Michel Hidalgo

Michel Hidalgo (; born 22 March 1933) is a French former football player and manager. He was the coach of the French national team from 1976 to 1984.

Career
Hidalgo grew up in Normandy, where he started playing football. He was named after Mexican patriot Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. He was champion of Normandie Juniors in 1952 with US Normande, before signing up to Le Havre's books for two seasons, later playing for Reims, with whom he played and scored a goal in the 1956 European Cup final 4–3 defeat by Real Madrid.

Under the wing of Rocher, who signed him for Monaco, he won two Ligue 1 titles and two national cup titles. Between 1964 and 1970, he presided the UNFP, a players' syndicate.

On 27 March 1976, he was appointed national team coach, replacing Stefan Kovacs and during a time when France were having difficulty in major tournaments. Included in his side was Michel Platini, who helped the side turn a new page in their book and get back to winning ways. In the 1982 FIFA World Cup he got to the semi-finals, where he lost to the West German side on penalties. In 1984, he won the European Football Championship beating Spain.

After his victory, he passed the reins over to Henri Michel and got a job as the Technical Director, where he remained until 1986, afterwards choosing a managerial position at Marseille. He is considered an idol among the Marseille supporters. He strayed from the limelight after 1991, taking a sidelining role as a football pundit on Demain, c'est foot, a football show on TMC Monte Carlo.

Honours

Player
 Reims
French Division 1: 1954–55
Trophée des champions: 1955
European Cup: Runner-up 1955–56

Monaco
French Division 1: 1960-61, 1962-63
Coupe de France: 1959-60, 1962-63
Trophée des champions: 1961

Manager
France
 UEFA European Championship: 1984
 FIFA World Cup: 4th place 1982

Individual
French Manager of the Year: 1982
European Coach of the Year—Sepp Herberger Award: 1984
World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 1984

References

 

Category:1933 births
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Nord (French department)
Category:French footballers
Category:Le Havre AC players
Category:Stade de Reims players
Category:AS Monaco FC players
Category:Ligue 1 players
Category:France international footballers
Category:French football managers
Category:France national football team managers
Category:French people of Spanish descent
Category:1978 FIFA World Cup managers
Category:1982 FIFA World Cup managers
Category:UEFA Euro 1984 managers
Category:UEFA European Championship-winning managers
Category:Expatriate football managers in the Republic of the Congo
Category:Congo national football team managers
Category:Association football midfielders
Category:French expatriate sportspeople in the Republic of the Congo