Henri Michel

Henri Michel is certainly one of the best French players of his generation, a brilliant technician, he was an excellent playmaker despite a remote position on the field, between midfield, central defense and libero position.

Trophies

106

Goals

793

Games

1964/66 AS Aix (FRA) 40 matches, 3 goals

(French D2 Championship: 34 matches, 3 goals)

(Coupe de France: 6 matches)

1966/82 FC Nantes (FRA) 695 matches, 99 goals

(French Championship: 532 matches, 81 goals)

(Coupe de France: 68 matches, 10 goals)

(European Champion Clubs' Cup: 13 matches, 1 goal)

(Cup Winners' Cup: 12 matches, 2 goals)

(UEFA Cup: 12 matches, 1 goal)

With the National Team :

58 caps, 4 goals

(Friendly matches: 27 caps, 4 goals)

(World Cup qualifiers: 8 caps)

(World Cup: 2 caps)

(Euro qualifiers: 17 caps)

(Independence Cup: 4 caps)

1st cap: September 17, 1967 against Poland (4-1)

Last cap: November 11, 1980 against Cyprus (7-0)

Henri Michel

Born October 29, 1947 in Aix-en-Provence (FRA)

Died April 24, 2018 in Gardanne (FRA)

French, Defensive Midfielder, Libero, Center Back, 1m75

Nickname: Mickey

One of the most technical players in the history of French football

Henri Michel was born on October 29, 1947 in Aix-en-Provence in France, he also learned his trade in the youth teams in the south of France before joining in 1966, after already 2 professional seasons, the legendary club FC Nantes.

Arriving at the age of 19, he quickly became the symbol of the famous "jeu à la nantaise", a very fast and technical game, lobbed passes, fast dribbles, deep calls and triangle passes, Nantes FC became a legendary team of the 70s and especially one of the best in the world.

Becoming the team captain, Michel who plays as a defensive midfielder is far from the stereotypes of the time of this position which was intended to be rough and mainly for defensive purposes. Henri Michel is far from that, very technical, he has an exceptional quality of passing and dribbling, great qualities that make him the playmaker of the team. The player will also play in the positions of libero and central defender, but always with the main role of launching the balls in depth with his great precision.

Short passes, long passes, in depth, back, high or low to the ground, Henri Michel had a complete technical palette that led his team to improve over the years. Between 1973 and 1980, he won 3 French championships, and finished runner-up in the championship 4 times. He also won a French Cup. Also an excellent leader, he had the aura of a great player and a great captain, in a club whose evolution was essentially based on training, he embodied the Nantes spirit better than anyone.

His charisma commanded the respect of all, even his rivals, Robert Herbin, legend of AS Saint-Etienne and rival of FC Nantes would say: "Henri Michel is 100% Nantes. Having spent his entire career as a midfielder, it was ultimately quite logical that he would end it as a libero. This allows him to shine in this position where he uses his technique to always have a very precise recovery and where he uses his great experience and influence to place others. He also knows how to integrate well into his attack."

One of the greatest legends of French football

Throughout his career, Henri Michel will have moved down the field from defensive midfielder to central defender and libero, a position in which he can perfectly express his qualities. His championship won in 1980 was marked by a period when FC Nantes was simply one of the best teams in the world, signing an incredible record of invincibility at home, 92 matches without defeat in Nantes, between May 15, 1976 and April 7, 1981, a record that seems unbeatable today. After 16 years at FC Nantes, Henri Michel finally retired at the end of the 1981/82 season at the age of 36.

His career in the French team is just as exceptional, he honors his first selection in the French team at the age of 19 on September 17, 1967 against Poland. With Henri Michel, the team wins the match 4-1 and affirms a return to the forefront of world football. In 1978, he participates in the World Cup which takes place in Argentina, unfortunately the French team is directly eliminated from the group stages.

Henri Michel is then the main jewel of a French team which struggles to convince internationally and subsequently, the arrival of Michel Platini will gradually erase the genius gestures of Henri Michel, in particular on free kicks, which was a specialty of the Nantes player. In total, he participates in 58 matches for his country and scores 4 goals, becoming a legend of the selection.