René Girard (footballer)

René Girard (born 4 April 1954) is a French football manager and former player.

René Girard
Girard in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1954-04-04) 4 April 1954 (age 70)[1]
Place of birth Vauvert, France
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1980 Nîmes 202 (27)
1980–1988 Bordeaux 241 (17)
1988–1991 Nîmes 92 (5)
Total 535 (49)
International career
1981–1982 France 7 (1)
Managerial career
1991–1994 Nîmes
1996–1997 Pau FC
1998 Strasbourg
2002–2003 France U19
2003–2004 France U16
2004–2008 France U21
2009–2013 Montpellier
2013–2015 Lille
2016 Nantes
2018 Wydad AC
2020–2021 Paris FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life

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Girard was born in Vauvert, Gard.[1]

Playing career

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Girard won seven caps, scoring one goal for France and was a member of the squad that finished fourth at the 1982 World Cup. At club level, while playing for Bordeaux, Girard won three Ligue 1 titles – in 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1986–87, as well as two Coupes de France, over Marseille in the 1986 and 1987 editions.[citation needed]

Coaching career

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Girard managed Nîmes, Strasbourg, Pau FC and multiple France youth teams. He coached the France national under-21 team from 2004 to 2008.[citation needed]

On 3 June 2009, he became the new head coach of Montpellier HSC, replacing Rolland Courbis. In the 2011–12 season, Montpellier shocked the footballing world by winning its first Ligue 1 title, finishing the season with 82 points, three more than runner-up Paris Saint-Germain. He said after his team won it. "I think our triumph is a real shot in the arm for French football.[3][4][5] "It just goes to show that everyone can beat everyone and that money isn't the be-all and end-all. We're a club of mates, a club that brings young players through and gives them a chance. "At the end of the day, it's worked out well for us. We played some great football, with a well-balanced team and I'm overwhelmed."[6][7][8]

He signed for Lille in July 2013, replacing Rudi Garcia who left for Roma.[9][10][11]

On 30 September 2018, he was appointed as the head coach of Moroccan club Wydad AC.[12]

Honours

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Player

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Bordeaux

Manager

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Montpellier

References

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  1. ^ a b "René Girard". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "René Girard". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Montpellier HSC crowned Champions of France". Frenchfootballweekly.com. 20 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Ireland are the Montpellier of international football – and other club v country statistics". Thejournal.ie. 23 May 2012.
  5. ^ "Louis Nicollin: Montpellier here to stay". Sportsmole.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Rene Girard: 'We deserved it'". Sportsmole.co.uk.
  7. ^ "Ligue 1: Magnificent Montpellier make history". Thejournal.ie. 21 May 2012.
  8. ^ "Montpellier Lift Le Championnat With Home Crowd". Frenchfootballweekly.com. 22 May 2012.
  9. ^ "Lille hires Rene Girard as coach, replacing Garcia". Boston Herald. 15 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Ligue 1: Lille confirm appointment of Rene Girard as their new coach – TEAMtalk | Football | World | Club News". TEAMtalk. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
  11. ^ "Lille appoint Rene Girard". Sports Mole. 15 June 2013.
  12. ^ Maroc : René Girard nouvel entraîneur du WAC Archived 2 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine, africandailyvoice.com, 1 October 2018
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