Michel Estevan
Encyclopedia
Michel Estevan is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 association football manager and former player. He is currently managing US Boulogne
US Boulogne
Union Sportive de Boulogne-sur-Mer Côte d'Opale is a French association football club based in the commune of Boulogne-sur-Mer. The club was founded in 1898 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second of division of French football, having been relegated from Ligue 1 during the 2009–10 season.The...

.

He recently managed AC Arles-Avignon. He led the club from the Championnat de France amateur 2, the fifth division of French football, to the first division 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....

 before being relieved from his position on 30 June 2010. On 7 July, after meeting with the club's chairmen, Estevan was retained by the club despite being sacked the previous week. Eventually he was sacked by the club on 17 September.

Playing career

Estevan spent his playing career as a midfielder in the lower ranks of French football, making his professional debut in 1980 with Arles. After several years around France, he joined amateurs Stade Beaucairois
Stade Beaucairois
Stade Beaucairois is a French football club based in Beaucaire, Languedoc-Roussillon. It was founded in 1908 as Beaucaire Olympique. The club currently plays in the Ligue du Languedoc-Roussillon.-External links:*...

 in 1991 as a player-manager.

Coaching career

After three years with amateurs Stade Beaucairois
Stade Beaucairois
Stade Beaucairois is a French football club based in Beaucaire, Languedoc-Roussillon. It was founded in 1908 as Beaucaire Olympique. The club currently plays in the Ligue du Languedoc-Roussillon.-External links:*...

 as a player-manager (from 1991 to 1994), Estevan focused solely on his coaching duties, and managed to guide his club to win promotion to the Championnat National
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National, commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...

 (third tier) in 2002. He left thereafter to join Martigues
FC Martigues
FC Martigues play in the Championnat National, which is the third level of football in France. The club was formed in 1921 and played regional football until the early 1970s when the club gained promotion to the professional Second Division.The club's greatest achievement was winning promotion to...

 with little success (also because of financial issues), and in 2005 he was appointed head coach of his former club Arles, who were playing amateurs in the Championnat de France amateur 2 at the time of his signing.

With Arles, Estevan achieved an incredible feat of winning four promotions in his five seasons in charge, of which the latest one was probably the most surprising, as he achieved third place in the club's first season in Ligue 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...

 (with the club now named AC Arles-Avignon), thus winning promotion to the French top flight despite having the lowest budget in the league. Such results awarded him comparisons to French managing legends Guy Roux and Michel Le Milinaire, the only ones who had managed to win four promotions in five seasons before Estevan.
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