Luis Fernández

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Fernandez was born in Tarifa, Spain, and moved to France with his parents at age nine. He began playing football at the AS Minguettes and became a naturalized French citizen in 1981. He signed his first professional contract at age 19 with Paris Saint-Germain. After the elimination from the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and just after he had won the Division 1 championship with PSG, Fernandez made the decision to join Jean-Luc Lagardère's team Racing Club de Paris. However, in spite of a team that was strong on paper, the club and Fernandez did not succeed, and he left Racing after three seasons. From Racing, Fernandez joined Cannes in 1989. At club level, Cannes was relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the 1991–92 season, but Fernandez decided to remain with the club and end his career when his contract expired. A few weeks, however, Cannes named Fernandez its manager, and so he finished the season as player-manager, leading Cannes back to Division 1 at the end of the season. He then retired from playing professionally to become a full-time manager.

In Their Own Story

The turning point of his managerial career arrived in December 2000 when Fernandez returned to PSG, succeeding Philippe Bergeroo at a club sitting 12th in the table. He immediately steadied the ship, finishing ninth and securing qualification for the 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup, which PSG won on away goals against Brescia. His first spell as manager had already produced legendary moments: leading the team to the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League semi-finals by eliminating Johan Cruyff's FC Barcelona, and capturing the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue in the same year. The pinnacle came in 1996 when he guided PSG to their first European honor, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, defeating Rapid Vienna. Even after a rocky start at Espanyol in November 2003, where they sat last with five points from ten games, he saved them from relegation with dramatic late goals against Real Murcia.

Reader's Guide

Fernandez quickly established himself as an expert in winning the ball, but also capable of precise passing, and at the end of 1982, he was called up for the France national team and debuted against the Netherlands on 10 November 1982. At age 23, Fernandez was immediately an important part of the team that only months earlier had been semi-finalists of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He formed the national midfield with such France national team greats as Jean Tigana in the central midfield, and the offensive players Alain Giresse and Michel Platini, a midfield that became known as the 'magic square'. With the national team, Fernandez won UEFA Euro 1984 at home in France, and reached the semi-final of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Fernandez was still a part of the France national team in spite of a declining physique. Not a starting player under new national team manager Michel Platini, Fernandez would play the role of a late joker, with the job to clinch a result at the end of the match and successfully helped France to overcome Spain, the country of his birth, to qualify for the UEFA Euro 1992. Fernandez took part in Euro 1992, where France were eliminated in the group stage, and Fernandez decided to end his international career.

Did You Know?

• Fernandez moved to France with his parents at age nine, not age 17 as previously stated.
• He signed his first professional contract with PSG at age 19, not age 18.
• After PSG, he joined Jean-Luc Lagardère's team Racing Club de Paris, not Matra Racing.