Jacques Santini facts for kids
![]() Santini with Saint-Étienne in 1974
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Jacques Jean Claude Santini | |||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 25 April 1952 | |||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Delle, Territoire de Belfort, France | |||||||||||||||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
1964–1969 | Fesches | |||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
1969–1981 | Saint-Étienne | 324 | (50) | |||||||||||||
1981–1983 | Montpellier | 43 | (4) | |||||||||||||
1983–1985 | Lisieux (fr) | |||||||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
1983–1985 | Lisieux (fr) | |||||||||||||||
1985–1989 | Toulouse | |||||||||||||||
1989–1992 | Lille | |||||||||||||||
1992–1994 | Saint-Étienne | |||||||||||||||
1994–1995 | Sochaux | |||||||||||||||
2000–2002 | Lyon | |||||||||||||||
2002–2004 | France | |||||||||||||||
2004 | Tottenham Hotspur | |||||||||||||||
2005–2006 | Auxerre | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Jacques Jean Claude Santini, born on April 25, 1952, is a famous French former football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for the team Saint-Étienne in the 1970s. With Saint-Étienne, he even reached the final of the European Cup in 1976. Later, he became a successful coach. He managed the French national team, leading them to win the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup and reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2004. He also coached big clubs like Lyon.
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Jacques Santini's Coaching Career

Jacques Santini is known as one of France's most successful football coaches. He played a big part in making the Lyon football club a giant in French football. From 1997 to 2000, he worked as the Sports Director for Lyon. This helped build the strong foundation that made Lyon the top football club in France.
Coaching Lyon
As the manager of Lyon from 2000 to 2002, Santini achieved great success. He led the team to win the French League Cup in 2001. In 2002, his team won the French Championship, which is a major title.
Awards and Recognition
Because of his excellent work, Santini was named "The best French coach" in 2002 by France Football magazine. In 2003, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) named him the "World's Best National Coach of the Year."
Managing the French National Team
In 2002, Santini became the manager of the French national team, taking over from Roger Lemerre. He led France to win the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. This was a big achievement for the team.
However, he had already decided to leave his role before Euro 2004. In that tournament, France surprisingly lost to Greece in the quarter-finals. Greece went on to win the championship.
Time in England and Auxerre
After Euro 2004, Santini took on a new challenge. He became the manager of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in England. However, he resigned after only 13 games. Officially, he said he left due to personal reasons. But many reports suggested he had disagreements with the club's Sporting Director, Frank Arnesen. Santini later said that some agreements with the club were not kept. He also admitted that joining the club before Euro 2004 ended was a mistake.
In 2005, he became the head coach of Auxerre in Ligue 1, which is the top French league. He was sacked in 2006 because of disagreements with the club's vice-president, Guy Roux. In 2008, he was offered a job at Hearts in Scotland, but he turned it down.
Managerial Statistics
Here is a summary of Jacques Santini's coaching record for different teams:
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
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G | W | L | D | Win % | |||
Toulouse | 1 July 1985 | 30 June 1989 | 174 | 71 | 45 | 58 | 40.80 |
Lille | 1 July 1989 | 30 June 1992 | 120 | 37 | 40 | 43 | 30.83 |
Saint-Étienne | 1 July 1992 | 30 June 1994 | 82 | 28 | 32 | 22 | 34.15 |
Sochaux | 9 December 1994 | 30 June 1995 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 5.00 |
Lyon | 1 July 2000 | 31 May 2002 | 106 | 55 | 27 | 24 | 51.89 |
France | 21 July 2002 | 1 July 2004 | 28 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 78.57 |
Tottenham Hotspur | 3 June 2004 | 5 November 2004 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 38.46 |
Auxerre | 8 June 2005 | 17 May 2006 | 45 | 20 | 9 | 16 | 44.44 |
Total | 588 | 239 | 162 | 187 | 40.65 |
Honours and Achievements
Jacques Santini had a very successful career, both as a player and as a manager.
As a Player
With Saint-Étienne:
- French League (Division 1) Champion: He won this top league title five times: in 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, and 1980–81.
- French Cup (Coupe de France) Winner: He won the national cup four times: in 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, and 1976–77.
As a Manager
With Lyon:
- French League (Division 1) Champion: He led Lyon to win the league title in 2001–02.
- French League Cup (Coupe de la Ligue) Winner: He won this cup with Lyon in 2000–01.
With France National Team:
- FIFA Confederations Cup Winner: He guided the French national team to victory in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.