French Player of the Year

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Thierry Henry, pictured in 2008, was named French Player of the Year five times, more than any other player. Thierry Henry 2008.jpg
Thierry Henry, pictured in 2008, was named French Player of the Year five times, more than any other player.

The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine France Football since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but starting in 1996 French players playing abroad were in contention to win the trophy. Since 2001, former winners have elected the Player of the Year. [1]

Contents

Format

In 2023, France Football changed the format of its award by changing its time frame from the calendar year to the football season. They also decided to introduce a French Player of the Year award for women's footballers. [2]

Male winners

YearPlayerClub(s)
1959 Jules Sbroglia  [ fr ] Flag of France.svg Angers
1960 Raymond Kopa Flag of France.svg Reims
1961 Mahi Khennane Flag of France.svg Rennes
1962 André Lerond Flag of France.svg Stade Français
1963 Yvon Douis Flag of France.svg Monaco
1964 Marcel Artelesa Flag of France.svg Monaco
1965 Philippe Gondet Flag of France.svg Nantes
1966 Philippe Gondet (2) Flag of France.svg Nantes
1967 Bernard Bosquier Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1968 Bernard Bosquier (2) Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1969 Hervé Revelli Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1970 Georges Carnus Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1971 Georges Carnus (2) Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
Flag of France.svg Marseille
1972 Marius Trésor Flag of France.svg Ajaccio
Flag of France.svg Marseille
1973 Georges Bereta Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1974 Georges Bereta (2) Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1975 Jean-Marc Guillou Flag of France.svg Angers
Flag of France.svg Nice
1976 Michel Platini Flag of France.svg Nancy
1977 Michel Platini (2) Flag of France.svg Nancy
1978 Jean Petit Flag of France.svg Monaco
1979 Maxime Bossis Flag of France.svg Nantes
1980 Jean-François Larios Flag of France.svg Saint-Étienne
1981 Maxime Bossis (2) Flag of France.svg Nantes
1982 Alain Giresse Flag of France.svg Bordeaux
1983 Alain Giresse Flag of France.svg Bordeaux
1984 Jean Tigana Flag of France.svg Bordeaux
1985 Luis Fernández Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
1986 Manuel Amoros Flag of France.svg Monaco
1987 Alain Giresse (3) Flag of France.svg Marseille
1988 Stéphane Paille Flag of France.svg Sochaux
1989 Jean-Pierre Papin Flag of France.svg Marseille
1990 Laurent Blanc Flag of France.svg Montpellier
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin (2) Flag of France.svg Marseille
1992 Alain Roche Flag of France.svg Auxerre
Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
1993 David Ginola Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
1994 Bernard Lama Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
1995 Vincent Guérin Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
1996 Didier Deschamps Flag of Italy.svg Juventus
1997 Lilian Thuram Flag of Italy.svg Parma
1998 Zinedine Zidane Flag of Italy.svg Juventus
1999 Sylvain Wiltord Flag of France.svg Bordeaux
2000 Thierry Henry Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2001 Patrick Vieira Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2002 Zinedine Zidane (2) Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid
2003 Thierry Henry Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2004 Thierry Henry Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2005 Thierry Henry Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2006 Thierry Henry (5) Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2007 Franck Ribéry Flag of France.svg Marseille
2008 Franck Ribéry Flag of Germany.svg Bayern Munich
2009 Yoann Gourcuff Flag of France.svg Bordeaux
2010 Samir Nasri Flag of England.svg Arsenal
2011 Karim Benzema Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid
2012 Karim Benzema Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid
2013 Franck Ribéry (3) Flag of Germany.svg Bayern Munich
2014 Karim Benzema Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid
2015 Blaise Matuidi Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
2016 Antoine Griezmann Flag of Spain.svg Atlético Madrid
2017 N'Golo Kanté Flag of England.svg Chelsea
2018 Kylian Mbappé Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
2019 Kylian Mbappé Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain
2020Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Karim Benzema (4) Flag of Spain.svg Real Madrid
2022–23 Kylian Mbappé (3) Flag of France.svg Paris Saint-Germain

Player of the Century

At the end of the 20th century, the magazine also voted on the French Player of the Century, won by Michel Platini. [1]

RankPlayerVotes
1 Michel Platini 143
2 Zinedine Zidane 121
3 Raymond Kopa 88
4 Laurent Blanc 28
5 Just Fontaine 22
6 Marius Trésor 17
7 Alain Giresse 15
8 Jean-Pierre Papin 12
9 Didier Deschamps 9
10 Eric Cantona 8

Manager of the Year

Every year, the magazine elects the best French manager of the year. The jury is composed of former laureates. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Garin, Erik; Pierrend, José Luis (18 January 2018). "France – Footballer of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  2. "France Football innove pour ses trophées récompensant les meilleurs Français". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2024-05-19.