Henri Michel, 638 matches and three titles: Nantes honours its departed legend

FC Nantes paid tribute to Henri Michel, one of the greatest figures in the history of the Canaries, on what would have been his 78th birthday, 28 October. Died on 24 April 2018 from cancer at the age of 70, the defensive midfielder remains forever etched in the club’s memory.

Born in Aix-en-Provence, Henri Michel joined FC Nantes at 19 after making his debut at AS Aixoise in the second division. He built a monumental career there: 638 matches in the yellow and green shirt, scoring 95 goals, making him the second most-capped player in the club’s history, behind goalkeeper Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes. An emblematic captain, he won three French championship titles — in 1973, 1977 and 1980 — as well as the Coupe de France in 1979, and reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1980 alongside Maxime Bossis, Éric Pécout and Loïc Amisse. In 2022, So Foot magazine ranked him 8th best player in French league history.

On the international stage, Henri Michel earned 58 caps for France between 1967 and 1980, notably participating in the 1978 World Cup alongside Michel Platini, Marius Trésor and Bernard Lacombe. After retiring as a player, he immediately embarked on a coaching career: manager of the France Olympic team, he won the gold medal at the Los Angeles Games in 1984, before taking charge of the Blues from 1984 to 1988 and guiding them to the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup, eliminating Brazil along the way.

His career on the bench continued at PSG in 1990-1991, then mainly on the African continent, where he successively managed Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, Raja Casablanca, Ivory Coast, Zamalek SC, Mamelodi Sundowns and Equatorial Guinea. A statue in his likeness now stands at the official entrance to the Stade de La Beaujoire, a lasting testament to what Henri Michel means to Nantes football.