Michel Platini

Michel Platini
Platini in 2010
6th President of UEFA
In office
26 January 2007 – 21 December 2015
Preceded byLennart Johansson
Succeeded byÁngel María Villar (acting)
Aleksander Čeferin
Personal details
Born
Michel François Platini[1]

(1955-06-21) 21 June 1955 (age 69)[2]
Jœuf, France
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
OccupationFootballer
Manager
Football administrator

Association football career
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Youth career
1966–1972 AS Jœuf
1972 Nancy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1972–1979 Nancy 181 (98)
1979–1982 Saint-Étienne 104 (58)
1982–1987 Juventus 147 (68)
Total 432 (224)
International career
1975–1976 France Olympic 7 (4)
1976–1987 France[3] 72 (41)
1988 Kuwait[4] 1 (0)
Managerial career
1988–1992 France
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
UEFA European Championship
Winner 1984 France
Finalissima
Winner 1985 France
FIFA World Cup
Third place 1986 México
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Michel François Platini (French pronunciation: [miʃɛl fʁɑ̃swa platini]; born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985,[5] and came seventh in the FIFA Player of the Century vote.[6] In recognition of his achievements, he was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1985 and became an Officier in 1998. As the president of UEFA in 2015 he was banned from involvement in football under FIFA's organisation, over ethics violations. The ban lasted until 2023.[7]

During his career, Platini played for the clubs Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus. Nicknamed Le Roi (The King) for his ability and leadership, he was a prolific goalscorer; he won the Serie A capocannoniere award three consecutive times between 1983 and 1985, and was the top scorer of Juventus's victorious 1984–85 European Cup campaign.[8] Platini was a key player of the France national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top scorer and best player, and reached the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Together with midfielders Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana, he formed the carré magique (magic square) of the French team in the 1980s. Platini was his country's record goalscorer until 2007, and held the record for most goals scored (9) in the European Championship until being surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021, despite only appearing in the 1984 tournament.[8]

Following his retirement as a player, Platini was the France national team coach from 1988 to 1992, and was the co-organizer of the 1998 World Cup in France. In 2007, he became the first former player to be elected as the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). He also held the positions of chairman of FIFA's Technical and Development Committee and vice-president of the French Football Federation.

  1. ^ "Décret du 13 juillet 1998 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 13 July 1998 on promotion and appointment]. Journal Officiel de la République Française (in French). 1998 (161): 10831. 14 July 1998. PREX9801876D. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Michel Platini". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Michel Platini Biography". Soccer-fans-info.com. 3 May 1973. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Michel Platini – Goals in International Matches". RSSSF. 21 April 2011.
  5. ^ "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  6. ^ "FIFA Player of the Century" (PDF). touri.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "Elegance and intelligence personified in blue: Michel Platini". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2015.