Frenchmen have participated in the Premier League in their droves over the years, all to varying degrees of success.

We have now turned our attention to naming our Top 5 best Frenchmen to play in the Premier League, using facts and figures to reinforce our claims.

There has been a multitude of talent that has crossed the English Channel to play in the Premier League in the last 25 years.

Unfortunately, many extremely talented Frenchmen that have made their mark in the English game have had to miss out. Amongst the players that were considered, but narrowly missed out, include Patrice Evra, David Ginola, Robert Pires, Claude Makelele and Nicholas Anelka.

All were fantastic servants to their respective English clubs, but unfortunately did not quite make the list.

Now onto the list of the Top 5 Frenchmen to play in the Premier League.

Which former Chelsea defender made the list? Where did a legendary Arsenal midfielder finish in the countdown? Which striker took top spot?

Find out the answers to all these questions in the following pages…

5. Marcel Desailly

The Ghana-born centre-back may not be a name many of the new generation of football fans are familiar with, but the colossal defender established himself as one of the best of his generation during his stint at Chelsea.

Nicknamed ‘The Rock’ due to his resolute playing style, Desailly was at Chelsea way before the investment of Roman Abramovich and thus he did not enjoy great collective success at his club, but nevertheless he remains one of the best players in Chelsea’s history.

Overall, he made 222 appearances during his six-year stint in England, with his only major honours being a UEFA Super Cup win in 1998, the FA Cup in 2000 and the Charity Shield in the same year. Despite not winning many major trophies, he was voted in the Premier League’s Overall Team of the Decade (1992/1993 – 2001/2002).

Before that he had even better success, winning the Champions League with both Marseille and AC Milan, among countless other trophies at the Italian Club.

But what perfectly displays his greatness is his success on the world’s biggest stage. The Frenchman made 116 appearances for his country and was at the time the country’s leading appearance holder.

In those years, he played an integral role in a golden age of French football, having won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000.

He was also named in the European Championships Team of the Tournament for both 1996 and 2000, and the World Cup Team of the Tournament for 1998. This means he was in the Team of the Tournament for three straight Major Championships.

That is an unreal stat and one that highlights him as a tremendous footballer.

4. N’Golo Kante

The former Leicester City man has been getting a lot of praise for his performances recently, and rightly so. Leaving Makelele out was a tough choice, but eventually we chose to leave him out in favour of Kante.

Amazingly, the Frenchman still has his doubters. But the truth is, the man is unbelievable. Kante joined Leicester as a relative unknown less than two years ago, but he has quickly established himself as one of the most influential players to ever play in the Premier League.

He completely transformed a Foxes side from relegation certainties into title winners. The former Boulogne midfielder then joined Chelsea for £30m last summer and has turned a team that failed to secure continental football into champions-elect.

The defensive work he does for his team is unbelievable, he covers every single blade of grass and topped the league for both interceptions and tackles last season.

He is also underrated in an attacking sense, he has already scored two vital goals against Manchester United this season and the energetic midfielder also plays a huge role in formulating counter attacks game after game.

Despite playing less than two seasons in the Premier League, his impact on the division has been plain to see. Not only is he the best defensive midfielder in the league, but he is widely considered the best defensive midfielder in the world at this current time.

3. Patrick Vieira

At number three, we have one of the true Premier League greats, Patrick Vieira.

The combative midfielder was only 20-years-old when he made his move to the Premier League following a £3.5m transfer from AC Milan, but he quickly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the league.

Known for his tenacity and strength in both attack and defence, Vieira would play a big part in making Arsenal a force in English football. In his nine seasons with the club, Vieira would win the league on three occasions, whilst also winning the FA Cup and the Community Shield four times each.

On a personal level, he was also named in the PFA Team of the Year six times and the overall Team of the Decade for 1992/1993 – 2001/2002. He would also be named in the Premier League Team of the Season for 2000/2001, whilst also being chosen in the UEFA Team of the Year for 2001.

There are countless more accolades that the midfielder achieved, but it would be too time consuming to list them all.

On the international front, he would be an integral figure as he helped his side win the World Cup in 1998 and Euro 2000.

Overall, he would accumulate 452 appearances in English football, scoring 40 goals. He also represented his nation on 106 occasions, finding the net six times.

He will probably be most remembered for being part of one of the greatest rivalries in recent times (with Roy Keane), but he should be remembered for much more than that.

Vieira was truly an extraordinary footballer whose legacy will be etched on the Premier League for all time.

2. Eric Cantona

Having to put Cantona at number two was an extremely tough decision and it takes an extremely special player to be named better than him.

The Frenchman only played in the league for five seasons, but he would make those years count as he expressed his incredible footballing ability to the English public. Although he started his English career at Leeds United, it would be at Manchester United where the controversial striker would excel.

During his five-season stint in Manchester, he would enjoy a period of great success as the club won four Premier League titles, two FA Cup’s and three Charity Shields.

His technical attributes would probably be his greatest asset, but the striker was also strong, quick and had an eye for goal. He could do it all and caused a great problem to defences whenever he played.

Individually he won several accolades, but his greatest achievement would most probably be being voted the greatest overseas player to play in the Premier League from 1992/1993 – 2001/2002.

Overall, he would appear 220 times in English football, where he would hit the back of the net 96 times. A controversial character with a fiery temper, Cantona would go down in history as he was made to endure a nine-month ban after karate kicking a Crystal Palace fan.

Nevertheless, he was a genius on the football pitch and it was a great shame when he decided to prematurely retire from world football at the tender age of 31.

1. Thierry Henry

Let’s be honest, there was only one player that could top this list. Thierry Henry came into the league as an unknown quantity, someone whose career had stagnated at Juventus, where he was being wasted on the wing.

He then joined former manager Arsene Wenger at Arsenal in 1999 in an attempt to rejuvenate his career. He did not just rejuvenate his career, he became the best striker the league has ever seen.

Equipped with blistering pace and unbelievable finishing ability, Henry would destroy opposition defences almost at will.

He spent eight seasons at Arsenal, scoring 226 goals in 369 games at 0.61 goals per game. In the process, the Frenchman shattered all sorts of records at Arsenal, including becoming their all-time leading goalscorer.

Despite what he achieved at Arsenal, as a team who perhaps underachieved in North London, ‘all’ he won was two Premier League titles, two FA Cups and two Charity Shields.

He would leave Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007, where he would play a key role in a team that has been widely regarded as the greatest team of all-time.

But it was where at Arsenal where Henry made his name, and his former club honoured his achievements by erecting a bronze statue for him outside the ground in 2011, a fitting tribute for someone who achieved so much at the club.

The great Frenchman could easily be considered the best player to ever play for Arsenal. I’ll go further than that. He is the best player in Arsenal’s history. But he is also the greatest player in the history of the Premier League.