appearances.
Romelu Lukaku has equalled Louis Saha's record by scoring 6 goals in his first 6 Premier League games for Manchester United.
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If it hadn't been marred by injuries, Saha's career would have been one of the best in the history of Manchester United. He added 28 goals in the Manchester jersey.