.jpg) Hidalgo asFrance head coach in 1981 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michel François Hidalgo | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1933-03-22)22 March 1933 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Leffrinckoucke, Nord, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 26 March 2020(2020-03-26) (aged 87) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| US Normande | |||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1952–1954 | Le Havre | 47 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| 1954–1957 | Reims | 66 | (23) | ||||||||||||||
| 1957–1966 | Monaco | 256 | (26) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 369 | (62) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | France | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1984 | France | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Michel François Hidalgo (French pronunciation:[miʃɛlfʁɑ̃swaidalɡo]; 22 March 1933 – 26 March 2020) was a French professionalfootballer andmanager. He was the head coach of theFrance national team from 1976 to 1984, with whom he won theUEFA Euro 1984 on home soil, also reaching the semi-finals of the1982 FIFA World Cup.
Michel François Hidalgo[2] was born on 22 March 1933 inLeffrinckoucke, Nord.[1] He was born to a Spanish-born father and a French mother in northern France, and grew up inNormandy, where he started playingfootball.
Amidfielder, Hidalgo was champion of Normandie Juniors in 1952 with US Normande, before signing up toLe Havre's books for two seasons, later playing forReims, with whom he played and scored a goal in the 4–3 defeat toReal Madrid in the1956 European Cup Final, also winning aleague title in 1955.[3][4]
Under the wing of Rocher, who signed him forMonaco, Hidalgo won two league titles and twonational cup titles with Monaco. Between 1964 and 1970, he presided over theUNFP, a players'union.[citation needed]
At international level, Hidalgo was capped once for theFrance national team in 1962 in a friendly match againstItaly.[citation needed]
Hidalgo started managing theMonaco second team in 1967 and served as a player-manager withMenton from 1968 until 1969.[citation needed]
On 27 March 1976, he was appointedFrance national team head coach, replacingȘtefan Kovács – under whom he had previously served as an assistant – during a time when France was having difficulty in major tournaments. Included in his side wasplaymaker andcaptainMichel Platini, who helped the side turn a new page in their book and get back to winning ways. After suffering a first-round elimination at the1978 FIFA World Cup, in the1982 FIFA World Cup Hidalgo led the team to the semi-finals, where he lost to theWest German side on penalties following a 3–3 draw after extra-time; France eventually finished the tournament in fourth place. In 1984, he won theEuropean Championship on home soil, beatingSpain 2–0 in the final in Paris; this was France's first major international title. The exciting attacking style of football that he implemented with the France national side during this period was known as "champagne football" in the media. Hidalgo is also regarded as the architect of the French "carré magique" (magic square), which was nickname given to the creative and talented four-man midfield of the France national side during the 80s, which was made up of Michel Platini,Alain Giresse,Jean Tigana, andLuis Fernandez.[3][4][5][6][7]
After his victory, he passed the reins over to his assistantHenri Michel and got a job as the National Technical Director, where he remained until 1986, afterwards choosing a managerial position atMarseille. He is considered an idol among theMarseille supporters. He strayed from the limelight after 1991, taking a sidelining role as a football pundit onDemain, c'est foot, a football show onTMC Monte Carlo.[citation needed]
Hidalgo died on 26 March 2020 inMarseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, at the age of 87, after a lengthy struggle with a disease.[3][4]
Reims
Monaco
France
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