Platini, Michel (1955-… ), is a French former professional soccer player, coach, and executive. Platini is considered one of the greatest players in soccer history. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, he starred for professional clubs in France and Italy . Platini’s best years were spent with Juventus FC in Turin , Italy. FC stands for football club. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Platini, known sometimes by the nickname “le Roi” (the King), also starred for the French national team, commonly known as les Bleus (the Blues). A midfielder, Platini was a leading scorer and one of the game’s best playmakers. In soccer, a playmaker controls a team’s offense, often coordinating scoring chances through precise passing. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials) .
Platini was born on June 21, 1955, in Joeuf, Lorraine , in northeastern France. His father, Aldo, played professional soccer and was a director for the nearby professional club AS Nancy . AS stands for association sportive (sporting association). Michel began playing for his hometown youth club, AS Joeuf, in 1966. In 1972, Platini moved up to AS Nancy, a team he led to a Coupe de France (French Cup, France’s premier soccer tournament) title in 1978. He transferred to Saint-Étienne in 1979, leading that team to consecutive Coupe de France finals.
Platini joined Juventus in 1982, where he led Italy’s top soccer league, Serie A, in scoring the next three seasons. His efforts earned him the European Footballer of the Year award in 1983, 1984, and 1985. Juventus won the Serie A title in 1984 and 1986 and the European Cup (an annual club tournament now called the Champions League ) in 1985.
Platini played for the French national team from 1976 through 1987, appearing in three FIFA World Cups (1978, 1982, and 1986). FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Platini led France to a European Championship in 1984.
Platini retired from professional soccer in 1987, but, upon the request of the Kuwaiti emir, he appeared for Kuwait in one match in 1988. Platini coached the French national team from 1988 to 1992, when he became cochairman of the organizing committee for the 1998 World Cup in France.
Platini joined the FIFA Executive Committee in 2002 and helped organize the 2006 World Cup in Germany . He was elected Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president in 2007 and later became FIFA vice president. In 2015, Platini was one of several FIFA officials implicated in a vast corruption scandal. He was forced to step down as both FIFA vice president and head of UEFA.
