Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the
Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...
three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, and came seventh in the
FIFA Player of the Century
FIFA Player of the Century was a one-off award created by FIFA to decide the greatest football player of the 20th century, announced at the annual FIFA World gala, held in Rome on 11 December 2000. Diego Maradona and Pelé were joint winners ...
vote.
In recognition of his achievements, he was named a Chevalier of the
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
in 1985 and became an Officier in 1998. As the president of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
in 2015 he was banned from involvement in football under FIFA's organisation, over ethics violations. The ban will last until 2023.
During his career, Platini played for the clubs
Nancy,
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
, and
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
. 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
The 1984–85 season of the European Cup club football tournament was overshadowed by the Heysel Stadium disaster that happened prior to the final match. That edition was won for the first time by Juventus in a 1–0 win against defending champio ...
campaign.
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
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
and
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
World Cups
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
. Together with midfielders
Alain Giresse
Alain Jean Giresse (; born 2 August 1952) is a French football coach and former player who is the current manager of the Kosovo national team. He was French Player of the Year in 1982, 1983 and 1987. Nominally an attacking midfielder or centra ...
,
Luis Fernández
Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo (born 2 October 1959), known as Luis Fernandez, is a French football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Fernandez spent most of his playing career for Paris Saint-Germain. He earned 6 ...
and
Jean Tigana
Amadou Jean Tigana (born 23 June 1955) is a French former footballer and coach. He has played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and one goal for the France national football team ...
, 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 (9) scored in the
European Championship until being surpassed by
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains the Portugal national team. He is currently a free agent. Widely regarded as one of the greatest p ...
in 2021, despite only appearing in the victorious 1984 edition.
Following his retirement as a player, Platini was the France national team coach for four years, 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
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
of the
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). He also held the positions of chairman of
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
's Technical and Development Committee and vice-president of the
French Football Federation
The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...
.
Early career
Born in
Jœuf
Jœuf () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.
Population
People
It is the birthplace of:
*Michel Platini, football player
* Éric Occansey, basketball player
See also
*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle de ...
, in the
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
region, Platini is the son of Aldo and Anna (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Piccinelli), both of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
ancestry. Anna's family has its roots in the
province of Belluno
The Province of Belluno ( it, Provincia di Belluno; de-AT, Provinz Belluno; lld, Provinzia de Belum) is a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Belluno.
It has an area of and a total population of about 205,000.
...
, while Aldo's father, Francesco Platini, was an immigrant from
Agrate Conturbia
Agrate Conturbia (Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ''Agrà e Contòrbia'', Lombard language, Lombard: ''Agraa e Contorbia'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara, in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, located about northe ...
, in the
province of Novara
Novara (It. ''Provincia di Novara'') is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara.
In 1992, the new Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola was created through the fusion of three geographical areas which had previou ...
, and settled in France shortly after the end of the First World War. Aldo was a professional footballer and a long-time director for
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, or simply Nancy, is a French association football club founded in 1967 in Nancy, Grand Est and located in Tomblaine, in the inner suburbs of Nancy. The club currently ...
, the club where Michel started his professional career.
After performing poorly in the final of a 1969 young footballers' competition, Michel Platini attracted attention at 16 years of age in a
Coupe Gambardella
The Coupe Gambardella is a French football cup competition held between the under-18s of the French football clubs, organized by the French Football Federation (FFF).
The cup is regarded as an opportunity for young hopefuls to showcase their sk ...
tournament match with an impressive display for Jœuf juniors against a
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
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
A spirometer is an apparatus for measuring the volume of air inspired and expired by the lungs. A spirometer measures ventilation, the movement of air into and out of the lungs. The spirogram will identify two different types of abnormal ventilat ...
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
Jean-Michel Moutier (born 18 March 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Career
Born in Damelevières, Moutier played for Lunéville, Nancy B, Nancy and Paris Saint-Germain.
He later worked in executive ...
.
Club career
Nancy (1972–1979)
Platini was quick to make a big impression at his new club, scoring a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
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 (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
, 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 ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
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
Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. ...
. 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, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...
. 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
Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Saint-Étienne is the t ...
, the then reigning French league champions, were knocked out of the
French Cup
The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professiona ...
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
Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of:
People
* House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne
* Laval (surname)
Places Belgium
* Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxem ...
, 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
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
at the
Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
. 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
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
and scoring the only goal of the game.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981.
After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...
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
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tournam ...
campaign. His contract with the club expired in June 1979, and
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
,
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...
, 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 (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
for the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
, he would squeeze tubes of toothpaste into his teammates' 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 Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
, but despite some excellent results (including a 6–0 win over
PSV in the
1979–80 UEFA Cup
The 1979–80 UEFA Cup was the ninth season of the UEFA Cup, a football competition organised by UEFA for clubs representing its member associations. The competitions was won by Eintracht Frankfurt, who beat Borussia Mönchengladbach on the awa ...
and a 5–0 win at
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
in the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
the following season), the club were unable to surpass the feats of the Saint-Étienne side that had reached the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
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
Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...
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)
At Juventus, Platini inherited the
number 10 shirt from the recently departed
Liam Brady
William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for the Irelan ...
.
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
Zbigniew Boniek (; born 3 March 1956) is a Polish former footballer and manager as well as current UEFA vice-president. A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing mostly as a right winger and second striker, he is considered one of the ...
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
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
, losing to
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
, but won the
Italian Cup
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, the first of many club honours to follow for Platini in the coming seasons.
He won the
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
title with Juventus in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
and
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
, the European Cup Winners' Cup in
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
(setting up
Vignola
Vignola ( Modenese: ; Bolognese: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Modena (Emilia-Romagna), Italy.
Its economy is based on agriculture, especially fruit farming, but there are also mechanical industries and service companies.
The c ...
's opening goal in the Turin club's 2–1 victory over
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the competition), the 1984
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
, the European Cup in
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
and the
1985 Intercontinental Cup
The 1985 Intercontinental Cup was an Association football match played on 8 December 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 t ...
. 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). He was also voted
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
by
World Soccer magazine
''World Soccer'' is an English-language football magazine, published by Kelsey Media. The magazine was established in 1960 and is the oldest continually published football magazine in the United Kingdom. It specialises in the international foo ...
in 1984 and 1985.
The 1985 European Cup final against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
at the
Heysel Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium (french: Stade Roi Baudouin , nl, Koning Boudewijnstadion ) is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. Located in the Heysel district of the City of Brussels, it was built to embellish the Heysel Plateau in v ...
in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
should have been the crowning moment of Platini's Juventus career, but was instead overshadowed by the
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster ( it, Strage dell'Heysel ; german: link=no, Katastrophe von Heysel ; french: Drame du Heysel ; nl, Heizeldrama ) was a crowd disaster that occurred on 29 May 1985 when mostly Juventus fans escaping from a breach by ...
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, which had been controversially awarded for a foul just outside the area on Zbigniew Boniek, after the Frenchman had met his run behind the defence towards goal with a long ball.
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 he had not been made fully aware of the scale of the disaster. In the 1985 Intercontinental Cup final against
Argentinos Juniors
Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was recognized as one of the ...
, Platini scored from a penalty during regulation time, also having another goal disallowed, and later assisted
Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup (, born 15 June 1964) is a Danish professional football coach and former player. He is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. He is the older brother of fellow retired footballer Brian Laudrup.
During his pl ...
's equaliser; he subsequently netted the match-winning penalty in the resulting shoot-out, and was named ''Man of the Match''.
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 Gambardella
The Coupe Gambardella is a French football cup competition held between the under-18s of the French football clubs, organized by the French Football Federation (FFF).
The cup is regarded as an opportunity for young hopefuls to showcase their sk ...
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 teammates Olivier Rouyer and Jean-Michel Moutier, as well as
Maxime Bossis
Maxime Jean Marcel Bossis (; born 26 June 1955) is a French retired professional footballer who played as a defender.
Bossis spent most of his career playing for Nantes, a club he helped win three Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France. He ob ...
, 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
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
*Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
*Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
**Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*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
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, Platini received his first call-up to the national team for what was coach
Michel Hidalgo
Michel François Hidalgo (22 March 1933 – 26 March 2020) was a French professional football player, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. He was the head coach of the France national football team, French national team from 1 ...
's first game in charge, a friendly against
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
(27 March 1976, 2–2), and scored his first goal with a trademark free kick.
1976 Olympics
Platini was a member of the French football team at the
1976 Summer Olympics
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...
in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
. Their tournament began on 19 July with a 4–0 win over
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. They registered another 4–0 win in their next match against
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
, 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. France lost 4–0 and finished the match with nine men.
Prior to 1978 World Cup
![Michel Platini en 1978, 'Argentina 78', Panini figurina n°90](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Michel_Platini_en_1978%2C_%27Argentina_78%27%2C_Panini_figurina_n%C2%B090.jpg)
With a 3–1 win over
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
at the
Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
on 16 November 1977, a match in which Platini excelled in the role of
playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
and scored with a strike from 30 yards, France secured qualification for the
1978 World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by ...
in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
for their first appearance in the World Cup finals since
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
. In the month following the decisive qualifying match, Platini finished third in the voting for the 1977
European Footballer of the Year
The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (foun ...
.
Among the international friendlies France played in preparation for the World Cup, their match against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
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 goalkeeper
Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff (; born 28 February 1942) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the oldest ever winner of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian national team in the 1982 tournament, at 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 well known in Italy. A number of clubs both in France (Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Étienne) and across Europe (including Juventus,
Internazionale
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
,
Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
,
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, and
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
) began the clamour for Platini's services.
1978 World Cup
In retrospect, this match may have been a
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress.
The phrase originates from a quote from P ...
because Platini's brilliance drew the attention of Italy coach
Enzo Bearzot
Enzo Bearzot (; 26 September 1927 – 21 December 2010) was an Italian professional football player and manager. A defender and midfielder, he led the Italy national team to victory in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Nicknamed ''Vecio'' (standard I ...
, who devised a successful plan to contain him in a match-up that really mattered—the first round of the
1978 World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June.
The Cup was won by ...
four months later. Platini was kept in check by
Marco Tardelli
Marco Tardelli (; born 24 September 1954) is an Italian former football player and manager. At club level, he played as a midfielder for several Italian clubs; he began his career with Pisa, and later played for Como, Juventus, and Internazional ...
's implacable marking and Italy won 2–1. Drawn in a difficult group with Italy as well as hosts (and eventual winners)
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, France's loss to the hosts in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
effectively ensured their elimination; 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
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
2–0 in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
(18 November 1981) in a crucial qualifying match for the
1982 World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy, who defeated West Germany 3–1 i ...
in Spain.
France unexpectedly reached the semifinals of the 1982 World Cup where they met
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in
Seville
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
for what proved to be one of the greatest matches in World Cup history. German goalkeeper
Harald Schumacher
Harald Anton "Toni" Schumacher (born 6 March 1954) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he won a Bundesliga title and three DFB-Pokal titles with 1. FC Köln. At international level, he represen ...
had collided with
Patrick Battiston
Patrick Raymond Jean Battiston (born 12 March 1957) is a French former footballer who played as a defender for the France national team in three World Cups and won the 1984 European Football Championship. At club level, he played for Metz, Sa ...
, 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.
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 '84).
He scored the winner in France's opening match against
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, and scored one "perfect" hat-trick against
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
as France topped their first-round group with three wins out of three. In the dramatic semi-final in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
against
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, 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
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
at the Princes Stadium in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, he opened the scoring with a free kick-goal, helped by a monumental blunder from Spain goalkeeper
Luis Arconada
Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
He played only for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 years, and helped the club to four titles including two La Liga championships.
Arconada ...
. A second goal from
Bruno Bellone
Bruno Bellone (born 14 March 1962) is a former French international footballer who played as a winger, and who earned 34 caps and scored two goals for France from 1981 to 1988. One of the goals was in the final of the 1984 European Championsh ...
in injury time at the end of the match secured France's first major title in international football.
Mexico '86
![Platini vs canada](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Platini_vs_canada.jpg)
Suffering from groin pain and playing under injection, Platini was not in peak physical condition for the
1986 World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-tea ...
in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Nonetheless, he contributed two important goals. The first contributed to their 2–0 defeat of defending champions
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
at the
Olimpico Stadium in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. The second came during the quarter-final match against
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
. After
Careca
Antônio de Oliveira Filho (born 5 October 1960), better known as Careca (), is a Brazilian former footballer, who was deployed as a forward. During his career, Careca played for several clubs, most notably with Italian side Napoli. He also re ...
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 infamously 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 in Guadalajara, 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 Championship qualifier at home to
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, a few weeks before announcing his retirement from all football. In 72 appearances for
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
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 two men:
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...
, after scoring his 42nd and 43rd national team goals against
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
in a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group B, Euro 2008 qualifying match on 17 October 2007, and Olivier Giroud, who scored his 41st and 42nd goals for France in a 7–1 friendly victory over Ukraine national football team, Ukraine on 7 October 2020.
Kuwait
Platini's last match came on 27 November 1988, when he came out of retirement for one day to play in an international friendly match representing Kuwait national football team, Kuwait against the Soviet Union national football team, Soviet Union, at the request of the Kuwaiti Emir. Platini played a total of 21 minutes in the 2–0 loss to the Soviets. In doing so, Platini completed the rare feat of appearing for more than one country at full international level.
Style of play
Platini is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, and is regarded as one of the finest passers in football history, as well as one of the best ever Penalty kick (association football), penalty kick and Direct free kick, free kick specialists to have played the game.
A quick, versatile, elegant, and intelligent Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, offensive midfield
playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
, with a unique ability to read the game and Curl (football), bend the ball from set pieces, he was renowned in particular for his ball control, technical ability, Dribbling#Association football, dribbling skills, creativity, range of passing, and vision, despite his lack of notable physical or athletic attributes.
Although he primarily served as a creative midfielder, who operated in a more withdrawn playing role behind the strikers, and who mainly orchestrated attacking plays, provided Assist (football), assists, or created chances for teammates, Platini was also a prolific goalscorer. Due to his footballing intelligence, movement, and composure in front of goal, as well as his accurate finishing ability with either foot, as well as his head, despite being naturally right-footed, he was known for his ability to create attacking opportunities for himself by playing exchanges with his teammates until he was in a position from which he could receive the ball and score; indeed, he won several top-scoring awards throughout his career, both at club and international level, and is considered by pundits to be one of the best finishers of all time.
When taking free kicks, Platini usually preferred to strike the ball from a distance of around 20 metres from the goal, with a direct kick which had not been touched by a teammate first; his unique free kick technique, which often involved him hitting the ball over the wall, influenced many other specialists, such as Alessandro Del Piero,
and Andrea Pirlo. Despite his talent, skill, and outstanding playing ability, Platini also drew criticism from his managers at times, due to his lack of stamina and poor defensive work-rate.
Due to his leadership, dominance, and his technical, offensive, and creative attributes, as well as his ability to be a decisive player for his teams, he was given the nickname "Le Roi" ("The King", in French).
Moreover, Platini was known for his discipline on the pitch; indeed, in his extensive career, he was never sent off.
Michel Platini's life and work are presented through an impressively extensive collection of sporting exhibits, honoured with two Guinness World Records, at the Michel Platini Museum located in the village of Mosfiloti, Cyprus.
Coaching career
Platini was named coach of the French national side on 1 November 1988, replacing Henri Michel, who had been forced out after France infamously drew with Cyprus national football team, Cyprus (1–1) in a 1990 FIFA World Cup, 1990 World Cup 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA), qualifier. France's qualifying campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.
The focus of the team shifted to qualifying for the 1992 UEFA European Football Championship, 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
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
. After a record 19-match unbeaten run, they were among the favourites to win the competition and Platini was named World Soccer Awards#Manager of the Year, 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 Cup, 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
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
and
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
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
The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...
.
UEFA presidency
Platini confirmed that he would run for the UEFA presidency in July 2006.
In the election in Düsseldorf 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.
![Wroclaw-Platini-visit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Wroclaw-Platini-visit.jpg)
Platini has recently backed the 6+5 rule, 6+5 idea, six home-grown 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 UEFA Champions League, 2009–10 season, 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 European Parliament on 18 February 2009.
FIFA presidential campaign
Following Sepp Blatter's announcement in June 2015 that he would resign from the post of
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
president amid the 2015 FIFA corruption case, ongoing corruption scandal, Platini announced in July that he would run for FIFA president in the 2016 FIFA Extraordinary Congress, 2016 special election. However, on 7 January 2016, Platini announced that he would not be standing in the Fifa presidential election, saying: "The timing is not good for me. I don't have the means to fight on equal terms with the other candidates. […] Bye bye Fifa, bye bye Fifa presidency."
Corruption
Following the 2015 FIFA corruption case, ongoing corruption case, and after his announcement that in July he would run for FIFA president, Platini was also involved himself in the case. Swiss prosecutors accused FIFA president Sepp Blatter of making a "disloyal payment" of $2m (£1.6m) to Platini. Swiss attorney general, , stated: "We didn't interview Mr Platini as a witness, that's not true. We investigated against him in between as a witness and an accused person." Both Platini and Blatter were placed under formal investigation by FIFA's independent ethics committee in late September 2015.
On 8 October 2015, Platini was provisionally suspended until 6 January 2016 from any football-related activity. On 21 December, Platini and Blatter were both found guilty of ethics violations and barred from the sport until 2023.
The committee said Platini "did not show commitment to an ethical attitude" and lacked respect for laws and regulations of the organization. Platini boycotted the hearing, and said he planned to appeal the decision, declaring himself "at peace with my conscience."
He appealed to Swiss courts, and to the European Court of Human Rights, but the courts rejected his appeals.
Platini was also involved in the Greek public polemica regarding the 2015 Greek football scandal.
In April 2016, Platini has been List of people named in the Panama Papers, named in the Panama Papers.
On 18 May 2018, Platini said that the 1998 FIFA World Cup draw was fixed to ensure France and Brazil could not face each other until the final if both teams won their groups.
In June 2019, Platini was questioned over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Health
On 9 July 2010, the day before the 2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage#Third place play-off, third place play-off 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 two days later at the final between Spain and Netherlands on the evening of 11 July.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Platini goal.''
Honours
Player
Nancy
*Coupe de France: 1977–78 Coupe de France, 1977–78
*Ligue 2, Division 2: 1974–75 French Division 2, 1974–75
Saint-Étienne
*Ligue 1, Division 1: 1980–81 French Division 1, 1980–81
*Coupe de France runner-up: 1980–81 Coupe de France, 1980–81, 1981–82 Coupe de France, 1981–82
Juventus
*
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
: 1983–84 Serie A, 1983–84, 1985–86 Serie A, 1985–86
*Coppa Italia: 1982–83 Coppa Italia, 1982–83
*European Cup: 1984–85 European Cup, 1984–85; runner-up: 1982–83 European Cup, 1982–83
*European Cup Winners' Cup: 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup, 1983–84
*
European Super Cup
The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...
: 1984 European Super Cup, 1984
*Intercontinental Cup (football), Intercontinental Cup: 1985 Intercontinental Cup, 1985
France
*UEFA European Championship: UEFA Euro 1984, 1984
*Artemio Franchi Trophy: 1985
*FIFA World Cup third place:
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
*1976 Pre-Olympic Zone European
Individual
*French Player of the Year: 1976, 1977
*Onze d'Or, Onze d'Argent: 1977
*L'Équipe French Champion of Champions: 1977, 1984
*Onze Mondial, Onze de Onze: 1977, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
*FIFA, FIFA XI: 1979
*FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team, FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1982 FIFA World Cup#Awards, 1982, 1986 FIFA World Cup#Awards, 1986
*Serie A#Top scorers (capocannonieri) by season, Capocannoniere (Serie A Top Scorer): 1982–83 Serie A#Top Scorers, 1982–83, 1983–84 Serie A#Top Scorers, 1983–84, 1984–85 Serie A#Top Scorers, 1984–85
*
Ballon d'Or
The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...
: 1983 Ballon d'Or, 1983, 1984 Ballon d'Or, 1984, 1985 Ballon d'Or, 1985
*Onze d'Or: 1983, 1984, 1985
*Guerin d'Oro: 1983–84
*International Olympic Committee, IOC European Footballer of the Season: 1983–84, 1984–85
*UEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament: UEFA Euro 1984, 1984
*UEFA European Championship Top Scorer: UEFA Euro 1984, 1984
*UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: UEFA Euro 1984, 1984
*European Cup Top Scorer: 1984–85 European Cup#Top scorers, 1984–85
*World Soccer Awards, World Soccer Player of the Year: 1984, 1985
*Intercontinental Cup (football), Intercontinental Cup Most Valuable Player of the Match Award: 1985
*FIFA World Cup All-Time Team: 1994
*Onze d'Or, Super Onze d'Or: 1995
*Planète Foot Magazine Team of All Time: 1996
*Planète Foot's 50 Best Player of All Time: 1996
*Il Venerdì di Repubblica, Venerdì's 100 Magnificent: 1997
*World Team of the 20th Century: 1998
*French Player of the Year#Player of the Century, French Player of the Century: 1999
*RSSSF French National Team of All Time: 1999
*Placar, Placar's 100 Players of the Century: 1999 (#8)
*Guerin Sportivo, Guerin' Sportivo's 50 Greatest Players of the Century by Adalberto Bortolotti: 1999 (#9)
*France Football Player of the Century: 1999 (#5)
*World Soccer (magazine), World Soccer's 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time: 1999 (#5)
*FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2002
*Golden Foot: 2004, as football legend
*FIFA 100: 2004
*UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll: 2004 (#9)
*Placar, Placar's 100 FIFA World Cup, World Cup Stars: 2005 (#19)
*Association of Football Statisticians, AFS Top-100 Players of All-Time: 2007 (#13)
*English Football Hall of Fame: 2008 (voted All-Time Greatest European Footballer. He is only the second person outside the English game to be honoured by the Museum.)
*Premio internazionale Giacinto Facchetti: 2011
*Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011
*World Hall of Fame of Soccer: 2011
*Globe Soccer Awards, Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2012
*Juventus F.C., Juventus Greatest XI of All Time: 2017
*Ballon d'Or Dream Team (Bronze): 2020
* International Federation of Football History & Statistics#All-time Men's Dream Team (2021), IFFHS All-time Men's B Dream Team: 2021
* International Federation of Football History & Statistics, IFFHS All-time Europe Men's Dream Team: 2021
*Artemio Franchi Prize
*IFFHS Legends
*Voetbal International, Voetball International's World Stars by Raf Willems
Manager
Individual
*El País European Coach of the Year: 1991
*World Soccer (magazine), World Soccer Manager of the Year: 1991
[
]
Orders
*Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur: 1985[
*Officier of the Ordre national du Mérite: 1994]
*Officier of the Légion d'honneur: 1998[
]
Bibliography
*Michel Platini, "Ma vie comme un match", 1987
References and notes
Further reading
*Tournon Philippe, ''Platini, le football en fête'', Paris, Alta Sport, 1977
*Collectif, ''Michel Platini : l'album photos'', Paris, PAC, December 1982
External links
*
*
*
*
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Michel Platini – Goals in International Matches
– www.rsssf.com – by José Luis Pierrend, RSSSF.
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Platini Calls for Bigger World Cup
{{DEFAULTSORT:Platini, Michel
1955 births
Living people
French people of Italian descent
People of Piedmontese descent
Sportspeople from Meurthe-et-Moselle
French footballers
Association football midfielders
AS Nancy Lorraine players
AS Saint-Étienne players
Juventus F.C. players
Ligue 1 players
Ligue 2 players
Serie A players
UEFA Champions League winning players
Ballon d'Or winners
World Soccer Magazine World Player of the Year winners
France under-21 international footballers
Olympic footballers of France
France international footballers
Kuwait international footballers
Footballers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1978 FIFA World Cup players
1982 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 1984 players
1986 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA European Championship-winning players
UEFA European Championship-winning captains
UEFA Champions League top scorers
FIFA 100
Dual internationalists (football)
English Football Hall of Fame inductees
French expatriate footballers
French expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate footballers in Italy
French football managers
France national football team managers
UEFA Euro 1992 managers
French sports executives and administrators
Presidents of UEFA
Olympic cauldron lighters
People named in the Panama Papers
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Officiers of the Légion d'honneur
Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite
Recipients of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin
Recipients of the Order of Honour (Moldova)
Footballers from Grand Est