As Aimé Jacquet celebrates his 82nd birthday, the coaching career of the man who would put France on the roof of the world in 1998 started with tears and a taste of betrayal.
Aimé Jacquet entered the history of French football on July 12, 1998 by leading the Blues to their first world title after a dream match against Brazil. His entry into the coaching profession was much more discreet. Only one year after the end of his career, the former Stéphanois took the reins of Olympique Lyonnais in February 1976, succeeding Aimé Mignot, who left after having been there for almost eight long years. A difficult succession to assume for the native of Sail-Sous-Couzan, in the Loire.
Raymond Domenech, who then played for OL, remembered his beginnings as a coach on the occasion of his 80the birthday. “Do you remember?” Yes, of course, who can forget the day when we threw ourselves headlong into this crazy profession. 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. 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”he wrote in the columns of The Team in a testimony full of emotion.
“Some saw nothing but weakness. I understood that the weight of responsibilities was not the trigger. It was more a vague feeling of betrayal for the one who had brought you in and whom you replaced, he added. 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. From that dark evening, to a world champion title, you remained the same.”
