Is Ibrahimovic Ligue 1's greatest of all time?

"Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the greatest foreign player ever to play in France."

In the evening after a defeat by Paris Saint-Germain last April, Saint-Etienne boss Christophe Galtier did not hesitate to lavish great praise towards the Swede in his press conference.

Sunday evening saw Ibrahimovic become the greatest scorer in PSG's history, surpassing Pedro Pauleta, but the question has become legitimate once again. Is he REALLY the best player ever to step foot in France?

Zlatan's status within the capital club is up for debate, with some feeling that the Parisians could do better without his overbearing influence, while there are those who continue to swear by the Swedish star and his talents.

At 34-years-old, the Ibrahimovic has left an indelible mark on Paris, whether his last few months are truncated by injuries or not. One thing's for certain, Zlatan is the biggest star Ligue 1 has known and he's almost become a symbol of France's top flight.

The influence the former AC Milan star has had on Ligue 1 is just indescribable. Who else could have made Le Championnat shine on all four corners of the globe? Every goal, every piece of skill, every neat turn and every flick has ensured the French championship is relayed to the world over like never before.

Ibra has PSG to thank too, of course. The forward had never been so highly rated in the Ballon d'Or running until he played in France and came fourth in the 2013 edition behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.

Having arrived in Paris in 2012, Ibrahimovic has helped lift the club into the upper echelon of Europe's elite, but with the quality of the PSG squad, one must ponder what might have been for Pedro Pauleta, Juninho, Ronaldinho, Jean-Pierre Papin, Josip Skoblar or even a Safet Susic alongside the club's talented crop of current world stars.

In his time, Juninho carried Lyon in their quest for the Champions League. The Brazilian remains an inspiration to many young players. A player whose technical prowess has made his countrymen want to come to France.

Take Lucas Silva, for example, who is a great admirer of the former Brazil international midfielder and surely his achievements in a Lyon shirt had an influence on his desire to sign for Marseille in the summer.

Comparing the Swede to Pauleta is tricky given that the Portuguese only had the opportunity to play in the Champions League with PSG once during his five-year spell at the club from 2003 to 2008. How can you say how many more goals the forward might have scored had he had the likes of Javier Pastore or Marco Verratti feeding him? We will never know, and that is what makes the question so complicated.

Ibrahimovic does, however, lack major personal honours on the world stage.

The names of former Ballon d'Or winners with French connections have been numerous, including Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini but it's been rare to have seen France's finest crowned whilst playing in Le Championnat - Jean-Pierre Papin of Marseille the only one to have done it.

Ibrahimovic is Ballon d'Or-less. His fourth place in 2013 remains comparable but the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi simply does not leave much room for anyone else. Still, there are similarities between Zlatan and Papin.

In his first season, the Swede reached the milestone of 30 Ligue 1 goals - the first in the competition since Papin in 1990 - but is that really enough?

The answer is a matter of opinion and ultimately difficult to answer although one thing is for sure... Zlatan Ibrahimovic will go down as a Ligue 1 legend.