Legends: Ligue 1 Uber Eats' Portuguese penchant | OneFootball

From Chalana to Nuno Mendes, via Pauleta, Bernardo Silva and José Fonte, Portuguese players have made their mark on the history of Ligue 1 Uber Eats. Focus as goal machine Gonçalo Ramos arrives at PSG.

The second-most represented nationality in Ligue 1 Uber Eats last season (18), Portugal has historically provided the French league with many great players. While Nuno Tavares, José Fonte and André Gomes all left the league this summer, 22-year-old international striker Gonçalo Ramos has joined PSG, becoming the 12th Lusitanian currently on the books in France and the fifth to join the reigning champions (Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Renato Sanches and Danilo Pereira).

The most-capped Portuguese players in Ligue 1 Uber Eats:

1. Anthony Lopes (OL): 347 matches

2. Pedro Pauleta (FCGB, PSG): 266 matches

3. Rony Lopes (LOSC, ASM, OGCN, ESTAC): 185 matches

4. José Fonte (LOSC): 166 matches

5. João Moutinho (ASM): 158 matches

6. Pedro Mendes (MHSC): 146 matches

7. Xeka (DFCO, LOSC, SRFC): 139 matches

8. Paulo Machado (TFC): 124 matches

9. Bruno Basto (FCGB, ASSE): 123 matches

10. Raphaël Guerreiro (FCL): 102 matches

Ramos as Pauleta's successor?

Among the Portuguese strikers, Gonçalo Ramos - Benfica's second-top scorer last season (19 goals) - could become the second striker from his country to be crowned top scorer in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. He would succeed Pedro Miguel Pauleta, who won the award two seasons in a row, in 2006 and 2007. With 141 goals in his eight years in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, the former Bordeaux and Paris striker leads the way ahead of Rony Lopes, who was still with ESTAC last season.

Arguably the best Portuguese player in the history of the French league, Pauleta arrived in France in 2000, the 'Eagle of the Azores' joining Girondins de Bordeaux from La Coruna. His inaugural hat-trick against Nantes at the Stade de la Beaujoire (0-5 win) heralded a great career in France. Pauleta was voted best player in Ligue 1 Uber Eats in 2002 and 2003, and was top scorer in 2006 (21 goals) and 2007 (15 goals) for Paris. He also won two Coupes de la Ligue (2002 with Bordeaux, 2008 with PSG) and two Coupes de France (2004 and 2005 with PSG).

Top Portuguese scorers in Ligue 1 Uber Eats:

Pedro Pauleta (FCGB, PSG): 141 goals

Rony Lopes (LOSC, ASM, OGCN, ESTAC): 36 goals

Bernardo Silva (ASM): 24 goals

Rui Barros (ASM): 18 goals

Paulo Machado (TFC), Gelson Martins (ASM), Rui Pataca (MHSC): 15 goals

Eder (LOSC): 12 goals

Raphaël Guerreiro (FCL): ten goals

Champions of France

After a brilliant performance at Euro 1984 in France, Fernando Chalana maintained his French connection by leaving Benfica for Girondins de Bordeaux. Although he won the title with Bordeaux in 1985, the moustachioed player played little during his three seasons in Gironde (12 games, one goal), the victim of repeated injuries.

Fifteen years after Chalana, it was Costinha - also known as Da Costa during his time in the principality - who became Champion of France with AS Monaco (1999-00). The defensive midfielder progressed on the Mediterranean coast, earning an international call-up before returning to his homeland to win the Champions League with FC Porto... against AS Monaco (2004).

Box-to-box midfielder Tiago arrived at OL in 2005 after a hat-trick with Chelsea, and enjoyed two superb seasons with Les Gones, finishing on the Ligue 1 Uber Eats throne (2006 and 2007). Then, during AS Monaco's exceptional 2016-17 league campaign (champions with 95 pts), Joao Moutinho and Bernardo Silva were two essential elements of Jardim's team. The latter really made his name in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, having played just three games for Benfica before moving to France.

In the 2020-21 season, LOSC had four Portuguese players in their ranks, led by captain José Fonte, and followed by Xeka, Renato Sanches and Tiago Djalo, all of whom won trophies under coach Christophe Galtier in the north of France. In 2022-23, two other players joined the ranks of Paris Saint-Germain: Nuno Mendes and Danilo Pereira. And finally, while Renato Sanches was crowned with a second club in three seasons, Vitinha is the latest Portuguese to have lifted the Hexagoal.

The other stars

Known for his modest height (1.59m) and his ability to pass and dribble, Rui Barros had won numerous titles with FC Porto and spent two seasons with Juventus when he signed for AS Monaco in 1990. Under Arsène Wenger, he won the 1991 Coupe de France and played in the 1992 Cup Winners' Cup final (losing 2-0 to Werder Bremen).

In January 1994, another world-renowned attacking midfielder (second in the 1987 Ballon d'Or voting) joined OM: Paulo Futre. The former Atletico Madrid star only stayed six months (eight games and three goals), however.

More recently, a total of 11 players have played in Ligue 1 Uber Eats before and after the European Championship title they won with Portugal in 2016.

Euro stars

Central defender Ricardo Carvalho already had a huge track record (with FC Porto, Chelsea and Real Madrid) when he joined AS Monaco in 2013. He stayed for three seasons, finishing second in the league in his first campaign. Left-back Raphaël Guerreiro trained in France (SM Caen) and made his name at FC Lorient before joining Borussia Dortmund.

For Eder, the symbolism is even stronger: he was a LOSC player when he scored the goal that won Portugal the UEFA Euro 2016 final against Les Bleus. The most recent arrival - before Ramos - was André Gomes, who also joined LOSC last summer at the end of the transfer window.

Finally, two Portuguese coaches have won the French title: Artur Jorge with Paris Saint-Germain in 1993-94 and Leonardo Jardim on the AS Monaco bench in 2016-17.