A fantastic career that almost never began
Michel Platini is considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time. A quick, versatile, elegant, and intelligent offensive midfield playmaker, with a unique ability to read the game and bend the ball from set pieces, he was known in particular for his ball control, technical ability, dribbling skills, creativity, range of passing, and vision, despite his lack of notable physical or athletic attributes.
When he was young, it seemed that he would not be able to play at a professional level due to health problems.
Platini was born on June 21st, 1955, in Joeuf - a city in northeastern France. His parents, Anna and Aldo, were both of Italian ancestry. Aldo Platini was a professional footballer and a long-time director for AS Nancy.
At the age of 16, Michel Platini attracted attention in a tournament match with an impressive display for the Joeuf youth team against a Metz side. The opposition coach from Metz, a famous and larger club from the region, liked Platini so much that they invited him for a trial.
Unfortunately, Platini missed this opportunity due to injury and was not invited again because the Metz coach moved to another club.
However, Platini's talent didn't remain unnoticed for long, and Metz invited him back in the end. This trial at Metz went horribly wrong when a breathing test on a spirometer caused him to faint. The doctor's verdict on his breathing difficulties and weak heart ended any hopes Platini had of playing for his boyhood favourites.
However, Michel Platini did not give up football. He joined the reserve side of his father's club, Nancy, in September 1972.
Bad luck with injuries
Platini was quick to make a big impression at his new club, scoring a hat-trick in a reserve team match. He continued his excellent performances, which allowed him to fight for a place in the first team. Still only 17 years old, Platini began appearing on the bench for Nancy's first team, but he had to wait for his debut.
The wait was further extended by a bad ankle injury he sustained in one of the reserve team's other matches. However, his season finished on a more positive note, and he made his league debut against Nimes on May 3rd, 1973.
Michel Platini soon scored his first goal at the highest level. It was in a match against Lyon, where he scored a brace.
During the next season (1973/74), Platini suffered a setback when he sustained a double fracture of his left arm in a match at Nice. Platini missed the remainder of the season, unable to assist Nancy in an unsuccessful bid to avoid relegation from Ligue 1.
The second league season saw Nancy win promotion back to the French first division with ease. Platini became the team's most important player, scoring 17 goals, a number of which were scored from free kicks, which was becoming Platini's speciality.
Trophies and career progression
Platini stayed at Nancy for seven years. He even won his first major trophy with the team when they won the French Cup in 1978. Platini played a total of 213 games for Nancy, scoring 127 goals. In 1979, he moved to Saint-Etienne, one of the best French teams at that time.
Platini won the French league title in 1981 with Saint-Etienne, but lost two French Cup finals. In 1982, Platini headed to Juventus.
The 1980s were a golden era for Michel Platini. He won the Serie A title with Juventus in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984, the 1984 European Super Cup, the European Cup in 1985 and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup.
It was already mentioned that he finished top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons (1982/83, 1983/84, and 1984/85), and that he won a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards (1983 through 1985).
In addition to the club level, Platini also shone in international football with the French national team, of course.
The cornerstone of French success
Platini was a key player of the France national team that won EURO 1984, a tournament in which he was the top scorer and best player. Platini held the record for most goals scored (nine) in the European Championships (despite only appearing in the 1984 tournament) until being surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021.
Les Bleus with Platini then reached the semi-finals of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Together with midfielders Alain Giresse, Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana, he formed the carre magique (magic square) of the French team in the 1980s.
A life dedicated to football
Following his retirement as a player in 1987, Platini became the France national team coach and was the co-organiser of the 1998 World Cup in France. In 2007, he was elected as the president of UEFA. However, as a football official, Platini did not leave as positive an impression as he did when he was a player on the pitch.
Let us instead highlight the fact that during his career, Michel Platini scored a total of 354 goals in 650 matches. Of all of his goals, he scored 41 times for France (in 72 matches), which made him the national team's all-time top scorer for a long time.
He was later surpassed by several players – Olivier Giroud (57 French national team goals), Thierry Henry (51), Kylian Mbappe (48 goals), and Antoine Griezmann (44).