The 10 biggest breakout stars of the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season

Ligue 1 is known as the “league of talents” because of all the wonderful up-and-coming players and hidden gems who develop in the French top flight.

The 2022/23 season has given us a number of breakout stars worth celebrating, including some players who have escaped any sort of mainstream attention.

So let’s take a closer look at the biggest breakout stars of the Ligue 1 campaign thus far.

Lorient DM Enzo Le Fée

Bournemouth’s owner has a minority share in Lorient, and the Premier League side already plucked one of Ligue 1’s big attacking breakout stars, Dango Ouattara, in the winter transfer window. They were close to signing Enzo Le Fée, but Lorient were able to hold onto their current best player.

Le Fée is legitimately one of the best players in Ligue 1 and one of the best young midfielders in European football. The 23-year-old has scored four goals with five assists despite being one of the most active defensive players on the continent. He is averaging 3.4 tackles per game and 0.9 interceptions per game for Les Merlus.

Toulouse CM Branco van den Boomen

Le Fée will be a star for years to come, but Branco van den Boomen may be an even more exciting breakout player to watch despite being 27 years old.

That’s because the Toulouse midfielder is one of the premier playmakers in European football. He is spearheading Toulouse’s better-than-expected season in Ligue 1, as the newly-promoted side sit 12th in the French top flight.

Van den Boomen has five goals and seven assists, and he has been one of the most lethal players in the world from set pieces both as a provider and scorer. The Dutchman is averaging a whopping 2.5 key passes per game, placing him among the elite playmakers in Ligue 1, such as Lionel Messi.

Reims GK Yehvann Diouf

While Enzo Le Fée and Branco van den Boomen have been receiving attention this season, Yehvann Diouf has seemingly flown under the radar in goal for another overperforming side in Stade de Reims. Perhaps Diouf is being overshadowed by his attacking teammates, especially Folarin Balogun, whom I will discuss later in the piece.

But let’s stick with Diouf for now. No goalkeeper in Ligue 1 has a higher save percentage than the 23-year-old’s mark of 84.6. Likewise, he is also first in post-shot expected goals allowed.

Diouf has definitely been the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 this season. All the metrics point to him. And most 23-year-old goalkeepers aren’t nearly this good. If there’s an underrated name you need to keep in mind going forward, then it is Yehvann Diouf.

Reims ST Folarin Balogun

Staying in the city of Reims, Folarin Balogun has been sensational in 2022/23 for the Red and Whites. Balogun is an Arsenal loanee who has seemingly followed in the footsteps of center back William Saliba, starring as arguably the best player in the league at his position while on loan from the current Premier League leaders.

Only three players in Ligue 1 have more goals than Balogun, and two of those players are just about always at the top of the scorer charts in Wissam Ben Yedder and global superstar Kylian Mbappé.

Balogun has been clinical and explosive, constantly getting into dangerous areas and finishing off chances. He is one of the best pure goal-scorers on the continent right now at 21 years of age.

Strasbourg CM Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

Strasbourg may be near the relegation zone, but that hasn’t stopped 24-year-old midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde from putting together his best season to date.

The club’s main star is striker Habib Diallo with 13 goals, but Bellegarde deserves more credit as a provider. He has crafted five assists for the Blue and Whites, averaging 1.9 key passes per game. Better yet, Bellegarde is also averaging 2.4 fouls drawn and 1.7 completed dribbles per match with a combined 2.7 tackles and interceptions per contest.

You won’t find many better midfielders in Ligue 1.

Toulouse FW Rafael Ratão

Alongside Branco van den Boomen, there’s been another 27-year-old veteran shining for Toulouse in the French top flight this season.

Versatile forward Rafael Ratão has proven capable of starting on either flank for Les Violets, scoring five goals with two assists. Ratão is filling up the stat sheet with 1.4 fouls drawn, 1.3 dribbles completed, and 1.1 key passes per game. He works hard for the team, too, averaging 2.9 combined tackles and interceptions per match to place him among the best two-way wingers in European football this season

Reims DM Azor Matusiwa

Even more underrated than Yehvann Diouf in goal, Azor Matusiwa has been another revelation for Reims in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season.

Matusiwa has been a vital defensive presence in midfield, shielding the back four and constantly winning possession for his team. The 24-year-old Dutchman is averaging 2.5 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game, making him one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues. Matusiwa is also contributing on the attacking end, winning more than a foul per game, creating chances here and there, and showing above-average passing skills.

Reims RW Junya Ito

Folarin Balogun has been getting all the headlines as a goal-scorer for Reims, and he deserves that praise. However, Japanese international Junya Ito has been vital alongside Balogun as the more all-around and creative forward, and there is an argument to be made that he has been just as good – if not better – than the Arsenal loanee.

Ito was a star for Genk who scored 19 goals with 27 assists in his last two seasons before joining Reims. Though he is 30 and was already a top player in the Belgian league, Ito counts as a breakout star for what he is doing in his first season in Ligue 1.

The man has brought that same proclivity for scoring and assisting, finding the back of the net five times while assisting five more for Reims. Ito averages 1.9 key passes and 1.7 dribbles completed per game, in addition to 1.3 tackles per game. He is productive, hard-working, relentless, and oh-so-exciting to watch.

Lens CB Kevin Danso

Lens are fourth in Ligue 1 and well within the Champions League discussion for the 2023/24 season. There are a number of players responsible for this success, such as established star midfielder Seko Fofana, but the defenders deserve credit, too.

Austrian international Kevin Danso has been incredible on the ball for Lens, crucial to the team’s style of play tactically. The 24-year-old is completing a whopping 90.5 percent of his 66.3 pass attempts per match, which is an elite passing statistic. Danso doing this at 24 is even more impressive. He is solid defensively, too.

Monaco CB Axel Disasi

Like Balogun and Le Fée, the secret is out on Axel Disasi, and you can believe many elite clubs around Europe will be after the young center back who has already been wearing the armband in some match for Monaco.

Disasi oozes talent. He is capable of scoring wonder strikes from beyond the box, such as a crucial one in the Europa League knockouts vs. Bayer Leverkusen, and he has two goals and three assists in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season thus far. Disasi is one of the best center backs in Europe’s top five leagues right now, averaging a tackle and 1.7 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 with a staggering 3.3 interceptions per match in the Europa League. That’s unreal.

Lille RW Edon Zhegrova

The final breakout star to watch in Ligue 1 may be the most overlooked, and that is Lille’s No. 23, Edon Zhegrova.

Although the Kosovan right-sided wide man isn’t a full-time starter, he has made the most of his 721 minutes across 8 starts and 7 bench appearances for Les Dogues in Ligue 1. Zhegrova has one goal and three assists with an average of 2.4 key passes per 90 and 3.4 dribbles completed per 90.

Clearly a raw player, the 23-year-old is very much an exciting talent to monitor on Lille. His creative numbers per 90 are excellent, but he will need to develop more consistency and learn when to pick his spots when taking on defenders one-on-one. His raw talent is undisputed, though, and Lille will surely give him more minutes going forward. Keep an eye out on Zhegrova.