Rudi Garcia
Encyclopedia
Rudi Garcia is a football manager
and former player.
and Dunkerque. When José became the coach of local team Corbeil-Essonnes, he drafted his son into the squad, where Rudi played until cadet level. As Corbeil didn't have a national cadets side, Rudi joined Viry-Châtillon.
He was 18 when he obtained his baccalauréat
and signed for Lille
, where he would spend two years as an intern and four as part of the professional squad. He made about 170 appearances for the Northern club which he would leave in 1988. Playing as an attacking midfielder, he created more than he scored, which explains why he netted only 4 goals during those years. His first goal for Lille was a memorable affair however. In December 1984, Lille travelled to the Parc des Princes
to face Paris Saint-Germain. With both sides tied at 2-2, Garcia netted to earn his side a win over one of his favourite clubs.
Having left Lille, Rudi Garcia joined Stade Malherbe Caen, where he was coached by Robert Nouzaret and Daniel Jeandupeux. In 1991, he opted to join Martigues rather than signing on with the Normandy
club. To his dismay, serious injuries to his back and knee forced him to retire from professional football at the age of 28, in 1992.
Between 1992 and 1994, Garcia stayed away from football pitches. He enrolled for university to prepare his reconversion, and gained a DEUG and a STAPS degree at Orsay
, as well as French qualifications that entitled him to manage a youth training centre. In parallel, he worked for CanalSatellitle, first as a reporter for post-match interviews, and then as a studio pundit.
In the late 1990s, contacts with Robert Nouzaret enabled him to join AS Saint-Etienne
, then playing in the second tier of French football. Garcia occupied a variety of roles within the club setup. In the first two years, he was a physio. Then, he became a scout, studying opponents and assisting in the elaboration of Saint-Etienne's tactics. Gradually, his role shifted to that of an assistant coach, a position he occupied alongside Nouzaret as from July 2000 and John Toshack
afterwards. In early 2001, when Toshack returned to Spain, Rudi Garcia took over first-team duties in collaboration with Jean-Guy Wallemme
.
Les Verts, the sleeping giants of French football, were then in the midst of a miserable season. Poor performances on the pitch were compounded by the club's implication in various affairs involving forged passports. The Garcia-Wallemme duo failed to reverse the trend and in May 2001, Saint-Etienne were effectively relegated to the French second division. The following month, Wallemme left the club while Garcia didn't do so until he was fired in August 2001. Those events caused a lot of tension between the two men, who only patched up their differences a decade later when managing Lens
and Lille
respectively.
Instead of taking on a national team as some suggested, Rudi Garcia decided to wait and resumed his activities as a football pundit. At the same time, he was passing his Diplôme d'Entraineur Professionel de Football, the French equivalent of the professional coaching badge. In the sping of 2002, he was contacted by Dijon
and signed with them on 21 May 2002. He improved the club's standards and helped it to climb to Ligue 2
in 2003-2004. The Bourgogne
club even appeared in the semi-final of the Coupe de France
where Châteauroux defeated it 2-0.
In June 2007, he left Dijon for Le Mans, another club he set on to transform in just one season. With players like Romaric
, Marko Basa
and Yohann Pelé
, the Sarthe
club played some pleasant football which brought results as well. Le Mans ended in 9th position of Ligue 1
standings and competed in the Coupe de la Ligue
semi-final. On 18 June 2008, Garcia rescinded his contract with the club to join Lille OSC
, the club where he had spent six years as a player in the 1980s.
In his first season, the club from Northern France developed a stylish and attacking approach, contrasting with previous coach Claude Puel
's cautious and often boring tactics. Garcia's novel approach enabled players such as Ludovic Obraniak
and Michel Bastos to develop, the latter becoming the club's top scorer in the league with 14 goals. Interestingly, he also gave a lot of playing time to promising youngster Eden Hazard
, and the Belgian repaid this faith with some scintillating displays.
On 2 June 2009, the LOSC board unexpectedly took the decision to sack Rudi Garcia, who had just led the club to their best league finish for 3 years and qualified it for the Europa League. It soon became apparent that this sacking was due to a difference of opinion with a member of the board, Xavier Thuilot. The latter was himself sacked during the month and on 18 June 2009, Michel Seydoux, the club president and major shareholder, offered the manager position again to Garcia, who accepted.
The move was backed by several football luminaries, including Aimé Jacquet
, who expressed his belief that the Nemours-born coach was one of the brightest prospects among French football managers. Indeed, in a country otherwise reputed for the defensive approach approved by most of its coaches, Rudi Garcia is seen, together with Antoine Kombouaré
, as part of a small group of managers who advocate attacking football as the best means to achieve results.
2009-10 saw Lille continue to improve in the league, finishing one place above their 5th place finish of 2008-09. With 72 goals scored, the club had the division's best attack, even bettering champions Olympique Marseille. This led French media and pundits to dub the entertaining side the Barça of the North.
However, it was the 2010-11 season that would provide the club's breakthrough. In May, Garcia led les Dogues to triumph in the Coupe de France
against Paris Saint-Germain, their first win in the trophy since 1955. The same month, on 21 May, the league and cup double was completed, again after a game against Paris Saint-Germain which ended in a 2-2 draw.
During the Trophées UNFP du football
, Rudi Garcia was deservingly awarded the prize for best Ligue 1 coach of the 2010-11 season. During the ceremony, he dedicated his trophy to his late father José, even saying a few words in Spanish as a tribute to his father's origins.
.
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and former player.
Playing career
From a very early age, football was part of Rudi Garcia's existence. His father, José, was a Spanish immigrant who played football at a professional level for SedanSedan
A sedan or saloon car is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with A, B & C-pillars and principal volumes articulated in separate compartments for engine, passenger and cargo...
and Dunkerque. When José became the coach of local team Corbeil-Essonnes, he drafted his son into the squad, where Rudi played until cadet level. As Corbeil didn't have a national cadets side, Rudi joined Viry-Châtillon.
He was 18 when he obtained his baccalauréat
Baccalauréat
The baccalauréat , often known in France colloquially as le bac, is an academic qualification which French and international students take at the end of the lycée . It was introduced by Napoleon I in 1808. It is the main diploma required to pursue university studies...
and signed for Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
, where he would spend two years as an intern and four as part of the professional squad. He made about 170 appearances for the Northern club which he would leave in 1988. Playing as an attacking midfielder, he created more than he scored, which explains why he netted only 4 goals during those years. His first goal for Lille was a memorable affair however. In December 1984, Lille travelled to 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...
to face Paris Saint-Germain. With both sides tied at 2-2, Garcia netted to earn his side a win over one of his favourite clubs.
Having left Lille, Rudi Garcia joined Stade Malherbe Caen, where he was coached by Robert Nouzaret and Daniel Jeandupeux. In 1991, he opted to join Martigues rather than signing on with the Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
club. To his dismay, serious injuries to his back and knee forced him to retire from professional football at the age of 28, in 1992.
Between 1992 and 1994, Garcia stayed away from football pitches. He enrolled for university to prepare his reconversion, and gained a DEUG and a STAPS degree at Orsay
Orsay
Orsay is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the center of Paris.Inhabitants of Orsay are known as Orcéens.-History:...
, as well as French qualifications that entitled him to manage a youth training centre. In parallel, he worked for CanalSatellitle, first as a reporter for post-match interviews, and then as a studio pundit.
Coaching career
In 1995, he returned to Corbeil to manage the Division d'honneur side with two months remaining in the season. He guided the club out of relegation. Then, in the seasons that followed, one ended in mid-table and another one in a second place finish. Between 1994 and 1996, Garcia acted as player-manager for the Ile-de-France club before taking on managerial duties only between 1996 and 1998.In the late 1990s, contacts with Robert Nouzaret enabled him to join AS Saint-Etienne
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...
, then playing in the second tier of French football. Garcia occupied a variety of roles within the club setup. In the first two years, he was a physio. Then, he became a scout, studying opponents and assisting in the elaboration of Saint-Etienne's tactics. Gradually, his role shifted to that of an assistant coach, a position he occupied alongside Nouzaret as from July 2000 and John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
afterwards. In early 2001, when Toshack returned to Spain, Rudi Garcia took over first-team duties in collaboration with Jean-Guy Wallemme
Jean-Guy Wallemme
Jean-Guy Wallemme is a former French footballer, who is currently manager manager of Congo.He was a mainstay of the RC Lens team which won the French championship in 1998.In August 2011 he took over the Congolese national team....
.
Les Verts, the sleeping giants of French football, were then in the midst of a miserable season. Poor performances on the pitch were compounded by the club's implication in various affairs involving forged passports. The Garcia-Wallemme duo failed to reverse the trend and in May 2001, Saint-Etienne were effectively relegated to the French second division. The following month, Wallemme left the club while Garcia didn't do so until he was fired in August 2001. Those events caused a lot of tension between the two men, who only patched up their differences a decade later when managing Lens
RC Lens
Racing Club de Lens is a French association football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, sang et or , comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. Their primary rivals are their northern neighbors Lille OSC, whom they contest the Derby du...
and Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
respectively.
Instead of taking on a national team as some suggested, Rudi Garcia decided to wait and resumed his activities as a football pundit. At the same time, he was passing his Diplôme d'Entraineur Professionel de Football, the French equivalent of the professional coaching badge. In the sping of 2002, he was contacted by Dijon
Dijon FCO
Dijon Football Côte d'Or is a French association football club based in Dijon. The club was founded in 1998 as a result of a merger between two local clubs in the city and currently competes in Ligue 1 after gaining promotion for the first time ever in the 2010-11 season.The club president is...
and signed with them on 21 May 2002. He improved the club's standards and helped it to climb to Ligue 2
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
in 2003-2004. The Bourgogne
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
club even appeared in the semi-final of the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
where Châteauroux defeated it 2-0.
In June 2007, he left Dijon for Le Mans, another club he set on to transform in just one season. With players like Romaric
Romaric
Saint Romaric was a Frankish nobleman who lived in Austrasia from the late 6th century until the middle of the 7th century. He was a former Count Palatine in the court of the Merovingian king, Theodebert II. His parents were killed by Queen Brunhilda and because of the enmity of his family with...
, Marko Basa
Marko Baša
Marko Baša is a Montenegrin football player who plays for Lille.-Lille:...
and Yohann Pelé
Yohann Pelé
Yohann Pelé is a French football goalkeeper. He currently plays for Toulouse FC.- Career :Pelé has spent most of his career at Le Mans, making his debut in Ligue 2 in the 1–0 defeat at FC Istres in September 2002. He established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper in the 2004–05 season,...
, the Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
club played some pleasant football which brought results as well. Le Mans ended in 9th position of 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....
standings and competed in the Coupe de la Ligue
Coupe de la Ligue
The Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel...
semi-final. On 18 June 2008, Garcia rescinded his contract with the club to join Lille OSC
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
, the club where he had spent six years as a player in the 1980s.
In his first season, the club from Northern France developed a stylish and attacking approach, contrasting with previous coach Claude Puel
Claude Puel
Claude Puel is a French football manager and former player. He spent 17 years playing for AS Monaco.-Managerial career:...
's cautious and often boring tactics. Garcia's novel approach enabled players such as Ludovic Obraniak
Ludovic Obraniak
Ludovic Joseph Obraniak is a Polish-French footballer currently playing for Ligue 1 side Lille OSC and the Polish national football team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder.-FC Metz:...
and Michel Bastos to develop, the latter becoming the club's top scorer in the league with 14 goals. Interestingly, he also gave a lot of playing time to promising youngster Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is a Belgian footballer who currently plays for French club Lille in Ligue 1 and the Belgium national team. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder and a winger. Hazard is known for his creativity, speed, and technical ability and is described as a "fearless, explosive attacking...
, and the Belgian repaid this faith with some scintillating displays.
On 2 June 2009, the LOSC board unexpectedly took the decision to sack Rudi Garcia, who had just led the club to their best league finish for 3 years and qualified it for the Europa League. It soon became apparent that this sacking was due to a difference of opinion with a member of the board, Xavier Thuilot. The latter was himself sacked during the month and on 18 June 2009, Michel Seydoux, the club president and major shareholder, offered the manager position again to Garcia, who accepted.
The move was backed by several football luminaries, including Aimé Jacquet
Aimé Jacquet
Aimé Étienne Jacquet is a French football coach and former player, and manager of the France national football team when they won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.-Biography:...
, who expressed his belief that the Nemours-born coach was one of the brightest prospects among French football managers. Indeed, in a country otherwise reputed for the defensive approach approved by most of its coaches, Rudi Garcia is seen, together with Antoine Kombouaré
Antoine Kombouaré
Antoine Kombouaré is a manager of football Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain and a former professional football defender.-Early life and career:...
, as part of a small group of managers who advocate attacking football as the best means to achieve results.
2009-10 saw Lille continue to improve in the league, finishing one place above their 5th place finish of 2008-09. With 72 goals scored, the club had the division's best attack, even bettering champions Olympique Marseille. This led French media and pundits to dub the entertaining side the Barça of the North.
However, it was the 2010-11 season that would provide the club's breakthrough. In May, Garcia led les Dogues to triumph in the Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
against Paris Saint-Germain, their first win in the trophy since 1955. The same month, on 21 May, the league and cup double was completed, again after a game against Paris Saint-Germain which ended in a 2-2 draw.
During the Trophées UNFP du football
Trophées UNFP du football
The Trophées UNFP du football are a number of awards given annually by the National Union of Professional Football Players to players playing in French Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, as well as to managers and referees, the most prestigious one being the Player of the Year.Created in 1988 under the name...
, Rudi Garcia was deservingly awarded the prize for best Ligue 1 coach of the 2010-11 season. During the ceremony, he dedicated his trophy to his late father José, even saying a few words in Spanish as a tribute to his father's origins.
Honours
OSC Lille- 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....
: 20112010–11 Ligue 1The 2010–11 Ligue 1 season was the 73rd since its establishment. Entering the season, Marseille were the defending champions. The fixtures were announced on 21 May 2010 and the season began on 7 August and ended on 29 May 2011. The winter break was in effect between 23 December and 15 January 2011... - 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...
: 20112011 Coupe de France FinalThe 2011 Coupe de France Final was the 93rd final of France's most prestigious football cup competition. The final took place on 14 May 2011 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and was contested between Paris Saint-Germain and Lille...
Personal
Garcia's father, José, was a professional footballer with SedanCS Sedan Ardennes
Club Sportif Sedan Ardennes, commonly referred to as CS Sedan or simply Sedan , is a French association football club based in Sedan. The club was formed in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. Sedan plays its home matches at the Stade Louis Dugauguez located...
.