Who are the top 10 all-time top scorers in the history of Ligue 1?

Who are the top 10 all-time top scorers in the history of Ligue 1?

Kenneth Mwenda
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:20 PM

This list of Ligue 1's all-time top scorers has exceptionally talented players and some of the greatest strikers in history. Due to their predatory instincts and deadly eyes for goals, these complete strikers lived up to the 'fox in the box' moniker that the fans heaped upon them.

Who are the top 10 all-time top scorers in the history of Ligue 1?
Goalkeeper Patrick Viot of Orleans and Delio Onnis of Monaco during the French Cup Final match at Parc des Princes, Paris, France on June 7th 1980. Photo: Michel Barrault
Source: Getty Images

The French league has always been a haven for talented young players on the rise and has provided a good platform for rising stars who later become household names. Some of the biggest names in the world, who established their own legacies while competing in the league, currently hold the all-time goal-scoring records for Ligue 1.

Ligue 1's top scorers of all time

Our list has the top scorers since the inception of the French First Division in 1932. The list may soon include some newcomers as a result of the league's modernisation and the rise of incredible giants like PSG with their amazing forwards. But for now, here is a list of the greatest goal-scorers in Ligue 1 history!

10. Gunnar Andersson | 179 Goals

All time top scorers of Ligue 1
Olympique Marseille (OM) player Gunnar Andersson (in white) scoring a goal against Stade-Francais' goalkeeper Dominique Colonna in 1952. Photo: Universal/Corbis/VCG
Source: Getty Images

He was a Swedish football player who played in the striker position. He is regarded as one of Olympique de Marseille's best strikers and the club's leading scorer. Andersson began his professional career in Sweden before moving to Denmark to play for Kjøbenhavns BK and later Olympique de Marseille, where he established himself as a key member.

Despite his success in France, Andersson was never chosen to play for the Swedish national football team because the team had a rule against choosing players who were not Swedish citizens. He did, however, win a single cap for the France B team in 1956 after obtaining French citizenship in 1954, but due to his performance, he was never called upon again.

9. Carlos Bianchi | 179 Goals

Ligue 1 top scorers of all time
Carlos Bianchi of PSG during the Paris Tournament match between Paris Saint Germain and Brazil Olympic at Parc des Princes, Paris, France on June 14th 1979. Photo: Michel Barrault
Source: Getty Images

Nicknamed El Virrey (The Viceroy), he is an Argentine former football player and manager. He has been mentioned in the histories of several French sports teams, including Stade de Reims, Paris Saint-Germain, and RC Strasbourg Alsace.

Bianchi was a prolific goal scorer who also enjoyed a successful career as a forward in Argentina and France. However, he is best known as one of the greatest coaches in history for leading Vélez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors to numerous titles.

He is the only coach with four Copa Libertadores victories. With 206 goals, he also holds the record for most goals scored at Velez Sarsfield.

8. Fleury Di Nallo | 187 Goals

All time top scorer in Ligue 1 in a season
French soccer player Fleury Di Nallo, captain of Lyon on September 20, 1971. Photo: Universal/Corbis/VCG
Source: Getty Images

Fleury Di Nallo was a legendary player for Olympique Lyonnais and one of the best strikers in Division 1 during the 1960s and 1970s. Di Nallo played 489 games and scored 222 goals for Lyon, earning the nickname "Le Petit Prince de Gerland" (The Little Prince of Gerland) from Lyon supporters. He scored 187 goals in all for the French League, 182 of them with Lyon.

Di Nallo scored 21 goals in 23 league games during his first full season with Lyon, including three hat-tricks and four goals in six Coupe de France games. Between 1962 and 1971, he received ten caps for France, scoring twice in a loss to Hungary on his international debut (2–3). He served as the head coach of AS Misérieux Trévoux from 2005 to 2008 before accepting a position as sports adviser with FC Corbas.

7. Joseph Ujlaki | 190 Goals

Who is Ligue 1 top scorer of all time
Portrait of Joseph Ujlaki in September 1953. Photo: Keystone-France
Source: Getty Images

A French football player of Hungarian descent, Joseph Ujlaki was one of Division 1's top strikers in the 1950s and 1960s. He is widely regarded as one of France's all-time greatest football players.

Joseph Ujlaki, who scored 190 goals in 438 competition appearances, was lethal, and it is no surprise that he is one of the all-time Racing Paris greatest players. He also played for FC Metz and OGC Nice.

6. Roger Piantoni | 203 Goals

Top Ligue 1 scorers of all time
Former soccer player Roger Piantoni. Photo: Christian Liewig
Source: Getty Images

Throughout his career, Roger Piantoni competed in Ligue 1 and scored 203 goals in 394 games while playing for FC Nancy and Stade de Reims. Piantoni, who is regarded as one of the best players to wear the El Tri jersey, earned the moniker Bout d'chou meaning "Cabbage Tip" because the French crowd was in awe of his goal-scoring prowess.

Piantoni played in the 1959 European Champions Cup finals and led Reims to three Ligue 1 titles in 1958, 1960, and 1962. When he played for Nancy in 1951 and Reims in 1961, he led Ligue 1 in goals scored.

5. Thadee Cisowski | 206 Goals

Ligue 1 top goal scorers all time
Thadee Cisowski of Paris(L) and Guillaume Bieganski of Lille (R) in action during a match between Racing Paris and Lille. Photo: Universal/Corbis/VCG
Source: Getty Images

Tadeusz Cisowski, a Polish immigrant's son, was one of the most feared goal scorers in the Championnat de France. He scored 206 goals in 286 appearances during his tenure with Valenciennes FC, Racing Club de France, and FC Metz.

He led Racing Club de France to three Ligue 1 scoring titles (1956, 1957, and 1959), but he was unable to win any silverware for The Penguins.

4. Roger Courtois | 210 Goals

Even the Ligue 1 has been graced by Roger Courtois, who excelled everywhere he played. The striker, who is among the all-time leading scorers in Ligue 1, scored 210 goals in just 288 games while also providing some outstanding assists to raise his total.

He played from 1932 to 1956 before switching to management. Courtois, who was of French descent and was born in Switzerland, competed for France in the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups.

3. Herve Revelli | 216 Goals

Top scorers Ligue 1 by season
French soccer player Herve Revelli in 1965. Photo: Universal/Corbis/VCG
Source: Getty Images

Herve Revelli is one of a select group of athletes who collectively won the French Championship seven times over the course of their careers. With ex-Lyon player Fleury Di Nallo, he shares the lead in goals scored in the Derby Rhone-Alpes between Saint-Etienne and Lyon with 14 goals.

The former French footballer was sensational; in the year 1969, he scored 31 goals in Ligue 1. For fifty years, the record stood unbroken until Kylian Mbappé of PSG pulled off the unbelievable in 2019. Since Revelli's accomplishment, Mbappe became the first French player to score at least 30 goals in a season in Ligue 1.

2. Bernard Lacombe | 255 Goals

All time top scorers of Ligue 1
Bernard Lacombe of Lyon during the Ligue 1 match between Rennes and Lyon at Roazhon Park on March 29, 2019 in Rennes, France. Photo: Vincent Michel
Source: Getty Images

Lacombe spent the majority of his time with Lyon and Bordeaux, where he won three league championships in the 1980s. In 1973, he received his first cap for France. Lacombe later went on to represent his country at the 1978 World Cup, scoring the first goal of the competition and the fastest goal ever for a French player against Italy in just 30 seconds.

He is the second-best striker in the history of the French championship, behind Delio Onnis, with 255 goals scored in Ligue 1. He also ranks among Ligue 1's top scorers by season. Lacombe also helped Lyon become a dominant force in France by working in various off-field capacities after his illustrious playing career ended in 1987.

1. Delio Onnis | 299 Goals

Who are the top 10 all-time top scorers in the history of Ligue 1?
Delio Onnis of Monaco during the French Cup Final match between AS Monaco and Orleans, at Parc des Princes, Paris, France on June 7th 1980. Photo: Michel Barrault
Source: Getty Images

He currently holds the record for most goals scored in Ligue 1 with 299 and has five seasons in which he finished as the league's leading scorer. Delio spent the majority of his career with Stade de Reims, AS Monaco, Tours FC, and Sporting Toulon Var between 1966 and 1986. He won one league title and one Coupe de France while playing for Monaco.

Delio was born in Italy, but his family moved to Argentina when he was young, earning him the Argentine nickname "El Tano" (the Italian). Onnis was never selected for Argentina, a country that favoured players who stayed in the domestic league.

Historically, the all-time top scorers in Ligue 1 have scored fewer goals than their counterparts in other top European leagues. This is primarily due to the French top division's frequent use as a stepping stone to leagues like the Premier League and La Liga.

READ ALSO: Who are the top Premier League scorers of all time as of 2022?

Sportsbrief has analysed an article about the Premier League's top scorers of all time. It is one of the most competitive and famous leagues globally. The list has some all-time best from the top six biggest clubs in the league. Click the above link to get a comprehensive list of some of the most prolific Premier League scorers!

Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.