Donovan Léon: A Look at L'Equipe's Other "Perfect" Tens

AJ Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Léon had an impressive performance against Paris Saint-Germain this past Friday as the 32-year-old recorded 11 saves in the scoreless draw.

Léon made four saves in the first half and then in the final 45 minutes, he made seven saves to keep PSG from finding the back of the net. The veteran also earned a prestigious honor, earning a ten rating from L'Equipe.

The French media outlet is widely known for its reputation of regularly giving out notoriously harsh player ratings and here's what they wrote to describe Léon's performance:

"Building on his recent impressive form, the Guyanese goalkeeper delivered another outstanding performance. In the first half, he made two crucial saves, stopping Ramos in the 18th minute and Nuno Mendes in the 33rd.

"After halftime, he stepped up again with key stops against Ramos (49'), Lee (54'), and Hakimi (56'). Although Vitinha's effort in the 69th minute hit the crossbar, he continued to shine, making three more brilliant saves to deny Kolo Muani (78', 90'+4) and Doué (90'+4). In total, he racked up 11 saves—a truly remarkable display!"

Léon joins an exclusive group of players to have received a ten rating from L'Equipe and here are the names with ties to Ligue 1 who have also earned this rare honor:

Lionel Messi

The former PSG standout has received a ten rating from L'Equipe twice, both coming while playing for Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Messi's performances against Arsenal in 2010 and Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 earned the player a ten rating.

Franck Sauzée

Sauzée played for Olympique de Marseille, AS Monaco, RC Strasbourg, and Montpellier during his career, but his ten rating from L'Equipe came while on international duty. The midfielder, who was the first to receive a ten rating, earned his perfect ten by scoring twice in France's 3-0 victory over Greece in the Under-21 European Championship final in 1988.

Bruno Martini

Martini played five years for Montpellier, but his perfect ten also came while on international duty for France. The goalkeeper delivered an outstanding performance in 1988 against Greece, securing a clean sheet.

Carlos Eduardo

The Brazilian, who only played one season for OGC Nice, earned a perfect ten rating in 2014 after scoring five goals in Les Aiglons' 7–2 away win over En Avant Guingamp, including a first-half hat-trick.

Neymar

The former PSG star, who left in the summer of 2023 for Al-Hilal, recorded his perfect ten rating from L'Equipe in 2018 when he scored four times in the capital club's 8-0 win over Dijon.

Lucas Moura

Another former PSG forward to receive a perfect ten from L'Equipe was Lucas Moura, but his rating came while playing for Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 when the Brazilian recorded a hat-trick in the second half against Ajax to help Spurs advance to the Champions League final.

Kylian Mbappé

The 25-year-old earned his perfect ten while on international duty for France as the former PSG standout scored four goals in a game against Kazakhstan in 2021.
Alban Lafont

FC Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont recorded his perfect ten in 2022 against PSG. The 25-year-old recorded eight saves in Nantes' 3-1 win over the capital club.

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