57 Facts About Michel Platini

1.

Michel Francois Platini was born on 21 June 1955 and is a French football administrator and former player and manager.

2.

Michel Platini was a key player of the France national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top scorer and best player, and reached the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

3.

Michel Platini was his country's record goalscorer until 2007, and held the record for most goals scored in the European Championship until being surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021, despite only appearing in the victorious 1984 edition.

4.

Michel Platini held the positions of chairman of FIFA's Technical and Development Committee and vice-president of the French Football Federation.

5.

Anna's family has its roots in the province of Belluno, while Aldo's father, Francesco Michel Platini, was an immigrant from Agrate Conturbia, in the province of Novara, and settled in France shortly after the end of the First World War.

6.

Aldo was a professional footballer and a long-time director for AS Nancy, the club where Michel Platini started his professional career.

7.

Michel Platini was called up for a trial with Metz, but missed out on the opportunity due to injury, and was not immediately invited back after the Metz coach moved to another club.

8.

Michel Platini then joined the reserve side of his father's club Nancy in September 1972, and became friends with team goalkeeper Jean-Michel Moutier.

9.

Michel Platini was quick to make a big impression at his new club, scoring a hat-trick in a reserve team match against Wittelsheim.

10.

Michel Platini missed the remainder of the season as a result, unable to assist Nancy in an unsuccessful bid to avoid relegation from Ligue 1.

11.

Michel Platini became the team's most important player, scoring 17 goals, a number of which were scored from free-kicks, as was becoming Michel Platini's specialty.

12.

Michel Platini practised his free-kicks with the help of his friend, goalkeeper Moutier, and using a row of dummies to form a defensive wall of sorts.

13.

Press reports claimed that Michel Platini's season was over and that he would require a knee operation, but neither claim proved to be correct.

14.

In spite of his injuries and the boos that would greet him, Michel Platini maintained his pranksterish sense of humour.

15.

Michel Platini won the French league title in 1981 with Les Verts, but was on a losing Saint-Etienne side in two French Cup finals, against Bastia in 1981 and against Paris Saint-Germain in 1982, in what was his last match for the club before joining Juventus.

16.

Michel Platini left for a nominal transfer fee despite being out of contract and no fee being necessary under French regulations at the time.

17.

At Juventus, Michel Platini inherited the number 10 shirt from the recently departed Liam Brady.

18.

Michel Platini was a target in the demanding Italian sports media, and even came close to leaving Italy in the winter of his first season.

19.

Michel Platini won the Serie A title with Juventus in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984, the 1984 European Super Cup, the European Cup in 1985 and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup.

20.

Michel Platini finished top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons, and won a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards.

21.

Michel Platini was voted Player of the Year by World Soccer magazine in 1984 and 1985.

22.

Michel Platini scored the only goal of the match from a penalty kick, which had been controversially awarded for a foul just outside the area on Zbigniew Boniek, after the Frenchman had met his run behind the defence towards goal with a long ball.

23.

Michel Platini made his first appearance for a French national selection playing for the French amateur side on 26 September 1973.

24.

Michel Platini was assigned to the Joinville battalion, as were all talented French sportspeople fulfilling their military obligations.

25.

Michel Platini would turn out for the French military team, in addition to representing the French under-23s and the French Olympic team.

26.

Michel Platini was a member of the French football team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

27.

The French team completed the group stage with a draw against Israel, Michel Platini scoring from a penalty.

28.

Michel Platini beat Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff from two direct free-kicks, the first being ruled out because the referee had not blown his whistle.

29.

The re-taken free-kick was blocked by the defensive wall, but minutes later Michel Platini had the ball in the Italian net from another free-kick.

30.

Zoff attempted to anticipate the flight of the ball by positioning himself on the left side of the goal, only for Michel Platini to find the unguarded area of the net with his free-kick, leaving Zoff rooted to the spot.

31.

Michel Platini was nonetheless made captain of the French national side after the World Cup and made the number 10 jersey his own.

32.

Michel Platini was a player who used his head in the broader sense.

33.

In 1984, Michel Platini captained France to success in the European Championship on home soil.

34.

Michel Platini scored the winner in France's opening match against Denmark, and scored one "perfect" hat-trick against Belgium as France topped their first-round group with three wins out of three.

35.

Michel Platini did not take part in the 1982 or 1986 World Cup third-place matches.

36.

Michel Platini made his last appearance for France on 29 April 1987, in a European Championship qualifier at home to Iceland, a few weeks before announcing his retirement from all football.

37.

In doing so, Michel Platini completed the rare feat of appearing for more than one country at full international level.

38.

Michel Platini used to say, 'We're not going to compete in the 5,000 metres at the Olympics, we have to play with our feet.

39.

Michel Platini is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, and is regarded as one of the finest passers in football history, as well as one of the best ever penalty kick and free kick specialists to have played the game.

40.

When taking free kicks, Michel Platini usually preferred to strike the ball from a distance of around 20 metres from the goal, with a direct kick which had not been touched by a teammate first; his unique free kick technique, which often involved him hitting the ball over the wall, influenced many other specialists, such as Alessandro Del Piero, and Andrea Pirlo.

41.

Michel Platini knows everything there is to know about football.

42.

Michel Platini was, along with Fernand Sastre, head of the organizing committee for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, held in France.

43.

Michel Platini served on the UEFA Technical Development Committee from 1988 to 1990.

44.

Michel Platini has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee and European member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 2002.

45.

Michel Platini continued to climb the ranks of UEFA and FIFA football administration and in 2006, became a chairman of the FIFA Technical and Development Committee, while being vice-president of the French Football Federation.

46.

Michel Platini confirmed that he would run for the UEFA presidency in July 2006.

47.

Michel Platini based his speech on virtues of solidarity and universality.

48.

Michel Platini has recently backed the 6+5 idea, six home-grown players and five foreign players to be introduced in top-flight teams in Europe.

49.

Michel Platini has stated that he wants to reduce the number of Italian, Spanish, and English teams that participate in the UEFA Champions League to a maximum of three instead of four.

50.

Michel Platini has talked about banning clubs from the competition based on the debts of the clubs.

51.

On 8 October 2015, Michel Platini was provisionally suspended until 6 January 2016 from any football-related activity.

52.

The committee said Michel Platini "did not show commitment to an ethical attitude" and lacked respect for laws and regulations of the organization.

53.

Michel Platini was involved in the Greek public polemica regarding the 2015 Greek football scandal.

54.

On 18 May 2018, Michel Platini said that the 1998 FIFA World Cup draw was fixed to ensure France and Brazil could not face each other until the final if both teams won their groups.

55.

In June 2019, Michel Platini was questioned over the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

56.

On 9 July 2010, the day before the third place play-off of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Michel Platini collapsed at a restaurant in the Michaelangelo Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.

57.

Michel Platini was rushed to the Morningside Medi-Clinic with a suspected heart attack after having received first aid care by a Brazilian radio director who was sitting at a table next to him.