Aimé Jacquet, the coach of the 1998 world champion Blues, has always known how to maintain his humanity and his respect for others. Even at the height of his career, he was a model of simplicity and modesty.
Aimé Jacquet is known for having led the France team to victory during the 1998 World Cup. But his beginnings as a coach were much more discreet. In 1976, a year after hanging up his boots, the former AS Saint-Etienne and Olympique Lyonnais player was appointed coach of the Rhone club, replacing Aimé Mignot, who had been relieved of his duties after almost eight years at the head of Les Gones. This succession was difficult to assume for the Auvergnat, then aged 33 and who had no significant coaching experience. Raymond Domenech, who then played for OL, recounted the beginnings of the French technician in a testimony published in The Team.
“From that dark evening, to a world champion title, you remained the same”
“It was under the vaults of the Gerland stand, in these dark locker rooms oozing humidity, with this saltpeter, these low-ceilinged locker rooms lit by long pale neon lights, Domenech said. The old coach, the other Aimé, Mignot this one, had just been dismissed and you had been asked to replace him to lead those who were only your partners the day before. I no longer remember the exact words you said, but I still share your emotion and I see the tears on your cheeks. »
Rennes, Terrier tells the truth about Genésio https://t.co/REtAwGmpWl
— French Football Weekly (@foot365) November 27, 2023
The Lyonnais explained that Jacquet’s tears were not due to the weight of responsibilities, but rather to a vague feeling of betrayal for Mignot, who had brought him to OL. “Some saw nothing but weakness. I understood that the weight of responsibilities was not the trigger. It was more of a vague feeling of betrayal for the one who brought you in and whom you replaced.. A feeling that honors you and that I also felt, not yet knowing that it was the link that unites respectful coaches. The rest of your career will prove that humanity and respect for others were not a facade, added Domenech. From that dark evening, to a world champion title, you remained the same.”
