COACHES from France

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Coaches of all time. This list of famous French Coaches is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of French Coaches.

1. Arsène Wenger (1949 - )

With an HPI of 71.88, Arsène Wenger is the most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 77 different languages on wikipedia.

Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (French pronunciation: [aʁsɛn vɛŋɡɛʁ]; born 22 October 1949) is a French former football manager and player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development. He was the manager of Arsenal from 1996 to 2018, where he was the longest-serving and most successful in the club's history. His contribution to English football through changes to scouting, players' training and diet regimens revitalised Arsenal and aided the globalisation of the sport in the 21st century. Born in Strasbourg and raised in Duttlenheim to an entrepreneurial family, Wenger was introduced to football by his father, the manager of the local village team. After a modest playing career, in which he made appearances for several amateur clubs, Wenger obtained a manager's diploma in 1981. Following an unsuccessful period at Nancy in 1987, Wenger joined Monaco; the club won the league championship in 1988. In 1991, Wenger guided Monaco to victory in the Coupe de France. In 1995, he moved to Japan to coach J.League side Nagoya Grampus Eight and won the Emperor's Cup and Japanese Super Cup in his first and only year. Wenger was named manager of Arsenal in 1996; his appointment was greeted with little enthusiasm from the English media and his players alike. In 1998, he became the first foreign manager to win a Premier League and FA Cup double. Wenger guided Arsenal to another league and cup double in 2002, and won his third league title in 2004, which earnt distinction as he guided his team to an undefeated domestic league season – something achieved only once before in English football, by Preston North End, 115 years previously. Arsenal later eclipsed Nottingham Forest's record of 42 league matches unbeaten and went seven more matches before losing in October 2004. Under him, the club made its first appearance in a Champions League final in 2006, though the team lost to Barcelona. Wenger oversaw Arsenal's relocation to the Emirates Stadium, and prioritised the club's finances in his second decade to meet costs. This coincided with a nine-year spell without winning a trophy, before Wenger guided Arsenal to further FA Cup successes in the 2010s; he holds the record for most wins in the competition with seven. He departed as manager in 2018. The nickname "Le Professeur" is used by fans and the English press to reflect Wenger's studious demeanour. He is one of the most celebrated managers of his generation, having changed perceptions of the sport and profession in England and abroad. His approach to the game emphasises an attacking mentality, with the aim that football ought to be entertaining on the pitch. Wenger's Arsenal teams were criticised for their indiscipline and naivety; his players received 100 red cards between September 1996 and February 2014, though the team won awards for sporting fair play. At Monaco, Wenger earned a reputation for spotting young talent and developing a youth system, which he carried through at Arsenal.

2. Jean-Pierre Papin (1963 - )

With an HPI of 59.48, Jean-Pierre Papin is the 2nd most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin (born 5 November 1963) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward and is the current technical advisor of Ligue 1 club Marseille. Considered to be one of the best centre-forwards of his generation, he won the Ballon d'Or in 1991. He was included in the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest living footballers, published in 2004 for the centenary of the FIFA, signed by Pelé. He was named one of the best European footballers on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the UEFA in 2004. He is famous in particular for his first-time strikes from distance, his overhead kicks, and his volleys, which are known as Papinades. The nickname of JPP is attributed to him by supporters and journalists. Trained at Jeumont, he signed his first professional contract in 1984 at Valenciennes. Recruited by Brugge, he had an excellent season, winning the Belgian Cup and being selected for the French team for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Recruited by Marseille, he experienced the peak of his career and won with Marseille, the Ligue 1 in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992, the Coupe de France in 1989 and reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 1991. In 1992, he was transferred the highest in the history of football, when he left Olympique de Marseille for AC Milan with which he scored in 1994, the Serie A and the UEFA Champions League. He joined Bayern Munich, with which he won the Europa League in 1996. He returned to France, to Bordeaux, where he was a finalist in the Coupe de la ligue in 1997 and 1998 and then ended his professional career at Guingamp. Capped 54 times and captain of the France team 11 times, Jean-Pierre Papin won the bronze medal at the 1986 World Cup and competed in Euro 1992. Injuries and the emergence of the Zinedine Zidane generation moved away from the selection and his international career ended in the mid-1990s. He was not retained in the French selections which reached the semi-finals of Euro 1996 and won the 1998 World Cup. In 1996, after their eight-month-old daughter was shown to have serious cerebral lesions, Jean-Pierre and his wife set up an association "Neuf de Coeur" (Nine of Hearts; Papin's shirt number was 9) to help others in that situation and, particularly, to find and apply methods to mentally and physically educate such children.

3. Roger Lemerre (1941 - )

With an HPI of 57.79, Roger Lemerre is the 3rd most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Roger Léon Maurice Lemerre-Desprez (born 18 June 1941) is a French professional football manager and former player. During his managerial career, he was in charge of the French, Tunisian and Moroccan national teams. He also managed numerous clubs in France, Tunisia, Turkey and Algeria.

4. Gérard Houllier (1947 - 2020)

With an HPI of 57.06, Gérard Houllier is the 4th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 36 different languages.

Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (French pronunciation: [ʒeʁaʁ ulje]; 3 September 1947 – 14 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2001. He then guided Lyon to two French titles, before announcing his resignation on 25 May 2007. He became manager of Aston Villa in September 2010. He also coached the France national team between 1992 and 1993. He assisted Aimé Jacquet in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, was part of UEFA's and FIFA's Technical Committee in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, and technical director for the French Football Federation during the 2010 finals. In June 2011, he stepped down from club coaching, leaving his managerial role at Aston Villa, following frequent hospitalisation over heart problems. From July 2012 until his death, Houllier had been head of global football for Red Bull. He was responsible for Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, Germany's RB Leipzig and American club New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Brasil, as well as the now dissolved Red Bull Ghana academies. He became the technical director of women's football clubs Lyon Féminin and OL Reign in November 2020.

5. Claude Puel (1961 - )

With an HPI of 49.43, Claude Puel is the 5th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Claude Jacques Puel (French pronunciation: [klod pɥɛl]; born 2 September 1961) is a French football manager and former player. He spent his entire playing career with Monaco, before becoming manager of the club, leading them to the league title in his first full season in charge. He has also managed Lille, Lyon, Nice and Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1, and Southampton and Leicester City in England's Premier League.

6. Paul Le Guen (1964 - )

With an HPI of 47.68, Paul Le Guen is the 6th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Paul Joseph Marie Le Guen (French: [pɔl lə ɡwɛn], Breton: [pawl lø ɡwɛnː]; born 1 March 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Ligue 2 club Le Havre. During his playing career, Le Guen played as a midfielder, and enjoyed a successful stay with Paris Saint-Germain between 1991 and 1998, and won 17 caps for the France national team. As a manager, his most notable achievement has been winning the Ligue 1 title in each of his three seasons in charge of Lyon between 2002 and 2005.

7. Raynald Denoueix (1948 - )

With an HPI of 44.28, Raynald Denoueix is the 7th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Raynald Denoueix (French pronunciation: [dənwɛ]; born 14 May 1948) is a French football manager and former player. Born in Rouen, Denoueix spent his whole playing career as a defender at FC Nantes before becoming a coach at the club's youth academy. During his time at the youth academy, he discovered players such as Didier Deschamps or Marcel Desailly. After Jean-Claude Suaudeau's retirement, he became the first team coach and won the Division 1 in the 2000–01 season. He was sacked the following season due to unsatisfying results in Ligue 1. In 2002, he was signed by the Real Sociedad and led the Spanish team to the second place in La Liga in the 2002–03 season.

8. Jean-Louis Gasset (1953 - )

With an HPI of 43.27, Jean-Louis Gasset is the 8th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Jean-Louis Gasset (born 9 December 1953) is a French football manager and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Marseille. As a player, he played as a midfielder, spending his entire ten-year career at his hometown club Montpellier.

9. Frédéric Antonetti (1961 - )

With an HPI of 43.01, Frédéric Antonetti is the 9th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Frédéric Antonetti (born 19 August 1961) is a French professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of French club Strasbourg. He previously managed Bastia, Gamba Osaka, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Rennes and Lille.

10. Élie Baup (1955 - )

With an HPI of 39.66, Élie Baup is the 10th most famous French Coach.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Élie Baup (French pronunciation: [eli ˈbop]; born 17 March 1955) is a French football manager and a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. His last post was the manager of Ligue 1 side Marseille.