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#3 Michel Platini
Michel Francois Platini was born in Joeuf, France, in 1955. He began his career at Nancy in France before moving to rivals Saint-Etienne, enjoying prolific spells at both clubs. Platini arguably had the most notable spell of his career at Juventus. There, he went on to become one of the most prolific and iconic midfielders the game has ever seen.
With Juventus, Platini won one Serie A and one European Cup (now called the UEFA Champions League). He was the first player to win three consecutive Ballon d'Or awards (1983-85). His record was eventually emulated and bettered by Lionel Messi in 2012.
Platini was also successful with the French national team, winning the UEFA Euro in 1984. He was named the Player of the Tournament, and also finished as the tournament's top scorer, scoring a record nine goals.
Throughout his career, the Frenchman scored 312 goals in 580 games in club football. He also netted an impressive 41 goals in 72 games for France, and was the top scorer for his nation before Thierry Henry (51) broke his record. Despite being a midfielder, Platini had astronomical numbers in terms of goal contributions, scoring at least 30 goals in all but one year between 1974 and 1985.
After retiring, Platini had a short managerial career with a few clubs and the French national team. He was also the first former player to be elected as the chairman of UEFA. However, he was shamefully stripped of his position in 2015 due to a conflict of interest as adjudged by the FIFA Ethics Committee.
Nevertheless, Platini remains one of the greatest midfielders to have ever played the beautiful game.
#2 Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry was born in Les Ulis, France, in 1977. He began his youth career at Monaco, and came through their ranks to join their senior team in 1994. He had a short spell at Juventus, and moved to Arsenal from there, in what turned to be the transfer that immortalised the man.
Henry scored 228 goals and provided 127 assists in 377 appearances for Arsenal. He ended his career as the Gunners' all-time top scorer, and the record is still intact now.
During his time with the Gunners, the Frenchman scored some world-class goals. That included a stunning volley against Manchester United in 2001 that left his compatriot Fabian Barthez in no man's land.
Henry was also known for his incredible close control, balance and dribbling, despite his height. He was able to hold the ball and bring his teammates into the game well, as is evident in his assists tally.
Here is a clip of the Frenchman running rings around a hapless Ajax defence.
The man also had a tongue as sharp as his shot, and did not shy away from giving cold responses to his doubters.
Once, Jose Mourinho, in typical fashion, tried to get into Henry's head before a game. He said the Frenchman only scores against small teams. Henry bagged a brace against the Portuguese manager's Chelsea side. and said cockily in his press conference:
"Well, as usual, like everyone says, I only score in small games... Maybe today was a small game again. That's the way it is."
On another occasion, Henry tried to sneak in a quick free-kick and scored against Wigan, only to be asked to re-take it by the referee. Henry scored again from the re-taken kick, and turned to the referee nonchalantly and said:
"Is that enough?"
One of the most entertaining players, who backed that up with his performances, Thierry Henry was a true showman.
#1 Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane was born in Marseille, France, in 1972. He enjoyed a very successful career, winning every major trophy in club and international football. The Frenchman is arguably the most gifted player to have ever worn France's famous blue jersey.
During his career, Zidane represented four clubs - all for fairly long spells. He commenced his career at Cannes, before moving to Bordeaux. After that, he had spells with Juventus and Real Madrid. Zidane won the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euros during an illustrious playing career.
He scored a stunning goal in the 2001 Champions League final for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen, helping seal Los Blancos' eighth title in the competition.
For his nation, Zidane seemed to elevate his game to another level. He took up the responsibility of being France's steel in midfield, looking to grab every game by the scruff of its neck.
In 2006, with France looking likely to go far in the tournament, Zidane provided a masterclass in midfield against one of the greatest international sides ever, Brazil.
His performance helped Les Bleus reach the final, which they lost to Italy on penalties. Zidane was sent off for a headbutt on Italy defender Marco Materazzi in what turned out to be his final appearance for France.
Zidane is one of only eight players to have won the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA World Cup and the Ballon d'Or award (1998). To this day, he remains the last French player to have received the coveted award.
The man's legacy as a player remains untouched despite the World Cup incident. He is still adored by Real Madrid and Juventus fans alike, as well as football fans worldwide.
