Ligue 1

PSG hold the record for the most French Ligue One titles

Over the years, some of football’s biggest stars have plied their trade in the French top flight. France, with its rich football history, has also produced some of the best players the beautiful game has ever seen.

However, which clubs have been the most successful in the history of the French top-flight?

Paris Saint-Germain (12 French top-flight titles won)

psg

It might not be a surprise that PSG are the club with the most French top-flight titles, having won the title on 12 occasions. However, it may come as a surprise to some that PSG were only founded in 1970, after two clubs, Stade Saint-Germain and FC Paris, merged.

The Parisians didn’t win their first French top-flight title until season 1985/86. Then they were domestic champions just once up again till season 2012/13. The significant upturn in the club’s fortunes coincided with the big-money takeover by Qatar Sports Investment.

Since 2013, PSG has dominated Ligue One, winning the title on ten occasions. Their recent achievements are a far cry from winning promotion from the second tier of French football in 1971.

In recent years, some of the top players of their generation, such as Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe, have starred for the club from the French capital.

Meanwhile, iconic football figures such as Just Fontaine and Carlo Ancelotti have coached the team. Other highly-rated coaches such as Luis Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Unai Emery have also spent time with the club.

Saint-Etienne (10 French top-flight titles won)

Les Verts were, for a long time, the most successful club in the history of Ligue One and the French game in general. However, PSG’s emergence has rather put the club in the Parisians’ shadow.

Saint-Etienne first claimed the French top-flight title in season 1956/57, with star pair Eugene Njo-Lea and Rachid Mekloufi scoring 29 and 25 goals, respectively, in the top-flight, as the team fired home an impressive 88 league goals in their 34 outings, as they beat Lens to the French crown.

However, much of Saint-Etienne’s success was based on their successful teams of the 1960s and 1970s, with the team winning nine titles between 1964 and 1981. Their Ligue One title in season 1980/81 remains their last triumph in the French top-flight.

They have also finished as runners-up in Ligue One on three occasions in seasons 1945/46, 1971/72 and 1981/82.

One of Saint-Etienne’s modern greats was legendary French attacking midfielder Michel Platini. He spent three seasons with the club from 1979 until 1982. He helped the club to their last French top flight while scoring 58 goals in 104 appearances in Ligue One during his time with Les Verts.

Marseille (9 French top-flight titles won)

Olympique de Marseille

OM is considered to be one of the biggest and most successful clubs in France, having won the French top-flight title on nine occasions.

Marseille are also one of the earliest winners of the French title on our list, as the first time they became French champions was in season 1936/37. They won the title on goal difference, having finished level on points with Sochaux.

However, before the game became professional in France, the club won their first title in 1929.

It was their firepower that won OM their maiden title, as they scored a league-high 69 goals, with striker Mario Zatelli finding the net on 28 occasions. Only Strasbourg’s Oskar Rohr outscored Zatelli that season, with the German scoring 30 times.

The next title didn’t arrive until 1948. However, their next title didn’t arrive until 1971, when OM were crowned as French champions in back-to-back seasons.

Marseille’s most glorious period was between 1989 and 1992, when OM won the French title in four straight seasons. Their last title to date was in season 2009/10.

Some illustrious names have called Marseille home, including former Germany and Bayern Munich captain Franz Beckenbauer, who had a short-lived spell as head coach in 1990.

On the playing side, George Weah, Didier Drogba, Marcel Desailly, Franck Ribery, Laurent Blanc and Jean Pierre-Papin have all represented OM on the pitch over the years.

Monaco (8 French top-flight titles won)

AS Monaco FC

The club from the principality have claimed the French top-flight title on eight occasions. Monaco won their first-ever French title in season 1960/61, finishing just a point clear of Racing Paris at the top of the table.

The team based their title triumph on having the joint-best defence in the division.

Their defensive displays were crucial, as second-place Racing Paris were prolific during the campaign, scoring an incredible 93 goals compared to Monaco’s 77, which was only the third-highest tally in the top flight.

The club never really had a long period of dominance in Ligue One. Their last title was in the 2016/17 season.

One of the club’s most high-profile former players is French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, who came through the club’s youth system. The forward spent just three seasons in the first team before an initial loan move to PSG in 2017 and a big-money permanent switch to Paris the following summer.

The likes of Radamel Falcao, Youri Djorkaeff, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet all also featured for Monaco.

Off the pitch, the club employed illustrious head coaches such as former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and French World Cup-winning head coach Didier Deschamps, among a host of other top coaches.

Nantes (8 French top-flight titles won)

Nantes first became champions in season 1964/65, winning the title by two points to second-place Bordeaux, with midfielder Jacques Simon finishing as the league’s top goalscorer with 24

Les Canarias also retained the title the following season, but this time, they finished seven points ahead of Bordeaux, who were once again the runners-up.

Their other titles were slightly spread out, as they won two in the 1970s, two in the 1980s, and one in the 1990s. Their last French top-flight came in season 2000/01.

Nantes’ former players include French football icons such as Didier Deschamps, Marcel Desailly and Claude Makelele.

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