Johan Micoud facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Johan Micoud

Micoud in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth	(1973-07-24) 24 July 1973 (age 51)
Place of birth	Cannes, France
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1992–1996	Cannes	127	(17)
1996–2000	Bordeaux	127	(27)
2000–2002	Parma	47	(9)
2002–2006	Werder Bremen	123	(31)
2006–2008	Bordeaux	61	(10)
Total		485	(94)
National team
1999–2004	France	17	(1)
Honours Men's football Representing  France UEFA European Championship Winner 2000
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Johan Cédric Micoud (born 24 July 1973) is a French former football player. He was an attacking midfielder, which means he played in the middle of the field and helped both attack and defend.

People thought he was a very talented midfielder. He was also great at dead-ball situations, like free kicks and corners. He played football for 16 years in France, Italy, and Germany.

Johan Micoud played 17 times for the French national team. He played in big tournaments like Euro 2000 (which France won!) and the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Playing for Football Clubs

Starting at Cannes

Johan Micoud was born in Cannes, France, and grew up nearby in Vallauris. He started playing football in the youth system of his local club, AS Cannes.

He became the main creative player for Cannes after another famous player, Zinedine Zidane, left the club. Micoud helped Cannes get promoted from the second division in 1993. The next season, he helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Success with Bordeaux

In 1996, Micoud moved to Bordeaux. He played a very important role when Bordeaux won the Ligue 1 championship in the 1998–99 season. They won the title on the very last day!

The next season, he helped Bordeaux reach the second group stage of the UEFA Champions League. He also played in two Coupe de la Ligue finals with Bordeaux, but they lost both times.

Time in Italy with Parma

In the summer of 2000, Johan Micoud moved to Italy to play for Parma. He stayed there for two seasons.

Even though Micoud and Parma won the Coppa Italia (Italy's main cup competition), he started to play less often. Another player, Hidetoshi Nakata, took his spot. Because of this, Micoud had to leave the club.

Shining in Germany with Werder Bremen

In August 2002, Micoud moved to Germany and joined Werder Bremen. He played his first game for them in a 3-1 win, and he even scored a goal!

Micoud was one of the most important players when Bremen had a huge surprise win in 2004. They won both the Bundesliga title (the German league) and the 2003–04 DFB-Pokal (the German cup). This is called winning a double. Micoud scored in the game where Bremen won the Bundesliga title against Bayern Munich. He also scored in almost every round of the German cup that season.

After this amazing season, Micoud signed a new contract with Bremen. The club's sports director said he was "the best midfielder in the Bundesliga." In his last season with Bremen, Micoud scored five goals in the UEFA Champions League. He also scored eight goals and made fourteen assists in the Bundesliga, helping Bremen finish second.

Micoud left Bremen in 2006 to go back to his old club, Bordeaux. Bremen's director said they would not have sold him to any other club. Bremen even organized a friendly match between the two teams to say goodbye to Micoud. He scored the only goal for Bordeaux and got a standing ovation from the Bremen fans.

Coming Back to Bordeaux

In June 2006, when he was 32 years old, Micoud rejoined Bordeaux. He quickly became a key player again. He scored the winning goal in his very first league match back at the club.

Micoud helped Bordeaux win the League Cup in 2007. The next season, they fought for the league title. In February 2008, Micoud scored his 50th goal in Ligue 1. This was in a huge 6-0 win against AS Monaco.

However, after two seasons, the coach, Laurent Blanc, announced that Micoud's contract would not be renewed. Johan Micoud then decided to retire from playing football.

Playing for France

Even though Johan Micoud was called up to the French national team many times, he never became a regular starter. This was mainly because Zinedine Zidane played in the same position.

Thanks to his great performances with Bordeaux, Micoud played his first game for France on August 17, 1999. He was then chosen for the squad that won UEFA Euro 2000. Micoud only played in one match during the tournament, against the Netherlands. He helped set up the first goal from a corner kick.

He was also chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup team. He replaced the injured Zidane in the second game, which was a 0-0 draw with Uruguay.

After the World Cup, Micoud was not picked for France for two years. Then, coach Jacques Santini selected him for a friendly game in March 2004. Santini recognized how well Micoud was playing for Bremen.

Santini included Micoud in his first squad for UEFA Euro 2004, but he did not make the final team. Under the next coach, Raymond Domenech, Micoud only got one call-up. Micoud even said publicly that Domenech was ignoring his good performances.

Honours

Bordeaux

• Division 1: 1998–99
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2006–07

Parma

• Coppa Italia: 2001–02

Werder Bremen

• Bundesliga: 2003–04
• DFB-Pokal: 2003–04

France

• UEFA European Championship: 2000

Individual

• kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2005–06

See also

In Spanish: Johan Micoud para niños