Christian Jeanpierre ended up being exceeded by his successor Grégoire Margotton. Journalist at the TF1 sports service for more than 30 years, “CJP” commented on the French team from 2000 to 2016, first as a lining of Thierry Roland and Thierry Gilardi then as number 1, from 2008, alongside Bixente Lizarazu and Arsène Wenger. Jeanpierre was 95 meetings from the Blues when he was replaced in this position by Grégoire Margotton in March 2016.
Nine years later, Grégoire Margotton commented on his 96th match of the French team on television and thus became the fourth commentator of the Blues behind Jean-Michel Larqué (263 matches from 1981 to 2012 on Antenne 2, TF1 and M6), Thierry Roland (246 matches on Antenne 2, M6, ORTF, RTF and TF1 from 1961 to 2011) Lizarazu (154 matches on TF1 and TMC from 2010 to 2024). The figures are given by the site Chroniquesbleues.fr.
Sometimes mocked by football followers, because less sharp than Thierry Gilardi and less emblematic than Thierry Roland -but much more professional than some -, Christian Jeanpierre had been relegated by TF1 as Euro 2016 approaches. He thus formed the second duo of commentators, especially in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with Rudi Garcia as a consultant.
Christian Jeanpierre, a departure in pain
But TF1 then weld it without much respect when the Euro 2000 approaches. “He would have recently been noted his dismissal by François Pellissier, the boss of the advertising management and TF1 sports, and the discussions would now take place between lawyers”could we read in the columns of
The team In March 2020. The front page had only 12 games from the European championship (also broadcast by M6) and took the opportunity to fire Christian Jeanpierre, then 54 years old.
Far from Roland, Margotton and Jeanpierre, there is a Thierry Gilardi with “only” 42 commented matches of the Blues, at the microphone of Canal+ and TF1 from 1990 to 2008 (C+ also broadcast the meetings of the 98 World Cup). Still according to ChroniclesMichel Drucker, Michel Denisot, Didier Roustan and Denis Balbir have 24, 19, 16 and 15 commented matches of the EDF respectively.
