Who Are The Best Players To Ever Play In Ligue 2

After Bournemouth’s signing of Eli Junior Kroupi on transfer deadline day from Ligue 2 side Lorient, we thought it would be a good idea to look into the best players to ever play in the French second tier. 18-year-old Kroupi might not be a familiar name now, but he has bags of potential that made clubs from across Europe interested in him. Likewise, with their performances in Ligue 2 early on in their careers, these five players impressed clubs in Europe’s top divisions.

Blaise Matuidi - Troyes

Blaise Matuidi was one of the most underrated players of his time. Plying his trade mostly in his native France, he played over 300 games of top flight football and earnt 84 caps for his country over a nine year period. He won 22 trophies as well as four personal honours for PSG, Juventus and France, including the 2018 World Cup, but his career started with Troyes in the second tier of French football.

He only played two league matches for them while they were in the second division, as Troyes earned promotion to the top flight, and Matuidi stayed with them for a further two years. He made his debut in November 2004 against Gueugnon, playing more than 60 minutes as his side won 2-1. He played just one more league match for the senior team in that campaign as he moved back to the reserve squad.

Blaise Matuidi is a PSG legend idc about what yall gonna say

— MSP (@Msp_Psg) January 22, 2025

Matuidi went on to play for some of the best teams in Europe for a decade and is one of the most decorated players in recent history. He ended his career in 2021 after a season out in the MLS with Inter Miami. French football fans probably won’t remember him for his time at Troyes, but he qualifies for this list, owing to his two games in the French second tier.

Sylvain Wiltord - Rennes

Rennes are currently in a really good spot in French football, with a few years of European football under their belt, but it wasn’t always like this. During a period of instability in the early 1990s, the club were relegated to the second tier of French football, then called Division 2. Wiltord was just coming onto the scene at this point, having come through the club’s academy, and so it was the perfect opportunity for the club to try using the young talent.

Wiltord made just two league appearances in his first season for the club, but in his second, he became an important part of the squad, making 26 league appearances and scoring eight goals as they were promoted back into the top flight. While these statistics aren’t ground breaking, they set him up for seasons at Lyon, where he won the French League title, and Arsenal, where he won the Premier League and the FA Cup.

He will be most remembered for his time on international duty for France. He made 92 appearances and scored 26 times, but his most memorable moment is his 94th minute equaliser in the final of Euro 2000 which sent the game to golden goal extra time, when France were able to beat Italy and lift the trophy.

Olivier Giroud - Grenoble & Tours

France’s all time top goal scorer not only started his career in the second tier, but played four seasons there for two different teams before getting a big move. He started for Grenoble, but only managed 25 games for the team, scoring twice in the second division. He was deemed surplus to requirements after the club got promoted to the first tier while he was out on loan and so was bought by Tours, back in the second division.

It was here that Olivier Giroud developed into a world class striker. In his first season at the club, he scored a goal every other game in all competitions, finishing with 13 in 26. His first and second goals for the club were scored in the same match, in a 3-1 win over Lens. In his second year at Tours, he finished as the league’s top scorer with 21 and was signed by Ligue 1 side Montpellier in January, being loaned out for the rest of the season back to Tours.

It’s Olivier Giroud’s birthday today…

So it’s only right we share this goal against Crystal Palace, I doubt you see anything like this ever again: pic.twitter.com/rqoKOwMKQI

— Project Football (@ProjectFootball) September 30, 2023

Premier League fans will be familiar with his career after leaving Montpellier in 2012. He spent six years at Arsenal winning the FA Cup three times before moving to Chelsea where he won the Europa League and the Champions League. The Frenchman is still playing, having joined Los Angeles FC last year from AC Milan, but at 38 years old, he will most likely be hanging up his boots soon.

N’Golo Kante - Boulogne & Caen

The story of the nicest guy in football starts in Ligue 2, as N’Golo Kante made his professional debut for already relegated Boulogne on the final day of the 2011/12 season, coming on as a substitute for the last 11 minutes of the game. Dropping down to the third tier allowed Kante to play more games, as he missed just one league game in the 2012/13 season, scoring three times from midfield.

These performances earned him a move to Caen in the second division, and that was where his career really started rolling. He played every single league game as Caen won promotion to Ligue 1, scoring an important equaliser in his second match for the club, earning him the status as a fan favourite. The ever-present midfielder then played all but one of Caen’s league games in Ligue 1, recovering the ball more times than any other player in Europe.

📅 On this day, 9 years ago, Leicester City signed a little known midfielder from Caen called N'Golo Kanté. He cost just £5.6m. 🇫🇷

Bargain of the century. 👏🦊✨ pic.twitter.com/fosnhFP38a

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) August 4, 2024

Leicester City were impressed with his work rate and capabilities in midfield, so they signed him in 2015, and what happened next is legendary, as Kante helped them win the Premier League title against all odds. Leicester teammate Riyad Mahrez just misses out on this list, as he played 60 times for Le Havre, but only scored six goals.

Honourable Mentions

Yoanne Wissa played over 100 games in Ligue 2 for Laval, Ajaccio and Loreint before joining Brentford in 2021. He was in the league at the same time as Jean-Philippe Mateta who was on loan at Le Havre from Lyon. Franck Ribery helped Brest get promoted to Ligue 2, but left to join Metz before making an appearance in the second tier. Ibrahima Konate played 12 matches for FC Sochaux in the 2016/17 season before leaving for RB Leipzig, and Patrick Vieira was contracted to Cannes while they were in the second division, but they were promoted before he made his professional debut for them.