Ligue 1 Team of the Month: Neymar returns to best form alongside Mbappe
Here we run through the best WhoScored rated XI for the month of December in Ligue 1. Players must have made at least three appearances last month to make the XI, with additional information about their Football Index share prices.
Goalkeeper: Gautier Larsonnuer (Brest) - 7.82 rating
Brest didn't conclude 2019 in the way they would have wanted and December wasn't a good month in general but it did see Gautier Larsonneur's stock saw. The 22-year-old claimed back-to-back WhoScored Man of the Match awards and made more saves than any other goalkeeper in Ligue 1 last month (21). Despite Brest's poor form, only one goalkeeper kept more clean sheets than Larsonneur (2) in France's top-flight in December.
Right-back: Ruben Aguilar (Monaco) - 7.41 rating
Football Index share price - £0.38
Ruben Aguilar has spent the season in and out of the Monaco first-team but he will hope for regular playing time in the second half of the season after concluding 2019 with a brace of assists in a shock 5-1 win over high flyers Lille. Despite infrequent playing time, Aguilar completed a tackle every 22.1 minutes of playing time. Furthermore, only two plays completed more crosses (excluding corners) than the 26-year-old (5).
Centre-back: Damien Da Silva (Rennes) - 7.31 rating
Football Index share price - £0.28
Rennes had a 100 per cent win ratio in Ligue 1 last month and centre-back Damien Da Silva played a key role at the back, as each of their victories were by a one goal margin. Da Silva was in the right place at the right time more often than not, making more headed clearances (12) than any other player in the division. The 31-year-old even scored a stoppage time winner in Rennes' 2-1 win over Saint-Etienne in their first game in December.
Centre-back: Andrei Girotto (Nantes) - 7.30 rating
Football Index share price - £0.27
Andrei Girotto played an important role at centre-back for Nantes, as they gave a close contest to Paris Saint-Germain and racked up wins against Nimes and Dijon in the three games the 27-year-old featured in. Despite only making three appearances, only four players made more tackles than the Brazilian (17) in Ligue 1 last month.
Left-back: Hassana Kamara (Reims) - 7.82 rating
Football Index share price - £0.58
Hassana Kamara has been a revelation for Reims this season with five WhoScored Man of the Match awards in 11 league games, with two of those star man accolades falling in December (2). Moreover, only one defender made more tackles and interceptions combined than the 25-year-old in Ligue 1 last month (26).
Right wing: Angel Di Maria (PSG) - 7.95 rating
Football Index share price - £1.13
Angel Di Maria registered two assists in three league appearances for Paris Saint-Germain last month. His lowest WhoScored rating in a Ligue 1 match in that time was an impressive 7.75. The Argentina international registered 11 key passes in that time.
Central midfield: Neymar (PSG) - 9.09 rating
Football Index share price - £8.10
Neymar remarkably garnered a WhoScored rating of 9.09 over four appearances in December to finish 2019 as our player of the month in Ligue 1. The Brazilian scored in every match and played a direct hand in the most goals in the division (8). Neymar had the most shots on target (13) and ranked second for dribbles completed (19). He was one of only three players in Ligue 1 to achieve a perfect WhoScored 10 rating in a Ligue 1 match last month.
Central midfield: Pierre Lees-Melou (Nice) - 7.77 rating
Football Index share price - £0.66
Nice midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou scored and assisted in two of his four league appearances in December, concluding 2019 with his best rating in a league game all season (8.94). He twice completed more than 90% of his attempted passes and managed 13 tackles and interceptions combined. The all-action midfielder also attempted 11 shots and registered eight key passes.
Left wing: Dimitri Payet (Marseille) - 8.22 rating
Football Index share price - £1.39
Dimitri Payet was at his creative best in December, registering at least eight more key passes than any other player in Ligue 1 (22). He also disproved suggestions he doesn't work hard off the ball, highlighted by the fact only one player won possession in the attacking third more times than the Marseille creator in Ligue 1 last month (6).
Striker: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco) - 8.13 rating
Football Index share price - £1.21
As Islam Slimani's form tailed off, Wissam Ben Yedder's own picked up for Monaco. The 29-year-old scored four goals and provided one assist in four league appearances last month, winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award twice in that time. In fact, no player won the star man accolade more than Ben Yedder in Ligue 1 in December.
Striker: Kylian Mbappe (PSG) - 8.64 rating
Football Index share price - £6.71
Kylian Mbappe finished behind team-mate Neymar for the most goals and assists in Ligue 1 last month (7), with the PSG starlet scoring in all four of his appearances like the Brazilian. Mbappe also won possession in the attacking third more times than any other player in France's top-flight in December (7).
