Paul Le Guen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paul Le Guen

Le Guen managing Paris Saint-Germain in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen
Date of birth	(1964-03-01) 1 March 1964 (age 61)
Place of birth	Pencran, France
Height	1.86 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1971–1977	GA Landerneau
1977–1982	US Pencran
1982–1983	AS Brest
1983–1984	Brest
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1984–1989	Brest	120	(4)
1989–1991	Nantes	76	(1)
1991–1998	Paris Saint-Germain	248	(16)
Total		444	(21)
National team
1993–1995	France	17	(1)
1998	Brittany	1	(0)
Teams managed
1998–2001	Rennes
2002–2005	Lyon
2006–2007	Rangers
2007–2009	Paris Saint-Germain
2009–2010	Cameroon
2011–2015	Oman
2017–2018	Bursaspor
2019–2022	Le Havre
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen (born March 1, 1964) is a French football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of the French club Le Havre.

As a player, Paul Le Guen was a midfielder. He had a very successful time playing for Paris Saint-Germain F.C. from 1991 to 1998. He also played 17 times for the France national football team. As a manager, his biggest achievement was winning the Ligue 1 title three times in a row with Olympique Lyonnais between 2002 and 2005.

Playing Career Highlights

Paul Le Guen was born in Pencran, France. He started his playing career at Brest for five years. Then, he played for Nantes Atlantique for two years.

After that, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (PSG). He played for PSG for seven seasons, making 478 appearances. During his time there, he helped the team win many trophies. These included a league title, three French Cups, two League Cups, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996. He even scored the winning goal in the 1995 French Cup Final against Strasbourg.

Playing for France

Paul Le Guen played 17 times for the France national football team. He was part of the team that unfortunately missed out on qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He finished his playing career by playing in a friendly match for the Brittany national football team against Cameroon in 1998. The game ended in a 1–1 draw.

Paul Le Guen's Managerial Journey

Paul Le Guen has had a very successful career as a football manager, especially in France. He is most famous for leading Olympique Lyonnais to win the Ligue 1 title three times in a row. He has also managed other well-known clubs like Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain, and Rangers.

He has also managed national teams, including the Cameroon national football team and the Oman national football team. Later in his career, he managed Bursaspor in Turkey and Le Havre back in France.

Managing Rennes

From 1998 to 2001, Le Guen managed Rennes. He was known for finding talented players who were not very famous yet. For example, he signed players like Shabani Nonda and El Hadji Diouf. Under his guidance, these players became very good footballers. He left Rennes in 2001 after some disagreements with the club's leaders. After leaving, he took a break from football for a year.

Leading Lyon to Success

On May 21, 2002, Paul Le Guen became the manager of Olympique Lyonnais. This was right after they won their first league title. He had a tough start, winning only three of his first nine games. However, he quickly turned things around.

He led Lyon to win three more league championships in a row. They also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, which is a big achievement. He resigned from Lyon on May 9, 2005, the day after the club won their fourth straight Ligue 1 title. After leaving Lyon, he took another year off from football management. During this time, he turned down offers from several big European clubs.

Time at Rangers

On March 11, 2006, it was announced that Le Guen would become the manager of Rangers F.C. in Scotland. He signed a three-year contract. He was the first Catholic manager for Rangers, a club with a strong Protestant history.

His time at Rangers started poorly, with the worst record for a new manager in the "Old Firm" derby (Rangers vs. Celtic) in many years. On November 8, Rangers were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup by a lower-league team, which caused protests from fans.

On January 1, 2007, Le Guen removed Barry Ferguson as the team captain. Just three days later, on January 4, 2007, Rangers announced that Le Guen had left the club. This made him the shortest-serving manager in the club's history. Even though his domestic results were not good, his record in European competitions with Rangers was actually quite strong.

Returning to Paris Saint-Germain

Le Guen during a training session with Paris Saint-Germain in November 2009

On January 15, 2007, Le Guen returned to Paris Saint-Germain F.C., the club he used to captain as a player. When he arrived, PSG was struggling and was near the bottom of the league. He managed to guide them to safety, finishing 15th in his first season.

In the 2007–08 season, PSG's performance was inconsistent. They were in the relegation zone with only four games left. However, they managed to win the Coupe de la Ligue (League Cup) and reached the final of the Coupe de France (French Cup). Winning the League Cup meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup for the next season. PSG announced on May 5, 2009, that Le Guen's contract would not be renewed, and he would leave at the end of the season.

Managing Cameroon

Paul Le Guen became the manager of the Cameroon national football team on July 15, 2009. He signed a six-month contract. He quickly made a big impact by helping the team qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also made a big change by giving the captaincy to Samuel Eto'o, who then started scoring many goals.

However, Cameroon was the first team to be knocked out of the 2010 World Cup. Le Guen announced his resignation on June 24, 2010.

Leading Oman

After turning down offers from several French clubs, Paul Le Guen accepted an offer to manage the Oman national football team on June 11, 2011. He led Oman to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, an important tournament they had missed in 2011. Oman was eliminated in the group stage of the tournament. Le Guen was fired on November 19, 2015, after a poor start to their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.

Bursaspor and Le Havre

On June 22, 2017, Le Guen was announced as the new manager of Bursaspor, a team in Turkey's top league. His first game was a 1–0 loss. After a series of poor results, he was removed from his position on April 10, 2018.

On May 29, 2019, after ten years of managing abroad, Le Guen returned to France to become the new manager of Le Havre. His first game ended in a 2–2 draw. After finishing 6th in his first season, Le Guen signed a new contract in August 2020, extending his deal until 2023. He was dismissed in June 2022, as the team had not been promoted.

Personal Life

Paul Le Guen met his wife, Claude, while he was studying for a master's degree in Economic Sciences at the University of Western Brittany in Brest. As of 2006, they have three children. In 2006, Le Guen also ran the Marathon des Sables, a very tough race in the Moroccan desert.

Managerial Statistics

Achievements and Awards

As a Player

Paris Saint-Germain

• Division 1: 1993–94
• Coupe de France: 1992–93, 1994–95, 1997–98
• Coupe de la Ligue: 1994–95, 1997–98
• Trophée des Champions: 1995
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1995–96; Runner-up: 1996–97

As a Manager

Lyon

• Ligue 1: 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05
• Trophée des Champions: 2002, 2003, 2004

Paris Saint-Germain

• Coupe de la Ligue: 2007–08
• Coupe de France runner-up: 2007–08

See also

In Spanish: Paul Le Guen para niños