One simply cannot ignore the fact that over the years, French football has constantly produced some of the finest names that have gone on to become household names in the world of football. In a league where coverage is low and financial rewards pale in comparison to those in England and Spain, French Ligue 1 or the Championnat as it is called in French, continues to nurture talent in its fabled academies.
The likes of Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Rennais, Olympique de Marseille, Caen de Malherbe and Clairefontaine just cannot stop producing players who go on to make a big names for themselves, unfortunately for the French League many of these star players choose to showcase their talents in foreign lands.
The likes of Florent Malouda, Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Sidney Govou , Samir Nasri, Yann M’Vila, Yohan Cabaye, Mathieu Debuchy and a host of other players were all wide-eyed prospects at the start of their career and have gone on to forge excellent careers which is a testament to the sound coaching done in many academies in France.
Although the arrival of Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco has caused frenzy, the other Ligue 1 clubs have kept on producing players willing to play at the highest levels. This summer, Yaya Sanogo has made the switch to Arsenal and the young striker could well be the kind of player who guides the Gunners back to the loftiest heights of football in a few years’ time. However, the former AJ Auxerre player is not the only one as countless other players could follow suit in the future.
Lucas Digne (Lille OSC)
The 2012/2013 season was one that most of the Lillois supporters would want to forget. However, in the midst of a forgettable campaign, young Lucas Digne shone like a beacon of hope for Les Dogues. In a season where the likes of Florent Balmont, Marvin Martin and others struggled with form, the young left-back boosted his profile and rapidly rose in to a true star for Rudi Garcia’s side.
A product of the club’s youth academy, Digne is quite a full-back, willing to help the team in attack while also making sure that the defensive duties are not neglected. Attracting attention from top European sides at the age of 19, the young Frenchmen might be seen galloping his way past defenders in the future.
Kurt Zouma (AS Saint-Etienne)
It was a knee injury to young Kurt Zouma that derailed what could have been a Champions League qualification season for Les Verts. At the age of 18, the young defender has already shown that he might be the only heir to legendary Lillian Thuram. The youngster is already a cult figure at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard and could be in for quite a spectacular career.
Remi Cabella (Montpellier Herault)
When Younes Belhanda was away on African Cup of Nations duty during La Paillade’s Ligue 1 winning campaign, no one missed the Moroccan that much, thanks to the emergence of Remi Cabella who took his chance and established himself as an integral member of the starting eleven.
One of the main reasons why outspoken president Louis Nicollin sanctioned Belhanda’s sale to Dynamo Kiev this summer was Cabella’s emergence. The youngster has all the makings of a great player and could be in for a trophy filled future.
Wissam Ben Yedder (Toulouse)
The transformation of Wissam Ben Yedder from a fringe player to one of the most exciting players in Ligue 1 is nothing short of extraordinary. Two seasons back, not even many people in France knew much about him. However, last season was a different story altogether. The youngster burst onto the scene and thanks to his deft touch, technical wizardry and ice as cool finishing, the youngster has shown that he may have a great future ahead of him if he resists the temptation to break curfews like the one he did last year when on duty with the French U-21 side.
