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When it comes to being a competitive league, Ligue 1 isn't considered at par with Europe's other top leagues by the footballing community.
With PSG being the dominant force in France's elite division, Ligue 1 is often considered one of the most predictable leagues across the globe. However, with the emergence of Monaco as a tough competitor and Lille's Ligue 1 triumph to dethrone a star-studded PSG, the signs indicate the excitement that awaits.
After facing a surprise loss in Ligue 1, PSG have gone all-guns-blazing in the transfer market this term. They have landed some big names in the world of football like Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum.
These signings mean more eyes will be on PSG in the coming season and in the process, Ligue 1 will attain its fame too.
The French league has often been the place where top-tier players who want to end their careers on a high-note arrive. It is also a league where budding talents flourish and prepare themselves for bigger stages.
Over the course of years, we have had some brilliant footballers play in France.
Hence, without any further ado, let's take a look at the Top five Ligue 1 Players in the 21st Century.
#5 Pauleta
A 27-year-old Pauleta decided to move to France following a sensational La Liga victory with Deportivo de La Coruña in the year 2000. Due to personal and family reasons, the Portuguese forward chose Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.
After spending three years with Bordeaux, Pauleta's goals kept flowing throughout his tenure. Good run-in form landed him a PSG deal where he helped his new team win their first trophy in six years.
It didn't stop there for Pauleta. The Portuguese star signed a contract extension with the Parisians and ended up as the club's all-time top goalscorer. The record was later broken by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
#4 Djibril Cissé
Djibril Cissé, who started his professional career with then Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre, remains one of the top players the league has seen this century.
Having scored 70 times out of 128 appearances in the top-flight, Djibril Cissé remains to be one of the club legends alongside some of the big names in football like Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc and Philippe Mexès.
Cissé's fine form brought him to EPL in 2004 where he donned the Liverpool outfit for the next three years. Despite an injury-laden tenure, Cissé was a part of Liverpool's iconic Champions League triumph over AC Milan. He also converted from the spot in the subsequent shootout after the game ended at 3-3 AET.
The former France international returned to Ligue 1 to join Merseille. Despite another career threatening injury, Cissé managed to finish three more seasons in the French league.
#3 Juninho Pernambucano
Juninho Pernambucano or simply Juninho arrived in Ligue 1 and announced himself to the French crowd in the first season itself.
Juninho left Rio de Janeiro outfit Vasca da Gama to join Olympique Lyonnais in 2001. Before signing the Brazilian, Lyon had zero Ligue 1 titles under their belt. What followed was a legendary stint in the club as well as in the league's history.
From 2002 to 2008, Lyon went on to create the record for the most consecutive (7) Ligue 1 victories. Juninho still holds the record for most Ligue 1 titles won (seven) by a player.
The Brazilian starlet is believed to have changed the attitude within the club and his set-piece skills are, to date, considered one of the best ever. The father of the knuckleball technique scored 100 goals in total for Lyon. 44 of them came from freekicks.
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The former Swedish international arrived in Paris at the age of 31. The age where players, normally, start fading. However, Zlatan had a different plan in his mind. He found the net for the Ligue 1 outfit 113 times off 122 league appearances.
With 38 goals in his final season (2015-16) in the PSG jersey, Zlatan Ibrahimovic earned the golden boot. In the same season, Zlatan bagged another record of scoring in 9 consecutive matches.
Ibrahimovic has played in seven different leagues and ended up as an instrumental player for each of his sides.
The former Sweden captain broke Pauleta's record of becoming PSG's all-time top scorer. The same was later broken by Edinson Cavani. More about him in the subsequent slide.
#1 Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani, aka El Matador as dearly called by his fans, is one of the most prolific strikers in not just Ligue 1's history but in the era of modern football as well.
The all-time PSG top goal scorer has set a benchmark that won't be an easy task for generations to follow. After a shimmering tenure in Serie A, Cavani was recruited by PSG in 2013 for a fee reported around €64 million. It is the largest in the French division and sixth most in history.
Cavani won back-to-back quadraples in 2014-16 and cemented himself in PSG's history books. It didn't stop there for the former Parisian striker. He won back-to-back golden boot awards in 2016-17 & 2017-18.
Share your thoughts on our list of the top five Ligue 1 players of all-time.
