Michel Platini

At 68 years old, Michel Platini has this physical status:

Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football player, manager, and administrator.

In 2015, he was barred from playing as the president of UEFA because of ethics in breach.

Platini was voted fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century award in 1983, 1984, and 1985, and was named one of the best footballers of all time.

He was named a Chevalier de d'honneur in 1985 and then as an Officier in 1998. Platini played for Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus during his career.

Le Roi (The King) has been praised for his talent and leadership.

Despite his primarily serving as a superior midfield playmaker, he was a prolific goalscorer; he received the Serie A capocannoniere award three times between 1983 and 1985, and was the top scorer of Juventus's triumphant 1984-85 European Cup campaign.

Platini was a key member of France's national team, winning the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top scorer and best player, and he progressed to the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

He developed the carré magique (magic square) of the French team in the 1980s, along with midfielders Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández, and Jean Tigana.

Platini was his country's highest goal scorer until 2007 and still holds the record for most goals (9) in the European Championship, despite only appearing in the victorious 1984 version.

He was elected president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 2007.

He was the first male athlete to become UEFA President.

He has also served as chairman of FIFA's Technical and Development Committee and vice president of the French Football Federation.

However, he was barred from football participation by the FIFA Ethics Committee in 2015 for a conflict of interest.

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Early career

Platini was born in Juf, Lorraine, France. Aldo and Anna (née Piccinelli) are the sons of Aldo and Anna (née Piccinelli), both of Italian ancestry. Anna's family has roots in Belluno, whereas Aldo's father, Francesco Platini, was an immigrant from Agrate Conturbia and settled in France immediately after the First World War ended. Aldo, a professional footballer and a long-serving manager for AS Nancy, the club where Michel began his playing career, was a long-served footballer and a long-serve.

Michel Platini attracted interest at 16 years of age in a Coupe Gambardella tournament match against a Metz junior team after losing poorly in the final of a 1969 youth footballers' tournament. Platini was called up to a trial with Metz but he was forced to leave early due to illness, and he was not allowed to return immediately after the Metz coach moved to another team. With J.uf, he returned to regional league football. Platini fainted after a breathing test on a spirometer went horribly wrong at Metz. Platini's respiratory difficulties and weak heart put Platini's hopes of playing for his boyhood favorites to die. In September 1972, he joined his father's team Nancy on the reserve team and became friends with team goalkeeper Jean-Michel Moutier.

Club career

Platini was quick to make a good impression at his new club, scoring a hat-trick in a reserve team match against Wittelsheim. His continued good work put him in contention for a spot in Nancy's first team. His induction into the first-team squad was inauspicious. When a brawl broke out in the stands, Platini was on the substitutes' bench for a match against Valenciennes and was struck by several objects thrown from the crowd. A few days later, playing for the reserves put on a serious challenge from an opponent left Platini with a bad ankle injury. His season will come to an end on a positive note, and he will make his league debut against Nîmes on May 3.

In March 1974, he suffered a double fracture of his left arm in a match at OGC Nice. As a result, Platini skipped the remainder of the season, unable to help Nancy in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent relegation from Ligue 1. Nancy secured promotion back to the French first division with ease following the following season. Platini was the team's most valuable player, scoring 17 goals, a few of which were scored from free-kicks, as Platini's speciality. Saint-Étienne, the then reigning French league champions, were disqualified from the French Cup after two goals from Platini free-kicks. Platini played his free-kicks with the assistance of his mentor, goalkeeper Moutier, and the use of a row of dummies to create a defensive wall of sorts.

Platini's military service reduced his availability for games, but he continued to be available to play when possible. In a match away from Laval, Platini, angered by the home supporters' taunts, the citizens of the home team, scored a hat-trick, but the home supporters suffered another injury. According to press reports, Platini's season was over and that he would require knee surgery, but neither claim was correct. Rather, Platini returned to first-team football two weeks after Nancy's French Cup semi-finals against Marseille at the Parc des Princes. Platini was the only Nancy goal in their 4–1 loss and was forced to leave the field injured. Platini's first professional job came after his appearance in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Platini captured his first major trophy of his playing career before heading to Argentina for the World Cup in 1978. Captaining Nancy to victory over Nice in the 1978 French Cup final, scoring the game's sole goal. The trophy was presented to President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. However, with the World Cup set to begin two weeks after the cup final, there was little time left for preparations.

Despite Platini's popularity at his first World Cup appearances, fans ruled him accountable for the French team's loss of progress in the tournament and the season that followed, he was a target of rioting audiences. In a game away from Saint-Étienne, the situation came to a head. Platini was a fan of every ball, but he sustained a bad ankle injury in a tackle. As a result, he was disqualified from Nancy's Cup Champions' Cup bid. Internazionale, Paris Saint-Germain, and Saint-Étienne were the clubs most likely to sign him after his deal came to an end in June 1979, although Nancy club president Robert Levy refused to allow him to leave the club. He decided against a transfer to Saint-Étienne, and he opted for a three-year deal with les Verts.

Despite his injuries and the boos that would welcome him, Platini maintained his pranksterish sense of humour. On away trips, he'll light firecrackers in public places and then pretend to be dead, inevitably drawing a crowd. When he was in Argentina for the World Cup, he'd pour toothpaste tubes into his teammates' beds.

Platini's three years at Saint-Étienne were a mixed success. The club had signed him with the intention of winning the European Cup in 1979–80, with a 6–0 victory over PSV and a 5–0 victory at Hamburger SV in the UEFA Cup the next season), but the club was unable to compete with the Saint-Étienne side, which had reached the final of the 1976 European Cup.

Platini won the French league championship in 1981 with Les Verts, but he was on a losing Saint-Étienne team in two French Cup finals against Bastia in 1981 and 1982 against Paris Saint-Germain in what was his last match for the club before joining Juventus. Despite being out of contract and no fee is required under French law at the time, he left for a nominal transfer fee (under UEFA guidelines).

Platini inherited the number ten shirt from Liam Brady's recent departures to Juventus. Platini had a difficult introduction to Italian football in a squad made up of several members of Italy's spirited World Cup squad. He was a target in Italy's burgeoning sports media, and he came close to leaving Italy in the winter of his first season. Platini and teammate Zbigniew Boniek successfully called for a change in tactics, and Juventus saw an increase in their fortunes in the second half of the season. They reached the European Cup final, losing to Hamburger SV, but they won the Italian Cup, the first of many club awards to follow for Platini in the coming seasons.

He won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 and 1986 (setting up Vignola's opening goal in Turin's 2–1 victory over Porto in the final of the competition) during the 1985 European Super Cup, 1984 European Super Cup, and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. He was the top scorer in Serie A for three years (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85), and he received a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards (1983-1985). In 1984 and 1985, he was voted Player of the Year by a World Soccer magazine.

The 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels should have been the crowning moment of Platini's Juventus career, but the tragedy of Heysel Stadium, in which 39 people were killed and 600 others were wounded, should have been overshadowed. It was decided to continue with the game in order to prevent any more chaos from escalating, and after both captains had appealed for calm, the game was scheduled just under an hour and a half ahead of schedule, with riot police still fighting a pitched war against Juventus supporters. After the Frenchman had run behind the defense into goal with a long ball, Platini scored his first goal of the game from a penalty kick, which had been controversially awarded for a foul just outside the stadium on Zbigniew Boniek. Platini was chastised in some quarters for his lack of patience in celebrating Juventus' triumph. Platini said in his own defense that he had not been made fully aware of the severity of the tragedy. Platini scored from a penalty early in the 1985 Intercontinental Cup final against Argentina's Juniors, after losing another goal, then having another goal disallowed, and later assisted Michael Laudrup's equalizer, who was named Man of the Match. Platini spent another season with Juventus before retiring from football in June 1987.

International career

Platini had been selected for the French junior team first by national team selectors in the Coupe Gambardella tournament, but injuries prevented him from playing. On September 26, 1973, he made his first appearance for a French national selection for the French amateur team.

Platini began his military service in 1975. He was sent to the Joinville battalion, as were all excellent French athletes fulfilling their military duties. Olivier Rouyer and Jean-Michel Moutier, as well as Maxime Bossis, were among his Nancy teammates who were able to play in the French national team alongside Platini. In addition to representing the French under-23s and the French Olympic team, Platini will appear for the French military squad. He featured in the Olympic team's 4–0 victory over Romania in Brest, an achievement made even more impressive by the fact that Romania had fielded a full international team for the Olympic qualifier. Platini's appearance made him a French celebrity. The away leg of the qualifying tie was nothing more than formality, with France losing by a 1–1 draw. Platini earned his first call up to the national team for coach Michel Hidalgo's first game as in charge, a friendly against Czechoslovakia in Paris (27 March 1976, 2–2), scoring his first goal with a trademark free kick.

Platini was a member of the French football team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. With a 4–0 win over Mexico on July 19, their tournament got underway. They beat Guatemala 4–0 in their next match against Guatemala, with two goals from Platini. With a draw against Israel, the French team ended the group stage, with Platini scoring from a penalty. France progressed to the quarter-final stage, where they will meet a full-strength East German team. France lost 4–0 and ended the game with nine men.

France defeated Bulgaria 3–1 at the Parc des Princes on November 16, 1977, a match in which Platini excelled as a playmaker and scored from 30 yards, providing Platini with qualification for the 1978 World Cup finals for the first time since 1966. Platini came third in the 2007 European Footballer of the Year awards, despite a critical qualifying match.

France was one of the world's best friendlies during the World Cup's qualifier in Naples, Italy, on February 8, 1978 (2–2), which was particularly significant for Platini. With a group of scouts from Italian clubs in attendance, he was in excellent form. He beat Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff from two straight free kicks, the first being disallowed because the referee had not blown his whistle. The re-taken free-kick was blocked by the defensive wall, but Platini had the ball in the Italian net from another free kick minutes later. Zoff attempted to plan the ball's flight by positioning himself on the left side of the field, but Platini was unable to find the unguarded area of the net with his free-kick, leaving Zoff rooted to the ground. Platini's rivalry with Zoff, as well as his appearance in a game that was televised on Italian television, earned him a reputation in Italy. A number of clubs in France (Paris Saint-Germain and Saint-Étienne) and around Europe (Juventus, Internazionale, Napoli, Valencia, Valencia, and Arsenal to name a few) have expressed their dissatisfaction with his services.

Platini's brilliance attracted the attention of Italy coach Enzo Bearzot, who devised a fruitful strategy to hold him in a match that really mattered—the first round of the 1978 World Cup four months later. Platini was held in check by Marco Tardelli's implacable marking, and Italy defeated 2–1. With Italy and eventual winners (and eventual winners) Argentina, France's demise in Buenos Aires effectively ended their destiny; France did not progress to the first round.

Platini was still the captain of the French national team after the World Cup and he wore the number 10 jersey his own. In a crucial qualifying match for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, one of his trademark free-kicks helped France defeat the Netherlands 2–0 in Paris (18 November 1981).

France advanced to the semifinals of the 1982 World Cup, where they met West Germany in Seville for what was one of the best matches in World Cup history. Harald Schumacher, a German goalkeeper, collided with Patrick Battiston, leaving the Frenchman dead and the referee did not give a penalty, much to the French's indignation. With both teams leveled up after extra time had been played (Platini scoring France's first goal of the game from a penalty), the match went to a penalty shoot-out, which West Germany defeated 5-4.

Platini captained France in the European Championship on home soil in 1984. With nine of France's 14 goals in just five games (the top goal scorer in Euro '84), his individual contribution to the tournament was major.

He was the champion in France's opening match against Denmark and scored one "perfect" hat-trick against Belgium as France defeated Belgium in the first round with three wins out of three. Platini scored the last minute of extra time in Marseille's dramatic semi-finals against Portugal.

With a free kick-goal against Spain in the final, he began the scoring against Spain, aided by Spain goalkeeper Luis Arconada's spectacular blunder. Bruno Bellone's second goal at the end of the match gave France the nation's first major championship in international football.

Platini was not in peak physical form for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico due to groin pain and playing under injection. Nonetheless, he set two major goals. At the Olimpico Stadium in Mexico City, the first defeated defending champions Italy 2–0. In Guadalajara, the second came during a quarter-final match against Brazil. Platini was the equalizer, his 41st on his 31st birthday, turning the game into a penalty shoot-out after Careca scored for Brazil. France defeated 4–3, with Platini notably leading him out of the bar. This was supposed to be the last of his international career. France had to settle for third place after losing in a second World Cup semi-final to West Germany in Guadala. Platini did not participate in the 1983 or 1986 World Cup third-place matches.

Platini played for France for the last time on April 29, 1987, in a European Championship qualifier against Iceland a few weeks before announcing his withdrawal from all football. Platini scored 41 times in 72 appearances for France from 1976 to 1987, including 49 appearances as captain, a record for the French national team that has since been demolished by Thierry Henry after scoring his 42nd and 43rd national team goals against Lithuania in a Euro 2008 qualifier match on October 17.

Platini's last match came on November 27th, 1988, when he came out of retirement for a day to play in an international friendly match against Kuwait against the Soviet Union at the Kuwaiti Emir's behest. In the 2–0 loss to the Soviets, Platini played a total of 21 minutes. Platini achieved the rare feat of appearing for more than one country at a complete international level by doing so.

Coaching career

Platini was appointed coach of the French national team on November 1, 1988, replacing Henri Michel, who had been forced out after France infamously defeated Cyprus (1–1) in a 1990 World Cup qualifier. The Qualifying bid of France was ultimately unsuccessful.

The team's attention shifted to qualifying for the 1992 European Championship in Sweden. France did well in the qualifying rounds, winning all eight of their group matches, with notable victories against Spain and Czechoslovakia. They were one of the favorites to win the tournament after a record 19-match undefeated run, and Platini was named Manager of the Year by the World Soccer Awards in 2008. But Platini resigned as coach after a string of uninspiring performances in warm-up matches, followed by France's first-round expulsion from the tournament.

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