Michel Platini (born 21 June 1955 in Lorraine, France) is a former French professional footballer known as the best midfielder of the 1980s, former president of UEFA and vice president of the French Football Association, and tied with Zidane as the best football superstar in French history. On June 18, 2019, Platini was arrested for being involved in a bribery case at the World Cup in Qatar.
Thin physique elegant temperament of the same era as Bailey Maradona
Platini's father, Aldo Platini, is of Italian descent and is a mathematics teacher at a secondary school in Lorraine, France, and a well-known amateur footballer in the area. As a child, Platini was very naughty, he had a pair of feet that never separated, whether it was in the primary school in the town or at the Stadio Santa-Ana, he would always bring his football. But for him, it was just a game, and he never imagined that it could actually become his profession.
When Platini was a child, he was the smallest of his peers, but he was the weakest and shyest, and he was not competitive in everything. However, his father discovered his talent and spent the family's savings to cultivate him. On September 10, 1966, at the age of 11, Platini joined the local small club Jov, and for the sake of Platini's future, his father even quit his job as a teacher and became the coach of the Nancy youth team, on the condition that Platini could join the Nancy C junior team.
In the Nancy Junior Team, Platini received formal and systematic training, when he often ended lunch early and then practiced free kicks for half an hour, and the human wall was his partner. In a cup match held specifically for young players, Platini, who was only 16 at the time, had already made a name for himself and caught the attention of fans and industry insiders. Soon, Ligue 1 Metz sent him an invitation, but when he went to the medical examination, something went wrong. During the spirometry test, he fainted without even measuring it 10 times, and the doctor concluded that the heart and lungs were insufficient. As a result, Platini did not even touch the ball, and he did not have the opportunity to join Metz. However, at the age of 17, Platini was promoted to the Nancy first team, becoming the youngest professional player in the team.
Platini made his first-team debut against Nîmes on 3 May 1973, and in the following 1974–1975 he scored 17 goals and Nancy managed to return to Ligue 1. When playing on the court, Platini's temperament is very elegant, he looks thin, but with the tacit cooperation of his companions, he bravely moves forward, everywhere, sometimes leisurely strolling easy to play the ball, and sometimes suddenly in an unexpected position of others, so that several defenders who are chasing and blocking the other side look at the ball and sigh. In 1976, Saint-Etienne, who played for Platini, reached the final of the Champions League against the then Bundesliga hegemon Bayern Munich, in which he gave full play to his rich imagination and constantly threaded needles on the field, commanding Ruoding and being ambitious. Platini's free-kicks are powerful, angled and fast, and he is also known as the "Julius Caesar" on the pitch, which has become a symbol of pride and honor in French football.
However, Platini was a bit grumpy off the field, and during a trip to Nancy, he threw his cards out of the train window in order to prevent his teammates from playing cards. While playing at Juventus, Platini was once caught by the manager smoking in the locker room, but he refused to apologize.
Platini is a famous star of the same era as Pele and Maradona, and overall, although Platini's strength and professionalism are not inferior to those of the king, Platini has since embarked on another path.
Lead the Zebra Legion to the rise of the Heiser massacre and leave a shadow of the mind
After the 1982 World Cup, Platini moved from Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 to Juventus in Italy. In his first year in Italy, Platini was voted the best player in Serie A. Juventus is the traditional European Latin style of play, when the best European technical players are also Latin disciples, delicate technology, elegant players gathered in the Bianconeri, Juve also created an unsurpassable legendary record in world football, becoming the only "Grand Slam" team in Italian history.
At the time, Juventus had Roberto Bettega, Polish superstar Bonek, World Cup strikers Paul Rossi, Sirea, Tardelli and Dino Zov, but Platini was one of the few players who could talk to club owner Agnelli on an equal footing. In the 1983–1984 season, Platini scored 23 goals in Serie A, helping Juventus to a Serie A title. He then followed the Bianconeri to the European Champions Cup and sang all the way to the final. However, on 29 May 1985, Platini experienced a nightmarish day, although Juventus relied on Platini's penalty to defeat the defending champions Liverpool 1-0, but there was a shocking "Heysel Massacre", mixed with Liverpool fans football hooligans and Juve fans, resulting in the collapse of the stands, killing 39 fans on the spot and injuring more than 600 people. After that, all British teams were banned from playing in European competitions for five years. This tragedy also hit Platini harder, not only did he have no intention of celebrating the championship, but he could not get rid of the shadow of his soul for more than two years.
On 23 December 1984, the 13th round of serie A was marked by a focus battle in which Juventus took home against Napoli, which was portrayed by all the Italian media before the match as a battle between Platini and Maradona. At that time, the flamboyant Platini scored another goal in the 62nd minute to help the old woman seal the victory, and Napoli could not recover the defeat despite replacing Maradona's compatriot Bertoni. As the king of Serie A at the time, Platini not only beat Maradona in direct dialogue, he also defended the Serie A Golden Boot with 18 goals this season, helping Juventus win the Serie A title and the European Cup Winners' Cup. In the 1985 Toyota Cup, Juventus defeated the Argentine youth team, Platini under the grip of two defenders, with his right foot to pick up the ball, and then lying in the air with his left foot to hit the ball into the goal, this ball is very wonderful, but unfortunately the referee decided that the ball was invalid. At the time, Juventus won the Toyota Cup for the first time in Europe, and Platini was named the best player on the spot. In addition, Platini won the top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons, and also won the top scorer once in the Champions League, becoming the midfielder who scored the most goals before the Champions League was restructured, scoring 22 goals in 35 games.
Platini's most artistic goal was the goal of the Italian Cup group stage on 22 August 1982 with Pescara: when he ambushed in the front, stopped the opponent's ball in his chest, and then he flicked the ball high above the opponent's head with the instep of his foot, changed direction and accelerated to break through the opponent's defense, and successfully scored with a single knife.
In the Juventus team at the end of the 80s, the old teammates who had been fighting with Platini for a long time left one after another, but he struggled to support it, and Platini himself was increasingly criticized. Although he was over 30 years old at this time, his football talent was still there, and he could have raced on the green field he loved for a few more years, but he soberly realized that it was time for young stars to grow. On May 17, 1987, Platini's last Serie A match, fans unfurled various banners to pay tribute to him, some with the words "Platini, thank you!" "Platini, we love you!" ”。 After the match, Platini took off the legendary Zebra No. 10 shirt, which only stars could wear, and gave it to the young fans waiting at the side of the stadium. He then avoided the noisy reporters and walked into the dressing room alone, bursting into tears.
On May 23, 1988, Platini wore the shirt of the French national team and the captain's logo to participate in the grand farewell match held for him by the French Football Association at the stadium in his hometown of Nancy. When Platini led France to a 2-2 draw with the World Stars, there was a touching scene: Platini let his 6-year-old son come on as a substitute for himself. Tens of thousands of spectators applauded with thunderous applause as they watched the innocent and lively "mini" Platini run happily on the green field.
Between 1982 and 1987, Platini won 1 European Champions Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 1 Toyota Cup, 1 European Cup Winners' Cup, 2 Serie A and 1 Italian Cup with Juve. In 2000, Platini was awarded the title of "Best Foreign Aid Player" in the 20th Year of Serie A (1980-2000) Best Foreign Aid Awards organized by the Italian Football Association.
Three times to participate in the World Cup is difficult to realize the dream of midfield "Iron Triangle" shocked all sides
Platini has played in three World Cups, but has not won a single one. In 1976, Platini began representing France in international competitions, and in 1978 he was the first time he went to Argentina to participate in the World Cup as a main member of the French national team. Although Platini scored his first World Cup goal against this champions Argentina, the team ended up in the first group stage because France was not very level at that time.
At the 1982 World Cup in Spain, it was Platini who scored a beautiful free kick in the previous year's qualifiers against the Netherlands, which brought France to the final round of the 1982 World Cup. At that time, Platini was mature in technology and delicate in his footwork, able to organize the attack through the needle lead, and he could go to the meeting with a single knife to penetrate Yang, he formed the midfield "Iron Triangle" with his teammates Tigana and Gireser, and won the favor of Juventus in Serie A with his outstanding performance. Unfortunately, the Gallic Roosters lost 3-1 to England in their first game at Bilbao, where they were scored by Brian Robson in the opening 27 seconds. But since then, France have regained their morale and played a good game, winning 4-1 against Kuwait in the second match, followed by a 1-1 draw with Czechoslovakia to qualify as second in the group. France entered the second stage and then eliminated Austria and Northern Ireland to advance to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, France met West Germany, and the match became an unforgettable classic at the World Cup, known as the "Epic of Seville". Litbarski opened the scoring for West Germany in the opening 17 minutes, and after nine minutes Platini equalised on a penalty, neither side made a difference in overtime, with France scoring two more goals in the 92nd and 98th minutes to take a 3-1 lead. For the vast majority of teams, it was tantamount to having won the game, but their opponents were West Germany, known for their tenacity. In the 102nd minute, Rummenigge pulled a goal back, and six minutes later Fisher locked in a 3-3 draw, and the two sides entered a suffocating penalty shootout. In the first five rounds, each team lost one free throw, Platini made a steady shot in his fifth appearance, but in the sixth round, France lost a free throw, and the Gaul rooster was eventually eliminated. It is worth mentioning that at that time, West German goalkeeper Tony Schumacher was lucky enough to escape a red card punishment for hitting people.
At Euro 1984, Platini scored two hat-tricks, the first coming from a 5-0 win over Belgium and the second a 3-2 win over Yugoslavia. France took advantage of the home advantage to win all three games in the group stage to advance to the semi-finals, and in the semi-finals, they won the final by beating Portugal 3-2 in extra time, and at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France defeated Spain 2-0 and lifted the DeLaunay Cup for the first time.
Before the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the 31-year-old Platini appeared in the media more often than any other star, and everyone expected him to perform superiorly. In this World Cup, France first won 1-0 against Canada, then drew 1-1 with the Soviet Union, and then beat Hungary 3-0 to enter the second stage of the rematch. France then eliminated the previous champions Italy, and in the match against Brazil, Platini equalized with a goal behind France. Thrillingly, in the penalty shootout, he ghostly shot the ball away, but fortunately, his teammates showed good psychological qualities and eventually eliminated the powerful opponent. In the semi-finals, France again met the "nemesis" West German team, who kept France out of the final with excellent form. In the end, France defeated Belgium 4-2 to win the third place in the World Cup. Platini scored nine goals in 5 games, including 2 headers, 2 free kicks, a penalty and 4 sporting goals. French football has since begun to decline, winning the title against Brazil in 1998 at the World Cup on home soil and winning the European Championship (Euro 2000).
In the 1987-1988 European Championships and the three major European Cups, the French football talent gap, Platini alone, france did not even win the european championship group qualification. Overall, The French team of Platini's time was a peak era of French football's strength, and Platini led France to a World Cup fourth, a World Cup third and the first European Championship. Platini was able to assist his teammates while scoring on his own, a performance that made him considered the best midfielder in the world at the time.
In 1988, after retiring, Platini temporarily became the head coach of the French national team, but at that time, the overall level of the French team was low, the domestic league atmosphere was not correct, the national team strength was average, and he had to resign in 1992, whether in the European Championships or in the world qualifiers or the Seoul Olympic Games. However, With his "master" image, Platini served as one of the two presidents of the organizing committee of the 1998 World Cup in France, contributing to the smooth hosting of the World Cup in France. In 1998, the French team won the first World Cup championship in the history of the team with the advantages of time and place, which also laid the tone for france to become a world strong team. Platini was awarded the Knight's Order of the French Legion of Honor in 1985 and again the Officer's Medal in 1988.
When UEFA president Slot Point was arrested for being involved in a World Cup bribery case
In 2002, Platini successfully joined the FIFA Executive Board, in 2007 Platini was successfully elected President of UEFA, on 22 March 2011, Platini was successfully re-elected as UEFA President, and on 24 March 2015, Platini was re-elected as UEFA President for a second term until 2019.
During His presidency of UEFA, Platini was repeatedly accused of targeting England and Premier League teams. In the second leg of the 2008-2009 Champions League semi-finals, Chelsea played Barca at stanford Stadium, and a series of misjudgments by referees eventually became the trigger for the conflict in this game. In particular, in the 95th minute, Chelsea won a corner kick and goalkeeper Petr Cech ran into the opposing box to participate in the attack. After the corner kick was released, the ball landed at the feet of Ballack, and the German met the ball with a furious shot, which was blocked by the opponent's forward player's arm socket. Barack thought it should be a penalty, but referee Herning, who was standing next to Barak, was indifferent. After the game, the Blues' complaints were fruitless, and Platini was believed to have shielded referee Herning and single-handedly brewed the "Stamford Bridge Massacre". Since then, Chelsea fans have formed a deep vendetta against Platini.
In the second leg of the 2012-2013 Champions League round of 16, Manchester United against Real Madrid, in the 56th minute of the match, Rooney shoved the opponent down, referee Kakia did not hesitate to show a red card directly to send him off, but slow motion showed that Rooney had a clear foot-closing movement, and Rooney was shoveling in the direction of the ball. After the match, Platini sided with referee Kakia, believing that Rooney's red card was self-inflicted.
In the 2013 World Cup draw, France was the lowest-ranked European team in the World Cup, and the Gallic Rooster was in the bracket of nine teams. Before the draw, France was expected to be in the death group, but in the end France entered the relatively easy group (against Switzerland, Ecuador and Honduras). Platini was rumored to have obstructed and demanded that FIFA adjust the french team, resulting in England falling into the dead group (against Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica). Although England's entry into the death group is not directly related to Platini, most England fans blame Platini for making small moves from behind. In the end, England came out from the bottom of the group, while France came out as the first place in the group. Italy, another "victim" of the incident, was also helpless after losing to Uruguay in the final game of the group stage.
In the 2011 Europa League, Ligue 1 team Lyon won 7-1 against Dinamo Zagreb, when a reporter photographed a Lyon player sneakily patting the opposing player, suspecting of playing a match-fixing, Platini promised to investigate thoroughly, but in the end the matter was not resolved.
At the end of 2015, FIFA vice-president Platini was banned from football affairs for eight years by FIFA's ethics committee for being involved in a corruption scandal. In 2011, FIFA President Blatter paid Platini a sum of 1.8 million euros, allegedly for consultant work. Blatter was therefore suspected of bribing Platini in his bid for re-election as FIFA president that year. In February 2016, the FIFA Court of Appeal ruled on Platini's appeal, reducing the ban on football to six years. Subsequently, Platini appealed again to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and in May 2016, Platini's penalty was reduced to four years. On June 18, 2019, Platini was arrested by French police on suspicion of corruption in his bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and after hours of questioning, Platini was released.
But after that, Platini was banned from all football activities, not even to the scene. In Platini's own eyes, unlike everyone else, he was not a corrupt football bureaucrat. But as a superstar of his generation, Maradona repeatedly criticized Platini during his lifetime, "He is very bad, destroying football for his own benefit, this is not what a former player should do." "Platini never imagined that he would one day be shouted at by everyone, and as one of the greatest players of his generation or in the history of football, this shame must be difficult to understand.
Platini has had some crosses with Chinese football in his presidency of UEFA, and he has promoted the warm-up match between france and the Chinese national team. At the same time, he believes that Lippilai coaching the Chinese team is the wealth of Chinese football. Platini, who attended the "2014 China Football Development Forum" in Beijing, believes that China has a population of more than one billion, it is not difficult to find 11 people to play football, Chinese football will be able to succeed, and if Asia hosts the World Cup again, it should be hosted by China.