Mamadou Sakho, Djimi Traore Among Six Of Liverpool's Best French Players

With Liverpool heading to France to begin their UEFA Europa League campaign against Bordeaux this week, we have picked out six of the best French players to represent the Reds over the years.

— Former Arsenal and Real Madrid forward Nicolas Anelka joined Liverpool on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in December 2002 and helped Gerard Houllier’s Liverpool side to second place in the Premier League — scoring four goals in 20 Premier League games. He looked set to sign permanently and keep the famous Liverpool No.9 shirt, but compatriot Houllier opted against it and signed up El Hadji Diouf instead.

— Djimi Traore is possibly a controversial inclusion, as although he was born in France, emerged through the French football system and qualified to play for Les Bleus, he eventually opted to represent Mali when he made his international debut in 2004. Signed by Houllier from Ligue 2 side Laval in 1999, Traore initially struggled to make an impact at Anfield and actually was sent back to France on loan, where he almost won the French championship with Lens in 2002. The versatile defender returned to Liverpool better for the experience and went on to play 141 games for the Reds. He is best remembered for his part in winning the UEFA Champions League in 2005, but he also won the League Cup (2003) and FA Cup (2006) with Liverpool.

— Paris-born Mamadou Sakho — the only Frenchman currently in the Liverpool first-team squad — was signed by manager Brendan Rodgers from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2013. The 6-foot-2 defender won the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue during 197 appearances for his hometown club. Following his move to Liverpool, Sakho became a national hero when he scored twice against Ukraine as Les Bleus overturned a 2-0 deficit to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. His first goal for Liverpool came in a 4-1 win against West Ham United in December 2013 when he poked in a Steven Gerrard free-kick.