What literary character is Michel Platini compared to? Platini Michel. Sports biography. Kuwait national team match

Today the French national team is the world champion and two-time European champion. But just over 30 years ago, the French national squad did not have a single title. And I remember the one who led the French national team to their first really big victory.

Michelle Francois Platini

• Country - France.
• Position - attacking midfielder.
• Born: June 21, 1955.
• Height: 179 cm.

Biography and career of a football player

Michel Platini was born in the small town of Jeff, which is located in the French region of Lorraine. Michel Platini's nationality is more Italian than French, because Michel's grandfather came to France from Italy.

Little Michel's first coach was his father, Aldo, who played football at an amateur level. And Platini's first team was a club from his hometown, which was called “Jeff”. There Michel played for the youth team.

"Nancy"

1972-1979

Soon enough, the talented junior was noticed at Nancy, which became Platini's first big club. Already in his second year in the team, 18-year-old Michel becomes a player in the main, but not yet the starting lineup, having entered the field a total of 24 times and scoring 2 goals.

The real breakthrough came in the following season (1974-1975), when Platini scored 30 goals in 40 games, while not playing as a striker. By the way, an interesting fact: for all his wonderful Platini will never overcome the mark of 30 goals per season, however, if you count the goals only at the club level.

And one more interesting detail: in spite of the outstanding game of the young footballer, “Nancy” flew to the second division, from where, by the way, they returned to the elite the next season.

During the period of performances in "Nancy" Platini managed to serve in the army, however, not in ordinary troops, but in the sports unit, where, according to Michel himself, "the entire sports elite gathered."

Largely thanks to Platini, "Nancy" won one of three trophies in its history (this is the present day!) - the 1978 French Cup. Michel scored eight goals in nine appearances that season, including the only one in the final against Nancy.

During his seven seasons at Nancy, Platini played 214 matches, scoring 127 goals.

"Saint-Etienne"

1979-1982

It is clear that Nancy was far from being the ultimate dream for a talented and flamboyant player, and Platini moved to Saint-Etienne. Amazingly, to this day, Saint-Etienne remains the most eminent club in France, although the club's last league title dates back to 1981.

By the way, this title was won with the direct participation of Platini.

In this club, Platini was able to fully reveal his talent, because now his partners were more cool players. After playing for Saint-Etienne for three seasons, Platini moved to Italy.

Juventus

1982-1987

With offers from many big clubs, Platini chose Juventus, possibly because of his Italian roots. It seems to me that neither the player nor the club regretted this choice.

I must say that since the beginning of the 70s, a ban on foreign football players has been introduced in Italy, which affected the results of the clubs. For example, in the 70s of the last century, only twice Italian clubs reached the Champions Cup final.

Therefore, with the lifting of the restriction and the arrival of Platini, Juventus was targeting European trophies. And this task was fulfilled in full.

During Michel Platini's performance, Juventus won all European club trophies (with the exception of the UEFA Cup), the Intercontinental Cup, and one more time reached the Champions Cup final.

In the victorious European Cup final, notoriously known as the "tragedy at Eisele", it was Platini's goal that brought Juventus a tough win over Liverpool.

The game of Platini himself acquired new colors: he had scored quite a few before, including from free kicks, but now he has turned into a real scorer who has plugged many strikers into the belt.

Judge for yourself: in five seasons of playing for Juventus, Platini became the top scorer of the championship three times! And this is in Italy with its glorious catenaccio traditions.

Platini retired on May 17, 1987. Why is the date so accurate? Because Platini's book Life is a Match begins with the words:

France squad

1976-1986

I would like to start the story of Michel Platini's brilliant career not in chronological order, but from 1984. Yes, yes, from that very European Championship. The fact is that the idea of \u200b\u200borganizing the world championships, European championships and the Champions Cup was given at different times by the French. And the national team and the clubs of this country could not win at least one of these tournaments.

And in 1984 France finally won the European Championship. And without any exaggeration, we can say that Michel was the creator of that victory. Platini then played at number 10, and he became, perhaps, the best "ten" in the history of world football.

Michel Platini's record for the number of goals scored in the final part of the European championships is currently repeated only by Cristiano Ronaldo. But he did it at the end of four Euros!

But Platini did not submit to the World Cup, although, ironically, he played three times at the world championships, and only once at the Euro.

The French lost their chances of continuing the fight after the first two rounds, losing to Argentina and Italy.

But the 1982 and 1986 tournaments could have been triumphant for France, but both times the path of Platini and his team in the semifinals was blocked by the FRG national team.

Michelle Platini - coach

Michel Platini's coaching career includes four years with the French national team. Leading the team after an unsuccessful start to the qualifying tournament for the 1990 World Cup, Platini nearly corrected the situation, but still the team lacked one point to travel to Italy.

But the selection for the French was enchanting - eight wins in eight matches, in the presence of such rivals as Spain and Czechoslovakia. After that, France went to the championship as one of the main favorites, but in Sweden the French played very poorly, having twice drew and lost to future champions - the Danes.

After that, Platini left the coaching post.

Michel Platini - UEFA President

However, the active Frenchman did not think of himself outside of football and took up organizational activities: he was a member of the Organizing Committee of the French World Cup, became a member of the executive committees of FIFA and UEFA.

Having become skilled in political struggle, Platini took over as UEFA President. After becoming the head of European football, Platini began active reform activities, for example, under him the UEFA Cup was abolished and the Europa League was created.

But, perhaps, the most controversial and discussed change is the increase in the number of participants in the final part of the European Championship from 16 to 24. As the last Euro 2016 showed, this led to a decrease in the level of the tournament due to too many middle peasants and frankly weak teams that made it to the championship continent.

But that's not all. Among the so-called “socialist ideas of Michel Platini” was the introduction of white cards into football (removing a player for 10 minutes). It is not clear what football would have become then.

Several scandals were associated with Platini's name, in particular, the British media accused him of accepting a bribe from Russia in determining the host of the 2018 World Cup.

Also, during the period of work, Platini paid an official visit to a number of countries that are not members of UEFA, for example, in Tajikistan. Many associated these visits with the desire of countries to join UEFA, but in reality this did not happen.

However, all these controversial reforms and scandals did not prevent Platini from working two terms and being re-elected for a third.

But another corruption scandal led to the resignation of Platini - in December 2015, he was suspended from football-related activities for eight years along with FIFA President Joseph Blatter. The reason was the results of an investigation, according to which the President of FIFA authorized the transfer of two million Swiss francs to Platini's account.

Michel Platini Titles

Team

1. Champion of France.
2. Winner of the French Cup.
3. Two-time champion of Italy.
4. Winner of the Italian Cup.
5. Winner of the European Champions Cup.
6. Winner of the Cup Winners' Cup.
7. Winner of the European Super Cup.
8. Winner of the Intercontinental Cup.
9. European Champion.
10. Bronze medalist of the World Championship.

Individual

1. Three-time winner of the Golden Ball.
2. The best football player in France - 2 times.
3. Top scorer of the Italian championship - 3 times.
4. Best player and top scorer.
5. Included in the FIFA-100 list.

• Michel Platini has scored in the finals of three world championships and one European championship - all in which he had a chance to participate.
• Michel Platini is the only one who has won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row. Two other three-time owners - and did it intermittently. Immediately I will make a reservation that I consider only the real award when the winner was chosen from all the players, according to the results of their game, and not the current one, when there are only two candidates, no matter how hard the other players had a season.
• In November 1988, Platini attended the opening of the Asian Cup in Kuwait. The national team of this country played a friendly match with the USSR team. At the request of the Emir of Kuwait, Platini played in this meeting for the home team. And it was not an exhibition match, but a friendly, held under the auspices of FIFA!
• At one time, Monika Mkhitaryan, the sister of football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan, worked as an assistant to Michel Platini in the post of UEFA president.
• Michel Platini is the author of Life Is a Match and Naked Football.
• Michel Platini had a chance to act as an actor - he starred in the film "White and Black Stripes: The Story of Juventus." Together with him, other former and current players of the Turin club, in particular, Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, starred in the film.
• Michel Platini at Ludogorets. This is not a madman's delirium. It's just that a Brazilian with that name played in a club from Bulgaria until recently.

Michel Platini quotes

The Frenchman is known for his quotes, many of which became winged, such as this one:

"Money is everything. Football players have become a commodity, and they themselves do not mind selling more expensively."

But personally, I like Platini's statement about the Russian national team:

"As for the game of your national team ... I, frankly, have not seen a single match, I read that you have problems in all lines ... well, don't worry, because you have a Kalashnikov assault rifle."

This was said a long time ago, but after Euro 2016 it sounds very relevant. Right?

Family and personal life of Michel Platini

Platini married his compatriot Christelle at the age of 22; the couple have two children, Laurent and Marin. In his numerous interviews, Platini has always put family first in his life.

They say that a talented person is talented in everything. Platini is better at confirming this truth than anyone else in football. A great football player, an excellent coach, an outstanding functionary, writer and actor. Or maybe he will manifest himself in some other hypostasis?

Michelle Francois Platini

Life is like a match

Football prince from rue Saint-Exupéry

No one is as famous in the world of French footballers as Michel Platini.

Three times - in 1983, 1984 and 1985 - he was recognized as the best footballer in Europe, receiving the so-called Golden Ball as a prize. In the more than 30-year history of the awarding of this so honorable title, such an achievement, besides Platini, can boast of only one player - the legendary "Flying Dutchman" Johan Cruyff.

And here's what's interesting. Both Cruyff and Platini were among those players who are said to hold the "conspiracy strings" in their hands on the football field. Cruyff - in the open, sometimes just dictatorially managing the game of his team, and Platini - as if from the shadows, making himself felt at the right time either with a long, verified pass to his partner, or with an unexpected sharp exit to the opponents' goal.

A player who knows how to organize a team's game and give an accurate pass to a partner is highly valued in football. Equally valuable is a footballer who boldly acts on the very front line of the attack and scores goals (here one involuntarily recalls the West German striker Gerd Müller).

The first of them are called the conductors of the game, the second - the scorers. These are the most notable people in football, but not the most ...

Rarely, but there are football players who are equally good at organizing the team's game and completing its attacks. This is the aristocracy of football. These players were Pele, Cruyff. Now - Maradona. In recent years, we have Cherenkov and Dobrovolsky, who is gaining strength.

Michel Platini, as you probably already guessed, is also from this cohort. In the book, he calls his role on the football field in a rather original way - "a man-orchestra", that is, a player who knows how to do everything. The masters and leaders of the Italian club Juventus, where Platini moved from the French Saint-Etienne in the fall of 1982, were waiting for him to show just such abilities. And they were right in their expectations.

Juventus, led by Platini, wins two Italian championships, wins the European Cup Winners' Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup. Platini himself has become the top scorer of the championship twice in a row (and this is despite the well-organized and tough, if not brutal, play of the Italian clubs' defensive lines, famous all over the world). As already mentioned, he is recognized as the best footballer in Europe three times in a row.

Yes, the seemingly impossible dreams of a boy from the street named after the author of the "Little Prince" - Saint-Exupéry, the French town of Jouf, a boy who, in the company of his peers, just like he, selflessly in love with football, imagined himself by none other than Pele, and therefore signed then "Michel Peleatini".

Now he is the idol of French boys himself. And how many of them dream of becoming such a footballer as Michel Platini was!

An old debate - can young people without exceptional physical characteristics become good football players?

Platini talks about this in some detail and with interest in his book. As a child, he said, he was the smallest of his friends and less hardy than them. How could this disadvantage be compensated for? Best ball possession technique. And Michel, sparing no time, trained both independently and under the supervision of his father.

At the age of 17, he tried to enter the Metz club, but could not pass the spirometric test: instead of the prescribed 3.8 liters, he blew out only 1.8. Metz executives regret Platini's refusal, probably to this day. But the club "Nancy", where the young Michel went from "Metz", after several test matches, without any other tests, signed a contract with him. Thanks to Platini, "Nancy" managed to enter the elite of French football, winning in 1978 the Cup of the country.

“I owe a lot to my father,” says Platini, “it was he who encouraged me, encouraging me to constantly improve my technique and progress in my physical development. He forced me to develop more and more speed in running with the ball, so that it was as if glued to my leg, taught me how to relax. He shouted to me: "Hurry before the enemy! ..."

At the cost of constant work, incredible efforts, repeated a thousand times movements, gradually and patiently Platini managed to comprehend the basics of football technology. Like a maniac, he spent hours trying to perfect his dribbling, passing, striking, heading to the perfection, delicacy peculiar to silversmiths. This is how a shy little Lorraine man achieved a solid athletic baggage: height - 1.79 meters, weight - 72 kilograms.

This is how the “ugly duckling” from rue Saint-Exupéry became a handsome football prince.

Nevertheless, Platini recalls, many considered him a technically excellent player, but too "frail" and even "fragile".

Finally, talk about Platini's “fragility” fell silent when he showed himself to be a real fighter in battles with the toughest defenders of the world - the Italians.

Young people who are fond of football, and I am sure there will be a majority among the readers of Platini's book, can learn a lot of useful things for themselves. In any case, they will make sure that you cannot become a great player with only one talent. For this you have to work and work.

Platini was one of those players who could not only make the only correct and effective decision on the field, but also, thanks to high technique, execute it. He was an excellent dribbler, played great with his head, but the greatest fame was brought to him by the art of executing free kicks, in which he reached unprecedented heights.

And here we learn from his stories how much work it cost him. For constant training in breaking free kicks, Platini says, it is necessary to single out five or six players each time as a kind of living targets that would build a so-called wall. But this is unrealistic, he concludes, since there is always a danger that a ball, aimed with a strong blow, can cause big trouble for a footballer that it hits. And then the coach of the club "Nancy" - Kuni came up with an innovation: he came up with the idea to put on the field half a dozen dummies, lined up at a distance of 9, 15 meters from the point of playing the free kick. Each of them was 182 centimeters tall. The place at the gate was occupied by Platini's friend, goalkeeper Moutier.

Twice during training, and sometimes after them, Platini took up to 50 free kicks ...

This is a very typical example of how a professional footballer reaches the heights of skill. In our football, there have also been and are players who knew how and are good at punching free kicks from time to time. I also heard that some of our coaches, like the Frenchman Cuny, built dummies from plywood for training free kicks. But, unfortunately, I can not name a single name of a footballer who, like Platini did, tirelessly, for months, would practice performing such strikes. Maybe that's why we did not have and do not have stable masters of this business?

But Platini in his book correctly notes that in every game there are many cases when the referees appoint free kicks 20 meters from the goal. And if there is a player in the team who knows how to skillfully execute them, then this team will always have an extra chance to succeed.

French football commentators divide the history of their national team into two stages - before the Platini era and the Platini era itself. Her highest "before" success was third place at the 1958 World Championships in Sweden (this period is also called the era of the Copa).

With the participation of Platini, the French national team played three times in the final tournament of the World Cup, finishing fourth in 1982, and third in 1986. And in 1984 the French team became the European champion.

I was lucky in the sense that as a correspondent for Sovetsky Sport I attended all of the major international tournaments where Platini played: the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Championships, the 1984 European Championship.

And always, except for one tournament, it seemed to me that Platini did not do something that would change the fate of his team for the better, as did, say, Pele and Maradona. Now, after reading his book, I learned a lot that I simply could not know: about the complex relationships between the players themselves and between the players and coaches, about many other attendant circumstances that certainly affect the well-being and mood of football players, even such great ones as Platini. In this regard, a book like the one you are holding is extremely useful and instructive, especially for people seriously interested in football.

And yet there was a tournament in Platini's life, in which he showed himself in all the glory of his talent. This is the European Championship, which took place in 1984 in his homeland, France. Not once in five matches did he leave the field without a goal, and in all these meetings Platini scored 9 goals - a fantastic result for games of this level! I remember one French newspaper, after he scored all three goals against the Yugoslav national team, gave the following headline to the match report: “Platini! Platini! Platini! Great! "

MICHELLE PLATINI

(Born 1955)

Played in French clubs "Nancy", "Saint-Etienne", Italian "Juventus". From 1978 to 1988 he played 72 matches for the French national team.

The 1985 final match for the European Cup between Italy's Juventus and English Liverpool, which took place at the Heisel Stadium in Brussels, began with a tragedy. British fans, famous for their atrocities abroad, attacked the Italian tiffozi. The scuffle was so fierce that the concrete ceiling collapsed and thirty-nine people, mostly Italians, were killed under the rubble. The final was broadcast almost all over the world, and therefore millions of people saw the football tragedy.

The match took place in a very nervous, tense struggle. The cup was handed to the winners not on the football field, as usual, but in the dressing room. The only goal that brought victory to Juventus was Michel Platini from the penalty spot. It was undoubtedly one of the most dramatic matches of his career.

In the same 1985, Platini was recognized as the best footballer in Europe and received the Golden Ball for the third time in a row, which no one had previously managed, not even the Dutchman Johan Cruyff, who also received the award three times, but in different years. And so far, no one has been able to repeat such an achievement either, although another Dutchman, Marco Van Basten, was awarded the Golden Ball three times, but also in different years.

In the Italian Juventus, the football talent of the Frenchman Platini was manifested most fully. In 1984, together with the team, he won the Cup Winners' Cup, beating Porto in the final. That year the team also won the European Super Cup, beating the owner of the European Cup of that year - the same English Liverpool. Twice in the mid-1980s, Juventus were Italian champions. And during these years, Platini was the true leader of the French national team.

Michel's childhood was held in the small French town of Joff near Metz. His parents were the owners of the cafe, and he helped them with the housework, and in his free time, of course, he drove a ball with his peers in the backyard. Michel did not differ in outstanding physical data, and much later he himself admitted: "There will be at least two million Frenchmen who will overtake me in cross-country, and another two million can put me on my shoulder blades." But he quickly mastered the basics of technique and learned to play smart and calculating.

It is not often that parents encourage their sons' hobby for football, believing that it would be better for them to do something more serious. However, Platini's father was not like that. Michel will always remember the first time he was present with his father at the “adult” match in Metz and how his father “explained” the game to him in a subtle and detailed way.

As a teenager, Michel had already played in the "Jof" - the football club in his hometown. It was here that he was noticed by the breeders from "Nancy". When Platini signed a contract with this club, he was seventeen years old. But the first two years he came out only on substitutions, scoring 6 goals all the time. And in the 1974-1975 season - just 17. The next he scored 25 goals. Since then, Platini has become the leader of Nancy.

In 1978, Platini went to the World Cup in Argentina, but the French team did not perform well. After losing two matches, she took only third place in her group and went home ahead of schedule. And Platini played one more season at Nancy and moved to the Saint-Etienne club, always aiming for higher places.

For three seasons spent at Saint-Etienne, Platini scored 60 goals. He perfectly mastered the cut kick and often scored free-kicks. Platini was never very fast, but he knew how to think very quickly on the field. Therefore, he found himself exactly where the partner was supposed to ferry the ball, and he himself took the partners to shock positions with excellent and unexpected passes for the enemy.

After his club became the champion of France in 1981, the 26-year-old received very flattering offers from famous European clubs - Real Madrid, London Arsenal and Turin Juventus.

Choosing an Italian club, Platini was right, but at first he had a very hard time. The training system in Italy was more exhausting than in France, the games themselves were tougher. In addition, his teammates (some of them had just become world champions in 1982 in the Italian national team) initially treated the newcomer with a certain distrust. And the journalists gave him a snide nickname "French", but Platini's grandfather was an Italian who emigrated to France!

But in the end the “Frenchman” managed to win both the respect of his partners and the ardent love of the Italian tiffozi. Juventus with Platini has become clearly stronger. And he himself entered the time of football maturity. 1984 was especially successful for Platini. He not only won the title of Italian Champion and the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup with Juventus, but also became the European Champion with the French national team.

The 1984 European Championship was held in France. The whole country, led by President François Mitterrand, was rooting for their players. The French were unstoppable, and the captain of the team Michel Platini led them to victories. In five games, he scored 9 goals!

In their group, the French national team won all three matches - against Denmark, Belgium and Yugoslavia. The semi-final with the Portuguese national team turned out to be much more stubborn, here the victory was won only in extra time. In the final, the French met with the Spanish national team and won 2: 0. One of these goals was credited to Platini. This is how the French national team became the European champion for the first time in its history.

But Platini never won the title of world champion, although after the unsuccessful performance of the French national team in Argentina, he played in two more championships. And both times he reached the semifinals.

The semi-final match against the FRG national team at the 1982 championship in Spain turned out to be especially dramatic. After the second half, the score was 1: 1. At the very beginning of extra time, the French scored two goals. Victory seemed to be near. But the Germans, always fighting to the last, managed to level the score. In the penalty shootouts, they were more accurate: they scored all five, and the French team only four.

The immensely distressed coach of the French, Hidalgo, in fact, did not even fight for the third place with the Polish national team. Some of the leading players never entered the field. The French national team lost 2: 3.

Four years later, at the 1986 championship in Mexico, fate brought the teams of France and Germany together again in the semifinals. This time all the attacks of the French were fruitless, the Germans won - 2: 0. But in the match for third place, the French won against the Belgian national team - 4: 2.

A year later, when Platini was thirty-two years old, he decided to retire from big football. Despite all the persuasion and tempting offers from other clubs, he remained adamant. Legendary football players from different countries came to the farewell match in Nancy, where he began his professional career, and among them was Pele himself. Despite the fact that Platini never became a world champion, he left the sport as a winner. He had many sports awards, and in addition, the most significant distinction that a Frenchman can deserve is the Order of the Legion of Honor.

The former footballer had something to do - he founded an advertising company, participated in sports programs on radio and television in France and Italy, and wrote articles for sports publications. True, in 1991 he returned to football, again leading the French national team. Under his leadership, the team reached the final of the European Championship, held in 1992 in Sweden. But this time, the French did not even manage to reach the semifinals, and Platini resigned.

And yet, in the end, he happened to see with his own eyes how the French team became the world champion. The 1998 championship was held in France, and the famous football player was invited to take an active part in the work of the organizing committee. He coped with these responsibilities flawlessly. And at the final match, when the French national team, with a different generation of footballers, beat the Brazilians with a score of 3: 0, Platini sat next to the President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac.

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has named Michel Platini among the top ten outfield players of the 20th century.

Michel François Platini is a French footballer, coach and sports activist. According to France Football magazine, he is the best French player of the 20th century, and in the rating of the best players of the last century, published by IFFIIS, Michel is ranked seventh out of 66 possible. The light and technical midfielder, who sees the field perfectly and feels the ball, became the European champion with the French national team and the winner of the Champions League as part of Juve Turin, and has repeatedly won national championships and other cups. For a short coaching career, he managed to get the title of the best coach in the world and showed himself well as a sports functionary. True, since 2015, the Frenchman has been under investigation for violation of official ethics, which is why he was removed from his post as UEFA president. In 2018, the investigation was terminated due to insufficient evidence, and now Platini intends to restore his good name.

First steps in football

Michel Platini was born in the French commune of Jeff on June 21, 1955, the son of Italian immigrants Aldo and Anna Platini. His father played football at an amateur level. Young Michel decided to follow in his father's footsteps and at the age of 11 he started playing for the local team "Jeff". The footballer was noticed when he was 16 years old. Then Michel's team won the Metz final, and the maroon invited the player to watch. Platini did not pass it, so he had no choice but to accept his father's offer to join the ranks of Nancy as a reserve player.

Career at "Nancy"

Michel played for the Thistles from 1972 to 1979. Michel Platini made his first appearance on the field when the 1972/73 season drew to a close. It was a game against the Nims team. Then the young footballer could not distinguish himself. But in the next match against Lyon, he scored a double. However, in the next season, the player appeared on the field every other time and scored only two goals. But the 1974/75 season was successful for the footballer: he managed to hit the opponents' goal 17 times and established himself at the base.

It was during Michel's time that the Lorraine team experienced their best years. In the 1976/77 season, she finished 4th in the national championship, and in 1978 she won the French Cup. The match took place at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris against Nice, and it was Michel Platini who scored the only goal in that meeting. Michel is the club's top scorer, scoring 127 goals with the Thistles. The young nugget perfectly performed standard positions, and he started his way to the title of "free kick master" with "Nancy". The French club was one of the first to use dummies for free throws in the training process. Platini stayed after training and honed his punches. It is hard work and perseverance that have become the key components of a football player's success.

Career at Saint-Etienne

The second club of Michel Platini was the French "Saint-Etienne" - one of the leaders of the French championship at that time. He did not play for the Greens for long: from 1979 to 1982, and won the national championship with the team in 1981. The footballer scored 82 goals in 145 games. The refusal to extend the contract was natural: the Frenchman was offered by several leading European clubs in the English, Spanish and Italian championships. Michel chose the Italian Juventus. Either the call of the ancestors worked, or the conditions of the Turin people were the most advantageous, but since 1982 Michel Platini began to play in the Italian Serie A.

Career at Juventus

Platini played for Old Senior for 5 years (from 1982 to 1987), and these were the most successful years in his football career. The first three seasons, the midfielder became the top scorer of the Italian championship. In addition, Michel organized many attacks for his team. In the 1982/83 season Juventus won the Italian Cup, and in the 1983/84 season - became the champion of Italy, won the Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup. In 1985, the Bianconeri won the European Cup (Champions League). In the final match against Liverpool, Michel Platini's only goal against the Reds decided the outcome of the meeting. Unfortunately, that happy day for the Turin team turned black for world football, as a result of the riots at the Heysel stadium in Brussels, one of the stands collapsed, under the rubble of which 39 people died.

In 1985 Juve won the Intercontinental Cup by defeating Argentinos Juniors. Platini scored one goal from the field and a decisive penalty kick to become Man of the Match. In the 1985/86 season, Juventus won the national championship again, and Platini took the third line in the list of snipers. The 55th season of the Italian Championship was Michel's final as a player. In 1987, the footballer retired. Michel Platini's statistics for the Turiners totals 104 goals in 224 games.

France squad

The debut of a football player as a player of the national team took place in 1976. It is symbolic that he scored the first goal for the Blues in the 76th minute, throwing over the Czechoslovak “wall”. At the 1978 World Cup, the footballer scored one goal for the Argentine national team, however, in the end, France lost to the future champions with a score of 2: 1. With the same score, she lost to Italy and was unable to leave the group. Michel, meanwhile, became the captain of the national team, and at the subsequent world championships took the team to the field. At the next World Cup in 1982, France reached the semifinals, but lost to the FRG national team.

European Champion - 1984

The finest hour of the French national football team player took place at the home European Championship in 1984. The team confidently left the group, largely thanks to Michel. His only goal allowed him to beat the Danes. In the next match, the Belgians were defeated, and Platini scored a hat-trick. In the final battle of the group round, the Yugoslavs were defeated with a score of 3: 2, and Michel scored all three goals. The hat-trick in two matches of the European Championship in a row can be called a personal achievement of Michel Platini, since no one has succeeded before him. In a dramatic semi-final with Portugal, the midfielder scored a decisive goal in overtime and took his team to the final. There, the "musketeers' team" defeated Spain and won an international tournament for the first time. The match ended with a score of 2: 0, and one of the goals was scored by Platini. He became the undisputed leader in the list of scorers, having scored 9 goals in 5 matches (with only one goal from the penalty spot).

For comparison, the second place was taken by the Danish Frank Arnesen with three balls, two of which were from the penalty spot. This year, Michel Platini received the Golden Ball: almost the entire panel of judges voted for him. In 1983 and 1985, he also received this award and became the only player to receive the ball three times in a row. In 1986, France was close to winning the world championship. She left the group and confidently beat the Italians in the 1/8 finals. Michel scored a goal in that match. In the quarterfinals, thanks to Michel's goal, the French national team reached the penalty shoot-out with the Brazilians and eventually won 4: 3. But the Germans blocked the way to the final for the French, and Platini and his team were content with only third place.

Coaching career

In 1990, the ex-footballer received an offer to lead the national team. He led the team to the 1992 European Championship. The players of the French national football team confidently defeated all the opponents who participated in the selection, and Platini was recognized as the best world coach of 1991. However, at the championship itself, France was unable to leave the group and compete for the title. Considering himself too soft and intelligent to work as a coach, Platini retired in order to open up a new side in football management.

Administrative activities

After a short coaching career, Michel began working as a sports functionary. He was co-chairman of the organizing committee of the 16th FIFA World Cup, which was held in France in 1998. In 2000 he took over as vice president of the French Football Federation. In 2002, Platini climbed another step in administrative activity and became a member of the executive committees of FIFA and UEFA, and in 2007 - the President of UEFA. It was under his leadership that two tournaments - the UEFA Cup and the Intertoto Cup - were combined into the Europa League. Also under him, it was decided to hold the European Championship in 13 countries at once. In 2011 and 2015, Platini was re-elected as UEFA President. Under his leadership, European football was actively developed. The income from various kinds of competitions allowed to invest large sums in the development of national associations. Thanks to the organizational skills of the Frenchman, it was possible to establish management at UEFA.

Corruption scandal

There are also dark spots in Michel Platini's biography. This is a corruption scandal around the UEFA president. In July 2015, Platini nominated himself for the post of FIFA President, but already in September, a case was opened against Joseph Blatter, the then head of FIFA, on suspicion of an illegal transfer of funds in the amount of 2 million Swiss francs to Platini's account. According to the Frenchman, it was a legitimate contract made for the work Michel Platini did for FIFA between 1998 and 2002. Since neither Blatter nor Platini provided the contract, referring to an oral agreement, it was decided to investigate and remove the Frenchman from FIFA membership for 90 days.

UEFA members stood up for Platini, expressed their confidence and asked to keep him as a candidate for the post of head of FIFA. Platini appealed to the CAS, which the court rejected, but demanded that FIFA not extend the period of exclusion from membership in the Federation. However, at the end of 2015, the International Football Federation suspended Platini from any football activity for a period of 8 years. The FIFA Ethics Committee found Blatter's explanations regarding the amount transferred to the Frenchman unconvincing. CAS later commuted the sentence to 4 years. In 2018, the Swiss prosecutor's office dropped the charges against the former UEFA president. Michel himself expressed the hope that FIFA would have the courage to admit that they were wrong and lift the suspension. If this does not happen, the Frenchman plans to continue the litigation and achieve a complete cleansing of his name. As for FIFA itself, it has no plans to drop the charges, because it punished Platini for violating ethical norms, and this has nothing to do with criminal law. Platini sees his future fate in football, since this is his life's work, which he does not plan to give up, despite all the accusations against him.

Personal life

Platini married his compatriot Christelle Bigoni in 1977. The couple have two children - a son, Laurent and a daughter, Marin. Platini has always put the family first, which is his main support and support, especially in these difficult times for the French.

Finally

Footballer Michel Platini is a legend not only of French, but also of world football. He is a true fighter and workaholic. As a child, he was physically weak, and doctors suspected that he had heart and breathing problems. It was for these reasons that he did not qualify for the Metz club. But at Nancy, young Platini was able to show himself 100% and move to one of the strongest teams at that time, Saint-Etienne, and then to the Italian Juventus. In his club career, Platini took all the trophies except for the UEFA Cup. As a member of the national team, he won the European Championship and won the bronze medal of the World Championship. Michelle is one of the ten best footballers of the 20th century and is the "king" of standards. After completing his playing career, Platini devoted himself to administrative activities and did a lot for the development of European football. Perhaps, when the suspension ends, the legendary footballer will again continue his work as a functionary.

UEFA President since 2007. In the past - coach of the French national football team (1988-1992), three times winner of the Ballon d'Or (1983-1985). He played for the French national team (1978-1987) and for the sports clubs Juventus (1982-1987), Saint-Etienne (1979-1982) and Nancy (1972-1979).

Michel Francois Platini was born on June 21, 1955 in the city of Joeuf in the north-east of France, in Lorraine, in a family of Italian descent Anna and Aldo Platini. Besides him, the daughter of Martin was brought up in the Platini family. Michel's father was also a footballer, later a coach, founder of the academy of the football club "Nancy" (Nancy). He also had another profession - he was a teacher of mathematics. But as the first football mentor, for Michel he became, first of all, a "football teacher".

When Michel Platini was 6 years old, his father took him to a match between the Lorraine club Metz (Metz, Metz) and the team of stars, which included, among other things, former Barcelona player Ladislav Kubala. When a footballer accepted a pass from the player on the right and passed it to the left to another player, without even looking in his direction, little Michel asked his father how he could do that, to which Aldo replied: "He looked ahead." Subsequently, Michel Platini recalled that this day and the words of Aldo Platini about the game of Kubala determined his understanding of football.

At the age of 9, Platini took part in his first "official" match. His team won 9-0. Platini entered the field only at the end of the match, but managed to score two goals.

In September 1966, Platini began playing for the local club Juf. At the same time, he stubbornly continued to train ("There was not a single evening so that, after returning from school and throwing my briefcase away, I would not go out into the street with my friends to kick the ball"). The boy was the smallest among his peers, so in childhood he received the offensive nickname Shorty (Midget, Nain). But soon enough others appeared - the Little Prince of the Round Ball (as a child, the footballer lived on Antoine de Saint-Exupery Street) and Peleatini (Peleatini, a combination of his last name and the name of the legendary Brazilian footballer Pele).

At the age of 16, Platini graduated from high school and did not pursue higher education. His attempt to go to the Metz club was not crowned with success: during a spirometric test (measuring respiration indicators), the young man fainted. Doctors passed the verdict that the footballer "has difficulty breathing and heart problems." However, already in 1972 Platini joined the Nancy club, the largest in Lorraine. In the first match of the second squad, Platini scored a hat-trick (scored three goals), and in May 1973 he already played his first match in the first squad. In 1974, Platini suffered a double fracture of his left arm, and Nancy was transferred to the second division. However, a year later, Platini returned the club to the top French league, scoring 17 goals in a season.

In 1976, Platini was drafted into the army. During the year he served in the battalion of Joinville, where, as the footballer himself recalled, there was all the "sports elite". From the battalion he was regularly released to the "Nancy" training camp.

In 1978, "Nancy" won the French Cup, and in the same year Platini at number 10 took part in the World Cup, which was held in Argentina. However, the performance of the French national team was not successful then: the team did not pass the group stage of the competition. However, it was noted that Platini scored his first goal at the World Championships against the future champion of 1978 - Argentina.

In 1979, Platini moved to Saint-Étienne where he played for three years. In 1981 the club became the champion of France.

In 1982, a corruption scandal erupted around the president of "Saint-Etienne" Roger Rocher (Roger Rocher). Some players were also involved, but Platini was not among them. In the same year, the footballer's contract with Saint-Etienne ended, and the player moved to the Italian club Juventus, where he almost immediately received the nickname Francese.

At the 1982 World Cup, France, captained by Platini since 1979, lost in the semi-finals to West Germany. However, already in 1984 France became the European champion. Platini scored 9 goals in 5 games (including two perfect hat-tricks - one with each foot and one with a head - in matches against Belgium and Yugoslavia) and acquired the affectionate nickname Platoche among the French.

This period is rightfully considered the peak of Platini's football career. Juventus began to gain leadership positions in the Italian championship: back in 1983, he won the Italian Cup, and in 1984 and 1986 won the title of Italian champion. In 1984, Juventus won the UEFA Super Cup winner and UEFA Cup Winners "Cup winner, and in 1985 became the owner of the UEFA European Cup. However, the last victory was overshadowed by tragedy. During the final match between Juventus and English Liverpool in Heysel, Belgium, one of the stadium walls collapsed in a riot, killing 39 people. But the player himself called the tragedy in Eisele his main disappointment in football - it was then that he decided to leave the big sport.

In 1986, at the World Championships in Mexico, France again lost in the semifinals to the West German national team and eventually took third place.

In 1987, Platini ended his playing career. It was noted that in total he played 72 games for the French national team, 49 of them in the role of captain, and scored 41 goals. This allowed Platini to remain the top scorer in national team history until 2007, when his record was broken by Thierry Henry. In total, during his professional career, Platini took part in 501 matches and scored 265 goals.

In 1988, Platini became coach of the French national team, but he held this position only until 1992. From 1992 to 1998 he was co-chairman of the FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee for the 1998 World Cup in France. Platini was also mentioned as vice president of the French Football Federation (FFF) since 2000 (as of 2011, he no longer held this position).

In 2002 Plantini was elected to the UEFA Executive Committee, from the same year he was a member of the FIFA Executive Committee. In 2007, Platini became UEFA President, with 27 votes out of 50, replacing the Swede Lennart Johansson, who held the position for 16 years. One of the main points in Platini's mission statement was the reduction of participation in the Champions League for clubs in countries such as England, Spain and Italy, from four to three. In 2011, Platini was re-elected as UEFA President. In addition, at that time he was also the vice-president of FIFA.

Platini is the recipient of many individual awards, including the 1984 UEFA European Championship Top Scorer and France Football Magazine's Best Football Player of the 20th Century. For three years in a row, from 1983 to 1985, he became the owner of the Ballon d "Or" - the award given to the best football player in Europe.

As a child, Platini rooted for the football clubs Ajax and Saint-Etienne. He called the Dutch footballer Johann Cryuff his idol. Besides French, Platini speaks Italian and English. The footballer smokes - it was noted that he smoked even at the peak of his career - and has always had a love of good food and wine. The media also wrote that Platini is fond of golf.

Platini has been married since December 1977, his wife's name is Christèle. The couple have two children - Laurent and Marine.