René Girard (footballer)
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 4 April 1954 | ||
Place of birth | Vauvert, France | ||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Paris FC (manager) | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1973–1980 | Nîmes | 202 | (27) |
1980–1988 | Bordeaux | 241 | (17) |
1988–1991 | Nîmes | 92 | (5) |
Total | 535 | (49) | |
International career | |||
1981–1982 | France | 7 | (1) |
Managerial career | |||
1991–1994 | Nîmes | ||
1996–1997 | Pau FC | ||
1998 | Strasbourg | ||
2002–2003 | France U19 | ||
2003–2004 | France U16 | ||
2004–2008 | France U21 | ||
2009–2013 | Montpellier | ||
2013–2015 | Lille | ||
2016 | Nantes | ||
2018 | Wydad AC | ||
2020– | Paris FC | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
René Girard (born 4 April 1954) is a French football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Ligue 2 side Paris FC.
Playing career
Girard won seven caps, scoring one goal for France and was a member of the squad that finished fourth at the 1982 World Cup. At club level, while playing for Bordeaux, Girard won three Ligue 1 titles – in 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1986–87, as well as two Coupes de France, over Marseille in the 1986 and 1987 editions.
Coaching career
Girard managed Nîmes, Strasbourg, Pau FC and multiple France youth teams. He coached the France national under-21 football team from 2004–08.
On 3 June 2009, he became the new head coach of Montpellier HSC, replacing Rolland Courbis. In the 2011–12 season, Montpellier shocked the footballing world by winning its first Ligue 1 title, finishing the season with 82 points, three more than runner-up Paris Saint-Germain. He said after his team won it. "I think our triumph is a real shot in the arm for French football.[1][2][3] "It just goes to show that everyone can beat everyone and that money isn't the be-all and end-all. We're a club of mates, a club that brings young players through and gives them a chance. "At the end of the day, it's worked out well for us. We played some great football, with a well-balanced team and I'm overwhelmed."[4][5][6]
He signed for Lille in July 2013, replacing Rudi Garcia who left for Roma.[7][8][9]
On 30 September 2018, he was appointed as the head coach of Moroccan club Wydad AC.[10]
Honours
Player
Bordeaux
- Ligue 1: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87
- Coupe de France: 1986, 1987
- Trophée des champions: 1986
Manager
Montpellier
References
- ^ "Montpellier HSC crowned Champions of France". Frenchfootballweekly.com.
- ^ "Ireland are the Montpellier of international football – and other club v country statistics". Thejournal.ie.
- ^ "Louis Nicollin: Montpellier here to stay". Sportsmole.co.uk.
- ^ "Rene Girard: 'We deserved it'". Sportsmole.co.uk.
- ^ "Ligue 1: Magnificent Montpellier make history". Thejournal.ie.
- ^ "Montpellier Lift Le Championnat With Home Crowd". Frenchfootballweekly.com. 22 May 2012.
- ^ "Lille hires Rene Girard as coach, replacing Garcia". Boston Herald. 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Ligue 1: Lille confirm appointment of Rene Girard as their new coach – TEAMtalk | Football | World | Club News". TEAMtalk. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
- ^ "Lille appoint Rene Girard". Sports Mole. 15 June 2013.
- ^ Maroc : René Girard nouvel entraîneur du WAC, africandailyvoice.com, 1 October 2018
External links
- René Girard at the French Football Federation (archived) (in French)
- René Girard – UEFA coaching record (archived)
- Profile at www.pari-et-gagne.com
- 1954 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Gard
- French footballers
- France international footballers
- Association football midfielders
- French football managers
- Nîmes Olympique players
- FC Girondins de Bordeaux players
- Ligue 1 players
- Ligue 2 players
- 1982 FIFA World Cup players
- Nîmes Olympique managers
- RC Strasbourg Alsace managers
- Montpellier HSC managers
- Pau FC managers
- Ligue 1 managers
- Ligue 2 managers
- Lille OSC managers
- France national under-21 football team managers
- FC Nantes managers
- Wydad AC managers
- Paris FC managers
- Expatriate football managers in Morocco
- French expatriate football managers