Ligue 1, the top-tier French championship, is a historic league that officially began in 1932. Since its inception, several illustrious footballers have participated in this competition, leaving their legacy in the ever-growing French football scene.
Although the impact of Brazilian players in French football isn’t as significant as in other major European leagues, true legends have passed through France, contributing to the great achievements of the country’s most important teams. Today at Sambafoot, we talk about the Brazilians with the best scoring records in this competition.
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The 10 Brazilians with the Most Goals in Ligue 1 History
As of mid-2024, records show that 248 Brazilian footballers have played in Ligue 1 since its inception to the present day.
The Brazilian footballer with the most matches in the history of the competition is the central defender Hilton, who played 512 league matches with four different clubs. Meanwhile, the top Brazilian scorer in history is the legendary Sonny Anderson.
Anderson had three stints in Ligue 1. The first was a brief but fruitful loan at Marseille, where he scored 16 goals in 24 matches. The second was a three-year period at AS Monaco, where he excelled by scoring 67 goals in 117 matches. Finally, his best era in France was his transfer to Olympique Lyon, where he scored 94 goals in 161 matches.
Counting only his Ligue 1 goals with these three teams, Sonny Anderson accumulated a total of 138 goals in 221 matches, translating to 0.62 goals per match in the league competition. A true goal-scoring machine.
Following him on the historical list are footballers like Neymar Jr., Juninho, Luizinho, and Ilan. Here is the complete list of the top 10 Brazilian goal scorers in Ligue 1 history:
The Complete List
Sonny Anderson (Olympique Marseille, AS Monaco, and Olympique Lyon)
Matches played: 221
Goals: 138
Assists: 15
Neymar (PSG)
Matches played: 112
Goals: 82
Assists: 50
Juninho Pernambucano (Olympique Lyon)
Matches played: 248
Goals: 75
Assists: 55
Pires Constantino (Nîmes, Olympique Lyon, and Olympique Marseille)
Matches played: 319
Goals: 64
Assists: –
Luizinho (Nîmes, Montpellier, Guingamp, and Stade Reims)
Matches played: 216
Goals: 60
Assists: –
Ilan Araujo (FC Sochaux, Saint-Étienne, AC Ajaccio, and SC Bastia)
Matches played: 239
Goals: 59
Assists: 15
Anderson Luis de Carvalho “Nenê” (AS Monaco and PSG)
Matches played: 142
Goals: 55
Assists: 43
Carlos Ruiter (Girondins de Bordeaux and AS Monaco)
Matches played: 129
Goals: 53
Assists: –
Michel Bastos (OSC Lille and Olympique Lyon)
Matches played: 195
Goals: 51
Assists: 30
Raimundo Souza “Raí” (PSG)
Matches played: 147
Goals: 51
Assists: 3
