Michel Platini

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Lore & Background

Nicknamed Le Roi ("The King") for his ability and leadership, Platini was a prolific goalscorer. He won the Serie A capocannoniere award three consecutive times between 1983 and 1985, and was the top scorer of Juventus's victorious 1984–85 European Cup campaign. Platini was a key player of the France national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top scorer and best player, and reached the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Together with midfielders Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana, he formed the carré magique (magic square) of the French team in the 1980s. Platini was his country's record goalscorer until 2007, and held the record for most goals scored (9) in the European Championship until being surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021, despite only appearing in the 1984 tournament.

In Their Own Story

The 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels should have been the crowning moment of Platini's Juventus career, but was instead overshadowed by the Heysel Stadium disaster in which 39 people died, and 600 more were injured. It was decided to proceed with the match in order to avoid inciting any further trouble. After both captains had appealed for calm, the match began just under an hour and a half beyond schedule, with riot police still engaged in a pitched battle with Juventus fans. Platini scored the only goal of the match from a penalty kick, which had been controversially awarded for a foul just outside the area on Zbigniew Boniek.

Reader's Guide

Platini played for Nancy (1972–1979), Saint-Étienne (1979–1982), and Juventus (1982–1987). He won the French Cup with Nancy in 1978, the French league title with Saint-Étienne in 1981, and multiple honours with Juventus including the Serie A title in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984, the European Super Cup in 1984, the European Cup in 1985, and the Intercontinental Cup in 1985. After retiring as a player, he coached the France national team from 1988 to 1992 and co-organized the 1998 World Cup. He became UEFA president in 2007, the first former player to hold that office, and also served as chairman of FIFA's Technical and Development Committee and vice-president of the French Football Federation.

Did You Know?

• Platini was born on 21 June 1955 in Jœuf, Meurthe-et-Moselle, to parents of Italian ancestry.
• He began his professional career at Nancy, where his father Aldo was a long-time director.
• Platini scored a hat-trick in a reserve team match shortly after joining Nancy.
• He won the French Cup with Nancy in 1978, scoring the only goal in the final.
• Platini inherited the number 10 shirt at Juventus from Liam Brady.