Jean Tigana

Lore & Background

Tigana was born in Bamako, French Sudan (now Mali) to a Malian father and a French mother. He represented France, and as an international Tigana joined Michel Platini, Luis Fernandez and Alain Giresse in what was termed 'the Magic Square' (le Carré Magique) – one of the greatest midfield foursomes of all time. He was part of the France national football team that won UEFA Euro 1984 on home soil, defeating Spain in the final. Tigana's single international goal came against Hungary in the 1986 FIFA World Cup finals, in which France managed a third-place finish.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at the Stade Vélodrome hummed with a low, electric buzz. The 1984 final was weeks away, but tonight was a training ground in Marseille, and the air smelled of cut grass and diesel from the generators. Tigana was already lacing his boots before the rest of the squad had finished stretching. Giresse called out to him from the centre circle, asking if he was alright, and Tigana just grinned – that flat, unsmiling grin that meant he was about to run the ball out of someone's shoes. The coach set up a simple drill: ten players, one ball, full pitch, no stoppages. Most of the lads lasted six minutes before their legs burned. Tigana was still pressing, still sliding, still hauling opponents off the ball with a crunch of studs on turf. By the end, the coach had stopped counting laps. There was no point. The tiger didn't stop. He simply kept running, and the rest of the midfield learned, that night, what it would take to win a championship at home.

Reader's Guide

Tigana started his professional career as a player at Toulon, having been spotted fairly late playing part-time while employed in a spaghetti factory and then as a postman. He moved to Lyon in 1978 and then to Bordeaux in a $4 million transfer. In Bordeaux's midfield for eight years, Tigana helped them to three league titles and three French cups, as well as taking them close to European glory on two occasions, losing in the semi-final of the European Cup and Cup Winners' Cup in 1985 and 1987 respectively. He moved in 1989 to Marseille, and ended his career there following the 1990–91 season, winning two consecutive league titles, and reaching the European Cup final during the latter season, only to be defeated by Red Star Belgrade on penalties following a 0–0 draw. Tigana was a world-class box-to-box midfielder, who usually played in the centre, and who was noted for his great movement, teamwork, pace and tireless stamina. Although Tigana was mainly responsible for his team's defensive duties, he also often ventured forward to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. His work ethic and expansive range of passing, from both long and short range, made him an excellent distributor which, when combined with his close control and simplistic yet efficient dribbling technique, made him a world–class midfielder. He was also well known for his contributions in the more advanced areas of the pitch, due to his ability to spot and execute defence-splitting passes.

Did You Know?

• Tigana spent his entire playing career in France, with clubs Toulon, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Marseille.
• He was part of the 'Magic Square' midfield with Platini, Fernandez, and Giresse.
• His only international goal came against Hungary in the 1986 World Cup.
• He won the French Division 1 title five times as a player (three with Bordeaux, two with Marseille).
• As a manager, he led Fulham to promotion to the Premier League as Division One champions in 2000–01.