Best French Footballer of all time

[ecemleafs]

There is a thread on this on another forum I post on. What's HFB's opinion?

Click to read more...

 

[Suiteness]

Are we talking about national team performances or club football and all?

 

[ecemleafs]

Are we talking about national team performances or club football and all?

Everything

 

[Evilo]

Ntcham obviously

Platini it is although Zidane would be the consensus choice in France right now. But legends aren't always accurate (see Maradona).
Platini was the Ballon d'Or three straight years. Nobody could touch him.
He took his team to the semis in the 82 WC before the refs and Schumacher ended his dream (and I have them winning the final), he got red hot for Euro 84 where he managed to set a scoring record that might never be broken. And then he willed France to the 86 semis by beating the best team in the world then in the QF. All of this while being the captain, leader and inspiring presence.

ZZ OTOH, while supremely talented, didn't weigh on WC 98 before the final. In fact, his only impact before the final was negative (red card). He played very well in Euro 00, but even then, the team around him weighed more than him. He had a great WC06, but Vieira was the guy doing the work and then he blew a fuse in the final NT game of his career. Possibly costing a WC (we'll never know).
In club career, he was never the obvious best player in the world. Ronaldo and others won Ballon d'Or over him. He was always among the best, but never clearly the best.

Possibly most elegant player to watch on the pitch. But Platini was all about efficiency.

As for the others, they're not in the discussion, even Kopa's wonderful career, even Fontaine's crazy WC record, etc...

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Moussa Sissoko.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Could be fun to do polls like this for all the big countries...

 

[Gecklund]

Could be fun to do polls like this for all the big countries...

Christian Pulisic

 

[John Pedro]

Where's Pogba?

didn't watch Platini so Zidane for me

 

[Cassano]

Thierry for me.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Ibrahim Ba,

 

[Eye of Ra]

Ibrahim ba,

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

It's a tie between Umitit and Abidal

 

[Albatros]

Zidane, Platini is overrated.

 

[les Habs]

It's a tie between Umitit and Abidal

No tie, Umtiti all day long.

 

[Corto]

Very tight between Zidane and Platini IMO.
But I'd go for Platini, by a hair. Both absolutely fantastic players.

 

[Bon Esprit]

Michel Platini was the best french player I have seen play, Zidane was the second best. I always loved to watch Henry.

 

[Ivan13]

I think it's Platini clearly. I agree with Evilo 100%.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Zidane, Platini is overrated.

Huh?

 

[Albatros]

Platini was like an 80s Pirlo with no work ethic, had a short peak on top while Zidane was there for much of his career.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

It's a tie between Umitit and Abidal

No tie, Umtiti all day long.

You Cules should know that the only real answer is Varane.

---
I am too young to have seen Platini, so I have to go with my man Zidane here.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Wish I had the balls to say Ginola even though I very well know it is wrong.

 

[Havre]

Platini certainly had better hair.

I don't know Platini enough to say. I guess he can be excused for being lazy considering when he played. He certainly would have had to change his style if he had played today, but couldn't say he wouldn't have had.

I prefer both Zidane and Henry, but I won't vote as I'm not really "qualified" to really appreciate Platini (maybe if I had seen him live in his prime I would have understood better how good he really was). I saw how the uninformed almost ruined Messi vs. Ronaldo - I shouldn't do the same here.

 

[Bon Esprit]

Platini certainly had better hair.

I don't know Platini enough to say. I guess he can be excused for being lazy considering when he played. He certainly would have had to change his style if he had played today, but couldn't say he wouldn't have had.

I prefer both Zidane and Henry, but I won't vote as I'm not really "qualified" to really appreciate Platini (maybe if I had seen him live in his prime I would have understood better how good he really was). I saw how the uninformed almost ruined Messi vs. Ronaldo - I shouldn't do the same here.

The problem with players of the 70s and 80s is that they really look lazy by today's standards. But the playing style was totally different compared to today. Forwards or OMs didn't backcheck like today. It wasn't their business.

 

[Havre]

I don't disagree. Which is why it might be correct that Platini is/was the best.

Not to mention the difficulty of watching these players if you weren't in France (or Italy) at the time. Apart from when he played for France and some of the European games hardly any of this was accessible for people to watch. So this is not for me to decide. And I guess most people on here are either too young and/or never had the possibility to see much of Platini.

 

[The Abusement Park]

I voted Zidane because I’ve seen more of him. But from what I’ve seen and heard of Platini makes him more than a viable answer imo.

 

[Power Man]

1 Zidane
2 Mbappe
3. Rocheteau
4. Just Fontaine
5. Didier Six
6. Thierry Henry
7. Yannick Stoppira
8. Daniel Bravo
9. Gengini
10. Tigana
11. Giresse
12. Juste Fontaine
13. Trezegol
14. Ginola
15. Cantona
16. Giroud
17. Maxime Bossis
18. Ettori
19. Joel Bats
20. Luis Fernandez
21. Pavard
22. Wiltord
24. Trésor
25. Battiston







2345. Michel Platini