Pascal Vahirua

Last updated

Pascal Vahirua
Pascal Vahirua.JPG
Personal information
Date of birth (1966-03-09) 9 March 1966 (age 57)
Place of birth Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia, France
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Mateiea
Vataka
1982–1985 Auxerre
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1985–1995 Auxerre 287 (53)
1995–1998 Caen 74 (4)
1998–2001 Atromitos
2001–2002 Tours 11 (1)
2002–2005 Stade Auxerrois
2005 Auxerre II
International career
1990–1994 France 22 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Pascal Vahirua (born 9 March 1966) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. His career was intimately connected with AJ Auxerre. Vahirua appeared for the France national team at Euro 1992.

Contents

Club career

Vahirua was born in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia. Discovered by legendary club manager Guy Roux, who was vacationing in the island, he moved to AJ Auxerre's youth academy in 1982, aged 16, going on to amass nearly 400 official appearances for the club in nine full professional seasons and making his Ligue 1 debut on 25 September 1984 in a 3–1 home win against Stade Brestois 29.

During the 90s, speedy Vahirua was part of a solid team whose attacking unit also included Gérald Baticle, Christophe Cocard and Corentin Martins. They reached the semi-finals of the 1992–93 UEFA Cup, losing on penalties to Borussia Dortmund. He left the team in 1995 – precisely the year they would go on to achieve a historic double – with only the 1994 edition of the French Cup to his credit.

In the following seven seasons, Vahirua represented Stade Malherbe Caen, Atromitos F.C. in Greece and Tours FC, retiring professionally in 2002. He played amateur football for three more years in the city of Auxerre, with neighbours Stade Auxerrois and AJ's reserves, after which he took charge of football development in the area, which included the club's youth sides.

International career

Vahirua earned his first cap for France on 21 January 1990, in a friendly home with Kuwait (1–0), and scored his only goal in another exhibition game, against Belgium in preparation for the UEFA Euro 1992 (3–3), on 25 March.

Summoned for the final stages by Michel Platini, the coach who also gave him his debut, Vahirua played twice in an eventual group stage exit, and was also part of the nation's infamous 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, in which they lost their last two home matches. With a total of 22 internationals, he was the first ever Polynesian to don the French shirt.

Personal life

Vahirua is cousin to another footballer and winger, Marama Vahirua. He was brought up in another famed academy in France, FC Nantes. [1]

Honours

Auxerre

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AJ Auxerre</span> Football club based in Auxerre, France

Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise, commonly known as AJ Auxerre or simply Auxerre, is a French professional football club based in the commune of Auxerre in Burgundy. The club was founded in 1905 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second division of French football. Auxerre plays its home matches at the Stade l'Abbé-Deschamps, on the banks of the Yonne River. The team is managed by Christophe Pélissier and captained by midfielder Birama Touré.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stade Rennais F.C.</span> Football club in Rennes, France

Stade Rennais Football Club, commonly referred to as Stade Rennais FC, Stade Rennais, Rennes, or simply SRFC, is a French professional football club based in Rennes, Brittany. Stade Rennes, used by certain English-speaking journalists to reference the city, is not a grammatically correct name for the club. They compete in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football, and play their home matches at the Roazhon Park. The team's president is Nicolas Holveck, and its owner is Artémis, the holding company of businessman François Pinault.

Alain Goma is a French former footballer who played as a right back or a central defender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurent Blanc</span> French association football player and manager

Laurent Robert Blanc is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname Le Président, which was given to him following his stint at Marseille in tribute to his leadership skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC Nantes</span> Association football club in France

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonaventure Kalou</span> Ivorian footballer

Bonaventure Kalou is an Ivorian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He serves as elected mayor of Vavoua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionel Charbonnier</span> French footballer and manager (born 1966)

Lionel André Michel Charbonnier is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. After retiring, he became a football manager and managed Aceh United of the Liga Primer Indonesia in the season before they folded along with their independent league.

Stéphane Pierre Yves Guivarc'h is a French former professional footballer who played as striker. He featured in the France squad that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil.

William Prunier is a French football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Bourges Foot 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Diomède</span> French association football player and manager

Bernard Nicolas Thierry Diomède is a French football manager and former professional player. He was most recently the manager of the France U20s. He played as a winger and won the World Cup with France in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Roux</span> French football player and manager

Guy Marcel Roux is a French former football player and manager known for being in charge of AJ Auxerre for more than 40 years and for leading the team to national and worldwide prominence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joël Bats</span> French footballer (born 1957)

Joël Bats is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent his entire senior club career in his native France, appearing in a total of 553 competitive club matches and 504 Division 1 matches for Sochaux, Auxerre and Paris Saint-Germain from 1976 to 1992. He made 50 appearances, 35 competitive matches and 15 friendly matches, for the France national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corentin Martins</span> French association football player and manager

Corentin da Silva Martins is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, currently manager of the Libya national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Mexès</span> French footballer (born 1982)

Philippe Mexès is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He represented Auxerre, Roma and AC Milan at club level during a career that spanned between 1999 and 2016. A full international between 2002 and 2012, he won 29 caps and scored one goal for the France national team and represented them at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup as well as UEFA Euro 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Rust (footballer)</span> French footballer and coach

Albert Rust is a former French footballer, who last worked as goalkeeper coach for AS Saint-Étienne.

Stéphane Mahé is a French former professional footballer and former manager of Saint Nazaire FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marama Vahirua</span> Tahitian footballer (born 1980)

Marama Vahirua is a Tahitian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career in France before finishing his professional career in Greece with Panthrakikos F.C. In July 2018, he became president of Tahitian club A.S. Dragon. Between 2013 and 2014, he was the technical director of the Tahitian Football Federation.

Franck Claude Silvestre is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre back.

Daniel Maurice Dutuel is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

Gérald Edmond Louis Baticle is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He was most recently the manager of Angers in Ligue 1.

References

  1. Tahiti, an island of possibilities; FIFA.com, 28 April 2011