Michel Platini
Encyclopedia
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) 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
and 1986
World Cups
, reaching the semi-finals in the latter two. Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández
and Jean Tigana
together made up the "carré magique" (French for "magic square"), the group of midfield
players that formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s. He is also widely regarded as one of the best passers in football history as well as one of history's greatest free kick specialists and finishers. He holds the record for most goals (9) scored in European Championship
final tournaments despite only appearing in one such tournament (1984). Despite being a midfielder, he held the national team top scorer record until striker Thierry Henry
surpassed the 41 goals mark in 2007.
Platini was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour
on 29 April 1985 and became Officier in 1988. He was the French national team coach for four years, and was the co-organizer of the 1998 World Cup
in France. He has also been the chairman of the FIFA
Technical and Development Committee, and vice-president of the French Football Federation
. His Italian father Aldo was also a professional footballer and a long-time director for AS Nancy
, the club where Michel started his professional career.
tournament match with an impressive display for Jœuf juniors against a Metz
junior side. Platini was called up for a trial with Metz, but missed out on the opportunity due to injury, and was not immediately invited back after the Metz coach moved to another club. He returned to regional league football with Jœuf. Another trial at Metz went horribly wrong when a breathing test on a spirometer
caused Platini to faint. The doctor's verdict on Platini's breathing difficulties and weak heart ended any hopes Platini had of playing for his boyhood favorites. He then joined the reserve side of his father's club Nancy in September 1972, and became friends with team goalkeeper Jean-Michel Moutier.
in a reserve team match against Wittelsheim. Further outstanding displays put him in contention for a place in the Nancy first team. His introduction to the first-team squad was inauspicious. On the substitutes' bench for a match against Valenciennes
, Platini was spat on and hit by various objects thrown from the crowd when a fight broke out in the stands. Playing for the reserves a few days later, a hefty challenge from an opponent left Platini with a bad ankle injury. His season would finish on a more positive note, and he would go on to make his league debut against Nîmes
on 3 May 1973.
In March 1974, he suffered a setback when he sustained a double fracture of his left arm in a match at OGC Nice
. Platini missed the remainder of the season as a result, unable to assist Nancy in an unsuccessful bid to avoid relegation from Ligue 1
. The following season saw Nancy win promotion back to the French first division with ease. Platini became the team's most important player, scoring 17 goals, a number of which were scored from free-kicks, as was becoming Platini's specialty. Saint-Étienne
, the then reigning French league champions, were knocked out of the French Cup
with two goals from Platini free-kicks. Platini practised his free-kicks with the help of his friend, goalkeeper Moutier, and using a row of dummies
to form a defensive wall of sorts.
With Nancy back in Ligue 1, Platini's military service reduced his availability for matches, but he continued to make himself available to play when possible. In a match away to Laval, Platini, angered by the taunts of the home supporters, scored a hat-trick, but unluckily sustained another injury. Press reports claimed that Platini's season was over and that he would require a knee operation, but neither claim proved to be correct. Instead, Platini returned to first-team football two weeks later for Nancy's French Cup semi-final against Marseille
at the Parc des Princes
. Platini headed the only Nancy goal in their 4–1 loss and was forced to leave the field injured.
Following his participation in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Platini signed a two-year contract with Nancy, his first professional contract.
Before travelling to Argentina for the World Cup, Platini won the first major trophy of his playing career, captaining Nancy to victory in the 1978 French Cup final against Nice
and scoring the only goal of the game. President
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
presented him with the trophy. However, with the World Cup scheduled to start two weeks after the cup final, there was little time left for preparation.
Although Platini was not disgraced by his performances at his first World Cup, fans held him responsible for the French team's failure to progress in the tournament, and in the season that followed he was a target of jeering crowds. The situation came to a head in a match away to Saint-Étienne. Spurred on by booing fans, Platini competed for every ball, and he picked up a bad ankle injury in a tackle. As a result, he was ruled out of Nancy's Cup Winners' Cup
campaign. His contract with the club expired in June 1979, and Internazionale
, Paris Saint-Germain, and Saint-Étienne emerged as the clubs most likely to sign him, although the Nancy club president had been unwilling to let Platini leave the club. Having set his mind on a transfer to Saint-Étienne, he signed a three-year contract with les Verts.
In spite of his injuries and the boos that would greet him, Platini maintained his pranksterish sense of humour. On away trips, he would set off firecrackers in public places and then pretend to be dead, inevitably drawing a crowd. While in Argentina
for the World Cup, he would squeeze tubes of toothpaste into his team-mates' beds.
, but despite some excellent results (including a 6–0 win over PSV in the 1979–80 UEFA Cup and a 5–0 win at Hamburger SV
in the UEFA Cup
the following season), the club were unable to surpass the feats of the Saint-Étienne side that had reached the final
of the 1976 European Cup.
Platini won the French league title in 1981 with Les Verts, but was on a losing Saint-Étienne side in two French Cup finals, against Bastia
in 1981 and against Paris Saint-Germain in 1982, in what was his last match for the club before joining Juventus. He left for a nominal transfer fee (under UEFA regulations) despite being out of contract and no fee being necessary under French regulations at the time.
At Juventus, in a team featuring numerous members of Italy's victorious World Cup squad
, Platini had a difficult introduction to Italian football. He was a target in the demanding Italian sports media, and even came close to leaving Italy in the winter of his first season. Platini and teammate Zbigniew Boniek
successfully called for a change in tactics, and in the second half of the season Juventus saw an upturn in their fortunes. They reached the European Cup
final, losing to Hamburger SV, but won the Italian Cup
, the first of many club honours to follow for Platini in the coming seasons. He won the Italian championship
with Juventus in 1984
and 1986
, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984
, the 1984 European Super Cup
, the European Cup in 1985
and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup
. He finished top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85), and won a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards (1983 through 1985). Platini was also voted Player of the Year by World Soccer
magazine in 1984 and 1985.
The 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool
at the Heysel Stadium
in Brussels
should have been the crowning moment of Platini's Juventus career, but was instead overshadowed by the Heysel Stadium disaster
in which 39 people died, and 600 more were injured. It was decided to proceed with the match in order to avoid inciting any further trouble, and after both captains had appealed for calm, the match began just under an hour and a half beyond schedule, with riot police still engaged in a pitched battle with Juventus fans. Platini scored the only goal of the match from a penalty kick awarded for a foul on Zbigniew Boniek. In the days following the final, Platini was criticised in some quarters for his lack of restraint in celebrating Juventus' win. In his own defence, Platini maintained that like every other player on the field, he had not been made fully aware of the scale of the disaster.
Following the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Platini spent another season at Juventus before retiring from football in June 1987.
tournament, Platini was selected for the French junior team, but injuries prevented him from playing. He made his first appearance for a French national selection playing for the French amateur side on 26 September 1973.
Platini began his military service in summer 1975. He was assigned to the Joinville battalion, as were all talented French sportspeople fulfilling their military obligations. His colleagues in the battalion included his Nancy team-mates Olivier Rouyer and Jean-Michel Moutier, as well as Maxime Bossis
, soon to become a regular in the French national team along with Platini. Platini would turn out for the French military team, in addition to representing the French under-23s
and the French Olympic team. He impressed in the Olympic team's 4–0 win over Romania in Brest
, a result made even more impressive by the fact that Romania had fielded a full international side for the Olympic qualifier. Platini's performance made him a star in France. The away leg of the qualifying tie was a mere formality, France coming away with a 1–1 draw. Three days after the draw in Bucharest
, Platini received his first call-up to the A national team for what was coach Michel Hidalgo's first game in charge, a friendly against Czechoslovakia
in Paris
(27 March 1976, 2–2), and scored his first international goal on one of his trademark free kicks.
in Montreal
. Their tournament began on 19 July with an easy 4–0 win over Mexico
. They registered another 4–0 win in their next match against Guatemala
, with two goals from Platini. The French team completed the group stage with a draw against Israel, Platini scoring from a penalty. France progressed to the quarter-final stage, where they would face a full-strength East German team
. Hindered by some dubious refereeing, France lost 4–0 and finished the match with nine men.
at the Parc des Princes
on 16 November 1977, a match in which Platini excelled in the role of playmaker and scored on a splendid 25-metre shot, France secured qualification for the 1978 World Cup
in Argentina
for their first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1966
. In the month following the decisive qualifying match, Platini finished third in the voting for the 1977 European Footballer of the Year
.
Among the international friendlies France played in preparation for the World Cup, their match against Italy
in Naples
on 8 February 1978 (2–2) was particularly significant for Platini. With a number of scouts from Italian clubs in attendance, he was in excellent form. He beat Italian goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff
from two direct free-kicks, the first being ruled out because the referee had not blown his whistle. The re-taken free-kick was blocked by the defensive wall, but minutes later Platini had the ball in the Italian net from another free-kick. Zoff attempted to anticipate the flight of the ball by positioning himself on the left side of the goal, only for Platini to find the unguarded area of the net with his free-kick, leaving Zoff rooted to the spot. Platini's duels with Zoff and his performance in a match that was broadcast on Italian television made him a name in Italy. A number of clubs both in France (Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Étienne) and across Europe (Juventus, Internazionale
, Napoli
, Barcelona
, Valencia
, and Arsenal
, to name a few) began the clamour for his services.
because Platini's brilliance drew the attention of Italy coach Enzo Bearzot
, who devised a successful plan to contain him in a match-up that really mattered—the first round of the 1978 World Cup
four months later. Platini was kept in check by Marco Tardelli's implacable marking and Italy won 2–1. Drawn in a difficult group with Italy as well as hosts (and eventual winners) Argentina
, France did not survive the first round.
2–0 in Paris
(18 November 1981) in a crucial qualifying match for the 1982 World Cup
in Spain.
France unexpectedly reached the semifinals of the 1982 World Cup where they met West Germany
in Seville
for what proved to be one of the great matches of World Cup history. German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher
had collided with Patrick Battiston
, leaving the Frenchman knocked-out cold, and the referee did not call a penalty, much to the anger of the French. With both sides level at 3–3 after extra time had been played (Platini having scored France's first goal of the game from a penalty) the match went to a penalty shoot-out which West Germany won 5–4. Interestingly, Platini would consider this match the greatest memory of his career.
, and scored two "perfect" hat-tricks (one header and one goal with each foot) against Belgium and Yugoslavia
, as France topped their first-round group with three wins out of three. In the dramatic semi-final in Marseille
against Portugal
, Platini scored the final goal of the match for a memorable 3–2 win in the last minute of extra time. In the final against Spain
, he opened the scoring with a free kick-goal, helped by a monumental blunder from Spain goalkeeper Luis Arconada
. A second goal from Bruno Bellone
in injury time at the end of the match secured France's first major title in international football.
in Mexico
. Nonetheless he contributed two important goals. The first contributed to their 2–0 defeat of defending champions Italy
. The second came during the quarterfinal match against Brazil
. After Careca scored for Brazil, Platini scored the equalizer, his 41st on his 31st birthday, which sent the game into a penalty shoot-out. France won 4–3, with Platini famously sending his over the bar. This goal was to be the last of his international career. After losing a second World Cup semi-final in a row to West Germany, France had to settle for third place. Platini did not take part in the 1982 or 1986 World Cup third-place matches.
qualifier at home to Iceland
, a few weeks before announcing his retirement from all football. In 72 appearances for France from 1976 to 1987, including 49 appearances as captain, Platini scored 41 times, a record for the French national team, which has since only been surpassed by Thierry Henry
after scoring his 42nd and 43rd national team goals against Lithuania
in a Euro 2008 qualifying match on 17 October 2007.
, who had been forced out after France infamously drew with Cyprus
(1–1) in a 1990 World Cup
qualifier
. France's qualifying campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.
The focus of the team shifted to qualifying for the 1992 European Championship
in Sweden
. France excelled in the qualifying stages, winning all eight of their group matches, including notable victories away to Spain and Czechoslovakia
. After a record 19-match unbeaten run, they were among the favourites to win the competition and Platini was named Manager of the Year by the World Soccer Awards. But a string of uninspiring performances in warm-up matches, followed by France's first-round elimination from the tournament, led Platini to step down as coach.
, held in France. He served on the UEFA Technical Development Committee from 1988 to 1990. He has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee and European member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 2002. He continued to climb the ranks of UEFA
and FIFA
football administration and in 2006, became a chairman of the FIFA Technical and Development Committee, while also being vice-president of the French Football Federation
.
on 26 January 2007, he defeated Lennart Johansson
, who held the post for the previous 16 years, by 27 votes to 23. Platini based his speech on virtues of solidarity and universality.
Platini has recently backed the 6+5
idea, six home international players and five foreign players, to be introduced in top flight teams in Europe. Platini has also backed caps on wages, transfer spending – both absolute and as a fraction of club turnover – and foreign ownership of clubs. He has stated that he wants to reduce the number of Italian, Spanish, and English teams that participate in the UEFA Champions League
to a maximum of three instead of four. This hasn't happened yet, but instead for the 2009–10 season, a different routes were created for champions of smaller countries and non-champions of bigger countries. He has also talked about banning clubs from the competition based on the debts of the clubs. Among his more contentious claims is that international transfer of players under 18 is in fact a form of illegal "child trafficking" and should be prohibited by the EU. "Paying a child to kick a ball is not that different from paying a child to work […] in a factory," said Platini to members of the EU on 18 February 2009.
He is against the implementation of new technologies in football, that could decrease the number of mistakes made by referees. He believes it would undermine the authority of referees and disrupt the natural flow of the game.
Platini was confirmed in attendance at the final between Spain and Holland on the evening of the 11 July.
During Platini's international career, France were five times holders of Nasazzi's baton
, and Platini was captain on the third, fourth, and fifth occasion that the French national team held the unofficial title while he was an international.
|1972–73||rowspan="7"|Nancy
||rowspan="2"|Division 1
||4||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||2
|-
|1973–74||21||2||3||0||colspan="2"|-||24||2
|-
|1974–75||Division 2
||32||17||6||13||colspan="2"|-||38||30
|-
|1975–76||rowspan="4"|Division 1
||31||22||7||6||colspan="2"|-||38||28
|-
|1976–77||38||25||1||0||colspan="2"|-||39||25
|-
|1977–78||36||18||10||7||colspan="2"|-||46||25
|-
|1978–79||19||12||5||3||colspan="2"|-||24||15
|-
|1979–80||rowspan="3"|Saint-Étienne
||rowspan="3"|Division 1
||33||16||7||5||7||5||47||26
|-
|1980–81||35||20||10||5||7||4||52||29
|-
|1981–82||36||22||8||5||2||0||46||27
|-
|1982–83||rowspan="5"|Juventus
||rowspan="5"|Serie A
||30||16||9||7||9||5||48||28
|-
|1983–84||28||20||7||3||8||2||43||25
|-
|1984–85||30||18||9||4||9||7||48||29
|-
|1985–86||30||12||6||1||6||3||42||16
|-
|1986–87||29||2||8||1||4||2||41||5
285||156||57||44||16||9||358||209
147||68||39||16||36||19||222||103
432||224||96||60||52||28||580||312
|-
|1976||5||4
|-
|1977||7||2
|-
|1978||6||4
|-
|1979||4||2
|-
|1980||6||5
|-
|1981||4||2
|-
|1982||10||4
|-
|1983||4||1
|-
|1984||10||13
|-
|1985||6||2
|-
|1986||9||2
|-
|1987||1||0
|-
!Total||72||41
|}
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...
player, manager and current president of UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. Platini was a member 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...
that won the 1984 European Championship
1984 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France. West Germany also bid for the hosting of this event. It was the seventh European Football Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA...
, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He participated in the 1978
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
, 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
and 1986
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
World Cups
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...
, reaching the semi-finals in the latter two. Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández is a Spanish-French footballer who played as a defender / midfielder. He retired as a player in 1993 to become a manager....
and Jean Tigana
Jean Tigana
Jean Amadou Tigana is a manager and former French international footballer, having played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and 1 goal for the France national football team during the 1980s.-Playing career:Tigana started his...
together made up the "carré magique" (French for "magic square"), the group of midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
players that formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s. He is also widely regarded as one of the best passers in football history as well as one of history's greatest free kick specialists and finishers. He holds the record for most goals (9) scored in European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The 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...
final tournaments despite only appearing in one such tournament (1984). Despite being a midfielder, he held the national team top scorer record until striker Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
surpassed the 41 goals mark in 2007.
Platini was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour
Légion d'honneur
The 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...
on 29 April 1985 and became Officier in 1988. He was the French national team coach for four years, and was the co-organizer of 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...
in France. He has also been the chairman of the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
Technical and Development Committee, and vice-president of the French Football Federation
French 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...
. His Italian father Aldo was also a professional footballer and a long-time director for AS Nancy
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine is a French association football club based in Nancy. The club was founded in 1967 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Nancy plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine, a commune located in the Arrondissement of...
, the club where Michel started his professional career.
Early career
Platini performed poorly in the final of the 1969 young footballers' competition, but at 16 years of age he attracted attention in a Coupe GambardellaCoupe Gambardella
The Coupe Gambardella is a French football cup competition held between the under-19s of the French football clubs, organized by the French Football Federation ....
tournament match with an impressive display for Jœuf juniors against a Metz
FC Metz
Football Club de Metz, commonly referred to as simply Metz , is a French association football club based in Metz. The club was formed in 1932 and has spent most of its history in the Ligue 1, though they currently play in Ligue 2, the second level in French football league system. Metz plays its...
junior side. Platini was called up for a trial with Metz, but missed out on the opportunity due to injury, and was not immediately invited back after the Metz coach moved to another club. He returned to regional league football with Jœuf. Another trial at Metz went horribly wrong when a breathing test on a spirometer
Spirometer
A spirometer is an apparatus for measuring the volume of air inspired and expired by the lungs. It is a precision differential pressure transducer for the measurements of respiration flow rates. The spirometer records the amount of air and the rate of air that is breathed in and out over a...
caused Platini to faint. The doctor's verdict on Platini's breathing difficulties and weak heart ended any hopes Platini had of playing for his boyhood favorites. He then joined the reserve side of his father's club Nancy in September 1972, and became friends with team goalkeeper Jean-Michel Moutier.
Nancy (1972–1979)
Platini was quick to make a big impression at his new club, scoring a hat-trickHat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a reserve team match against Wittelsheim. Further outstanding displays put him in contention for a place in the Nancy first team. His introduction to the first-team squad was inauspicious. On the substitutes' bench for a match against Valenciennes
Valenciennes FC
Valenciennes Football Club is a French association football club based in Valenciennes. The club was founded in 1913 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Valenciennes plays its home matches at the recently-built Stade du Hainaut located within the city...
, Platini was spat on and hit by various objects thrown from the crowd when a fight broke out in the stands. Playing for the reserves a few days later, a hefty challenge from an opponent left Platini with a bad ankle injury. His season would finish on a more positive note, and he would go on to make his league debut against 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...
on 3 May 1973.
In March 1974, he suffered a setback when he sustained a double fracture of his left arm in a match at OGC Nice
OGC Nice
Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur is a French association football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top-tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal du Ray located within the city. In 2013, the club is...
. Platini missed the remainder of the season as a result, unable to assist Nancy in an unsuccessful bid to avoid relegation from 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....
. The following season saw Nancy win promotion back to the French first division with ease. Platini became the team's most important player, scoring 17 goals, a number of which were scored from free-kicks, as was becoming Platini's specialty. 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...
, the then reigning French league champions, were knocked out of the French Cup
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...
with two goals from Platini free-kicks. Platini practised his free-kicks with the help of his friend, goalkeeper Moutier, and using a row of dummies
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
to form a defensive wall of sorts.
With Nancy back in Ligue 1, Platini's military service reduced his availability for matches, but he continued to make himself available to play when possible. In a match away to Laval, Platini, angered by the taunts of the home supporters, scored a hat-trick, but unluckily sustained another injury. Press reports claimed that Platini's season was over and that he would require a knee operation, but neither claim proved to be correct. Instead, Platini returned to first-team football two weeks later for Nancy's French Cup semi-final against 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...
at the 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...
. Platini headed the only Nancy goal in their 4–1 loss and was forced to leave the field injured.
Following his participation in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Platini signed a two-year contract with Nancy, his first professional contract.
Before travelling to Argentina for the World Cup, Platini won the first major trophy of his playing career, captaining Nancy to victory in the 1978 French Cup final against Nice
OGC Nice
Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur is a French association football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top-tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal du Ray located within the city. In 2013, the club is...
and scoring the only goal of the game. President
President of the French Republic
The President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State....
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing is a French centre-right politician who was President of the French Republic from 1974 until 1981...
presented him with the trophy. However, with the World Cup scheduled to start two weeks after the cup final, there was little time left for preparation.
Although Platini was not disgraced by his performances at his first World Cup, fans held him responsible for the French team's failure to progress in the tournament, and in the season that followed he was a target of jeering crowds. The situation came to a head in a match away to Saint-Étienne. Spurred on by booing fans, Platini competed for every ball, and he picked up a bad ankle injury in a tackle. As a result, he was ruled out of Nancy's 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...
campaign. His contract with the club expired in June 1979, and 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...
, Paris Saint-Germain, and Saint-Étienne emerged as the clubs most likely to sign him, although the Nancy club president had been unwilling to let Platini leave the club. Having set his mind on a transfer to Saint-Étienne, he signed a three-year contract with les Verts.
In spite of his injuries and the boos that would greet him, Platini maintained his pranksterish sense of humour. On away trips, he would set off firecrackers in public places and then pretend to be dead, inevitably drawing a crowd. While in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
for the World Cup, he would squeeze tubes of toothpaste into his team-mates' beds.
Saint-Étienne (1979–1982)
Platini's three years at Saint-Étienne were a mixed success. The club had signed him with a view to success in the European CupUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, but despite some excellent results (including a 6–0 win over PSV in the 1979–80 UEFA Cup and a 5–0 win at Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
the following season), the club were unable to surpass the feats of the Saint-Étienne side that had reached the final
1976 European Cup Final
The 1976 European Cup Final was a football match held at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on 12 May 1976, that saw Bayern Munich of West Germany defeat Saint-Étienne of France 1–0.-Match summary:...
of the 1976 European Cup.
Platini won the French league title in 1981 with Les Verts, but was on a losing Saint-Étienne side in two French Cup finals, against Bastia
SC Bastia
Sporting Club de Bastia is a French association football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club currently plays in the Championnat National, the third division of French football. Bastia previously had stints in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2...
in 1981 and against Paris Saint-Germain in 1982, in what was his last match for the club before joining Juventus. He left for a nominal transfer fee (under UEFA regulations) despite being out of contract and no fee being necessary under French regulations at the time.
Juventus (1982–1987)
1982 FIFA World Cup squads
Below are the squads for the 1982 FIFA World Cup tournament in Spain.-Cameroon:Head coach: Jean Vincent-Italy:Head coach: Enzo Bearzot...
, Platini had a difficult introduction to Italian football. He was a target in the demanding Italian sports media, and even came close to leaving Italy in the winter of his first season. Platini and teammate Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden...
successfully called for a change in tactics, and in the second half of the season Juventus saw an upturn in their fortunes. They reached the European Cup
European Cup 1982-83
The 1982–83 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won for the first time by Hamburg in the final against Juventus. It was the first time since 1976 that the trophy did not go to a club from England....
final, losing to Hamburger SV, but won the Italian Cup
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
, the first of many club honours to follow for Platini in the coming seasons. He won the Italian championship
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...
with Juventus in 1984
Serie A 1983-84
The 1983/1984 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C. It was a tight championship, won only on the last day of the season.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:...
and 1986
Serie A 1985-86
-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:...
, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1983-84
The season 1983-84 of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by Juventus F.C. in a final against FC Porto. The next year, the club went on to complete a full complement of European trophies with the European Cup.-Preliminary round:-First round:-First leg:...
, the 1984 European Super Cup
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
, the European Cup in 1985
European Cup 1984-85
The season 1984–85 of the European Cup football club tournament was won for the first time by Juventus in a close final against defending champions Liverpool. However, the result was left meaningless after the deaths of 39 spectators in the Heysel Stadium disaster...
and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup
1985 Intercontinental Cup
The 1985 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 8, 1985 between Juventus, winners of the 1984-85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level, the...
. He finished top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85), and won a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards (1983 through 1985). Platini was also voted Player of the Year by World Soccer
World Soccer Magazine
World Soccer is an English language football magazine published by IPC Media. It specialises in the international football scene. Its regular contributing writers include Brian Glanville, Sid Lowe and Tim Vickery. World Soccer is a member of the European Sports Magazines , an umbrella group of...
magazine in 1984 and 1985.
The 1985 European Cup final against 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...
at the Heysel Stadium
King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition...
in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
should have been the crowning moment of Platini's Juventus career, but was instead overshadowed by the Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
in which 39 people died, and 600 more were injured. It was decided to proceed with the match in order to avoid inciting any further trouble, and after both captains had appealed for calm, the match began just under an hour and a half beyond schedule, with riot police still engaged in a pitched battle with Juventus fans. Platini scored the only goal of the match from a penalty kick awarded for a foul on Zbigniew Boniek. In the days following the final, Platini was criticised in some quarters for his lack of restraint in celebrating Juventus' win. In his own defence, Platini maintained that like every other player on the field, he had not been made fully aware of the scale of the disaster.
Following the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, Platini spent another season at Juventus before retiring from football in June 1987.
International career
Having first attracted the attention of national team selectors in the Coupe GambardellaCoupe Gambardella
The Coupe Gambardella is a French football cup competition held between the under-19s of the French football clubs, organized by the French Football Federation ....
tournament, Platini was selected for the French junior team, but injuries prevented him from playing. He made his first appearance for a French national selection playing for the French amateur side on 26 September 1973.
Platini began his military service in summer 1975. He was assigned to the Joinville battalion, as were all talented French sportspeople fulfilling their military obligations. His colleagues in the battalion included his Nancy team-mates Olivier Rouyer and Jean-Michel Moutier, as well as Maxime Bossis
Maxime Bossis
Maxime Bossis is a retired football defender from France, who obtained 76 caps for the French national team. He is mostly remembered for missing the last penalty in 1982 World Cup semifinal between Germany and France...
, soon to become a regular in the French national team along with Platini. Platini would turn out for the French military team, in addition to representing the French under-23s
France national under-21 football team
The France national under-21 football team , known in France as Les Espoirs , is the national under-21 football team of France and is controlled by the French Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
and the French Olympic team. He impressed in the Olympic team's 4–0 win over Romania in Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, a result made even more impressive by the fact that Romania had fielded a full international side for the Olympic qualifier. Platini's performance made him a star in France. The away leg of the qualifying tie was a mere formality, France coming away with a 1–1 draw. Three days after the draw in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Platini received his first call-up to the A national team for what was coach Michel Hidalgo's first game in charge, a friendly against Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
in Paris
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...
(27 March 1976, 2–2), and scored his first international goal on one of his trademark free kicks.
1976 Olympics
Platini was a member of the French football team at the 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Their tournament began on 19 July with an easy 4–0 win over Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
. They registered another 4–0 win in their next match against Guatemala
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team is the association football team representing the country of Guatemala and is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Founded in 1919, it affiliated to FIFA in 1946, and it is a member of CONCACAF....
, with two goals from Platini. The French team completed the group stage with a draw against Israel, Platini scoring from a penalty. France progressed to the quarter-final stage, where they would face a full-strength East German team
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
. Hindered by some dubious refereeing, France lost 4–0 and finished the match with nine men.
Prior to 1978 World Cup
With a 3–1 win over BulgariaBulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
at the 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...
on 16 November 1977, a match in which Platini excelled in the role of playmaker and scored on a splendid 25-metre shot, France secured qualification for the 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
for their first appearance in the World Cup finals since 1966
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
. In the month following the decisive qualifying match, Platini finished third in the voting for the 1977 European Footballer of the Year
European Footballer of the Year
The "", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year...
.
Among the international friendlies France played in preparation for the World Cup, their match against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 8 February 1978 (2–2) was particularly significant for Platini. With a number of scouts from Italian clubs in attendance, he was in excellent form. He beat Italian goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
from two direct free-kicks, the first being ruled out because the referee had not blown his whistle. The re-taken free-kick was blocked by the defensive wall, but minutes later Platini had the ball in the Italian net from another free-kick. Zoff attempted to anticipate the flight of the ball by positioning himself on the left side of the goal, only for Platini to find the unguarded area of the net with his free-kick, leaving Zoff rooted to the spot. Platini's duels with Zoff and his performance in a match that was broadcast on Italian television made him a name in Italy. A number of clubs both in France (Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Étienne) and across Europe (Juventus, 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...
, 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....
, Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, and 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...
, to name a few) began the clamour for his services.
1978 World Cup
In retrospect, this match may have been a Pyrrhic victoryPyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
because Platini's brilliance drew the attention of Italy coach Enzo Bearzot
Enzo Bearzot
Vincenzo "Enzo" Bearzot was an Italian association football player and manager. He is best known for having led the Italian national football team to a triumph in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.-Playing career:...
, who devised a successful plan to contain him in a match-up that really mattered—the first round of the 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
four months later. Platini was kept in check by Marco Tardelli's implacable marking and Italy won 2–1. Drawn in a difficult group with Italy as well as hosts (and eventual winners) Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, France did not survive the first round.
Road to Spain '82 and the World Cup
Platini was nonetheless made captain of the French national side after the World Cup and made the number 10 jersey his own. One of his trademark free-kicks helped France defeat the NetherlandsNetherlands 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...
2–0 in Paris
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...
(18 November 1981) in a crucial qualifying match for the 1982 World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
in Spain.
France unexpectedly reached the semifinals of the 1982 World Cup where they met West Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
for what proved to be one of the great matches of World Cup history. German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher
Harald Schumacher
Harald Anton Schumacher , commonly known as Toni Schumacher, is a German former football goalkeeper, and a member of the West German national team. He won the 1980 European Championship and lost two World Cup finals, in 1982 and 1986...
had collided with Patrick Battiston
Patrick Battiston
Patrick Battiston is a former French football player, who played for the France national team in three World Cups and won the 1984 European Football Championship.-Club career:...
, leaving the Frenchman knocked-out cold, and the referee did not call a penalty, much to the anger of the French. With both sides level at 3–3 after extra time had been played (Platini having scored France's first goal of the game from a penalty) the match went to a penalty shoot-out which West Germany won 5–4. Interestingly, Platini would consider this match the greatest memory of his career.
Euro '84
In 1984, Platini captained France to success in the European Championship on home soil. His individual impact on the tournament was huge with nine of France's 14 goals in just five games (the top goal scorer in Euro). He scored the winner in France's opening match against DenmarkDenmark 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...
, and scored two "perfect" hat-tricks (one header and one goal with each foot) against Belgium and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
, as France topped their first-round group with three wins out of three. In the dramatic semi-final in Marseille
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,...
against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, Platini scored the final goal of the match for a memorable 3–2 win in the last minute of extra time. In the final against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, he opened the scoring with a free kick-goal, helped by a monumental blunder from Spain goalkeeper Luis Arconada
Luis Arconada
Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri is a retired Spanish footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.Having played solely for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 professional years, helping the team to two La Liga titles, amongst other domestic accolades, he also collected 68 national team caps.-Club career:Arconada...
. A second goal from Bruno Bellone
Bruno Bellone
Bruno Bellone is a former French international footballer who played as striker, and who earned 34 caps and scored 2 goals for the France national football team from 1981 to 1988. One of the goals was in the final of the 1984 UEFA European Football Championship, where France defeated Spain 2–0 in...
in injury time at the end of the match secured France's first major title in international football.
Mexico '86
Suffering from groin pain and playing under injection, Platini was not in peak physical condition for the 1986 World Cup1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Nonetheless he contributed two important goals. The first contributed to their 2–0 defeat of defending champions Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
. The second came during the quarterfinal match against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. After Careca scored for Brazil, Platini scored the equalizer, his 41st on his 31st birthday, which sent the game into a penalty shoot-out. France won 4–3, with Platini famously sending his over the bar. This goal was to be the last of his international career. After losing a second World Cup semi-final in a row to West Germany, France had to settle for third place. Platini did not take part in the 1982 or 1986 World Cup third-place matches.
Retirement
Platini made his last appearance for France on 29 April 1987, in a European Championship1988 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. West Germany won the right to host the tournament with five votes ahead of a joint bid from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who gained 1 vote, and a bid from England. It was the eighth European Football...
qualifier at home to Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
, a few weeks before announcing his retirement from all football. In 72 appearances for France from 1976 to 1987, including 49 appearances as captain, Platini scored 41 times, a record for the French national team, which has since only been surpassed by Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
after scoring his 42nd and 43rd national team goals against Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
in a Euro 2008 qualifying match on 17 October 2007.
Coaching career
Platini was named coach of the French national side on 1 November 1988, replacing Henri MichelHenri Michel
-External links:...
, who had been forced out after France infamously drew with Cyprus
Cyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
(1–1) in a 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...
qualifier
1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
The European zone of qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup saw 32 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. UEFA members Italy qualified automatically as hosts of the finals. The qualification process started on 21 May 1988 and ended on 18 November 1989.-Format:Teams were drawn into seven...
. France's qualifying campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.
The focus of the team shifted to qualifying for the 1992 European Championship
1992 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. Eight national teams contested the championship, which was won by Denmark, one of...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. France excelled in the qualifying stages, winning all eight of their group matches, including notable victories away to Spain and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
. After a record 19-match unbeaten run, they were among the favourites to win the competition and Platini was named Manager of the Year by the World Soccer Awards. But a string of uninspiring performances in warm-up matches, followed by France's first-round elimination from the tournament, led Platini to step down as coach.
Administrative roles
Platini was, along with Fernand Sastre, head of the organizing committee for the 1998 FIFA World Cup1998 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...
, held in France. He served on the UEFA Technical Development Committee from 1988 to 1990. He has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee and European member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 2002. He continued to climb the ranks of UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
and FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
football administration and in 2006, became a chairman of the FIFA Technical and Development Committee, while also being vice-president of the French Football Federation
French 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...
.
UEFA presidency
Platini confirmed that he would run for the UEFA presidency in July 2006. In the election in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
on 26 January 2007, he defeated Lennart Johansson
Lennart Johansson
Lennart Johansson was the president of UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations from 1990 until 2007. Johansson is probably most famous for starting the UEFA Champions League and for bringing the UEFA European Football Championship to his native Sweden.He started as a bandy leader in AIK...
, who held the post for the previous 16 years, by 27 votes to 23. Platini based his speech on virtues of solidarity and universality.
Platini has recently backed the 6+5
6+5 rule
The 6+5 rule was a proposition for an association football rule adopted by FIFA during a meeting in May 2008- Definition :At the beginning of each match, each club must field at least six players eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club...
idea, six home international players and five foreign players, to be introduced in top flight teams in Europe. Platini has also backed caps on wages, transfer spending – both absolute and as a fraction of club turnover – and foreign ownership of clubs. He has stated that he wants to reduce the number of Italian, Spanish, and English teams that participate in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
to a maximum of three instead of four. This hasn't happened yet, but instead for the 2009–10 season, a different routes were created for champions of smaller countries and non-champions of bigger countries. He has also talked about banning clubs from the competition based on the debts of the clubs. Among his more contentious claims is that international transfer of players under 18 is in fact a form of illegal "child trafficking" and should be prohibited by the EU. "Paying a child to kick a ball is not that different from paying a child to work […] in a factory," said Platini to members of the EU on 18 February 2009.
He is against the implementation of new technologies in football, that could decrease the number of mistakes made by referees. He believes it would undermine the authority of referees and disrupt the natural flow of the game.
Health
On 9 July 2010, the day before the 3rd/4th place playoff of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Platini collapsed at a restaurant in the Michaelangelo Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. He was rushed to the Morningside Medi-Clinic with a suspected heart attack after having received first aid care by a Brazilian radio director who was sitting at a table next to him. He was attended to and discharged by cardiologist and former President of the South African Heart Association – Dr Leonard Steingo. The official statement released by FIFA confirmed that Platini was discharged, stating that the UEFA President was "fine, and merely suffering from a bout of flu."Platini was confirmed in attendance at the final between Spain and Holland on the evening of the 11 July.
Individual honours
- 1976
- France FootballFrance 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...
French Player of the Year
- France Football
- 1977
- France Football French Player of the Year
- L'ÉquipeL'ÉquipeL'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
French Champion of Champions
- 1979
- Selected in FIFA XI to play Argentina
- 1982
- Selected in Europe team to face FIFA XI in charity match for UNICEFUnited Nations Children's FundUnited Nations Children's Fund was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children in countries that had been devastated by World War II...
- Selected in Europe team to face FIFA XI in charity match for UNICEF
- 1983
- Capocannoniere (top scorer) in Italian championshipSerie ASerie 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...
(16 goals) - Coppa Super Clubs player of the tournament
- Chevron Award (best goal per game ratio in Italian league)
- Ballon d'Or
- Onze d'OrOnze d'OrThe Onze d'Or is a football award handed out by French magazine Onze Mondial at the end of the year since 1976...
- Capocannoniere (top scorer) in Italian championship
- 1984
- CapocannoniereCapocannoniereThe Capocannoniere is the name given to the highest goalscorer in Italian football. The Serie A title is currently held by Antonio Di Natale.-SERIE A:...
(top scorer) in Italian championship (20 goals) - European Championship player of the tournament
- European Championship top goalscorer (9 goals)
- European Footballer of the Year
- Guerin SportivoGuerin SportivoThe Guerin Sportivo is an Italian sport magazine. Founded in 1912 in Turin, it is published every month and is the oldest sport magazine in the world....
magazine's player of the Italian championship - L'ÉquipeL'ÉquipeL'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
French Champion of Champions - Onze d'OrOnze d'OrThe Onze d'Or is a football award handed out by French magazine Onze Mondial at the end of the year since 1976...
- World Soccer Player of the Year
- Capocannoniere
- 1985
- CapocannoniereCapocannoniereThe Capocannoniere is the name given to the highest goalscorer in Italian football. The Serie A title is currently held by Antonio Di Natale.-SERIE A:...
(top scorer) in Italian championship (18 goals) - Chevron Award (best goal per game ratio in Italian league)
- European Cup top scorer (7 goals)
- Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
- Ballon d'Or
- Onze d'OrOnze d'OrThe Onze d'Or is a football award handed out by French magazine Onze Mondial at the end of the year since 1976...
- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
Man of the match1985 Intercontinental CupThe 1985 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 8, 1985 between Juventus, winners of the 1984-85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level, the... - World Soccer Player of the Year
- Capocannoniere
- 1987
- English Football LeagueThe Football LeagueThe Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
Centenary Classic match, Man of the Match
- English Football League
- 1988
- Officer of the Legion of Honour
- 1991
- El País European Coach of the Year
- World Soccer Manager of the Year
- 1992
- Winter Olympics1992 Winter OlympicsThe 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, AlbertvilleAlbertvilleAlbertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
, France, lighter of the Olympic FlameOlympic FlameThe Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
with François-Cyrille GrangeFrançois-Cyrille GrangeFrançois-Cyrille Grange is a French alpine skier who competed in the early 2000s. Previously he was known for colighting the Olympic Flame with Michel Platini at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville....
- Winter Olympics
- 2003
- Artemio FranchiArtemio FranchiArtemio Franchi was an Italian football administrator. He served as Italian Football Federation President , UEFA President and as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee . He died in a road accident near Siena on 12 August 1983.The home stadium of ACF Fiorentina and that of A.C...
Prize
- Artemio Franchi
- 2004
- Named in FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
- Named in FIFA 100
- 2007
- Elected UEFAUEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
President.
- Elected UEFA
- 2008
- Inducted into the English Football Hall of FameEnglish Football Hall of FameThe English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
, voted All-Time Great European Footballer. He is only the person outside the English game to be honoured by the Museum.
- Inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
Club honours
- Nancy
- Ligue 2Ligue 2Ligue 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...
Champion: 1975French football Division 2 1974-75-Overview:It was contested by 35 teams, and Valenciennes and Nancy won the championship.-Group A:-Group B:-References:*... - 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...
Winner: 1978Coupe de France Final 1978The Coupe de France Final 1978 was a football match held at Parc des Princes, Paris on May 13, 1978, that saw AS Nancy defeat OGC Nice 1-0 thanks to a goal by Michel Platini.-Match details:...
- Ligue 2
- Saint-Étienne
- 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....
Champion: 1981 - 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...
Runner-Up: 1981Coupe de France Final 1981The Coupe de France Final 1981 was a football match held at Parc des Princes, Paris on 13 June 1981, that saw Bastia defeat Saint-Étienne 2–1 thanks to goals by Louis Marcialis and Roger Milla.-Match details:...
, 1982Coupe de France Final 1982The Coupe de France Final 1982 was a football match held at Parc des Princes, Paris on May 15, 1982, that saw Paris Saint-Germain FC defeat AS Saint-Étienne in a penalty shoot out. After normal time and extra-time could not separate the two sides, the match was to be decided on penalty kicks...
- Ligue 1
- Juventus
- Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
Winner: 1983 - European Cup Runner-Up: 1983
- European Cup Winners' Cup Winner: 1984
- UEFA Super Cup1984 UEFA Super CupThe 1984 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Juventus of Italy and Liverpool of England. At the time, the UEFA Super Cup was generally a two-legged fixture, but only the first leg was played, due to fixture congestion. Juventus won the match 2–0...
Winner: 19841984 UEFA Super CupThe 1984 UEFA Super Cup was an association football match between Juventus of Italy and Liverpool of England. At the time, the UEFA Super Cup was generally a two-legged fixture, but only the first leg was played, due to fixture congestion. Juventus won the match 2–0... - Serie ASerie A 1983-84The 1983/1984 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C. It was a tight championship, won only on the last day of the season.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:...
Champion: (2): 1984Serie A 1983-84The 1983/1984 Serie A season was won by Juventus F.C. It was a tight championship, won only on the last day of the season.-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:...
, 1986Serie A 1985-86-Final classification:-Results:-References and sources:*Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio - La Storia 1898-2004, Panini Edizioni, Modena, September 2005-External links:... - European Cup Winner: 1985
- Intercontinental Cup1985 Intercontinental CupThe 1985 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 8, 1985 between Juventus, winners of the 1984-85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level, the...
Winner: 19851985 Intercontinental CupThe 1985 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 8, 1985 between Juventus, winners of the 1984-85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in the history of the tournament for technical and agonistic level, the...
- Coppa Italia
International honours
- European 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...
: 1984 - Artemio Franchi TrophyArtemio Franchi TrophyThe Artemio Franchi Trophy was a competition held twice between the champions of the European Football Championship and the Copa América...
: 1985 - 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...
: Third-Place 19861986 FIFA World CupThe 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... - 1976 Pre-Olympic Zone European
During Platini's international career, France were five times holders of Nasazzi's baton
Unofficial Football World Championships
The Unofficial Football World Championships is a way of calculating the world's best football team, using a knock-out title system similar to that used in boxing and wrestling. The title is currently held by , having been won from Japan in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 15 November...
, and Platini was captain on the third, fourth, and fifth occasion that the French national team held the unofficial title while he was an international.
Career statistics
|-|1972–73||rowspan="7"|Nancy
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy-Lorraine is a French association football club based in Nancy. The club was founded in 1967 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Nancy plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine, a commune located in the Arrondissement of...
||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....
||4||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||4||2
|-
|1973–74||21||2||3||0||colspan="2"|-||24||2
|-
|1974–75||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...
||32||17||6||13||colspan="2"|-||38||30
|-
|1975–76||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....
||31||22||7||6||colspan="2"|-||38||28
|-
|1976–77||38||25||1||0||colspan="2"|-||39||25
|-
|1977–78||36||18||10||7||colspan="2"|-||46||25
|-
|1978–79||19||12||5||3||colspan="2"|-||24||15
|-
|1979–80||rowspan="3"|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="3"|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||16||7||5||7||5||47||26
|-
|1980–81||35||20||10||5||7||4||52||29
|-
|1981–82||36||22||8||5||2||0||46||27
|-
|1982–83||rowspan="5"|Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
||rowspan="5"|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...
||30||16||9||7||9||5||48||28
|-
|1983–84||28||20||7||3||8||2||43||25
|-
|1984–85||30||18||9||4||9||7||48||29
|-
|1985–86||30||12||6||1||6||3||42||16
|-
|1986–87||29||2||8||1||4||2||41||5
285||156||57||44||16||9||358||209
147||68||39||16||36||19||222||103
432||224||96||60||52||28||580||312
|-
|1976||5||4
|-
|1977||7||2
|-
|1978||6||4
|-
|1979||4||2
|-
|1980||6||5
|-
|1981||4||2
|-
|1982||10||4
|-
|1983||4||1
|-
|1984||10||13
|-
|1985||6||2
|-
|1986||9||2
|-
|1987||1||0
|-
!Total||72||41
|}
Quotes
- "An hour with Marguerite DurasMarguerite DurasMarguerite Donnadieu, better known as Marguerite Duras was a French writer and film director.-Background:...
was harder for me than any match in my career. Sometimes, there were even questions I had difficulty understanding. (...) I've never been questioned by someone as ignorant of football matters." – in LibérationLibérationLibération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...
, 4 April 1996 - "I began by playing for the biggest club in the Lorraine region, went on to the biggest club in France and ended up with the biggest in the world." – at the Stadio Comunale Vittorio Pozzo of TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, May 1987 - "I was born in football. My father was a very good football player, and as an Italian immigrant was always passionate about the game. Football is a fantastic and intelligent game which teaches us how to live together, how to share when you are better than others. Football is an extraordinary education for life."
- "If a FIFA World Cup tournament had been held every year between 1982 and 1986, France would have won two or three."
- "The boring thing is that you always have to justify yourself. I spent more time explaining why I made such and such a choice than making the choice."
- "The people who talked about a black, white, and BeurBeurBeur is a colloquial term to designate French-born people whose parents are immigrants from North Africa. The word was coined by reversing the syllables of the word arabe, which means Arabic or Arab in French. For example, "arabe" becomes "a-ra-beu" then "beu-ra-a" and "beur" by contraction. The...
France were thirty years late. France has been black, white, and Beur for a long time. I was shocked by this discussion in 1998. I said to myself: "Look, people have discovered that France was like that." These people do not look around themselves very much. The thoughts of French people on immigrants have practically not changed at all for a hundred years. One day I was received by the deputy mayor of BelfortBelfortBelfort is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France and is the prefecture of the department. It is located on the Savoureuse, on the strategically important natural route between the Rhine and the Rhône – the Belfort Gap or Burgundian Gate .-...
while coach of the French team. In his speech, the elected representative spoke of me as a good example of integration. I nearly insulted him. (...) I was very surprised because I never considered myself a foreigner. I had never spoken Italian, neither had my father. My grandfather spoke French too. I am third-generation. It was time I was integrated! The history of football is interesting to observe. When you look at the four French European Footballers of the Year, it is the history of immigration in France exactly. There is KopaRaymond KopaRaymond Kopa , is a former French football offensive midfielder, integral to the French national team of the 1950s....
first, Platini, then, after PapinJean-Pierre PapinJean-Pierre Papin is a former French professional football player who was European Footballer of the Year in 1991.Papin achieved his greatest success while playing for Olympique Marseille between 1986 and 1992...
, ZidaneZinedine ZidaneZinedine 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...
. That perfectly sums up each era of foreign integration in France. By 1998, France had been black, white, and Beur for at least twenty years. I think that some of the people who lead us do not know their country. That is not playing politics, that is stating a fact." – L'HumanitéL'HumanitéL'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
, 9 December 2005 - "The street is the best way to become a good footballer."
- "What ZidaneZinedine ZidaneZinedine 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...
does with a ball, MaradonaDiego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
could do with an orange." - In the words of Bobby CharltonBobby CharltonSir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
, "What a playmaker. He could thread the ball through the eye of a needle as well as finish." - "When I was a kid and played with my friends, I always chose to be Platini. I would let my friends share between them the names of my other idols." Zinédine ZidaneZinedine ZidaneZinedine 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...
.
External links
- FIFA "Classic Players" biography – fifaworldcup.yahoo.com, FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
– retrieved November 2006. - Sports-Reference.com profile.
- Michel Platini – Goals in International Matches – www.rsssf.com – by José Luis Pierrend, RSSSF. "Fiche de Michel Platini" – career summary – www.lequipe.fr – L'EquipeL'ÉquipeL'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
newspaper, 2006.