Gabriel Hanot

Playing career

Hanot learned football at lycée in Tourcoing and played for local side US Tourcoing, winning a USFSA French title in 1910. At 18, he was first selected for France, making four appearances in 1908 as a left winger. He was included in France's squad for the 1908 Summer Olympics but did not play. After two years without selection, he studied in Münster and played for Preußen Münster.

Returning to Tourcoing in 1912, he won the Challenge International du Nord in 1913 and earned seven more caps, now as a full-back. His career was interrupted by World War I, during which he served as a pilot, was shot down and taken prisoner three times, and escaped each time. After the war, he captained France against Belgium on 9 March 1919, but a serious knee injury from an aviation accident ended his playing career. In total, he made 12 appearances for France and scored three goals.

Post-playing career

After the 1919 aviation accident, Hanot became a journalist, first for Miroir des sports covering golf and cycling, then for L'Équipe focusing on football. In 1930, with Marcel Rossini, he created the Concours du jeune footballeur, tests for young players held before the Coupe de France final that helped discover talents such as Raymond Kopa, Jean-Michel Larqué, and Christian Sarramagna. He is credited with introducing professionalism to French football in 1932, helping form what is now Ligue 1.

In December 1934, as director of Miroir des sports, he proposed a European club cup, inspired by aviation growth; after World War II, with L'Équipe colleague Jacques Ferran, he revived the idea in late 1954, and the European Cup (now the UEFA Champions League) took shape in 1955. From 1945 to 1949, he coached the France national team, including at the 1948 Summer Olympics, where France beat India then lost to Great Britain in the quarter-finals. His tenure ended in June 1949 when he anonymously called for his own resignation after a 1–5 loss to Spain.

In 1947, he cofounded the Amicale des Educateurs de football, an association promoting coaching courses. In 1956, through France Football, he created the Ballon d'Or award for the greatest male European footballer, later expanded globally in 2007, with a women's version launched in 2018.