“There are men who leave an indelible trace in a club”. Jean-Luc Ettori is a sacred legend of AS Monaco and the Principality club pays him a beautiful tribute for his 70th anniversary (he was born on July 29, 1955). The former goalkeeper simply holds the record of matches played with the Red and White, namely 755 all competitions from 1975 to 1994. His 602 championship games make him the second most cape player in the history of the D1 behind Mickaël Landreau (618 matches).
A native of Marseille formed at the INF Vichy, the porter of only 1.73 m quickly imposed itself on the rock and was the emblematic goalkeeper of the ASM for 17 seasons! He did not know any other club! Ettori was champion of France three times, in 1978, 1982 and 1988, respectively under the orders of Lucien Leduc, Gérard Banide and Arsène Wenger and raised the Coupe de France on as many times (1980, 1985 and 1991), by reaching the final of the 1992 Cup Cup (2-0 defeat against the Werder Bremen).
Jean-Luc Ettori was also French international (9 selections), but his history is quite terrible. After the coronation of the Monegasques in 1982, the goalkeeper was selected in the group of Michel Hidalgo for the World Cup in Spain and, while the place of number 1 is played between Dominique Dropsy and Jean Castaneda, it is Ettori, a single selection, which is enthusiast with the general surprise.
Ettori, the goalkeeper of France-RFA 82
“There was a place in the selection for a goalkeeper. I was 27 years old, I was selected and appointed holder. When you are a competitor, the objective is to participate in the biggest meetings, it is necessarily part of it. We had no pressure, we were not expected at this level even if I could have given more, I only have good memories. We are only four French guards to have played a semi-final ”he recalls, in The New Republic.
Too nervous, the goalkeeper takes the entrance water against England (3-1), in Bilbao, but his coach keeps him in the goals. Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse, Dominique Rocheteau or Bernard Genghini (which then formed the magic square of the Blues before the arrival of Luis Fernandez) qualified in the semi-finals to offer the famous nightmare of Seville against West Germany (3-3, Tab: 5-4). Ettori does not shine during the penalty shootout, the only Uli Stielike missing his Peno.
The Blues with Ettori, Captain Treasure, Bossis in Defense, the magic square of the time Tigana-Genghini-Giress-Platini and Lacombe in number 9.
A few weeks later during a friendly match against Poland, Ettori was maintained by Hidalgo but took four goals and the Parc des Princes Conspue. He will no longer replay as a French team due to the takeover of Joël Bats, not being called during the coronation at Euro 1984 or in the 1986 World Cup until 3rd place. Paradoxically, it was after this summer 82 nightmarish that Jean-Luc Ettori became the emblematic goalkeeper of ASM. He was even elected Gold Star from France Football in 1990.
