Grégory Coupet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Grégory Coupet

Coupet with Dijon in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Grégory Coupet
Date of birth	(1972-12-31) 31 December 1972 (age 52)
Place of birth	Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, France
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team	Bordeaux (goalkeeping coach)
Youth career
1977–1990	Olympique Le Puy
1990–1993	Saint-Étienne
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1993–1997	Saint-Étienne	88	(0)
1997–2008	Lyon	370	(0)
2008–2009	Atlético Madrid	6	(0)
2009–2011	Paris Saint-Germain	31	(0)
Total		495	(0)
International career
2001–2008	France	34	(0)
Managerial career
2016–2017	Lyon B (goalkeeping coach)
2018–2020	Lyon (goalkeeping coach)
2020–2022	Dijon (goalkeeping coach)
2022–	Bordeaux (goalkeeping coach)
Medal record Men's football Representing  France FIFA Confederations Cup Winner 2001 Winner 2003 FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2006
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Grégory Coupet (born 31 December 1972) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his long career with the club Lyon. There, he helped them win seven Ligue 1 titles in a row. He also played for other big clubs like Saint-Étienne, Atlético Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain. Coupet also represented the French national team.

Playing for Clubs

Early Career and Saint-Étienne

Grégory Coupet was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. He started his football journey with his hometown team, Club Olympique Le Puy. Later, he became a professional player with Saint-Étienne in 1994. His first game in Ligue 1, France's top football league, was on 26 March 1994. Saint-Étienne won that match 2–0 against Angers.

Time at Lyon: A Champion Goalkeeper

After three seasons, Coupet made a big move to Lyon in January 1997. This was a surprising move because Saint-Étienne and Lyon are big rivals. The cities are only 80 kilometers apart. But this decision paid off for Coupet. Lyon became the top team in France, winning many league titles. They also played regularly in the UEFA Champions League, a big European competition.

Coupet made a famous double save against Barcelona in a Champions League match in 2001–02. First, he used his head to stop a ball from his own teammate that was going into his goal. Then, he quickly blocked a close shot from Barcelona's striker Rivaldo. It was an amazing moment!

In 2005, Coupet was voted among the top 10 goalkeepers in the world. He finished fourth in the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Award. He was also named the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 twice, in 2004 and 2005.

Injury and Later Clubs

On 2 August 2007, Coupet got a serious knee injury during training. He had surgery and missed the rest of that year. He returned to play in January 2008. On 18 July 2008, Coupet moved to Atlético Madrid in Spain.

In 2009, Coupet joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He played his last professional games there before retiring in 2011. In the 2011 Coupe de France Final against Lille OSC, he saved a penalty kick. However, PSG still lost the match 1–0.

Playing for France

Early International Appearances

Grégory Coupet played 34 games for the French national team. These games are called "caps." He played his first international game against Australia in 2001. France won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup that year. He was also part of the French squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but he was a backup goalkeeper and did not play.

The next year, France won the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Coupet played very well, keeping three clean sheets (meaning the other team didn't score). During a ceremony for his former teammate Marc-Vivien Foé, who had sadly passed away, Coupet became very emotional.

World Cup Decisions and Euro 2008

In 2006, many people thought Coupet should be France's main goalkeeper for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He had been playing brilliantly for Lyon. However, the coach, Raymond Domenech, chose Fabien Barthez instead. This decision caused some disagreement, but Coupet later made up with the coach.

After Barthez retired in August 2006, Coupet became France's number one goalkeeper. He played in the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008. He was the main goalkeeper for the Euro 2008 tournament itself. France was eliminated in the group stage.

Retirement from International Football

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, younger goalkeepers like Hugo Lloris and Steve Mandanda were chosen more often. Coupet was not selected for the final World Cup squad. On 1 July 2010, Coupet announced he was retiring from international football. He felt it was time for the younger goalkeepers to take over.

Coaching Career

After he stopped playing football in 2011, Grégory Coupet worked as a sports expert for radio and TV channels. In July 2016, he returned to Lyon as a goalkeeping coach for their B-team. In November 2017, he became the goalkeeping coach for Lyon's main team.

In May 2020, Coupet left Lyon and joined Dijon FCO as their goalkeeping coach. Then, on 17 January 2022, he moved to FC Girondins de Bordeaux, where he continues to work as a goalkeeping coach.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Awards and Achievements

Grégory Coupet won many awards and titles during his career:

Lyon

• Division/Ligue 1: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
• Coupe de France: 2007–08
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2000–01
• Trophée des Champions: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1997

Paris Saint-Germain

• Coupe de France: 2009–10

France

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2001, 2003
• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2006

Individual

• Toulon Tournament Best Goalkeeper: 1994
• Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
• Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06
• ESM Team of the Year: 2006–07

See also

In Spanish: Grégory Coupet para niños