Laurent Blanc
Encyclopedia
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French association football
manager
and former player. He is the head coach of the French national team
, having replaced Raymond Domenech
in the wake of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa. He was previously the manager of Bordeaux
. Blanc formerly played professional football for numerous clubs, notably Montpellier
, Barcelona
, Marseille
, Internazionale
, and Manchester United
, often operating in the sweeper position. He is also a former French international, playing in several international tournaments, which includes the 1998 FIFA World Cup
and UEFA Euro 2000, both of which France won. On 28 June 1998, Blanc scored the first golden goal
in World Cup
history against Paraguay
. Blanc has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills.
, where he signed his first professional contract in 1983. A very technical player, he played as an offensive midfielder and helped Montpellier get promoted to Division 1
in 1987
. Only a few years later did he settle as a defender following the advice from Michel Mézy
, a position in which his physical stature (1.91 m, 82 kg) and his temper would prove invaluable. His game being perfectly fitted for the French league, he managed to score at least 12 goals in every season at Montpellier, for the most part penalties and headers. He also won the Coupe de France
in 1990
, scoring a goal in the final
.
in the Italian Serie A
. Despite a decent season during which he managed to score six goals, he felt like he could not fully express his potential and returned to France after just one year, to Nîmes
and then Saint Étienne
, where again he not only imposed himself as one of the best defenders in the league, but also scored goals (13 in his last season with Saint-Étienne). Saint-Étienne, however, were struggling at the time and got almost relegated, only staying up because Marseille
were not allowed to return to Division 1 because of their financial difficulties.
Guy Roux, impressed by Blanc and looking for a replacement for Dutch
international Frank Verlaat
, convinced him to join Auxerre
in 1995. Despite injuring himself early in the season, Blanc came back strongly and played a great part in Auxerre's double
that year.
. That second abroad experience turned out not to be as successful as he could have hoped. Johan Cruyff
, who had wanted Blanc and persuaded him to sign for Barça, was sacked on the very day Blanc agreed to join the club. Blanc won the Supercopa de España
against Atlético Madrid, but injured himself quickly afterwards. He came back and played regularly but was sent off during the Cup Winners' Cup
quarter-final against AIK
, then injured himself again against Extremadura
, which forced him to miss the Clásico
and the Cup Winners' Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain. After this disappointing season and only one year away from the World Cup
, he decided to leave.
, which proved beneficial for both Marseille and Blanc. Blanc quickly became a leader in a Marseille side desperately lacking confidence, and helped them reach an honourable fourth place for his first season, scoring 11 goals and earning the nickname Le Président (the President) in the process. The season following the World Cup was both successful and frustrating for Blanc and Marseille, as they finished runners-up in the championship, only one point shy of Bordeaux
, and reached the UEFA Cup final
, only to lose 3–0 to Parma
, with Hernán Crespo
intercepting Blanc's back pass to Stéphane Porato
to score the opener.
He then left Marseille for Internazionale
, where he enjoyed some success in defence, even winning the Pirata d'Oro (Inter Player of the Year) in 2000.
had attempted to lure Blanc several times since 1996 and finally succeeded in 2001. Despite his age of 35 years, Blanc was brought in to replace the departing Jaap Stam
. He was criticised for poor performances in the early months of his stay at Old Trafford. This was compounded when United suffered their first five losses of the season to Bolton Wanderers
, Liverpool
, Arsenal
, Newcastle United
, and Chelsea
(coincidentally, the first letters of each team spell out "BLANC"). He retired two years later, having helped his club to the 2002–03 Premier League crown. He scored four goals during his time at Manchester United. One of these came in the league against Tottenham Hotspur
, and the other three all came in the Champions League in games against Olympiacos and Boavista (both home and away).
European Under-21 Championship
, beating Greece in the final. On 7 February 1989, he made his debut for the national team
against Ireland
.
France, then in reconstruction after the retirement of numerous key players, did not manage to qualify for the 1990 World Cup
. Shortly after that, they started an impressive 19-game unbeaten streak, including eight wins out of eight in Euro 1992 qualifying
, making them one of the favorites to win the competition. They would, however, get knocked out in the pool stage by eventual winners Denmark
.
After France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup
, Laurent Blanc was heavily criticised, as well the rest of the team, and he subsequently decided to retire from international football. Aimé Jacquet
, after taking over the managerial position of the national team, made it one of his priorities to convince Blanc to change his mind. Blanc then became one of the key players of this new French squad which reached the semi-finals of the Euro 96, only to lose to Czech Republic
in a penalty shoot-out.
France then entered the 1998 World Cup
, which was held on home soil. Blanc was exemplary during the competition and, on 28 June 1998, scored against Paraguay
in the Round of 16, the first ever golden goal
in World Cup
history. He missed the final
after being sent off in the semi-final against Croatia
for elbowing Slaven Bilić
, although replays showed that Bilić had clearly feigned the injury, earning the Croat heavy criticism afterwards. The sending off was the first (and only) red card of Blanc's professional career.
Blanc was also part of the team that won Euro 2000 during which, despite having been criticised for his age and lack of speed during the qualifications, he proved reliable in defence and even scored a goal against Denmark
in the group stage.
He announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2000, following the example of his captain Didier Deschamps
.
Blanc was also well-known for kissing good friend and goalkeeper Fabien Barthez
's head before the start of every match, supposedly for good luck (the two did repeat this ritual when they played together for Manchester United, but only for Champions League matches). Overall, he recorded 97 caps
and scored 16 goals.
In 2006, the readers of France Football
magazine voted him the fourth best French player of all time behind Michel Platini
, Zinedine Zidane
, and Raymond Kopa
.
, replacing Brazilian Ricardo. For his first season on the bench, he led Bordeaux to a very good second place in the league and won the Manager of the Year award. His second season was extremely successful, as Bordeaux won the final 11 games of the season, setting a new French record for consecutive wins, and clinched the 2008–09 Ligue 1
championship title, three points clear of Marseille
, having already won the Coupe de la Ligue
that year. Blanc was again nominated for Manager of the Year but lost to Marseille's Eric Gerets.
to inquire about the France national team
job, which was eventually vacated by Raymond Domenech
following the 2010 World Cup
. Later that day, FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes
confirmed that Blanc was a candidate for the position. On 18 May 2010, with Blanc's appointment to the position becoming more probable, Bordeaux chairman Jean-Louis Triaud
demanded compensation from the Federation. On 20 May 2010, the club reached an agreement with the Federation for €1.5 million. On 26 June, French media confirmed that Blanc had signed a two-year contract with the Federation to lead the team to UEFA Euro 2012. The deal was finalized a week later and Blanc was officially named as manager of the team on 2 July.
Blanc's first move as manager was to suspend all 23 players from the 2010 World Cup squad from his first game, as collective punishment for a number of negative incidents involving the squad, which had occurred during the course of the competition. He also reversed the policy on providing only halal meat at team lunches. On 11 August, in his first game as manager, France lost 1–2 to Norway
at the Ullevaal Stadion
in Oslo
. However, Blanc's team soon managed to top their Euro 2012 qualifying group
and achieve friendly wins, such as a 2–1 over England and a 1–0 over Brazil.
had been attempting to secretly put in place a race-quota system in order to limit the number of dual-nationality players in its national academies. Quoting a senior figure in the FFF, the organization was said to have wanted to set a cap of 30% on the number of players of non-white origin by limiting places in the academies in the 12–13 age bracket. On 29 April, Blanc, who, in the report, was claimed to have agreed with the decision to implement the quotas, held a personal press conference at the l'Hôtel Le Régent in Bordeaux
, in which he also denied the report declaring that he had "not heard of such a project". On the following day, after Mediapart announced that it had a taped audio recording of the November 2010 meeting, Blanc released a statement on the FFF's website in which he apologized for possible offending comments he made during the meeting, while also declaring he was misquoted and denying he was racist stating "I do not withdraw the remarks I made yesterday. I admit that some terms used during a meeting on a sensitive subject can be ambiguous, out of context, and, if in my case, I've hurt some feelings, I apologize. But being suspected of racism or xenophobia, which I am against all forms of discrimination, I do not support it".
Former national team player Lilian Thuram
said of the allegations, "Initially I thought this was a joke. I'm so stunned I don't know what to say", while Patrick Vieira
declared that the comments Blanc allegedly made at the meeting were "serious and scandalous". Blanc was defended by several former players, most notably his 1998 FIFA World Cup
-winning teammates Christophe Dugarry, Bixente Lizarazu
, Didier Deschamps
, Zinedine Zidane
, Marcel Desailly
, and Emmanuel Petit
, current players, such as current national team captain Alou Diarra
, and external sources, which included Pathé Diba, the president of L’Association Soutien aux Handicapés Africains (Association to Support the Disabled in Africa). On 9 May, Blanc gave testimony at a hearing set up by the federation to investigate the quota matter. On 10 May, the results of the inquiry was revealed and Blanc was cleared of any wrongdoing by the federation.
Barcelona
Auxerre
Manchester United
France
|1983–84
||rowspan="8"|Montpellier
||rowspan="4"|Division 2
||15||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1984–85
||32||5||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1985–86
||29||6||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1986–87
||34||18||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1987–88
||rowspan="4"|Division 1
||24||6||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1988–89
||35||15||||||||||2||0||||
|-
|1989–90
||36||12||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1990–91
||38||14||||||||||6||1||||
|-
|1991–92
||Napoli
||Serie A
||31||6||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1992–93
||Nîmes
||Division 1
||29||1||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1993–94
||rowspan="2"|Saint-Étienne
||rowspan="2"|Division 1
||33||5||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1994–95
||37||13||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1995–96
||Auxerre
||Division 1
||23||2||||||||||1||0||||
|-
|1996–97
||Barcelona
||La Liga
||28||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||5||0||38||1
|-
|1997–98
||rowspan="2"|Marseille
||rowspan="2"|Division 1
||31||11||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1998–99
||32||2||||||||||10||1||||
|-
|1999–00
||rowspan="2"|Internazionale
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
||34||3||7||0||-||-||colspan="2"|-||41||3
|-
|2000–01
||33||3||0||0||-||-||9||0||42||3
|-
|2001–02
||rowspan="2"|Manchester United
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||29||1||2||0||0||0||15||2||46||3
|-
|2002–03
||19||0||1||0||0||0||9||1||29||1
428||110||||||||||19||1||||
98||12||||||||||9||0||||
28||1||5||0||0||0||5||0||38||1
48||1||3||0||0||0||24||3||75||4
602||124||||||||||57||4||||
|-
|1989||6||1
|-
|1990||7||1
|-
|1991||6||2
|-
|1992||8||0
|-
|1993||8||3
|-
|1994||7||0
|-
|1995||4||1
|-
|1996||10||3
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||13||3
|-
|1999||9||0
|-
|2000||12||2
|-
!Total||97||16
|}
Football in France
Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...
manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player. He is the head coach of the French national team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, having replaced Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...
in the wake of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa. He was previously the manager of Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
. Blanc formerly played professional football for numerous clubs, notably Montpellier
Montpellier HSC
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French association football club based in the city of Montpellier. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Montpellier plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city...
, Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
, Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, often operating in the sweeper position. He is also a former French international, playing in several international tournaments, which includes the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and UEFA Euro 2000, both of which France won. On 28 June 1998, Blanc scored the first golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
in World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
history against Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
. Blanc has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills.
Early years
Laurent Blanc's career started in MontpellierMontpellier HSC
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French association football club based in the city of Montpellier. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Montpellier plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city...
, where he signed his first professional contract in 1983. A very technical player, he played as an offensive midfielder and helped Montpellier get promoted to Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
in 1987
French football Division 2 1986-87
-Overview:It was contested by 36 teams, and Chamois Niort and Montpellier won the championship.-Group A:-Group B:-References:*...
. Only a few years later did he settle as a defender following the advice from Michel Mézy
Michel Mézy
Michel Mézy is a former French international football midfielder and manager.-External links:...
, a position in which his physical stature (1.91 m, 82 kg) and his temper would prove invaluable. His game being perfectly fitted for the French league, he managed to score at least 12 goals in every season at Montpellier, for the most part penalties and headers. He also won the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
in 1990
Coupe de France 1989-90
The Coupe de France 1989-1990 was its 73rd edition. It was won by Montpellier HSC.-Round of 16:-Quarter-finals:-Semi-finals:-----Final:-References:*...
, scoring a goal in the final
Coupe de France Final 1990
The Coupe de France Final 1990 was a football match held at Parc des Princes, Paris on June 2, 1990, that saw Montpellier HSC defeat RC Paris 2-1 in extra-time thanks to goals by Laurent Blanc and Kader Ferhaoui.-Match details:...
.
Domestic success
In 1991, Blanc tried a first experience abroad when he left Montpellier for NapoliS.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
in the Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. Despite a decent season during which he managed to score six goals, he felt like he could not fully express his potential and returned to France after just one year, to Nîmes
Nîmes Olympique
Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was formed on 10 April 1937 and currently play in Championnat National, the third level of French football. The club's only achievement was winning Ligue 2 in 1950 and the Championnat National in 1997...
and then Saint Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
, where again he not only imposed himself as one of the best defenders in the league, but also scored goals (13 in his last season with Saint-Étienne). Saint-Étienne, however, were struggling at the time and got almost relegated, only staying up because Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
were not allowed to return to Division 1 because of their financial difficulties.
Guy Roux, impressed by Blanc and looking for a replacement for Dutch
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
international Frank Verlaat
Frank Verlaat
Frank Verlaat is a Dutch former international football defender, who retired in 2007, after a professional career of 21 years....
, convinced him to join Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
in 1995. Despite injuring himself early in the season, Blanc came back strongly and played a great part in Auxerre's double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
that year.
Barcelona
Laurent Blanc's performances on the pitch, emphasized by Auxerre's success, drew the attention of several big European clubs. He finally signed for BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. That second abroad experience turned out not to be as successful as he could have hoped. Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON , known as Johan Cruyff, is a retired Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team as well as a member of the AFC Ajax board of directors. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with...
, who had wanted Blanc and persuaded him to sign for Barça, was sacked on the very day Blanc agreed to join the club. Blanc won the Supercopa de España
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
against Atlético Madrid, but injured himself quickly afterwards. He came back and played regularly but was sent off during the Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
quarter-final against AIK
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
, then injured himself again against Extremadura
CF Extremadura
Club de Fútbol Extremadura was a Spanish football team based in Almendralejo, in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Founded in 1924, it played two seasons in La Liga, and held home games at Estadio Francisco de la Hera, with a capacity of 11,580 seats.-History:Extremadura was founded in 1924,...
, which forced him to miss the Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
and the Cup Winners' Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain. After this disappointing season and only one year away from the World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, he decided to leave.
"President"
Rolland Courbis managed to convince Blanc to join MarseilleOlympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
, which proved beneficial for both Marseille and Blanc. Blanc quickly became a leader in a Marseille side desperately lacking confidence, and helped them reach an honourable fourth place for his first season, scoring 11 goals and earning the nickname Le Président (the President) in the process. The season following the World Cup was both successful and frustrating for Blanc and Marseille, as they finished runners-up in the championship, only one point shy of Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
, and reached the UEFA Cup final
1999 UEFA Cup Final
The 1999 UEFA Cup Final a football match that took place at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, on 12 May 1999 between Parma A.C. of Italy and Olympique de Marseille of France. Parma won the match 3–0...
, only to lose 3–0 to Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
, with Hernán Crespo
Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo is an Argentine footballer who plays for Parma in the Italian Serie A. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in...
intercepting Blanc's back pass to Stéphane Porato
Stéphane Porato
Stéphane Porato is a retired French footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
to score the opener.
He then left Marseille for Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, where he enjoyed some success in defence, even winning the Pirata d'Oro (Inter Player of the Year) in 2000.
Manchester United
Manchester United manager Alex FergusonAlex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
had attempted to lure Blanc several times since 1996 and finally succeeded in 2001. Despite his age of 35 years, Blanc was brought in to replace the departing Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam
Jakob "Jaap" Stam is a retired Dutch football player who was twice voted best defender in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League. He played for several European clubs like PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, S.S. Lazio, A.C. Milan and AFC Ajax before retiring in October 2007...
. He was criticised for poor performances in the early months of his stay at Old Trafford. This was compounded when United suffered their first five losses of the season to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
(coincidentally, the first letters of each team spell out "BLANC"). He retired two years later, having helped his club to the 2002–03 Premier League crown. He scored four goals during his time at Manchester United. One of these came in the league against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, and the other three all came in the Champions League in games against Olympiacos and Boavista (both home and away).
International career
Laurent Blanc won the 19881988 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1988, which spanned two years , had 30 entrants. The Republic of Ireland competed for the first time. France U-21s won the competition....
European Under-21 Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
, beating Greece in the final. On 7 February 1989, he made his debut for the national team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
against Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
.
France, then in reconstruction after the retirement of numerous key players, did not manage to qualify for the 1990 World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
. Shortly after that, they started an impressive 19-game unbeaten streak, including eight wins out of eight in Euro 1992 qualifying
UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 1
Standings and results for Group 1 of the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament.Group 1 consisted of Albania, Czechoslovakia, France, Iceland and Spain. Group winners were France, who won every match in the qualifying games while scoring a hefty 20 goals. Spain's home defeat against France was the...
, making them one of the favorites to win the competition. They would, however, get knocked out in the pool stage by eventual winners Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
.
After France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, Laurent Blanc was heavily criticised, as well the rest of the team, and he subsequently decided to retire from international football. Aimé Jacquet
Aimé Jacquet
Aimé Étienne Jacquet is a French football coach and former player, and manager of the France national football team when they won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.-Biography:...
, after taking over the managerial position of the national team, made it one of his priorities to convince Blanc to change his mind. Blanc then became one of the key players of this new French squad which reached the semi-finals of the Euro 96, only to lose to Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
in a penalty shoot-out.
France then entered the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, which was held on home soil. Blanc was exemplary during the competition and, on 28 June 1998, scored against Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
in the Round of 16, the first ever golden goal
Golden goal
The golden goal is a method used in association football, field hockey, ice hockey and korfball to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. It is a type of sudden death. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during...
in World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
history. He missed the final
1998 FIFA World Cup Final
The 1998 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that was played on 12 July 1998 at the Stade de France in St-Denis to determine the winner of the 1998 FIFA World Cup a global football tournament held every four years...
after being sent off in the semi-final against Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
for elbowing Slaven Bilić
Slaven Bilic
Slaven Bilić is a former Croatian footballer and current head coach of the Croatia national team. His playing tenure predominantly comprised extended vocations in his hometown with Hajduk Split and a combination of foreign spells in Germany and England...
, although replays showed that Bilić had clearly feigned the injury, earning the Croat heavy criticism afterwards. The sending off was the first (and only) red card of Blanc's professional career.
Blanc was also part of the team that won Euro 2000 during which, despite having been criticised for his age and lack of speed during the qualifications, he proved reliable in defence and even scored a goal against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
in the group stage.
He announced his retirement from international football after Euro 2000, following the example of his captain Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps is a retired French footballer and current manager of Marseille. He played as a defensive midfielder. As an international, he assisted France with victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
.
Blanc was also well-known for kissing good friend and goalkeeper Fabien Barthez
Fabien Barthez
Fabien Alain Barthez is a former French footballer goalkeeper who won honours with Manchester United and the French national team, with whom he won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000 and reached the final of the 2006 World Cup. He shares the record for the most World Cup finals clean sheets...
's head before the start of every match, supposedly for good luck (the two did repeat this ritual when they played together for Manchester United, but only for Champions League matches). Overall, he recorded 97 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
and scored 16 goals.
In 2006, the readers of France Football
France Football
France Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...
magazine voted him the fourth best French player of all time behind Michel Platini
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini is a former French football player, manager and current president of UEFA. Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978, 1982...
, Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
, and Raymond Kopa
Raymond Kopa
Raymond Kopa , is a former French football offensive midfielder, integral to the French national team of the 1950s....
.
Bordeaux
On 8 June 2007, Blanc was named the new manager of BordeauxFC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
, replacing Brazilian Ricardo. For his first season on the bench, he led Bordeaux to a very good second place in the league and won the Manager of the Year award. His second season was extremely successful, as Bordeaux won the final 11 games of the season, setting a new French record for consecutive wins, and clinched the 2008–09 Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
championship title, three points clear of Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
, having already won the Coupe de la Ligue
Coupe de la Ligue 2008–09
The 2008–09 Coupe de la Ligue began on 19 August 2008, and its final was held on 25 April 2009 at the Stade de France. The former defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain FC, were initially barred from participating in the cup after a group of PSG supporters unfurled an offensive banner during last...
that year. Blanc was again nominated for Manager of the Year but lost to Marseille's Eric Gerets.
France
On 16 May 2010, Blanc confirmed his departure from Bordeaux after three seasons in charge of the French outfit. After resigning from his position, Blanc contacted the French Football FederationFrench Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
to inquire about the France national team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
job, which was eventually vacated by Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech
Raymond Domenech is a retired French footballer and the former manager of the France national team.-2006 World Cup:On 12 July 2004, Domenech was a surprise choice to succeed Jacques Santini after the country's disappointing exit from UEFA Euro 2004 by losing in the quarter-final match to the...
following the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Later that day, FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes
Jean-Pierre Escalettes
Jean-Pierre Escalettes is the former president of the French Football Federation having served in the role from 12 February 2005 to 2 July 2010. He was awarded the presidency after winning the ball with 92.56% of the vote...
confirmed that Blanc was a candidate for the position. On 18 May 2010, with Blanc's appointment to the position becoming more probable, Bordeaux chairman Jean-Louis Triaud
Jean-Louis Triaud
Jean-Louis Triaud is the current president of FC Girondins de Bordeaux. He was first elected in 1996, and upon completion of the term, reelected in 2002....
demanded compensation from the Federation. On 20 May 2010, the club reached an agreement with the Federation for €1.5 million. On 26 June, French media confirmed that Blanc had signed a two-year contract with the Federation to lead the team to UEFA Euro 2012. The deal was finalized a week later and Blanc was officially named as manager of the team on 2 July.
Blanc's first move as manager was to suspend all 23 players from the 2010 World Cup squad from his first game, as collective punishment for a number of negative incidents involving the squad, which had occurred during the course of the competition. He also reversed the policy on providing only halal meat at team lunches. On 11 August, in his first game as manager, France lost 1–2 to Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
at the Ullevaal Stadion
Ullevaal Stadion
Ullevaal Stadion is an all-seater football stadium located in Oslo, Norway. It is the home ground of Vålerenga IF and the Norway national football team, and the site of the Norwegian Cup Final. From its opening in 1926 to 2009 it was the home ground of FK Lyn. With a capacity of 25,572, it is the...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. However, Blanc's team soon managed to top their Euro 2012 qualifying group
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group D
This page shows the standings and results for Group D of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group D fixtures were negotiated between the participants at a meeting in Luxembourg on 19 February 2010....
and achieve friendly wins, such as a 2–1 over England and a 1–0 over Brazil.
Controversy
On 28 April 2011, French investigative website Mediapart released a story which claimed that the French Football FederationFrench Football Federation
The French Football Federation is the governing body of association football in France, as well as the overseas departments and territories . It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital Paris...
had been attempting to secretly put in place a race-quota system in order to limit the number of dual-nationality players in its national academies. Quoting a senior figure in the FFF, the organization was said to have wanted to set a cap of 30% on the number of players of non-white origin by limiting places in the academies in the 12–13 age bracket. On 29 April, Blanc, who, in the report, was claimed to have agreed with the decision to implement the quotas, held a personal press conference at the l'Hôtel Le Régent in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, in which he also denied the report declaring that he had "not heard of such a project". On the following day, after Mediapart announced that it had a taped audio recording of the November 2010 meeting, Blanc released a statement on the FFF's website in which he apologized for possible offending comments he made during the meeting, while also declaring he was misquoted and denying he was racist stating "I do not withdraw the remarks I made yesterday. I admit that some terms used during a meeting on a sensitive subject can be ambiguous, out of context, and, if in my case, I've hurt some feelings, I apologize. But being suspected of racism or xenophobia, which I am against all forms of discrimination, I do not support it".
Former national team player Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both...
said of the allegations, "Initially I thought this was a joke. I'm so stunned I don't know what to say", while Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
declared that the comments Blanc allegedly made at the meeting were "serious and scandalous". Blanc was defended by several former players, most notably his 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
-winning teammates Christophe Dugarry, Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu is a former football left defender who played most notably for Girondins de Bordeaux and Bayern Munich, as well as the French national team.-Football career:...
, Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps is a retired French footballer and current manager of Marseille. He played as a defensive midfielder. As an international, he assisted France with victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
, Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
, Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000...
, and Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
, current players, such as current national team captain Alou Diarra
Alou Diarra
Alou Diarra is a French international footballer who currently plays for French club Marseille in Ligue 1. He primarily plays as a defensive midfielder, but can also deputized as a centre back if necessary...
, and external sources, which included Pathé Diba, the president of L’Association Soutien aux Handicapés Africains (Association to Support the Disabled in Africa). On 9 May, Blanc gave testimony at a hearing set up by the federation to investigate the quota matter. On 10 May, the results of the inquiry was revealed and Blanc was cleared of any wrongdoing by the federation.
Club
Montpellier- Coupe de FranceCoupe de FranceThe Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
(1): 1989–90
Barcelona
- Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
(1): 19961996 Supercopa de EspañaThe 1996 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 25 August and 28 August 1996. It contested by FC Barcelona, who were Spanish Cup runners-up in 1995–96, and Atlético Madrid, who won the 1995–96 Spanish League and the 1995–96 Spanish Cup. FC Barcelona won 6–5 on... - UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
(1): 1996–971997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup FinalThe 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final was a football match contested between FC Barcelona of Spain and the cup holders, Paris Saint-Germain of France. It was the final match of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1996–97 and the 37th Cup Winners' Cup Final. The final was held at Feyenoord Stadion in Rotterdam...
Auxerre
- Division 1Ligue 1Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
(1): 1995–96 - Coupe de FranceCoupe de FranceThe Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
(1): 1995–96
Manchester United
- Premier League (1): 2002–03
International
France U-21- UEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
(1): 19881988 UEFA European Under-21 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-21 Championship 1988, which spanned two years , had 30 entrants. The Republic of Ireland competed for the first time. France U-21s won the competition....
France
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(1): 19981998 FIFA World Cup FinalThe 1998 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that was played on 12 July 1998 at the Stade de France in St-Denis to determine the winner of the 1998 FIFA World Cup a global football tournament held every four years... - UEFA European Football ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
(1): 2000UEFA Euro 2000 FinalThe final of UEFA Euro 2000 was a football match played on 2 July 2000 at Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to determine the winner of UEFA Euro 2000...
Individual
- 1990 French Player of the YearFrance FootballFrance Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...
- 1996 UEFA Euro All-Star Team
- 1998 Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- 2000 Internazionale Player of the Year (Pirata d'oro)
- 2000 UEFA Euro All-Star Team
- 2004 Trophée d'honneur UNFP
- 2009 French Manager of the YearFrance FootballFrance Football is a French bi-weekly magazine containing football news from all over the world. It's one of the most reputable sports publications in Europe, mostly because of their photographic reports and accurate statistics of the big European Cup matches, and extensive coverage of the European...
Manager
Bordeaux- Ligue 1Ligue 1Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
(1): 2008–09 - Coupe de la LigueCoupe de la LigueThe Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel...
(1): 2008–09 - Trophée des ChampionsTrophée des championsThe Trophée des champions , is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super Cups found in many countries...
(2): 20082008 Trophée des ChampionsThe 2008 Trophée des Champions Final was a football match that saw the 2007-08 Ligue 1 and Coupe de France champions Olympique Lyonnais face off against FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Since Lyon won both the league and the Coupe de France, they faced the club that finished in second place in Ligue 1...
, 20092009 Trophée des ChampionsThe 2009 Trophée des Champions Final was a football match that was played on 25 July 2009. The match contested the winners of 2008–09 Coupe de France, En Avant Guingamp, and the 2008–09 Ligue 1 champions, FC Girondins de Bordeaux...
Player
|-|1983–84
French football Division 2 1983-84
-Overview:It was contested by 37 teams, and Olympique Marseille and Tours won the championship.-Group A:-Group B:-References:*...
||rowspan="8"|Montpellier
Montpellier HSC
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French association football club based in the city of Montpellier. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Montpellier plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city...
||rowspan="4"|Division 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
||15||0||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1984–85
French football Division 2 1984-85
-Overview:It was contested by 36 teams, and Le Havre and Nice won the championship.-Group A:-Group B:-Top scorers:-References:*...
||32||5||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1985–86
French football Division 2 1985-86
-Overview:It was contested by 36 teams, and Saint-Étienne and Paris won the championship.-Group A:-Group B:-References:*...
||29||6||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1986–87
French football Division 2 1986-87
-Overview:It was contested by 36 teams, and Chamois Niort and Montpellier won the championship.-Group A:-Group B:-References:*...
||34||18||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1987–88
French football Division 1 1987-88
AS Monaco won Division 1 season 1987-88 of the French Association Football League with 52 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Division 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1988/1989...
||rowspan="4"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||24||6||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1988–89
French football Division 1 1988-89
Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1988/1989 of the French Association Football League with 73 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:...
||35||15||||||||||2||0||||
|-
|1989–90
French football Division 1 1989-90
Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1989/1990 of the French Association Football League with 53 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Victoire à 2 points....
||36||12||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1990–91
French football Division 1 1990-91
Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1990/1991 of the French Association Football League with 55 points.-Participating teams:- Final table :...
||38||14||||||||||6||1||||
|-
|1991–92
Serie A 1991-92
During this season, under the guidance of Fabio Capello, AC Milan completed a remarkable unbeaten season, a run that eventually totalled 58 games.- Final classification :- Results :-Top scorers:25 goals* Marco van Basten 18 goals...
||Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
||Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||31||6||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1992–93
French football Division 1 1992-93
Olympique de Marseille won Division 1 season 1992/1993 of the French Association Football League with 55 points but lost its title due to a bribery scandal. The second, Paris SG refused it, making it still unattributed.-Affaire VA-OM:...
||Nîmes
Nîmes Olympique
Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was formed on 10 April 1937 and currently play in Championnat National, the third level of French football. The club's only achievement was winning Ligue 2 in 1950 and the Championnat National in 1997...
||Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||29||1||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1993–94
Division 1 season 1993-94
The 1993–94 Division 1 season was the 56th since its establishment. Paris Saint-Germain became champions for the second time in their history with 59 points.-Promotion and relegation:Teams promoted from 1992–93 Division 2* Champions: Martigues...
||rowspan="2"|Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
||rowspan="2"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||33||5||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1994–95
Division 1 season 1994-95
FC Nantes won Division 1 season 1994/1995 of the French Association Football League with 79 points and only one defeat.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1995/1996...
||37||13||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1995–96
Division 1 season 1995-96
AJ Auxerre won Division 1 season 1995/1996 of the French Association Football League with 72 points.-Participating teams:- Final table :Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1996/1997** SM Caen : champion of Ligue 2...
||Auxerre
AJ Auxerre
Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a French association football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps on the banks of the...
||Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||23||2||||||||||1||0||||
|-
|1996–97
La Liga 1996-97
* It was the last season with 22 teams in La Liga. To reduce the number of teams in the league, the last four teams, CF Extremadura, Sevilla FC, Hércules CF and CD Logroñés, were relegated and the fifth-to-last team, Rayo Vallecano, played a relegation playoff and was also relegated.-League...
||Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||28||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||5||0||38||1
|-
|1997–98
Division 1 season 1997-98
RC Lens won Division 1 season 1997/1998 of the French Association Football League with 68 points.-Participating teams:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1998/1999** AS Nancy : champion of Ligue 2...
||rowspan="2"|Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
||rowspan="2"|Division 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||31||11||||||||||colspan="2"|-||||
|-
|1998–99
Division 1 season 1998-99
FC Girondins de Bordeaux won Division 1 season 1998/1999 of the French Association Football League with 72 points..-Participating teams:-Results:-Final table:Promoted from Ligue 2 , who will play in Division 1 season 1999/2000...
||32||2||||||||||10||1||||
|-
|1999–00
Serie A 1999-00
Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the...
||rowspan="2"|Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
||rowspan="2"|Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
||34||3||7||0||-||-||colspan="2"|-||41||3
|-
|2000–01
Serie A 2000-01
In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
||33||3||0||0||-||-||9||0||42||3
|-
|2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||rowspan="2"|Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||29||1||2||0||0||0||15||2||46||3
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||19||0||1||0||0||0||9||1||29||1
428||110||||||||||19||1||||
98||12||||||||||9||0||||
28||1||5||0||0||0||5||0||38||1
48||1||3||0||0||0||24||3||75||4
602||124||||||||||57||4||||
|-
|1989||6||1
|-
|1990||7||1
|-
|1991||6||2
|-
|1992||8||0
|-
|1993||8||3
|-
|1994||7||0
|-
|1995||4||1
|-
|1996||10||3
|-
|1997||7||0
|-
|1998||13||3
|-
|1999||9||0
|-
|2000||12||2
|-
!Total||97||16
|}
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 November 1989 | Stadium Municipal, Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... , France |
2 – 0 | 2–0 | 1990 World Cup Qualification | |
| 2 | 21 January 1990 | Kazma SC Stadium Kazma SC Stadium Kazma SC Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Kuwait City, Kuwait. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 20,000.... , Kuwait City Kuwait City -Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:... , Kuwait |
0 – 1 | 0–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 3 | 20 February 1991 | Parc des Princes Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed... , Paris, France |
3 – 1 | 3–1 | Euro '92 Qualification | |
| 4 | 14 August 1991 | Stadion Miejski Stadion Miejski in Poznan City Stadium in Poznan is a football stadium in Poznań, Poland. It is the home ground of Lech Poznań and Warta Poznań, and is situated on Bułgarska street in the southwestern part of the city . It has a league capacity of 43,269. All places on the stadium are seated and roofed. Stadium was... , Poznań Poznan Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be... , Poland |
1 – 4 | 1–5 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 5 | 17 February 1993 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | 0 – 2 | 0–4 | 1994 World Cup Qualification | |
| 6 | 17 February 1993 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | 0 – 3 | 0–4 | 1994 World Cup Qualification | |
| 7 | 8 September 1993 | Ratina Stadion Ratina Stadion Ratina Stadion, built in 1965, is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampere, Finland, with a seating capacity of 17,000 people, and up to 32,000 people for concerts.... , Tampere Tampere Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in... , Finland |
0 – 1 | 0–2 | 1994 World Cup Qualification | |
| 8 | 26 April 1995 | Stade de la Beaujoire Stade de la Beaujoire The Stade de la Beaujoire - Louis Fonteneau, or "Stade de la Beaujoire", is a stadium in Nantes, France. It is the home of the FC Nantes football club.... , Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... , France |
3 – 0 | 4–0 | Euro '96 Qualification | |
| 9 | 1 June 1996 | Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart Stuttgart Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million .... , Germany |
0 – 1 | 0–1 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 10 | 18 June 1996 | St James' Park, Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... , England |
1 – 0 | 3–1 | Euro '96 Group Stage | |
| 11 | 9 October 1996 | Parc des Princes Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed... , Paris, France |
1 – 0 | 4–0 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 12 | 25 February 1998 | Stade Vélodrome Stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome is a football stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is the largest club-football ground in France, with a capacity of 60,031 spectators,... , Marseille Marseille Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of... , France |
1 – 1 | 3–3 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 13 | 29 May 1998 | Stade Mohamed V Stade Mohamed V Stade Mohamed V is part of a big athletic complex situated in the heart of the city of Casablanca, Morocco, in the western part of Maarif district... , Casablanca Casablanca Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture... , Morocco |
1 – 1 | 2–2 | Hassan II Trophy Hassan II Trophy The Hassan II Trophy , was a friendly football tournament organised by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation that was played in Casablanca. Three editions took place, in 1996, 1998 and 2000. The Moroccan national team competed in each of the three tournaments, along with three invited national... |
|
| 14 | 28 June 1998 | Stade Félix-Bollaert, Lens Lens, Pas-de-Calais Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:... , France |
1 – 0 | 1–0 | 1998 World Cup Round of 16 | |
| 15 | 26 April 2000 | Stade de France Stade de France The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for... , Saint-Denis Saint-Denis Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis.... , France |
2 – 2 | 3–2 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 16 | 11 June 2000 | Jan Breydel Stadium, Bruges Bruges Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country.... , Belgium |
1 – 0 | 3–0 | Euro 2000 Group Stage |
Managerial stats
Last updated 19 April 2011| Nat | Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | D | Win % | GF | GA | +/- | ||||
 |
Bordeaux FC Girondins de Bordeaux Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season.... |
8 June 2007 | 16 May 2010 | 150 | 90 | 32 | 28 | % | 248 | 153 | |
| |
France France national football team The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe... |
2 July 2010 | Present | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | % | 27 | 8 | |
| Total Career | 166 | 100 | 36 | 30 | % | 260 | 157 | +103 | |||