Icon of French football from the time when he shone on the football fields, Michel Platini had a complicated end to his adventure in France.
If the announced departure of Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain has caused a lot of talk to date, the striker is not the only French international to unleash passions. At the beginning of the 1980s, a certain Michel Platini also found himself at the center of all attention. After wearing the AS Nancy-Lorraine jersey for eight seasons, the native of Joeuf then took charge of AS Saint-Étienne. But after three years, the French midfielder chose to take the plunge by signing with Juventus. A decision that took a little time to mature, in a sometimes hostile climate.
The story is known to those who lived through the events, but The Team took charge this Sunday of refreshing memories by recounting this famous period preceding the departure of “Platoche” for Italian Calcio. And what the sports daily especially wanted to highlight was the often heavy atmosphere that surrounded Michel Platini before he announced his destination. Like what is happening today with Kylian Mbappé, Platini’s sporting future quickly excited fans. Thus, since 1977, there has been talk of its future. Already sent to Italy or England by some, number ten will remain in Nancy for two more years before choosing to wear the Greens jersey.
Jewel gone
However, and before the player signs for ASSE, the Italian clubs will not have given up during this period and Inter Milan will have been one of the most enterprising on the file. In France, supporters do not want to see their national gem fly to the other side of the Alps. The Team reports for example this survey published in the magazine France Football 2, which announces that 94.07% of readers purely and simply refused Platini’s departure for a foreign championship. An opinion visibly heard by the main interested party with this signing from Saint-Etienne in 1979. But after having extended for a year, Michel Platini this time decided to leave the French first division.
From then on, and as the sports daily recounts, the one who receives the Ballon d’Or three times (1983, 1984 and 1985) will suffer jeers from certain audiences in France throughout the season, the last straw coming during of a match between ASSE and Bastia, during which he chose to come out at the break after being insulted by the public and some of the Bastia players. He will sign two weeks later for Juventus. “ We had a gem and we didn’t always treat it very well », summarized Michel Hidalgo in 2015 in France Football.
