Despite a World Cup final, in 2006, Raymond Domenech remains one of the most divisive selectors of the last thirty years. Appointed at the head of the French team in 2004, Jacques Santini's successor has several pans in the eyes of the general public, such as her marriage proposal to Estelle Denis just after the elimination of Blues at Euro 2008 and her disastrous communication during the 2010 World Cup fiasco.
However, the former defender (73) did not leave only bad memories to his players. Djibril Cissé, who collaborated with him throughout his career, holds him in high esteem and has been able to forge a solid link with him. “Raymond, already, his brother was one of my first coaches in Arles. After I got it in selection and we talked about that, so we created a slightly more extra-football relationship ”he says in an interview with First Team Sportbroadcast on YouTube.
“I was also close to his nephew, who had an accident. We were called to get news and know how it was goinghe continues. Afterwards, I had it in less than 20 years, in hopes and then in A. So we followed. »» For the former Auxerre attacker, Raymond Domenech is a technician who really counted: “We have created a relationship, a link, I would not say as strong with Guy Roux, but in my career he is part of the top 3 of coaches with whom I really experienced things. »»
Raymond Domenech, “a very good coach”
And the former scorer (43), also passed by Liverpool, OM and Panathinaikos or Lazio, to estimate that he does not today have the recognition he deserves. “He was a trainer. At the time, we needed big titles, results at least validated by the public, and we could not do that with Raymond. After there were stories between Knysna and others ”, regrets Djibril Cissé, who is now a consultant with the former coach of the Blues on the L'Equipe channel.
“But in any case, for me, he is a very good coachhe judges. And I think that with a little luck, if we win the final against Italy in 2006, he could have taken this braid which makes us respect him more now because he would have been world champion. »» The story would have been beautiful. But for Raymond Domenech, she turned out to be cruel, the Habs, reduced to ten after the expulsion of Zinedine Zidane, bowing on penalties against the Nazional.
