The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine France Football since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but starting in 1996 French players playing abroad were in contention to win the trophy. Since 2001, former winners have elected the Player of the Year. [1]
In 2023, France Football changed the format of its award by changing its time frame from the calendar year to the football season. They also decided to introduce a French Player of the Year award for women's footballers. [2]
At the end of the 20th century, the magazine also voted on the French Player of the Century, won by Michel Platini. [1]
| Rank | Player | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michel Platini | 143 |
| 2 | Zinedine Zidane | 121 |
| 3 | Raymond Kopa | 88 |
| 4 | Laurent Blanc | 28 |
| 5 | Just Fontaine | 22 |
| 6 | Marius Trésor | 17 |
| 7 | Alain Giresse | 15 |
| 8 | Jean-Pierre Papin | 12 |
| 9 | Didier Deschamps | 9 |
| 10 | Eric Cantona | 8 |
Every year, the magazine elects the best French manager of the year. The jury is composed of former laureates. [1]
The France national football team represents France in men's international football. It is controlled by the French Football Federation, the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colours and imagery reference two national symbols: the French blue-white-red tricolour and Gallic rooster. The team is colloquially known as Les Bleus. They play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and train at Centre National du Football in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.
Didier Claude Deschamps is a French professional football manager and former player who was managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, namely Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed "the water-carrier", Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on 103 occasions and took part at three UEFA European Football Championships and one FIFA World Cup, captaining his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward, who is currently the head coach of Championnat National 3 club Marseille B. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1991.
Laurent Robert Blanc is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and currently head coach Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad. He has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills.
Football Club de Nantes, commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes, is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one large club. From 1992 to 2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes Atlantique before reverting to its current name at the start of the 2007–08 season. Nantes play in Ligue 1, the first division of Football in France. Nantes is one of the most successful clubs in French football, having won eight Ligue 1 titles, four Coupe de France wins and attained one Coupe de la Ligue victory.
Le Plus Grand Français de tous les temps was a France 2 show of early 2005, based on an original series of Great Britons on the BBC. The show asked the French viewers whom they thought was the Greatest Frenchman or Frenchwoman. It was presented by Michel Drucker and Thierry Ardisson, and the final episode was broadcast at the French Senate.
Aimé Étienne Jacquet is a French former professional football player and manager. He coached the France national team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, the country's first title.
France 98 is an association founded by the French footballers who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They organise charity and testimonial matches for former players.
Raynald Denoueix is a French football manager and former player.
Alex Hayes is a former sports journalist who specialised in football reporting in the UK and France. He previously worked for The Independent, TPS/Canal Plus and Sky Sports. He was then a respected football agent, whose clients included Robert Pires and Jérémie Aliadière. He also represented Eric Cantona in the UK. In October 2014, he became executive vice-president of Ligue 1's FC Lorient. He left the role in September 2017. In May 2018, he became the Sporting Director of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, a Brussels-based football club then owned by Brighton chairman Tony Bloom. Hayes is widely credited for launching the club’s incredible success story by finding and totally remodelling the training ground as well as recruiting the then unknown manager Luka Elsner. In 2019, Hayes opted to move to another Belgian club, RE Virton, leading them to their best ever season in 2019-20 when they finished first at the end of the regular season. In 2021, Hayes decided to set up his new sports consultancy, which advises some of the world’s biggest clubs as well as one of the game’s most exciting young managerial talents, Will Still.
The history of the France national football team dates back to 1904. The national team, also referred to as Les Bleus, represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA.
The France national football team manager was first established on 25 April 1964 following the appointment of the country's first national football team manager Henri Guérin. Before this, the France national football team was selected by a selection committee, a process in which the French Football Federation would select coaches and trainers from within the country or abroad to prepare the side for single games and tournaments, but with all decisions ultimately remaining under the control of the committee. From 1904–1913, the USFSA headed the committee, which was referred to as the Commission Centrale d'Association. The committee was controlled by André Espir and André Billy and featured little to no physical preparation for upcoming matches. In 1913, the Comité Français Interfédéral, a precursor to the French Football Federation, took over the committee following the USFSA becoming affiliated with the organization and secretary general Henri Delaunay took control.
This list of France national football team records contains statistical accomplishments related to the France national football team, its players, and its managers. The France national team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation and competes as a member of UEFA.
Jean-Pierre Bernès is a French football agent and former football executive. He was general manager of Olympique de Marseille from 1989 to 1994, and resigned in the aftermath of the French football bribery scandal. Bernès has been an agent for multiple international footballers including Franck Ribéry and Didier Deschamps.
The Institut National du Football de Vichy, more commonly known as INF Vichy, was a football academy based in Vichy, France. Founded in 1972 by the French Football Federation, it was dissolved in 1990. The academy had a team that competed in the Division 3.
The 2022–23 Ligue 1, also known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, was the 85th season of the Ligue 1, France's premier football competition. It began on 5 August 2022 and concluded on 3 June 2023.
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