Lassine Sinayoko is Ligue 1‘s top scorer this season, and it shouldn’t be a surprise.
The Paris FC forward may not be well-known outside of France‘s top flight, so to see his name at the top of the charts may take a second look. Especially when the likes of Florian Thauvin, Ferran Torres, Boulaye Dia and Amine Gouiri all trail him. But Sinayoko deserves his spot at the top of the goalscoring charts.
Sinayoko came through the academy at Auxerre, making his Ligue 1 debut in 2022/23. He scored just one goal in that campaign with Auxerre relegated, although Sinayoko was primarily a winger then.
Back in Ligue 2, Sinayoko scored eight goals — still from the wing — as Auxerre secured an immediate return to the top-flight. And that was when things started to change.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Thriving through the middle
Sinayoko was utilised across the front line for Auxerre in 2024/25, but didn’t really gain consistency through the middle until the end of the campaign. He scored three goals in the last six games of the season, all while leading the line. Last season, there were more shifts through the middle, but Sinayoko also had success on the wings. His 12 goals were enough to persuade Paris FC to sign the forward, for just £6.8million.
There have been no doubts about Sinayoko’s position in Paris. The 26-year-old has started every game as a striker for Paris FC this season, and they are reaping the rewards.
Sinayoko leads Ligue 1 for a lot of metrics so far this season. Not just goals. He also sits top for his 6.99 Expected Goals and 7.92 post-shot xG. So he’s also improving his chances of scoring based on shot placement — and outperforming both with his nine goals.
Sinayoko scores goals because he is constantly testing opposition defences. He ranks second in Ligue 1 for his 31 shots, and has taken at least two in eight of his 10 Ligue 1 matches this season. No player has had more efforts on target than Sinayoko’s 16 in the league.
Not just a goalscorer
As you’d expect, given his history as a winger, Sinayoko isn’t just a goalscorer. He’s also one of the Ligue 1’s most creative players this season. The Malian ranks fourth in Ligue 1 for his 21 chances created, behind only Florian Thauvin, Cristian Casseres (both 31) and Amine Sbai (26). Granted, only four of those have been big chances, but he has been carrying the attacking weight on his back.
Sinayoko is at his best with his back towards goal in Paris’ side, with 20 successful layoff passes. He doesn’t rank too well for other creative metrics, because he is often the man in the danger areas — rather than the one trying to find teammates there.
To make this even more impressive, Sinayoko is creating despite not having much of the ball in general. He only averages 36.56 touches per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 this season, with 21.13 attempted passes per 90 and 16.26 completed. With that time on the ball, Sinayoko’s chance creation averages out to 2.17 per 90. So he’s creating a chance every 7.48 passes he completes.
A one-man attack
On its own, Sinayoko’s threat both in scoring and creating goals is impressive. But he really is key to Paris FC’s side. Perhaps too key. Paris FC have scored 17 Ligue 1 goals this season, and Sinayoko has been directly involved in 14 of them. In the only three games in which Sinayoko has failed to score or assist, Paris FC have drawn a blank. And he has been directly involved in their last nine league goals.
With involvement in 82.4% of Paris FC’s goals this season, this is the most-involved a single player has been in their team’s strikes in Europe’s top five leagues. By some distance, too. Florian Thauvin ranks second, being directly involved in 70.6% of Lens‘ goals in Ligue 1. Ante Budimir and Adrian Nino have both been involved in 66.7% of their sides’ goals in La Liga, for Osasuna and Malaga respectively.
European side’s most important players
| Team | Total goals | Player | Goals+Assists | Percentage of team’s goals involved in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris FC | 17 | Lassine Sinayoko | 14 | 82.4% |
| 2 | Lens | 17 | Florian Thauvin | 12 | 70.6% |
| 3 | Osasuna | 12 | Ante Budimir | 8 | 66.7% |
| 4 | Malaga | 9 | Adrian Nino | 6 | 66.7% |
| 5 | Getafe | 8 | Martin Satriano | 5 | 62.5% |
| 6 | Rayo Vallecano | 15 | Sergio Camello | 9 | 60% |
| 7 | Monza | 17 | Gustavo Varela | 10 | 58.8% |
| 8 | Everton | 12 | Thierno Barry | 7 | 58.3% |
| 9 | Bournemouth | 16 | Evanilson | 9 | 56.3% |
| 10 | Nice | 15 | Elye Wahi | 8 | 53.3% |
For Paris FC alone, Sinayoko is the only player to have scored more than two goals in Ligue 1 this season. Pabo Pagis and Maxime Lopez (both two) are the only other players to score more than one. The duo are also the only players to have at least two assists, alongside Sinayoko’s five.
Although this may be a long-term worry for Paris, it shouldn’t take away from Sinayoko’s fantastic season. And the Malian deserves all the plaudits he will undoubtedly get when the eyes turn to France.