| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcel Arthur Desrousseaux | ||
| Date of birth | (1907-12-13)13 December 1907 | ||
| Place of birth | Tourcoing, France | ||
| Date of death | 3 July 1974(1974-07-03) (aged 66) | ||
| Place of death | Roubaix, France | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1926–1928 | US Tourcoing | ||
| 1928–1932 | CA Messin | ||
| 1932–1933 | US Tourcoing | ||
| 1933–1944 | Excelsior | ||
| International career | |||
| 1935–1937 | France | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1953–1955 | CO Roubaix-Tourcoing | ||
| 1963–1964 | CO Roubaix-Tourcoing | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Marcel Arthur Desrousseaux (13 December 1907 – 3 July 1974) was a Frenchfootballer who played as amidfielder forExcelsior and theFrench national team in the 1930s.
Born inTourcoing on 13 December 1907, Desrousseaux began his career at his hometown clubUS Tourcoing, where, in 1926, at the age of 19, he was already playing as a starter in the quarter-finals of the1925–26 Coupe de France againstOlympique de Marseille, which ended in a 2–4 loss.[1] Two years later, on 28 May 1928, he started in the final of the French Championship, which they lost toStade Français.[2]
In 1928, Desrousseaux joinedCA Messin, with whom he played for four years, until 1932,[3] helping his side win the 1929 and 1931Lorraine Football League.[4] In 1932, he returned to US Tourcoing, but the following season, he joined Excelsior, with whom he played for over a decade, from 1933 until his retirement in 1944, aged 37.[3][5]
On 27 October 1935, the 27-year-old Desrousseaux made his international debut for France in afriendly againstSwitzerland atGeneva, which ended in a 1–2 loss.[6] He had to wait two years for his second (and last) internationalcap on 10 October 1937, another friendly against Switzerland, helping his side to a 2–1 win at theParc des Princes.[6] The following day, he was harshly criticized by the journalists of the French newspaperL'Auto (currently known asL'Équipe), who stated that "he completely lacked the required authority to hold the position of center half of a national team, being often deceived and caught off guard", albeit partly because "he was hardly helped by his teammates, who neglected him".[7] The journalists ofMatch l'Intran, however" described his performance as "commendable", as he "flawlessly fulfilled the role assigned to him", despite making poor passes to the forwards.[8] He was believed to have been the only Desrousseaux who played for France until it was uncovered thatFernand Desrousseaux had wore the French jersey at the1908 Olympic Games inLondon.[9]
After retiring, Desrousseaux became acoach, taking overCO Roubaix-Tourcoing in January 1953, a position that he held for two years, until January 1955, being replaced byJean Baratte.[10] As a manager, he was described in a 1954Racing club de Strasbourg match programme as "an example of seriousness".[11]
Desrousseaux died inRoubaix on 3 July 1974, at the age of 66.[6]