Laurent Blanc

French defender and manager, known as 'Le Président', who never played for or managed AS Monaco.

Laurent Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He last managed Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. He has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time.

Quick Facts

Full name: Laurent Robert Blanc
Born: 19 November 1965
Birthplace: Alès, France
Height: 1.92 m / 6 ft 4 in
Position: Centre-back

Lore & Background

Blanc played professional football for numerous clubs, including Montpellier, Napoli, Barcelona, Marseille, Inter Milan and Manchester United, often operating in the sweeper position. He is also a former French international, earning 97 caps and scoring 16 international goals. He represented the country in several international tournaments, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, both of which France won. On 28 June 1998, Blanc scored the first golden goal in World Cup history against Paraguay.

He began his managerial career at Bordeaux in 2007, winning domestic honours including the 2008–09 Ligue 1 title. After leaving Bordeaux in 2010 he became the manager of the France national team until 2012, replacing Raymond Domenech in the wake of a disastrous 2010 FIFA World Cup performance and leading the country to the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 2012. In 2013, he was hired by Paris Saint-Germain, where he would win eleven trophies, including two domestic doubles.

After three successful years with Paris Saint-Germain he left the club in June 2016, and was hired Al-Rayyan in 2020. Following more than six years without coaching in Europe, he was appointed manager by Lyon in October 2022, but he was sacked the following year and in 2024 became the manager of Al-Ittihad.

Reader's Guide

Laurent Blanc never played for or managed AS Monaco. His club career includes Montpellier, Napoli, Nîmes, Saint-Étienne, Auxerre, Barcelona, Marseille, Inter Milan, and Manchester United. His managerial career includes Bordeaux, France national team, Paris Saint-Germain, Al-Rayyan, Lyon, and Al-Ittihad.

Did You Know?

Blanc remains Montpellier's all-time leading goal scorer with 84 goals in all competitions.
He won the 1988 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, though no official Golden Player award was given for that edition.