Michel Platini
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| Michel Platini | |
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 | |
| Name | Michel Platini |
| Caption | Platini in 1984 |
| Birth date | 21 June 1955 |
| Birth place | Jœuf, France |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Position | Attacking midfielder |
| Years1 | 1972–1979 |
| Club1 | Nancy |
| Caps1 | 181 |
| Goals1 | 98 |
| Years2 | 1979–1982 |
| Club2 | AS Saint-Étienne |
| Caps2 | 104 |
| Goals2 | 58 |
| Years3 | 1982–1987 |
| Club3 | Juventus |
| Caps3 | 147 |
| Goals3 | 68 |
| Nationalyears1 | 1976–1987 |
| Nationalteam1 | France |
| Nationalcaps1 | 72 |
| Nationalgoals1 | 41 |
| Manageryears1 | 1988–1992 |
| Managerteam1 | France |
| Office | President of UEFA |
| Term start | 2007 |
| Term end | 2015 |
| Predecessor | Lennart Johansson |
| Successor | Aleksander Čeferin |
Michel Platini. A French former professional footballer, manager, and administrator, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport. Renowned for his elegant playmaking, precise free-kicks, and prolific goal-scoring, he led the France national football team to victory at the UEFA Euro 1984 and captained Juventus F.C. to a European Cup triumph. His later tenure as president of UEFA was overshadowed by a ban from football-related activities following a controversial payment from FIFA.
Early life and club career
Born in Jœuf, Lorraine, he began his professional career at AS Nancy in 1972, quickly establishing himself as a creative force and helping the club win the Coupe de France in 1978. A transfer to AS Saint-Étienne followed in 1979, where he won a Ligue 1 title in 1981 and reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup. His move to Serie A giants Juventus F.C. in 1982 marked the peak of his club career, where he won two Serie A titles, the 1984 European Cup Winners' Cup, the 1985 European Super Cup, and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. His crowning achievement with the Turin club was winning the 1985 European Cup Final.
International career
He earned 72 caps for the France national football team, scoring 41 goals. He was the iconic leader of the celebrated French midfield known as the "Carré Magique", alongside Alain Giresse, Jean Tigana, and Luis Fernández. His pinnacle came at UEFA Euro 1984, hosted by France, where he captained the team to its first major international trophy, scoring a record nine goals in the tournament and being named player of the tournament. He also led Les Bleus to a semi-final finish at the 1982 FIFA World Cup and a third-place finish at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Post-playing career and UEFA presidency
After retiring, he served as the head coach of the France national football team from 1988 to 1992, leading them to qualification for UEFA Euro 1992. He later co-chaired the 1998 FIFA World Cup organizing committee in France. He became a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and served as president of UEFA from 2007 to 2015, succeeding Lennart Johansson. During his presidency, he oversaw the expansion of the UEFA European Championship to 24 teams and was a key figure in awarding the 2016 European Championship to France.
Legacy and playing style
He is celebrated as a quintessential attacking midfielder, known for his exceptional vision, technical mastery, and lethal finishing, particularly from set-pieces. His ability to arrive late in the penalty area and his partnership with Zbigniew Boniek at Juventus F.C. were hallmarks of his game. He won the Ballon d'Or three consecutive times (1983, 1984, 1985), a feat matched only by Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten at the time. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.
Personal life
He is married and has two children. His son, Laurent Platini, briefly worked within the administration of the French Football Federation. He has maintained a residence in Geneva, Switzerland, and has been involved in various business ventures. Despite his later controversies, he remains a revered figure in French sporting culture.
Controversies and legal issues
His reputation was severely damaged by a controversial €2 million "disloyal payment" authorized by then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter in 2011, for work performed a decade earlier. In 2015, he was provisionally suspended by the FIFA Ethics Committee and later banned from all football-related activities for eight years, later reduced to four years upon appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ban effectively ended his tenure at UEFA and his ambitions to succeed Blatter as president of FIFA. In 2021, he was acquitted of fraud charges by a Swiss criminal court, though the football ban had already been served.
Category:French footballers Category:Presidents of UEFA Category:1955 births