Roger Lemerre, 85, reunites with France at Stade Roi-Baudouin twenty-five years after Euro 2000

Roger Lemerre, France’s head coach during the 2000 European Championship triumph, was present at Stade Roi-Baudouin in Brussels for the Belgium-France match, in the very stadium where he had guided his players to the Euro 2000 final against Portugal. At 85 years old, the retired coach now lives in the Brussels area and made the trip with his family.

It was Bixente Lizarazu, commentator and former France left-back, who made this reunion public by highlighting it at half-time. “The immense pleasure of seeing our coach Roger Lemerre in this stadium,” wrote the Basque player, who had shared the European Championship title with him. Lemerre’s presence in Brussels was not a first: he had already attended a match between the two nations in October 2024.

Stade Roi-Baudouin — formerly Heysel — holds particular significance in recent France history. It was there that Zinédine Zidane, recalled the day before in a press conference by Fabien Barthez, converted a penalty in the 117th minute to eliminate Portugal (2-1, golden goal), after Abel Xavier’s handball on his goal line. The final, played in Rotterdam, saw David Trezeguet secure the title for France against Italy with another golden goal (2-1).

Roger Lemerre’s career remains unique in international football history. First assistant to Aimé Jacquet at Euro 1996 and the 1998 World Cup, he was promoted to head coach and led France to the European title in 2000. He is also the only coach to have achieved the double of European Championship–Africa Cup of Nations, the latter won with Tunisia in 2004. His tenure ended, however, in disappointment at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, where the defending world champions were eliminated in the first round.