Philippe Troussier facts for kids
![]() Troussier in 2023
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Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Philippe Bernard Victor Troussier Philippe Omar Troussier |
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Date of birth | 21 March 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.83 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing position | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1974–1975 | AS Choisy-le-Roi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1975–1976 | RC Joinville | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1976–1977 | Angoulême | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1977–1978 | Red Star 93 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1978–1981 | Rouen | 79 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1981–1983 | Reims | 38 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 142 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1983–1984 | INF Vichy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1984–1987 | CS Alençon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1987–1989 | Red Star 93 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1989 | Créteil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1989–1992 | ASEC Mimosas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1993 | Ivory Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1994 | Kaizer Chiefs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1995–1997 | FUS Rabat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997 | Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997–1998 | Burkina Faso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998 | South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1998–2002 | Japan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999 | Japan U20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2000 | Japan U23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003–2004 | Qatar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004–2005 | Marseille | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2005 | Morocco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007 | FAR Rabat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008–2010 | Ryūkyū (sports director) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011–2013 | Shenzhen Ruby | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | Sfaxien | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | Hangzhou Greentown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017–2018 | Chongqing Liangjiang (Technical director) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018–2021 | PVF (Technical director) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019–2021 | Vietnam U19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023–2024 | Vietnam U23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023–2024 | Vietnam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Honours
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Philippe Omar Troussier (born March 21, 1955) is a French former association football player. He is also a well-known football manager. He recently managed the Vietnam national football team from February 2023 to March 2024.
Troussier had a short career as a defender in French football leagues. After playing, he became a manager. He started coaching in lower French leagues. He became famous when he moved to the Ivorian team ASEC Mimosas. There, he won several league titles. This success led him to work with many African national teams. He managed teams like Ivory Coast, Nigeria, South Africa, and Burkina Faso. Later, he had a very successful time managing Japan. He won the 2000 AFC Asian Cup with them.
Contents
Philippe Troussier's Football Journey
His Playing Days
Philippe Troussier started his football career as a player. He became a professional defender with Angoulême. This was during the 1976–77 league season. After that, he played for Red Star 93 for a short time. Then he joined Rouen.
He spent several seasons with Rouen. His last professional club was Stade de Reims. He played there until 1983. Troussier spent his entire professional playing career in the second division of French football. After 1983, he decided to become a coach.
Starting as a Coach
Troussier quickly moved into coaching. He got his coaching licenses. His first coaching job was with the French Football Federation. He managed a team called INF Vichy. This team played in the third division. It was a special team where young players could develop their skills.
In the 1983–84 season, his team finished second in their group. The next season, Troussier coached CS Alençon. This team was in the French fourth division. He spent three seasons there, learning how to manage an amateur football club.
He then returned to his old club, Red Star 93, in 1987. He helped them get promoted to the second division. This happened at the end of the 1988–89 season. He left Red Star 93 in June 1989. He briefly joined Créteil as a temporary coach.
Coaching in Africa
Troussier's first job outside France was in Ivory Coast. He joined the top division club ASEC Mimosas. In his first season, he won the league championship. He went on to win two more league titles with them. He became very fond of Ivory Coast and even became a citizen there.
Because of his great success, the Ivory Coast national football team hired him. They hoped he could help them qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, he could not achieve this goal. He then left to join the South African club Kaizer Chiefs.
After a short time with Kaizer Chiefs, Troussier moved to Morocco. He coached Fath Union Sport. He led them to win the 1995 Coupe du Trône. He stayed with the club for several seasons. Then, he got a chance to manage an international team again. This time, it was Nigeria. They were trying to qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Troussier coached four games, and Nigeria qualified. However, the Nigerian Football Federation decided to hire a more experienced coach for the World Cup.
Troussier quickly found a new job. He managed Burkina Faso. He coached them in the 1998 African Cup of Nations, which Burkina Faso was hosting. He quickly made the team strong contenders. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Egypt. Burkina Faso finished fourth, which was their best result ever at that time.
His work with Burkina Faso impressed the South African Football Association. They offered him the job to lead South Africa in the 1998 World Cup. However, the team was knocked out in the group stages. After the tournament, he left Africa. He was known as the "White Witch Doctor" for his success in African football.
Success in Asia
In 1998, Troussier became the coach of Japan. His goal was to improve the team's performance. Japan was preparing to co-host the 2002 FIFA World Cup. At first, he found it hard to communicate with the players because of the language barrier. Japan was knocked out early from the 1999 Copa América.
After this, Troussier decided to focus on younger players. He also managed the under-20 team. They did very well in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, finishing as runners-up. He continued to coach Japan's youth teams. He led the under-23 team to the quarter-finals at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Many of these young players then joined the senior team. They went on to win the 2000 AFC Asian Cup.
With this success, Troussier led Japan into the 2002 FIFA World Cup with confidence. He guided Japan to the final 16 teams. This was Japan's best-ever finish in the competition at that time.
In July 2003, Troussier became the new manager of Qatar. He aimed to repeat his success with Japan. They qualified for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. However, Qatar finished last in their group in the tournament. He was fired after a disappointing start to the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Back to France and Africa
On November 27, 2004, Troussier returned to France. He managed the Ligue 1 team Olympique de Marseille. He had some disagreements with the senior players, including French international Bixente Lizarazu. Marseille finished fifth that season. Troussier was then replaced by Jean Fernandez.
He returned to Africa to coach the Moroccan national team. This was after Morocco failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. However, he was fired after only two months. This was due to different opinions with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Coaching in China and Vietnam
After his time with Morocco, Troussier took a break from football. In 2008, he returned to Japan. He managed FC Ryūkyū, a Japanese third-division team. Then, in 2010, he became the manager of Chinese Super League side Shenzhen Ruby F.C..
Challenges in China
In China, he again focused on using young players. However, his team was relegated from the top league. This was the first time a former top-tier champion was relegated in China's professional football history. He stayed with the club in the second division. He faced challenges with fan support and some heated moments after matches. He eventually left the club in 2013.
He was considered for the coach position of the Malaysia national football team. However, the deal did not happen due to disagreements. In 2014, Troussier managed CS Sfaxien of Tunisia for a short period before quitting.
Leading Vietnam
In 2018, he became a technical director at PVF, a football academy in Vietnam. In 2019, he also became the head coach of the Vietnam U19 National Team.
On February 16, 2023, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) announced Troussier as the new head coach. He took charge of the U22, U23, Olympic, and Vietnam national teams. His contract was set to run until July 2026. At the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, the Vietnam U-22 team won the bronze medal.
However, the senior Vietnam team had a difficult time under his leadership. They did not advance past the group stage of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. This was a disappointing result for Vietnam. The team also lost to Indonesia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification. Troussier faced criticism from the media and fans. On March 26, 2024, after another loss to Indonesia, his contract was ended by the VFF.
Personal Life
Philippe Troussier and his wife converted to Islam in Morocco. He took the name Philippe Omar Troussier.
Coaching Record
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
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G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
Nigeria | ![]() |
1 March 1997 | 1 September 1997 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75.00 |
Burkina Faso | ![]() |
1 September 1997 | 1 March 1998 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 50.00 |
South Africa | ![]() |
1 March 1998 | 30 June 1998 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0.00 |
Japan U20 | ![]() |
1 July 1998 | 30 June 1999 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71.43 |
Japan | ![]() |
1 July 1998 | 1 August 2002 | 43 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 39.53 |
Japan | ![]() |
13 September 2000 | 30 September 2000 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50.00 |
Qatar | ![]() |
1 January 2004 | 20 July 2004 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00 |
Marseille | ![]() |
28 November 2004 | 1 June 2005 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 34.78 |
FAR Rabat | ![]() |
1 January 2007 | 31 December 2007 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.33 |
Shenzhen Ruby | ![]() |
23 February 2011 | 6 November 2013 | 49 | 11 | 11 | 27 | 22.45 |
Sfaxien | ![]() |
1 July 2014 | 28 September 2014 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 40.00 |
HZ Greentown | ![]() |
2 December 2014 | 2 July 2015 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 29.41 |
Vietnam U23 | ![]() |
1 March 2023 | 26 March 2024 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50.00 |
Vietnam | ![]() |
1 March 2023 | 26 March 2024 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 28.57 |
Career Total | 202 | 70 | 46 | 86 | 34.65 |
Achievements
ASEC Mimosas
- Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division: 1990, 1991, 1992
FUS Rabat
- Coupe du Trône: 1995
Japan U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: runner-up 1999
Japan
- FIFA Confederations Cup: runner-up 2001
- AFC Asian Cup: 2000
Vietnam U23
- SEA Games: bronze medal 2023
Individual
- AFC Coach of the Year: 2000
- Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2020
See also
In Spanish: Philippe Troussier para niños