 Kombouaré asLens manager in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antoine Krilone Kombouaré[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-11-16)16 November 1963 (age 62)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Nouméa,[2] New Caledonia, France | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1975–1983 | WS Plum Nouméa[3] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1990 | Nantes | 177 | (4) |
| 1990–1995 | Paris Saint-Germain | 106 | (3) |
| 1995–1996 | Sion | 25 | (7) |
| 1996–1998 | Aberdeen | 44 | (3) |
| 1998–1999 | RC Paris | 24 | (4) |
| Total | 376 | (21) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2003 | Paris Saint-Germain B | ||
| 2003–2004 | Strasbourg | ||
| 2005–2009 | Valenciennes | ||
| 2009–2011 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 2012–2013 | Al Hilal | ||
| 2013–2016 | Lens | ||
| 2016–2018 | Guingamp | ||
| 2019 | Dijon | ||
| 2019–2020 | Toulouse | ||
| 2021–2023 | Nantes | ||
| 2024–2025 | Nantes | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Antoine Krilone Kombouaré (French pronunciation:[ɑ̃twankɔ̃bwaʁe]; born 16 November 1963) is a French professionalfootball manager and former player who was most recently the head coach ofLigue 1 clubNantes.
Born in theFrench overseas territory ofNew Caledonia, Kombouaré began his career at local club WS Plum Nouméa inNouméa in 1975, before moving to mainland France withNantes in 1983.[4] He later joinedParis Saint-Germain in 1990. At the Parisian club, he became famous for a winning header he scored in the dying seconds of aUEFA Cup quarter-final match againstReal Madrid during the1992–93 season. The header qualified PSG for the next round with a 4–1 scoreline. Kombouaré had already scored a decisive goal in similar circumstances againstAnderlecht in the previous round. His habit of netting tie-deciding headers earned him the name of"Casque d'Or", which means "Golden Helmet" in French. In1994–95, during aUEFA Champions League quarter-final against Johan Cruyff'sBarcelona "dream team", Kombouaré captained PSG to a resounding and unexpected 2–1 win which qualified the French side for the semi-final, which they lost toAC Milan.[citation needed]
In all, Kombouaré spent five seasons in Paris, winning theCoupe de France in 1993 and 1995 and theCoupe de la Ligue in 1995. Kombouaré scored a penalty in the1993 Coupe de France Final.[5] He also played nine games in the title-winning side of 1993–94 underArtur Jorge. From 1992–93, he found his first-team appearances restricted by the presence of fellow defendersAlain Roche,Paul Le Guen andRicardo. Kombouaré became a cult hero among PSG fans for his habit of scoring last-minute winning goals and his presence and composure in big games.[citation needed]
Kombouaré signed for Swiss sideSion in 1995 for an undisclosed fee, then joinedAberdeen a year later for £300,000; he was signed by managerRoy Aitken to add experience to the shaky Aberdeen defence. He made 50 appearances for Aberdeen and scored three goals. He left Aberdeen in May 1998.
In 2003, Kombouaré was already being tipped to coach PSG, the club where he made his name as a player, and had spent four years coaching the reserves team with positive results. However, the arrival ofVahid Halilhodžić at the helm forced him to change his plans. He therefore joinedStrasbourg where he achieved an impressive 13th spot in the league, playing some good football along the way. However, a poor start to the2004–05 season prompted him to leave the Alsace-based club.[citation needed]
In July 2005, Kombouaré was appointed atValenciennes, then playing in thesecond tier of French football. In his first season, he led them to promotion to thetop flight, a level from which the club had been relegated in 1993. In the three seasons that followed, Kombouaré helped the club to stabilize itself at the top level of French football. He improved the club's position in every season: 14th in2006–07, 13th in2007–08 and 12th in2008–09, establishing his credentials as a coach who could achieve impressive results on a tight budget.[citation needed]
In May 2009, Kombouaré's former club PSG came calling back to him, offering him the position of manager. He accepted and signed a three-year contract, replacingPaul Le Guen, with whom he had played at Nantes and PSG.[6] In2009–10, the Parisian club, in spite of its new signings such asMevlüt Erdinç andGrégory Coupet, performed poorly in theleague and finished in mid-table. Kombouaré made up for this by leading the club to success in the Coupe de France, where they beatMonaco in thefinal.[citation needed]
In2010–11, he again led the club to theCoupe de France Final, which they lost to French championsLille. In theCoupe de la Ligue, PSG looked set for a final showdown with fierce rivalsMarseille, but were stunned byMontpellier in the semi-final. The side performed much better in theleague, finishing fourth in spite of a limited playing squad. The Parisians almost achieved qualification to theChampions League, but were let down by tiredness and an inability to perform when it mattered most.[citation needed] However, the attacking brand of football played under Kombouaré's guidance brought acclaim from both fans and writers for the capital club, with many people[who?] agreeing that PSG were playing their best football sinceLuis Fernández's first spell as coach between 1994 and 1996.[citation needed]
During the2011–12 season, PSG crashed out of theCoupe de la Ligue and theEuropa League during the first half of the season, and on 29 December 2011 – with his club top of the table – Kombouaré was sacked by PSG sporting directorLeonardo and replaced byCarlo Ancelotti, putting an end to much speculation about his position at the club. Despite holding top spot in Ligue 1 when he was sacked, the club ultimately finished as runners-up to champions Montpellier.[citation needed]
On 27 June 2012, it was confirmed that Kombouaré was appointed head coach of Saudi Arabian sideAl-Hilal on a one-year deal with an option for a second, but he was sacked on 31 January 2013.[citation needed]
On 18 June 2013, Kombouaré became manager ofLens, earning his team a promotion in his first season at the club after it finished in second place inLigue 2.[citation needed]
On 30 May 2016, Kombouaré became manager of Ligue 1 sideGuingamp. They finished the season in mid-table. On 6 November 2018, he was sacked due to poor results.[7]
On 10 January 2019, Kombouaré became manager ofDijon, replacingOlivier Dall'Oglio.[8] After winning the relegation play-off to keep Dijon in Ligue 1, he parted ways with the club on 9 June 2019,[9] with Stéphane Jobard taking over as manager on 20 June.[10]
On 14 October 2019, Kombouaré was appointed as manager ofToulouse.[11] On 6 January 2020, Toulouse dismissed Kombouaré as manager following the club's 1–0 loss toChampionnat National 2 sideSaint-Pryvé Saint-Hilaire in the Coupe de France. Under Kombouaré, the club had lost ten matches in a row, leading him to be dismissed and replaced byDenis Zanko.[12]
On 11 February 2021, Kombouaré signed with Ligue 1 side Nantes.[13] He joined the club during the second half of the season, helpingLes Canaris stay in Ligue 1. Nantes finished 18th in the league, and won the play-offs against Kombouaré's former side Toulouse.[14]
In the2021–22 season, Kombouaré led Nantes to a Coupe de France victory. They defeatedNice 1–0 in the final.[15] In the2022–23 season, Kombouaré led Nantes to a second consecutive Coupe de France final, although they were eventually defeated 5–1 byToulouse.[citation needed]
On 18 March 2024, afterJocelyn Gourvennec was sacked, Kombouaré was re-appointed as the head coach of Nantes.[16]
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||
| Strasbourg | 1 July 2003 | 3 October 2004 | 49 | 10 | 18 | 21 | 51 | 68 | −17 | 020.41 |
| Valenciennes | 1 July 2005 | 1 June 2009 | 166 | 59 | 48 | 59 | 184 | 180 | +4 | 035.54 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1 June 2009 | 29 December 2011 | 134 | 61 | 39 | 34 | 205 | 138 | +67 | 045.52 |
| Al-Hilal | 27 June 2012 | 31 January 2013 | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 50 | 24 | +26 | 063.64 |
| Lens | 18 June 2013 | 30 May 2016 | 126 | 45 | 36 | 45 | 153 | 158 | −5 | 035.71 |
| Guingamp | 30 May 2016 | 6 November 2018 | 100 | 32 | 26 | 42 | 116 | 153 | −37 | 032.00 |
| Dijon | 10 January 2019 | 9 June 2019 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 032.00 |
| Toulouse | 14 October 2019 | 5 January 2020 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 30 | −17 | 015.38 |
| Nantes | 11 February 2021 | 9 May 2023 | 109 | 38 | 32 | 39 | 140 | 144 | −4 | 034.86 |
| Nantes | 18 March 2024 | 20 May 2025 | 44 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 50 | 68 | −18 | 025.00 |
| Total | 788 | 280 | 220 | 288 | 990 | 1,000 | −10 | 035.53 | ||
Paris Saint-Germain
Sion
Valenciennes
Paris Saint-Germain
Lens
Nantes
Individual
