Top five best French footballers to play for Real Madrid

Some French players have taken the Santiago Bernabeu by storm in the last few decades.

After a seven-year-long saga of speculations and transfer rumours, Real Madrid shook the internet by announcing the arrival of one of the greatest footballers of our time, Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe, who led the French side to a semi-final finish in the Euro 2024, will soon join his new teammates at Valdebebas in Madrid to kick off the 2024-25 pre-season for the current European club champions, Real Madrid.

Since 1990, around 15 players from Les Bleus have worn the white jersey and made a profound and significant impact for Los Blancos. This includes an elite list of France’s all-time greatest players, such as Zinedine Zidane, who served the club both as a player and as a gaffer.

In this feature, we take you on an exciting rollercoaster ride to explore the five best French players who left an indelible mark on the hearts and souls of every Madridista. Tighten your seat belts, as some of their records for Los Vikingos will actually blow your mind.

5. Claude Makelele

Imagine an African player revolutionizing the defensive midfield role at the topmost division of European club football so beautifully that, in homage, the defensive midfield role colloquially gets the name of the “Makelele Role.” Arrigo Sacchi in 2000 quoted, “We knew that Zidane, Raul, and Figo didn’t track back, so we had to put a guy in front of the back four who would defend.”

That guy went on to make 94 appearances for Los Blancos and was part of the Madrid squad that won the Champions League in 2002 and LaLiga twice in 2001 and 2003. Claude Makelele is regarded as one of the most underrated players in Real Madrid, as McManaman described him as the most important yet least appreciated player ever.

4. Raymond Kopa

The first-ever French player to receive the Legion d’honneur in 1970, Raymond Kopa played a total of 79 matches for Real Madrid and netted 24 goals. The 1958 Ballon d’Or winner was part of the 1957-58 team that won LaLiga, the European Cup, and the Latin Cup in the same season.

Nicknamed “Little Napoleon,” Kopa was one of the first French players to win the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) after Los Blancos got the better of Fiorentina 2-0 in the 1957 finals. In March 2004, Kopa was named by Pele as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. To honour his legacy, the Kopa Trophy was awarded to the best young French footballer in a calendar year, with Kylian Mbappe as its first recipient.

3. Raphael Varane

One of the all-time best defenders in Real Madrid history, Raphael Varane made a total of 236 appearances for the Whites. Lens youth coach described the Frenchman as a “truly first-class player who is comfortable on both the tactical and technical level.” The 6-foot-3-inch defender won LaLiga three times, the Champions League four times, and the Copa del Rey once with Los Blancos.

One of the most decorated gaffers ever, Jose Mourinho, hailed Varane as one of the best defenders in world football. Frank Lebouef once said, “many compare him to Hierro due to his technique, but on the physical level, he is stronger and much faster.”

2. Zinedine Zidane

France’s all-time greatest player in history, Zinedine Zidane, not only played for Los Blancos but also went on to become their gaffer for five long years. After that iconic volley goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 UCL Finals, Rory Smith of The Telegraph wrote, “He was Bruce Lee in slow motion while kung fu chaos reigned around.”

Zizou, who decided to hang up his boots while wearing the white jersey, got a memorable tribute from his teammates, who wore commemorative shirts with “ZIDANE 2001-2006.” He played a total of 155 matches for Los Blancos, finding the back of the net 37 times. He also coached the Galacticos in over 300 matches with an average win percentage of 65%.

1. Karim Benzema

The second-highest goalscorer in the 122-year-long history of Real Madrid, Karim Benzema made a total of 439 appearances for Real Madrid over 14 seasons, netting 238 goals. He is widely regarded as one of the finest strikers of his generation, as his hat tricks and awe-inspiring strikes have brought a lot of happiness to the Santiago Bernabeu.

One of the highest-paid footballers in the world, Benzema made Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2024. Nicknamed “Coco,” imagining Karim Benzema in any other jersey than the Real Madrid jersey can be very painful, as his departure to Al-Ittihad shed a lot of tears among several Madrid loyalists who had the privilege to watch this absolute legend of the game take the Santiago Bernabeu by storm for more than a decade.

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