Aimé Jacquet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aimé Jacquet

Jacquet in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Aimé Étienne Jacquet
Date of birth	(1941-11-27) 27 November 1941 (age 83)
Place of birth	Sail-sous-Couzan, Loire, France
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1958–1960	Sail-sous-Couzan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1960–1973	Saint-Étienne	192	(23)
1973–1975	Lyon	22	(2)
Total		214	(25)
International career
1968	France	2	(0)
Managerial career
1976–1980	Lyon
1980–1989	Bordeaux
1989–1990	Montpellier
1990–1991	Nancy
1992–1993	France (assistant)
1993–1998	France
Medal record Representing  France (as manager) FIFA World Cup Winner 1998 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aimé Étienne Jacquet (born 27 November 1941) is a French former professional football player and manager. He is famous for coaching the France national team to victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. This was France's first-ever World Cup title.

Early Life and Playing Career

Aimé Jacquet was born in a small town called Sail-sous-Couzan in France. He started his career playing for his local amateur club, US Couzan. At the same time, he also worked in a factory.

In 1960, a scout from the professional club Saint-Étienne noticed his talent. Jacquet joined the team, which was one of the best in France at the time. During his 11 years there, he helped the team win five league titles and three French Cups.

Jacquet as a player for Saint-Étienne in 1970.

Jacquet also played for the French national team, known as Les Bleus. However, his international career was short because the team was not very successful during that time. In 1973, he moved to Olympique Lyonnais, where he finished his playing career.

Becoming a Manager

After he stopped playing, Jacquet became a manager. He coached several clubs in France. He was very successful with Bordeaux in the 1980s. He led them to three league titles and two French Cups. He also guided them to the semi-finals of two European competitions.

In 1989, he left Bordeaux and managed smaller teams like Montpellier and Nancy. This helped him gain more experience as a coach. In 1991, he started working for the French national football organization.

Managing the French National Team

In 1992, Jacquet became the assistant manager for the French national team. The head manager was Gérard Houllier.

France failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. After this disappointment, Jacquet was asked to become the new manager. At first, it was a temporary job. But after the team played well in friendly matches, including a win against Italy, he was made the permanent manager.

Building a New Team

Jacquet made big changes to the team. He chose Eric Cantona to be the captain and main playmaker. However, Cantona was suspended from playing for a year after an incident with a fan in 1995.

This forced Jacquet to rebuild his team. He brought in younger players like the legendary Zinedine Zidane. He decided not to include older star players like Cantona, Jean-Pierre Papin, and David Ginola. This new team successfully qualified for the Euro 1996.

At Euro 96, France reached the semi-finals. This showed that the team could succeed without its former star players. Jacquet decided to trust the young players who had brought the team so far.

The Road to the 1998 World Cup

A French jersey with Jacquet's name and the ball from the 1998 World Cup Final.

After Euro 96, Jacquet prepared his team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which was being held in France. He focused on a strong defensive strategy. Many people in the press criticized his methods. They said his style of football was old-fashioned.

In a tournament in 1997, some fans even shouted for him to resign. The media continued to doubt him. In May 1998, just before the World Cup, a major sports newspaper wrote that Jacquet was not the right person to lead France to victory.

Winning the World Cup

Despite the criticism, Jacquet's team proved everyone wrong. During the World Cup, France played like a well-organized machine. They were strong even when players were injured or suspended.

On July 12, 1998, France played against Brazil in the final. Jacquet had noticed that Brazil's defense was weak during set-pieces like corner kicks. He told his players to take advantage of this. Zinedine Zidane scored two goals with headers from corner kicks, leading France to a 3–0 victory.

After this historic win, Jacquet announced he was stepping down as manager. He had faced a lot of pressure and criticism. He later became the technical director for French football, a role he held until he retired in 2006.

Career Statistics

Club

Jacquet (top row, second from left) with the Saint-Étienne team that won the French league in 1968.

International

Managerial

Honors

As a player

Saint-Étienne

• Division 2: 1962–63
• Division 1: 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70
• Trophée des Champions: 1967, 1968, 1969
• Coupe de France: 1967–68, 1969–70

As a manager

Bordeaux

• Division 1: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87
• Coupe de France: 1985–86, 1986–87
• Trophée des Champions: 1986

France

• FIFA World Cup: 1998

Individual

• French Manager of the Year: 1981, 1984, 1998
• French Manager of the Century
• IFFHS World's Best National Coach: 1998
• Onze d'Or Coach of the Year: 1998

Orders

• Knight of the Legion of Honour: 1998
• Officer of the Legion of Honour: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Aimé Jacquet para niños