More and more French people have been playing in the Bundesliga for a good ten years now. A trend that should have existence because flops are a rarity.
The French trend in the Bundesliga continues. More and more French players and, above all, young talents have found that the Bundesliga clubs are less looking at age than in neighboring countries. The Bundesliga is an ideal shop window for the big European clubs and is particularly attracted to young French players who want to develop in Germany. This summer, six new players from France came to the Bundesliga. A total of 32 Frenchmen are now playing in Germany’s Beletage.
Lizarazu: “Perfect plaster”
“The Bundesliga is a perfect place for young talents”analyzes ex-Bayern star Bixente Lizarazu, who was one of the first French at the end of the 1990s, who earned his money in the Bundesliga and spent a total of eight and a half years on the Isar: “Players who are around 20 know exactly that it makes more sense to select the Bundesliga as the first ward abroad because you have the best chances to develop there and because there is also a youth. There are many young French people who failed in the Premier League because they hardly played and because the squads were too lush and are still.”
Bixente Lizarazu, but also Willy Sagnol, Franck Ribéry, Johan Micoud, Valérien Ismaël, Ousmane Dembélé, Marcus Thuram, Benjamin Pavard, Josuha Guilavogui, Anthony Modeste, Dayot Upamecano: This is just a small selection.
Ribéry as a role model
French players in the Bundesliga have always been very successful. They are not always the stars of the league, but they integrate well and bring a certain added value into the role they should play. “Above all, the successful story Franck Ribéry at Bayern is the key experience”ex-Bremen playmaker Johan Micoud to Sportschau.de.: “Franck played for twelve years in Munich. After that, more and more French people came to the Bundesliga. This is no coincidence. Many young French people noticed that one can be very happy in Germany.”
Technically better trained
Of course there are also some failures such as Jean-Pierre Papin at Bayern in the 1990s or most recently Baptiste Santaria in Freiburg and Irvin Cardona in Augsburg, but such misconceptions are the exception.
Their number has doubled in four years, and the 32 Frenchmen who are now playing in the Bundesliga are undoubtedly successful. Many young French people are currently technically better trained than German young professionals. If you are looking for the classic street footballer, you will currently find what you are looking for in the land of the Vice World Champion.
Alexis Claude-Maurice: “You can feel trust”
Another example of the success of the French In Germany is Augsburg’s Alexis Claude-Maurice: The offensive midfielder left the Racing Club de Lens in the summer of 2024 and joined the Fuggerstadt where he immediately played the best season of his career. “The Bundesliga is a league that, in my opinion, is more class than the French”he said: “This gives us the opportunity to develop us further to learn new things. That enriches us. You can feel the confidence of those responsible at any time. It is easier to exploit your potential.”
Bundesliga as a perfect one Intermediate station
The Bundesliga is less competitive than the overcrowded Premier League and offers young players from the Ligue 1 better opportunities. The Bundesliga thus appears as the perfect stopover between France and the largest European associations. “The Bundesliga is extremely interesting for career planning”notes Hertha’s offensive midfielder Mickael Cuisance, once under contract with Borussia Mönchengladbach and Bayern Munich: “Young players are quickly encouraged, the clubs are economically solid. I don’t see any major obstacles apart from the language.”
Use also for the national team
This blue-white-red trend in the German elite class is also more than positive by the coaching staff by national coach Didier Deschamps. “I think it’s good that a young French player starts with a good average German club and does not go straight to Real Madrid or Manchester City”says Guy Stéphan, assistant coach of the French national team: “It is important to run through different stages. There is a further development. This way you can mature quickly and well. You get regular operating times.”