Dominique Rocheteau

Dominique Rocheteau is one of the greatest legends of French football, a very fast and technical winger, he was one of the most striking faces in the history of French football.

Trophies

185

Goals

573

Games

1972/80 Saint-Etienne (FRA) 199 matches, 56 goals

(French Championship: 153 matches, 51 goals)

(French Cup: 23 matches, 2 goals)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 14 matches, 3 goals)

(Cup Winners' Cup: 2 matches)

(UEFA Cup: 5 matches)

(Intertoto Cup: 2 matches)

1980/87 Paris SG (FRA) 255 matches, 100 goals

(French Championship: 204 matches, 83 goals)

(French Cup: 39 matches, 14 goals)

(Champions Challenge: 1 match)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 2 matches)

(Cup Winners' Cup: 6 matches)

(UEFA Cup: 3 matches, 3 goals)

1987/89 Toulouse FC (FRA) 70 matches, 14 goals

(French Championship: 60 matches, 11 goals)

(Coupe de France: 6 matches, 1 goal)

(UEFA Cup: 4 matches, 2 goals)

With the National Team :

49 caps, 15 goals

(Friendly matches: 20 caps, 6 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 11 caps, 5 goals)

(World Cup: 10 caps, 4 goals)

(Euro qualifiers: 6 caps)

(Euro: 2 caps)

1st cap: September 3, 1975 against Iceland (3-0)

Last cap: June 21, 1986 against Brazil (1-1)

Fifa XI: 1 cap

European selection: 1 cap

From injuries to becoming the greatest hope of French football

Dominique Rocheteau was born on January 14, 1955 in Saintes, France. In 1966, he started playing football in the local club, very quickly he impressed with his qualities as a dribbler and scorer. It was finally Pierre Garonnaire, recruiter at the time for the ASSE club, who was the first to definitively believe in him. First in the ASSE B team, he made his professional debut on September 29, 1972 against Nancy.

Unfortunately, the young player struggled to assert himself because of several injuries that prevented him from playing in a series of matches. It was finally during the 1975/76 season that injuries would let him down a little. In the championship, he scored 4 doubles, against Marseille, Sochaux, Bastia and Lille, four great teams of the time. He then became the darling of the team, especially since he was decisive in the Champions League, scoring 3 goals, including the feat in the quarter-final against the great Dynamo Kiev.

He scored this goal following a stratospheric overflow and a cross back from Patrick Revelli. For the record, he had asked to leave the field a few minutes before, completely exhausted. Robert Herbin just asked him to stay on the lookout for a good ball. It was the right choice.

In the semi-final, he scored a goal that was disallowed for offside, a questionable offside, but which did not prevent ASSE from reaching the Champions League final, Rocheteau was then 21 years old and had already been a French international since 1975.

Injured at the end of the match during the semi-final return leg, he only played 8 short minutes in the Champions League final, described as a cursed match for the French club, he lost the final but became an idol of the French public who already saw him as one of the best players in the country. Even crazier, he is already one of the best players in the world in his position, he is also part of the bronze eleven of the year 1976.

Great legend of ASSE

Until 1980, he plays under the green jersey of ASSE, becoming a legend there, in total, he scores 56 goals in 199 games for his first club, with a crazy 1978/79 season, still in the position of right winger, he has a season with 24 goals and 12 assists in 45 league games, simply impressive.

With ASSE, he wins 3 French championships and 3 French Cups. An almost perfect passage. His departure will also be made because of deteriorating relations with the club's leaders. He finally decides to join the Paris Saint-Germain club of which he will become one of the first legends.

Legend of PSG and the French national team

At PSG, he discovered a new position, that of center forward, the Parisian adventure was also a great success, 255 matches for 100 goals. But above all 2 French Cups won and a title of champion of France in 1986.

His career with the French team is also legendary. After his debut in September 1975 against Iceland during an easy 3-0 victory, he became an undisputed starter for the national team, participating in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups alongside Michel Platini. He wrote one of the most beautiful pages of the French team by finishing 4th then 3rd in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

Unfortunately, during Euro 1984, he became a substitute for Bernard Lacombe and was content with a few minutes of play against Belgium and Yugoslavia. He won the tournament and retired from international football in 1986 after the superb French World Cup.

At PSG, he became a club legend, becoming the first player to reach the symbolic 100-goal mark. And in 1987, after 7 years in the French capital, he joined Toulouse FC but despite the confidence of his coach, disappointed, scoring 14 goals in 70 games. He therefore hung up his boots for good in 1989, at the age of 34.

Dominique Rocheteau will be remembered by the French and European public for his 15 goals with the French team but also his 8 goals in European competition. An incredible dribbler, he had the ability to accelerate on his side, make a pass and then attempt a center, often dangerous.