Esteban Lepaul Becomes Ligue 1 Top Scorer

Esteban Lepaul has finished the season as the top scorer in Ligue 1. He will not travel to the World Cup with the France national team. The achievement is notable because it is rare for a player outside Paris Saint-Germain to claim the scoring title since the Qatar Sports Investments takeover of the capital club. Lepaul becomes only the third non‑PSG player to do so in the last fifteen years. The previous instances occurred in 2012 and 2015, when Olivier Giroud and Alexandre Lacazette respectively topped the Ligue 1 scoring charts. Both players achieved the feat while representing clubs other than Paris Saint-Germain. Giroud’s 2012 campaign and Lacazette’s 2015 season remain the only other examples of non‑PSG players winning the league’s golden boot in the QSI era. Lepaul’s performance therefore places him in a very exclusive group. While missing out on the World Cup selection, Lepaul can take solace in his scoring record. The accolade highlights his importance in French domestic football. The milestone underscores the possibility for players outside the dominant capital club to excel in Ligue 1. Lepaul’s accomplishment will be remembered as a rare breach of PSG’s recent dominance.