Ligue 1 Stats: The Greatest Facts, Records & Statistics In French Football

Founded in 1930 by the French Football Federation, the top flight of the French game wasn’t always under the ‘Ligue 1’ title we know today. In fact, Ligue 1 stats and records were previously under the name ‘Division 1’.

Professionalism was only adopted for the sport in France less than a decade prior to the Second World War – some time after football took that step on this side of the British Channel.

Just like English football is broken into eras, some will talk about Ligue 1 stats rather than including the previous 72 years. That’s not what we’re looking to do here, though, as we break down the biggest Ligue 1 records and most impressive Ligue 1 statistics.

The competition that now plays host to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe has a rich history of greats. Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc, Marcell Desailly and Michel Platini are just a handful of the all-time greats to star in Ligue 1.

Of course, many of these icons pop up in Ligue 1 facts, though so do some less recognisable names. From cards handed out to goals scored and most consecutive titles, the categories for Ligue 1 stats and facts are limitless.

Team Records

Let’s get started with a few Ligue 1 records. These are focused on what teams have achieved over the course of the league’s existence.

While the recent supremacy of PSG means they are the main name on the trophy over the last decade, Les Parisiens do not have a monopoly on the Ligue 1 team records. Monaco, Sochaux, Nantes and Marseille are just a few of the other clubs to feature here.

• Most points in a season (96), PSG in 2015-16
• Most consecutive wins (16), Monaco in 2017
• Biggest win, Sochaux 12-1 Valenciennes, July 1935
• Longest unbeaten run (36 matches), PSG March 2015 to February 2016
• Most seasons in the top flight (71), Marseille
• Fewest losses in a season (1), Nantes in 1994-95
• Most goals scored by a team in 38-match season (118), RC Paris in 1959-60
• Fewest goals conceded in a 38-match season (19), PSG in 2015-16
• Most red cards by a team in a season (14), Montpellier in 2013-14
• Highest attendance of all-time (78,056), Lyon vs Lille in March 2009

Most Appearances

Longevity doesn’t always get the appreciation it deserves in football. We’re not going to miss out the league’s longest-serving players in our collection of Ligue 1 stats, though.

Here are the 10 players with the most appearances in the history of the French top flight.

• Mickaël Landreau – 618
• Jean-Luc Ettori – 601
• Dominique Dropsy – 596
• Dominique Baratelli – 593
• Alain Giresse – 586
• Sylvain Kastendeuch – 577
• Patrick Battison – 558
• Jacky Novi – 545
• Roger Marche – 542
• Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes – 532

Most Ligue 1 Goals

Goal scorers get the headlines throughout their careers, culminating in a particular fanfare when landmarks are reached.

Whether looking at a season or career basis, these players have standout Ligue 1 stats. These top scorers in the history of French football hold plenty of Ligue 1 records between them.

• Delio Onnis – 299 goals
• Bernard Lacombe – 255 goals
• Herve Revelli – 216 goals
• Roger Courtois – 210 goals
• Thadee Cisowski – 206 goals
• Roger Piantoni – 203 goals
• Joseph Ujlaki – 190 goals
• Fleury Di Nallo – 187 goals
• Carlos Bianchi – 179 goals
• Gunnar Andersson – 179 goals

Other Player Records

There are lots of other Ligue 1 records to go around besides the most appearances and goals scored.

Single-season achievements warrant acknowledgement, as do various other categories than can sometimes be forgotten amid lists of players with 100+ goals or 300+ appearances.

Let’s dive into some of the other top Ligue 1 player stats.

• Josip Skolar had the highest-scoring Ligue 1 season of all-time in 1970-71 with 44 goals in 36 matches
• Seven players (Thiago Silva, Marco Verratti, Jean-Michel Larque, Herve Revelli, Gregory Coupet, Sidney Govou, Juninho) share the record for the most league titles won with seven each
• Most consecutive minutes without conceding (1,176), Gaëtan Huard for Bordeaux in 1992-93
• Most goals in a match (7), Jean Nicolas for Rouen in 1938 and Andre Abegglen for Sochaux in 1935
• Fastest hat-trick (5 minutes), Matt Moussilou for Lille in 2005
• Youngest player to appear in a match (15 years, 225 days), Kalman Gerencseri for Lens against Monaco in 1960

Ligue 1 Facts

Away from the categories already mentioned, there are lots more Ligue 1 facts to get stuck into. Starting off with a look at some managerial records, we’ve compiled some of the most interesting Ligue 1 facts below.

• Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel are tied for the best points per match at 2.37
• Guy Roux (894) has managed the most matches in Ligue 1 history
• Cyril Rool received 19 Ligue 1 red cards in his career, the most of all-time
• Jeremy Menez became the youngest player to score a hat-trick at 17 years and 260 days old in January 2005
• None of the three highest-scoring individual seasons in Ligue 1 history were by Frenchman
• Marseille kits are popular and the club have more second-placed finishes (12) than anyone else
• Albert Batteux is the most successful Ligue 1 manager ever with eight league titles as manager of Reims and Saint-Etienne
• Marseille’s Stade Velodrome is the biggest Ligue 1 stadium
• The Ligue 1 trophy is called ‘Hexagoal’
• The first Ligue 1 season was played in 1932, though it was under a different name at that point