The nation has gifted more non-British players to the league than any other country.
Since the Premier League began Frenchmen have always played a big part in the success of the competition and over the years have dominated the division.
Therefore fanatix has compiled a list of the 10 greatest stars from the country to have graced the English top tier.
10. Emmanuel Petit
Clubs: Arsenal 1997-2000, Chelsea 2001-2004.
The midfielder arrived at Arsenal in 1997 having enjoyed nine years of success at AS Monaco and alongside Patrick Vieira bossed the middle of the park.
Petit’s first season saw the double of Premier League title and and FA Cup delivered to Highbury in what was a classy but tough Gunners team.
The France international was instrumental in the nations’s World Cup triumph of 1998 and later in his career spent three years at Chelsea.
9. Claude Makelele
Club: Chelsea 2003-2008.
A shrewd signing by the Blues when Roman Abramovich took over the club in 2003, Makelele was the first midfielder to boss the role just in front of the back four.
Jose Mourinho’s successful spell at Stamford Bridge was built on a solid defence and the Frenchman was key to that success with a no-nonsense approach of breaking up the play and distributing the ball.
Won two league titles, two League Cups and the FA Cup whilst with Chelsea.
8. Patrice Evra
Club: Manchester United 2006-present.
A shrewd replacement for Gabriel Heinze in 2006 and at £5.5m Evra has proved to be quite the bargain after helping United to five Premier League titles, three League Cups and the 2008 Champions League.
Although it took the full-back a little while to settle into English football, Evra has since gone onto be regarded as one of the best defenders in the country and has been named in three Teams of the Year.
7. David Ginola
Clubs: Newcastle United 1995-1997, Tottenham Hotspur 1997-2000, Aston Villa 2000-2002.
The dashing forward was the face of shampoo brand Head and Shoulders, but Ginola wasn’t just a pretty face and punished full-backs throughout the Premier League.
The winger is considered a legend and fans favourite at both Newcastle and Spurs and was even named PFA Players Player of the Year in 1999 – the first time the award had gone to a player outside of the top four clubs.
Unfortunately for such a great career in England Ginola only ever won one trophy in the country with a League Cup triumph in 1999.
6. Marcel Desailly
Club: Chelsea 1998-2004.
The French centre-back was already regarded as one of the best defenders in world football when arriving at Stamford Bridge on the back of a World Cup triumph in 1998, having had unprecedented success at both Marseille and AC Milan.
Although Desailly only won the UEFA Super Cup and the FA Cup with the Blues, the France star was a force in the Chelsea back four and left the club when the Abramovich era started.
5. Robert Pires
Clubs: Arsenal 2000-2006, Aston Villa 2010-2011.
The midfielder was a key part of Arsenal’s success in the early 2000s and was also instrumental as part of the ‘Invincibles’ side that went unbeaten for the whole of the 2003/04 season.
With the Gunners, Pires won two league titles and three FA Cups and alongside other stars such as Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg, played irresistible passing football that was revered across Europe.
Pires also had an impressive output in front of goal by scoring 78 times in six years in north London, which included three consecutive seasons of 14 or more Premier League goals.
4. Nicolas Anelka
Clubs: Arsenal 1997-1999, Liverpool 2002, Manchester City 2002-2005, Bolton Wanderers 2006-2008, Chelsea 2008-2012, West Bromwich Albion 2013-present.
The journeyman has had success at several Premier League sides which has included winning the league title with both Arsenal and Chelsea and scoring 124 top flight goals to date.
Anelka has adapted his game over the years from a pacey striker to a more all-round forward and despite having a reputation as ‘Le Sulk’, there is no doubting the attacker’s talent.
Following a miserable spell in China and then with Juventus, the Frenchman is back in England hoping to add to his tally with West Brom.
3. Patrick Vieira
Clubs: Arsenal 1996-2005, Manchester City 2010-2011.
It was with the Gunners that the powerful midfielder had his success in England, leading the north London side to three league titles and four FA Cup wins in nine years.
Since Vieira left the club it has coincided with an eight-year trophy drought and Arsenal have never managed to sufficiently replace the influence the Frenchman had at the club.
With the midfield ace as captain the club took on Manchester United and won and Vieira will forever remain as a Premier League legend.
2. Eric Cantona
Club: Manchester United 1992-1997.
The signing of Cantona from Leeds United was a masterstroke by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the French star helped the club to four league titles in five years.
Despite a reputation as a difficult character the forward flourished at Old Trafford and in 1996/97 arguably won the trophy for the Red Devils on his own – after serving an eight-month ban for the infamous ‘kung-fu’ kick on a Crystal Palace fan.
1. Thierry Henry
Club: Arsenal 1999-2007.
Originally signed as a winger, the lanky attacker developed into a formidable striker that dominated the Premier League for eight years, scoring 176 league goals in the process – only Alan Shearer and Andy Cole have more.
Henry was the spearhead in Arsenal’s title successes of 1998, 2003 and 2004 and at times was practically unstoppable when bearing down on goal.
The forward was top-scorer in England for four seasons out of five between 2002 and 2006 and departed for Barcelona in the summer of 2007.
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