Michel Platini’s biography

A heart problem, however, prevented the young Frenchman from competing regularly at the top level, doctors said. While coaching Nancy in Ligue 1, his father requested the signing of his son. After being seriously injured during that season, the team was relegated to Ligue 2, but when he returned at the age of 18, he was the undisputed leader of the team, leading them back to the top flight.

ALSO, YOU SHOULD KNOW…

He had multiple fights with teammates during his first years in France due to his conceit. Every chance he got, he reminded him that he was superior to most players.

With Nancy, he would win the French Cup in 1978 and sign good seasons in which the team, with barely a budget, would even compete for European places. After his contract expires, he remains in French football by joining AS Saint-Étienne, where he contributes to the team winning Ligue 1 and competing at the highest level in Europe for three years.

Juventus makes history with Platini’s arrival

In 1982, after a good World Cup in Spain where France finished fourth with a good performance, he signed for Juventus FC of the Italian Serie A. He was signed by Michael. As a player, he would begin to forge his legend in the “Vecchia Signora.”

Michel Platini, former UEFA president, August 2009 – “If Cristiano Ronaldo costs 90 million euros today, then I would cost 150”

Juventus dominated Serie A, but failed to capitalize on their successes at the continental level, and their greatest ambition was to win the European Cup. It was Platini who brought the title to fruition. His performance on an individual level was so good that no one questioned him in the first season, and he even won his first Ballon d’Or in 1983.

Among Michel Platini’s career highlights, the 1983-1984 season is considered to be his finest. In 1984, he won his first Serie A title and an Italian Cup, but his most important accomplishment was his consecration with France at the European Championship. His second consecutive Ballon d’Or was the first since Johan Cruyff in the 70s.

He won his third consecutive Ballon d’Or in his third season, the first person in history to do so. He also won the European Cup in his third season for Juventus, a tournament in which he had a stellar performance. The following season, he exhibited a drastic decline in performance, as his closest friends said he had run out of motivation. This was how he announced his retirement from soccer in 1987, at age 32.

UEFA president embroiled in corruption scandal

Upon retiring, Platini focused on his managerial career, and in 1989 he was appointed director of the French Football Federation (FFF). The highest body in European football, UEFA, appointed him president almost two decades later, in 2007. The Champions League became the most watched sports tournament during his presidency.

However, in 2019 he was arrested and expelled from the world of football for alleged embezzlement, money laundering and corruption crimes related to the sale of votes for the election of the venue for the Qatar 2022 World Cup and other bonuses received by television channels to obtain the rights to broadcast the Champions League and European Championship.

The rest of his career as a footballer is intact, and many consider him the greatest French player of all time, surpassing Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and David Trezeguet.