Ligue 1: 10 South Americans with the most goals

The Ligue 1 is often derided as the 'Farmer's League' for its perceived lack of competitiveness compared to its other top-5 European league counterparts. Nevertheless, the Ligue 1 has been graced by many a fine player over the years, which includes players from South America as well.

Ten most prolific South American goal-scorers in Ligue 1 history:

Unlike in some of the other leagues across Europe, South American players have had limited success in the French top flight. However, a few have left their indelible mark on Ligue 1.

On that note, let's have a look at the top ten South American goal-scorers in the history of the competition.

#10 Rai (Brazil) - 51 goals

Rai is one of the most prolific Brazilian goal-scorers in the Ligue 1.

In a short five-season stint in Ligue 1, Rai scored 51 goals, all for PSG, in 147 games in the competition.

The attacking midfielder had his most prolific Ligue 1 campaign in 1995-96, scoring 14 goals.

Recently, Neymar surpassed Rai's goal-tally for PSG to become the top-scoring Brazilian in the history of the Ligue 1 club.

#9 Michel Bastos (Brazil) - 51 goals

Michel Bastos played for two clubs - Lille and Lyon - during a seven-season stint in the Ligue 1 between 2006 and 2013.

The Brazilian midfielder had his most prolific Ligue 1 campaign with Lyon, scoring 14 goals and providing 13 assists in the 2008-09 season. However, despite Bastos' exploits, Lyon lost their seven-season Ligue 1 stranglehold, finishing nine points behind champions Bordeaux.

Bastos last played for Brazilian Serie B club America Futebol Clube in 2019.

#8 Angel Di Maria (Argentina) - 51 goals

After first cutting his teeth in European football with Real Madrid, Angel Di Maria endured a forgettable outing with Manchester United before landing at PSG in the summer of 2015.

The Argentine winger seemingly found a new lease of life on his arrival at the Ligue 1 club.

In almost 250 appearances for the Parisian club, Di Maria has conjured 87 goals - 51 of them in the Ligue 1 - while assisting over 100 times in various competitions.

The 33-year-old has won four Ligue 1 titles in five seasons in the competition.

#7 Neymar (Brazil) - 53 goals

Despite enduring an injury riddled stint since his arrival from Barcelona in the summer of 2017, Neymar recently recorded his 50th Ligue 1 goal in just 58 games for PSG.

The Brazilian forward has not yet scored 20 goals in a Ligue 1 campaign but has won the competition all three seasons he has featured in.

Neymar, who is one of the best-paid players in the world, is looking to improve on his modest return of six goals in 11 games this season and take PSG back to the Ligue 1 summit.

#6 Nene (Brazil) - 55 Ligue 1 goals

Nene had a six-season stint in the Ligue 1, which was split equally between Monaco and PSG between 2007 and 2013.

The Brazilian midfielder enjoyed his most prolific Ligue 1 campaign in 2011-12, when he netted 21 times for PSG, while also providing 13 assists. However, his only Ligue 1 title came the next season, where the player scored just once in nine games.

A quintessential number 10, the Brazilian had a blistering left foot, scoring many a fine long-range stunners.

The 39-year-old is currently plying his trade at Brazilian Serie A club Fluminense, for whom he has scored 11 times this campaign.

#5 Ilan (Brazil) - 59 goals

Despite playing as a striker, Ilan only managed a rather underwhelming tally of 59 Ligue 1 goals in 239 games across nine seasons in the competition.

The Brazilian had his two most productive Ligue 1 campaigns with Sochaux, scoring 13 and ten goals respectively in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 editions of the league.

Thereafter, his Ligue 1 goal-return steadily diminished, with Ilan managing only one goal in 30 games in his final season in the competition with Bastia in 2013-14.

#4 Lisandro Lopez (Argentina) - 59 goals

Lisandro Lopez had a fairly productive four-season Ligue 1 stint, scoring 59 goals for Lyon in 119 games between 2009 and 2013.

Despite the exploits of the Argentine centre-forward, Lyon couldn't continue their seven-season Ligue 1 stranglehold (2002 to 2008). Nevetheless, Lopez is largely fondly remembered by the Lyon faithful.

The 37-year-old forward last played for Racing Club in his native Argentina last year.

#3 Radamel Falcao (Colombia) - 65 Ligue 1 goals

Radamel Falcao arrived in the Ligue 1 in the summer of 2013 with much hype after prolific scoring stints with Porto and Atletico Madrid.

However, a combination of injuries and poor form meant that the Colombia striker struggled to reach his blistering best for the Ligue 1 club. Nevertheless, he did score a commendable 65 goals in 108 outings, which included a 21-goal campaign in 2016-17 to help Monaco interrupt PSG's Ligue 1 dominance.

After bidding adieu to the Ligue 1 club in 2019, the 35-year-old striker is currently playing for Turkish club Galatasaray.

#2 Juninho Pernamubucano (Brazil) - 75 goals

More renowned for his otherworldly free-kick prowess, Juninho Pernambucano was an integral part of the Lyon side that won seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles in the 2000s.

Widely regarded as the best free-kick taker of all time, the Brazilian midfielder scored 75 Ligue 1 goals in 248 games spanning eight seasons.

Juninho scored an impressive 44 freekicks for Lyon, which comprised exactly 44% of his goal-tally in all competitions for the then-Ligue 1 giants.

#1 Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) - 138 goals

Edinson Cavani is the most prolific South American goal-scorer in the Ligue 1 by a proverbial country mile.

The Uruguayan forward amassed an impressive 138 goals in exactly 200 Ligue 1 games across seven glorious seasons for PSG.

During this period, Cavani won the Ligue 1 title on six occasions. Despite his league-leading 35-goal outing in 2016-17, PSG were edged out to the Ligue 1 title by Monaco.

Cavani overtook Zlatan Ibrahimovich to become PSG's all-time top-scorer before leaving the Ligue 1 giants last summer after scoring exactly 200 goals in all competitions.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Rohit Mishra

10 South Americans with the most goals in Ligue 1