Easily the biggest and best team to come out of France, the great Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have a long and storied history that stretches long before they were bought out by their current wealthy owners from Qatar.
There have been countless accusations from fans around the world that PSG is worth no more than their wealth, but today we are here to put that claim to bed.
In this piece, we will be taking a look at some of the most legendary players to have pulled on the blue jersey of the Parisian club and telling you who the best PSG players of all time are.
Here are the 25 greatest PSG players of all time.
25. David Beckham
Arguably the greatest free-kick taker of all time, David Beckham moved to Paris towards the twilight of his career when his powers were beginning to fade somewhat. Despite this, the English midfielder deserves his place on this purely for the star quality he added to the team.
Given this was his final professional contract, Beckham decided to donate all of his earnings to charities around the world and earned critical acclaim for the decision. Beckham played just 10 times for PSG, but this was still enough to earn him a Ligue 1 winners medal and a standing ovation upon his retirement.
24. Marco Verratti
Italian midfielder Marco Verratti has been a mainstay in the heart of the PSG team for many years now and has deservedly made it into the discussion of the club’s greatest ever players.
The Italian joined the club as a teenager after starring for four seasons for his boyhood team Pescara in Italy. After signing in 2012, Verratti quickly made his way into the first team and has simply not looked back.
In his decade with the club, Verratti has grown into a commanding midfield presence and had made over 250 appearances, scoring 7 goals in this time.
23. Joel Bats
One of the finest goalkeepers to wear the PSG jersey, Frenchman Joel Bats is fondly remembered as both a player and coach for the club. Bats joined PSG in 1985 and stayed for 7 years before announcing his retirement in 1992.
Bats formed part of the team’s first-ever Ligue 1 winning team and was a crucial part in keeping the ball out of the back of the net.
After retiring, Bats became a goalkeeping coach and eventually made his way up to the rank of manager for a short while.
22. Paul Le Guen
A crucial part of the club’s successful 1990s era, French defender Paul Le Guen is considered a fan favorite by many around the club.
Le Guen joined PSG from Nantes in 1991 and would go on to make nearly 350 appearances, winning three league titles in the process. After spending 7 years in the French capital, Le Guen retired from the game and moved into coaching.
He returned to the club as manager for two years between 2007-09.
21. Thiago Motta
A player that spent time with some of the biggest clubs in the world during his lengthy career, Italian defensive midfielder Thiago Motta was brought in by the new owners in 2012 to be the anchor style player they wanted to command the midfield.
Motta would stay with the club for 6 years and win numerous league and cup titles, though like everyone else the UEFA Champions League eluded him.
20. Alain Roche
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother commanding defensive presence, Alain Roche spent 6 season in the French capital and won a number of Ligue 1 titles whilst at the heart of the PSG team. Roche was also a part of the PSG team that won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1996, this remains the team’s highest honour.
After retiring from playing, Roche became the clubs sporting director and enjoyed plenty of success in this role.
19. Ricardo Gomes
In the early 90s, PSG was a trophy-winning machine and had Ricardo Gomes as another key member of their defensive line. The Frenchman was a towering presence at the back and could command a defense like few else.
During a 4 year stay with the club, Gomes won 4 trophies and kept plenty of clean sheets. No doubt he would have been a key part of the French World Cup squad in 1994 had he not been injured.
18. Angel Di Maria
After a toxic spell with Manchester United, Argentinian winger Angel Di Maria joined PSG with the hope of a fresh start and plenty of success. This is exactly what happened, with Di Maria being a key part of the PSG team for a few seasons.
Di Maria played just shy of 200 games for the club and scored 56 goals before departing for Italian giants Juventus in the 2022 Summer transfer window.
17. Youri Djorkaeff
Perhaps a player that is too high on our list for some, Youri Djorkaeff spent just a single season in Paris but became a fan favorite during his short stay with PSG. He was another vital component of the successful UEFA Cup Winners Cup team in 1996 and dazzled with his ability from midfield.
Djorkaeff played 46 games in one season and registered an impressive 19 goals during his year with the club.
16. Luis Fernandez
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the key people in the pre-Qatari era of the PSG’s history, Luis Fernandez spent time in almost every important role you could think of during his time in Paris. As a player, Fernandez appeared for the club between 1978 and 1986 and made 225 appearances.
He would later become manager of the club twice and later became an important sporting consultant after this.
15. Edinson Cavani
A lethal goal scorer that became an amazing partner for the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic during a period of near-total domination of French Soccer. The Uruguayan striker was known for his ability to poach a goal and was deployed in this role for many years before joining Manchester United.
Cavani notched a staggering 138 goals in 200 appearances during his time with the club.
14. Bernard Lama
Easily the greatest goalkeeper to have played for the club, Bernard Lama was well known for his amazing reflex saves and quick reactions that made him an invaluable member of the PSG team.
Lama played for PSG for 6 years between 1992 and 1998, making 177 appearances for the club and keeping many clean sheets. He would return for a second spell after briefly playing for West Ham United and made a further 55 appearances.
13. Dominique Rocheteau
One of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the club, Dominique Rocheteau was more of a star for St. Etienne during their successful period but still earns a place due to his prolific exploits during his time in Paris.
Rocheteau held the nickname the ‘Green Angel’ during his career and scored 83 times in 204 games for PSG.
12. Valdo
A journeyman for much of his career, tricky Brazilian winger Valdo did settle with PSG and became a fan favorite thanks to his excellent box of skills. Valdo was a shining star of the 1990s era for the club and helped to deliver the star quality to a very talented side.
In his five years for the club, Valdo would make 115 appearances and surprisingly only scored a total of 10 times for them.
11. Lionel Messi
The greatest soccer player of all time is more well known for his time with Barcelona, but he simply could not be left off this list. Lionel Messi joined PSG in 2021 after his Barcelona team was forced to let him go by FIFA regulations.
Since joining the Parisians, Messi has not reached the same heights as he did in Spain but is still showing glimpses of the player he used to be. In 34 games for the club, the great Argentine has scored 10 goals and will be hoping to add to his tally this season.
10. Safet Susic
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the first players that spring to mind when thinking about the pre-Qatari era of PSG’s history, Yugoslavian attacking midfielder Safet Susic takes us into the top ten of today’s list.
Susic was a phenomenal player that added goals and assists to his game, he would score 83 goals and register a club-record of 63 assists during his 9-year spell with PSG.
9. Rai
PSG is one of the foremost locations for Brazilian talent in Europe and that is mainly down to the important contributions that attacking midfielder Rai made during his 5 year stay in Paris.
Rai was a brilliant dribbler and had excellent control of the ball, this made him a tough opponent. The Brazilian would make 147 appearances for PSG and scored 51 goals from the midfield, an impressive tally.
8. Pedro-Miguel Pauleta
During a period of relative decline for PSG, Argentine Pedro-Miguel Pauleta was brought in to add some much-needed quality to the team. He quickly became a vital part of the squad and was invaluable as the club won their first trophy in 6 years after taking the 2004 French Cup.
In his five seasons with PSG, Pauleta was the team’s best goal scorer and notched a tally of 76 goals in 168 games for the Parisians.
7. David Ginola
The star of the early 1990s for PSG, ahead of all the others was dashing French superstar David Ginola. The Frenchman was only with the club for 3 years before he departed for Premier League side Newcastle United in 1995.
In his relatively short spell in Paris, Ginola dazzled the fans with his on-the-ball ability and scored 33 goals in 115 appearances for the club.
6. Neymar
The most recent Brazilian superstar to shine for PSG, Neymar has been at the core of the team’s side for many years now since joining from Barcelona in 2017. We all know of Neymar’s ability; he has skills to spare and can score some truly mesmerizing goals.
There have been some accusations that the Brazilian is only in it for the money over the years, but his contribution to PSG’s domination of French Soccer has been obvious. Neymar has scored 77 goals in 100 appearances for the club and is still one of the best players in the world.
5. Ronaldinho
Yet another Brazilian trickster, but arguably the pick of the bunch. The legendary Ronaldinho was not yet in his prime when he moved to PSG in 2001 but was still able to put on a show with his quick feet and excellent goal-scoring ability.
The Brazilian would only stay at the club for 2 seasons, however, during this time he helped deliver the Intertoto Cup to Paris and scored 17 times before departing for Barcelona where he became a legend of the game.
4. Thiago Silva
The best defender to have ever played for the club, Brazilian powerhouse Thiago Silva was one of the most loyal servants the club has ever had before he left for Chelsea last season. Silva was with the club since 2012 and was another signing made following the Qatari takeover.
Silva was at one point the best defender in the world and made over 200 appearances for a club that he clearly loved playing for.
3. George Weah
Now the president of his beloved Liberia, George Weah was one of the best strikers the world had ever seen before making his move into politics.
Weah played for PSG during his best years and helped to deliver a series of trophies to the French capital, he also took them to the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals in 1995 (their best performance in the competition).
During his 3 years in Paris, Weah scored a total of 32 goals in 96 appearances.
2. Kylian Mbappe
The latest legend and arguably most naturally gifted player to have ever starred for the club, French wonderkid Kylian Mbappe is already one of the best the club has ever had the honor of fielding.
Mbappe is known for his pace on and off the ball as well as a brilliant eye for goal, the forward is already tipped for greatness that may or may not come with the Parisian club. He is now on the most valuable contract ever seen for a Soccer player but may soon join Real Madrid to complete his path to the top.
Since joining the club from Monaco in 2017 (initially on loan) Mbappe has already scored over 100 goals and has a record of almost a goal per game.
1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Whilst Mbappe may be a brilliant striker, there are few better in history than the legendary Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has been around for what seems like an eternity nowadays, with him currently starting for AC Milan.
Ibrahimovic played for PSG between 2012 and 2016, being the true statement signing of the new Qatari owners as they hoped for European glory in the future. This never came for Ibrahimovic, though he did deliver a collection of domestic trophies with his goals.
The Swede would play 122 games for the club and scored 113 goals during this period before leaving for Manchester United.
There we have it, our list of the 25 best PSG players of all time. Do you agree with our choices, or would you have moved the names around slightly?
