Henri Michel

French football player and coach who led France to Olympic gold and World Cup bronze.

Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the world. He coached France at the 1986 World Cup, where they reached the semi-final, eventually managing a third–place finish; he also helped the Olympic squad win a gold medal in the 1984 edition of the tournament.

Quick Facts

Full name: Henri Louis Michel
Born: 28 October 1947
Birthplace: Aix-en-Provence, France
Died: 24 April 2018
Place of death: Gardanne, France
Height: 1.75 m / 5 ft 9 in
Position: Midfielder
Total caps: 567

Lore & Background

Michel managed the France national team, guiding the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and a third–place finish at the 1986 World Cup. In 1994, he managed Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup. He had two stints with Morocco, the first between 1995 and 2000 including the 1998 World Cup; his second stint began in 2007 but ended after a poor showing at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, leading to his sacking in February 2008. From 2001 to 2002, he coached Tunisia, but was fired after they exited the 2002 African Cup of Nations in the first round without scoring.

He joined Ivory Coast around 2004, leading them to first place in their group ahead of Cameroon and Egypt, becoming the first coach to send Ivory Coast to the World Cup; in February 2006 he reached the Africa Cup of Nations final but lost on penalties, and later managed Ivory Coast at the 2006 FIFA World Cup where they were eliminated in the group stage. After the 2006 World Cup he joined Egyptian club Zamalek, leaving in 2007 to return to Morocco.

In 2008, he was appointed coach of Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa, leaving in March 2009 after being chased by an angry mob demanding his resignation. He returned to Zamalek on 30 August 2009 but was fired on 30 November 2009 due to negative results. He was named Raja de Casablanca manager on 11 June 2010. On 10 December 2010, he was hired as head coach of Equatorial Guinea for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations; he resigned on 19 October 2011, was rehired five days later, then resigned again on 21 December 2011. On 28 August 2012, he was named head coach of Kenya, but resigned four months later.