Jean-Pierre Papin Explained

Jean-Pierre Papin
Full Name:Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin
Birth Date:5 November 1963
Birth Place:Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
Height:1.76 m
Position:Striker
Currentclub:Marseille B (head coach)
Youthyears1:1969–1978
Youthclubs1:Jeumont
Youthyears2:1978–1980
Youthclubs2:Trith-Saint-Léger
Youthyears3:1980–1981
Youthclubs3:Valenciennes
Youthyears4:1981–1984
Youthclubs4:INF Vichy
Years1:1981–1984
Years2:1984–1985
Years3:1985–1986
Years4:1986–1992
Years5:1992–1994
Years6:1994–1996
Years7:1996–1998
Years8:1998–1999
Years9:1999–2001
Years10:2001–2004
Clubs1:INF Vichy
Clubs2:Valenciennes
Clubs3:Club Brugge
Clubs4:Marseille
Clubs5:AC Milan
Clubs6:Bayern Munich
Clubs7:Bordeaux
Clubs8:Guingamp
Clubs9:JS Saint-Pierroise
Clubs10:US Lège-Cap-Ferret
Caps1:49
Caps2:33
Caps3:33
Caps4:214
Caps5:40
Caps6:27
Caps7:55
Caps8:10
Caps9:27
Caps10:57
Totalcaps:545
Goals1:13
Goals2:15
Goals3:21
Goals4:134
Goals5:18
Goals6:3
Goals7:22
Goals8:3
Goals9:13
Goals10:24
Totalgoals:266
Nationalyears1:1985–1986
Nationalteam1:France U21
Nationalcaps1:4
Nationalgoals1:3
Nationalyears2:1986–1995
Nationalteam2:France
Nationalcaps2:54
Nationalgoals2:30
Manageryears1:2004–2006
Manageryears2:2006–2007
Manageryears3:2007–2008
Manageryears4:2009–2010
Manageryears5:2014–2015
Manageryears6:2020–2022
Manageryears7:2023–
Managerclubs1:Arcachon
Managerclubs2:Strasbourg
Managerclubs3:Lens
Managerclubs4:Châteauroux
Managerclubs5:Bassin d'Arcachon
Managerclubs6:C'Chartres
Managerclubs7:Marseille B

Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin (born 5 November 1963) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward, who is currently the head coach of Championnat National 3 club Marseille B. 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 was given 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 Ligue 1 titles with Marseille 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 whom he won Serie A in 1994 and the UEFA Champions League. He joined Bayern Munich,where he won the UEFA Cup 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 11 times, Papin played in the French team which reached the 1986 World Cup Semi final. France failed to qualify for either the 1988 European Championships or the 1990 World Cup but he was part of the team for Euro 1992. Injuries and the emergence of the Zinedine Zidane generation saw his international career come to an end in the mid-1990s. He was out of favour by Euro'96 nor was he part of the set up which won the World Cup in 1998,

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.

Early life

Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin[1] was born on 5 November 1963 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais,[2] the son of professional footballer Guy Papin.[3] After his parents divorced, he moved to live with his grandmother in Germont, a French city located near the Belgian border.[3]

Club career

Valenciennes

At age 15, Papin started his professional career with Valenciennes, in Northern France, before moving to Club Brugge in Belgium.[4]

Brugge

Papin had a very successful first season at Club Brugge, scoring 32 goals in 43 games. Although he only played one season for Club Brugge, he was elected as its greatest ever foreign player by the supporters in 2008.[5]

Marseille

During Papin's hugely successful spell at Marseille, with the Frenchman as striker and skipper Marseille won four French league championships in a row (1989–1992), a league and cup double in 1989 and reached the final of the European Cup in 1991, losing to Red Star Belgrade on penalties.[6]

During this period, Papin scored 181 goals in 279 games[7] and was the league's top scorer for five consecutive seasons (from 1988 to 1992). While at Marseille he won the Ballon d'Or, awarded to Europe's top footballer, in 1991.[8]

AC Milan

In July 1992, Papin joined Italian giants AC Milan for a world record fee of £10 million,[9] and was the first high-profile French player to join the Italian league since Michel Platini. However, he never established himself as a regular first team member with the rossoneri due to injuries and adaptation problems. As a foreign player in the Pre-Bosman rule era, Papin also suffered from the three-foreigner rule that made him compete for playing time with other foreign players.

He entered as a substitute during the 1993 Champions League final in which Milan lost to his former club, Marseille. He won the Champions League in the next year, but did not play in the final.[7] Nevertheless, Papin has kept good memories of his spell in Italy and frequently cites former Milan managers Fabio Capello[10] and Arrigo Sacchi as his models when coaching is concerned.

Bayern Munich

In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for £2.1 million,[11] but his first season was once again plagued by injuries. In his second season in Germany he was part of the side that won the UEFA Cup against Bordeaux, a club that Papin would join the following season. He was twice linked with clubs in England later in his playing career. First, in March 1994, he was a transfer target for Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.[12] Towards the end of his spell with Bordeaux in 1998, he was a target for ambitious Fulham, then a Division Two (third tier) side, and even expressed his desire to sign for the club. However, neither transfer ever happened and Papin finished his career without having spent any time in England.[13]

Bordeaux

With Bordeaux, he lost the 1997 Coupe de la Ligue final against Strasbourg and lost the 1998 Coupe de la Ligue final.

Guingamp

Papin's professional career ended in 1998 with Second Division side Guingamp.[14]

Later career

Papin finished his career as a player in the amateur club US Cap-Ferret between 2001 and 2004. Then, after five years of managing, he played in another amateur club, AS Facture-Biganos Boïen.[15]

International career

Papin was selected for the first time in the French team during the Toulon Tournament in 1985 in Marseille with the number 14, alongside Pascal Baills, Stéphane Paille, Gérald Passi, Franck Sauzée, Vincent Cobos and Jean-Christophe Thomas. The France team won the Toulon Tournament and successively defeated Spain (Jon Andoni Goikoetxea), Romania (Gheorghe Popescu), Ivory Coast (Joël Tiéhi) and England (Martin Allen). Papin finished as the tournament's top scorer and it was during the match against Spain that Papin scored his first official goal at the Stade Vélodrome.

Papin earned his first cap in a friendly match against Northern Ireland in February 1986[16] and appeared at the 1986 World Cup. He scored twice in four games: first during France opening game against Canada (1–0) and then during France's victory against Belgium (4–2), helping France finish third.[17]

He did not appear at the 1990 World Cup because France failed to qualify, but during the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1992 he finished second top scorer in the Qualifiers of the 1992 European Football Championship with nine goals behind Darko Pančev and the France team is the only one to win all its playoff matches, a first in Europe and this in a very strong group with two quarter-finalists of the previous World Cup, Spain and Czechoslovakia. Papin who suffers from the aftermath of an ankle injury cannot prevent France from failing in the first round, despite scoring two goals in three games[18]

The French football team, trained by Gérard Houllier, played in the 1994 World Cup qualifiers but got off to a bad start (2–0 defeat in Bulgaria), but a series of 6 wins against Austria (twice), Finland (twice), Sweden and Israel put them back at the top of the group and in a very favorable position for qualification with three rounds to go. The french team, undermined by internal quarrels (Marseille-Paris rivalry), however collapsed in the final sprint by conceding a draw in Sweden (1–1 on a defensive error three minutes from the end) and during the two last games played at home, where they only had to beat Israel or not lose against Bulgaria, to score the ticket for the United States. The Blues lost against the weakest team in the group, Israel (2–3 on a goal by Atar 30 seconds from the end of the match), then against Bulgaria (1–2 on a goal by Emil Kostadinov two seconds the end of regulation time), this goal depriving France of participation in the World Cup. The two qualifiers of this group 6, Sweden and Bulgaria, would reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in July 1994.

Papin initially said goodbye to the Blues of which he was the captain after the elimination in qualifying for the 1994 World Cup, before being convinced by Aimé Jacquet to return. He scored his last goal in selection at Trebizond in Turkey (match relocated because of troubles in Azerbaijan) against Azerbaijan (2–0) at the end of 1994. Papin played his last international match against the Netherlands in January 1995, before injuries and the emergence of the Zinédine Zidane generation permanently removed him from the selection.

Style of play

Papin has been described as "a fast and lethal striker, who made goal scoring his signature for club and country"[19] and a player who could score in a variety of situation, "from neat, chipped finishes, low drives into the corner, towering headers and, in particular, thumping volleys."[3]

During his career, the term Papinade was used to describe powerful volleys from difficult angles.[10]

Managerial career

In May 2006, Papin took over from Jacky Duguépéroux as the new coach of Strasbourg, who were relegated to the Second Division. He had previously been coaching Arcachon, an amateur team, and helped them to be promoted from CFA 2 to CFA.

In 2006–07, he guided Strasbourg back to Ligue 1 with a third-placed finish but came under pressure shortly after the end of the season when internal conflicts at the club surfaced in the press. Several players, including '05 league cup final hero Jean-Christophe Devaux, also openly criticized Papin's methods.

Initially confirmed as manager for the 2007–08 season, he was forced to resign a week later after it was revealed that he had interviewed for the vacant managerial job at Lens only hours after his confirmation at Strasbourg. He was replaced by Jean-Marc Furlan, former manager of Troyes, while Lens selected Guy Roux as their new manager. Ironically, Papin eventually became the manager of Lens after the club lost at Strasbourg,[20] as Roux resigned only five games into the 2007–08 season. In the midst of the season, Lens and Papin were fighting to avoid relegation to the Second Division. Lens was also eliminated in the first round of both the UEFA cup and the Coupe de France by, respectively, FC Copenhagen (1–1; 1–2) and Second Division side Chamois Niortais (0–1, at home).

On 29 December 2009, Châteauroux hired the coach[21] to replace Dominique Bijotat. He left his position in May 2010 and was replaced by Didier Tholot.[22]

For the 2014–15 season, Papin once again took the managerial position at FC Bassin d'Archachon in Championnat de France Amateur 2.[23] [24]

On 2 June 2020, Papin was announced as the new manager of Championnat National 2 side C'Chartres.[25]

He left his position in October 2022 to go back to Marseille as a technical advisor.

Outside football

Papin was also iconic in French pop culture because of his caricature in the satirical TV puppet show Les Guignols de l'Info. At first, Papin was depicted as a rather dumb football player (a common stereotype in France), his only obsession being the many different ways to score goals. When Papin experienced difficulties in Italy, the coverage became more sympathetic, especially with the infamous Reviens JPP![26] song where even God Himself would urge Papin to come back to his home country, because "France needs you!".

After his daughter, Emily, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant, Papin started running the Neuf de cœur (Nine of Hearts) foundation, which provides support to families affected by the neurological disorder.[3]

Since 2011, he has participated in the Amélie evenings, organized by Amélie Mauresmo for the benefit of the Institut Curie on the theme play with the artists which happens at each opening of the Open GDF Suez at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris.

Since 2013, he has been with Youri Djorkaeff, Sylvain Wiltord and Valdo Filho, one of the ambassadors of Footgolf.[27]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
INF Vichy1981–82Division 317300173
1982–83Division 3301040
1983–84Division 32910002910
Total4913105013
Valenciennes1984–85[28] Division 2331522003517
Club Brugge1985–86Belgian First Division332187454533
Marseille1986–87Division 1331371424416
1987–88Division 137191000844623
1988–89Division 135221011004633
1989–90Division 136304200864838
1990–91Division 136235700965036
1991–92Division 137274400474538
Total2141343125422923278184
AC Milan1992–93Serie A22134473103420
1993–94Serie A1852064322911
Total401864137426331
Bayern Munich1994–95Bundesliga71103210123
1995–96Bundesliga2022061283
Total273309310406
Bordeaux1996–97Division 1321620403816
1997–98Division 12362355203214
Total55224395207030
Guingamp1998–99Division 21030000103
JS Saint-Pierroise1999–00Division d'Honneur124124
2000–01Division d'Honneur159159
Total27132713
US Lège-Cap-Ferret2001–02CFA 224800248
2002–03CFA 217720197
2003–04CFA 2169221811
Total5724426126
Career total5452665943137573852679356

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[29]
National teamYearAppsGoals
France198682
198730
198861
198953
199054
199157
1992107
199373
199443
199510
Total5430

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Papin goal.

List of international goals scored by Jean-Pierre Papin[30]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 1 June 1986 Estadio León, León, Mexico 1–0 1–0 1986 FIFA World Cup
2 28 June 1986 Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla, Mexico 2–1 4–2 (a.e.t.)1986 FIFA World Cup
3 28 September 1988 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–0 1–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 16 August 1989 Malmö Stadion, Malmö, Sweden 2–1 4–2Friendly
5 3–2
6 5 September 1989 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway 1–0 1–1 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 28 February 1990 Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier, France 1–1 2–1 Friendly
8 5 September 1990 Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
9 13 October 1990 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
10 2–0
11 20 February 1991 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 2–1 3–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
12 30 March 1991 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 3–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
12 4–0
14 14 August 1991 Stadion Miejski, Poznań, Poland 2–1 5–1 Friendly
15 4 September 1991 Tehelné Pole Stadium, Bratislava, Czechoslovakia 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
16 2–1
17 12 October 1991 Estadio Benito Villamarín, Seville, Spain 2–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
18 25 March 1992 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–1 3–3 Friendly
19 3–3
20 5 June 1992 Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens, France 1–0 1–1 Friendly
21 10 June 1992 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden 1–1 1–1 UEFA Euro 1992
22 17 June 1992 Malmö Stadion, Malmö, Sweden 1–1 1–2 UEFA Euro 1992
23 14 October 1992 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–0 2–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
24 14 November 1992 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–0 2–1 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
25 27 March 1993 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–0 1–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 28 July 1993 Stade Michel d'Ornano, Caen, France 3–1 3–1 Friendly
27 8 September 1993 Ratina Stadion, Tampere, Estland 2–0 2–0 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 22 March 1994 Stade de Gerland, Lyon, France 1–0 3–1 Friendly
29 29 May 1994 National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan 2–0 4–1 1994 Kirin Cup
30 13 December 1994 Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying

Honours

INF Vichy

Club Brugge

Marseille

AC Milan[31]

Bayern Munich

Bordeaux

France U21

France

Individual

Orders

2005[36]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SCI Laura (33120) . Figaro Emploi . 9 February 2021 . 9 April 2024 . fr.
    Web site: Jean-Pierre-Roger Papin . Verif . 9 April 2024 . fr.
  2. News: Jean-Pierre Papin . L'Équipe . Paris . 9 April 2024 . fr.
  3. Web site: From Ligue 1 to superstardom: Jean-Pierre Papin - the Nine of Hearts. Goal. 12 February 2017.
  4. Book: Parrish . Charles . Nauright . John . 2014 . Soccer around the world: a cultural guide to the World's favourite sport . ABC-CLIO . 112 . 9781610693035.
  5. Web site: Ten claims to fame. Berend. Scholten. UEFA. uefa.com. 11 March 2015.
  6. Web site: Crvena zvezda-Marseille. UEFA.com. UEFA. 28 September 2022.
  7. Web site: Football: Papin announces end to glittering career. The Independent. 18 November 1998.
  8. Book: 2014 . Greatest Ever Footballers . Hachette UK . 2006 . 9781472227058.
  9. Web site: Jean-Pierre Papin, football's first £10 million pound player.. 26 January 2021. 6 November 2021. The Sporting Blog. en-GB.
  10. Web site: Papin: a new dimension. https://web.archive.org/web/20190727065515/https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/papin-new-dimension-2247936. dead. 27 July 2019. FIFA. 19 December 2013.
  11. Web site: Football: Papin joins Bayern. Henry. Winter. The Independent. 14 April 1994.
  12. News: Football: Peacock goes but Francis stays: Mixed day at Queen's Park Rangers while Limpar joins Everton and Beagrie hops to City . The Independent . Trevor . Haylett . 25 March 1994 . 2 November 2012.
  13. Web site: PAPIN: I'D LOVE TO JOIN FULHAM . thefreelibrary.com . 2 November 2012.
  14. Web site: Rowhan . Patrick . 8 May 2019 . How Jean-Pierre Papin became one of the greatest goalscorers in French football history . 8 August 2023 . These Football Times . en-GB.
  15. News: Jean-Pierre Papin de retour sur les terrains... de 10e division . 7 March 2019 . Le Monde . 5 January 2009 . fr.
  16. Web site: French soccer player Jean-Pierre Papin during his first cap match with the France national team. France vs Northern Ireland (0-0). Getty Images. 26 February 1986.
  17. Book: Dunmore, Tom . 2011 . Historical Dictionary of Soccer . Scarecrow Press . 187 . 9780810871885.
  18. Web site: Jacob . Steinberg . Scott . Murray . England qualify for Euros with 100% record – what happened to the first five who did it?. The Guardian. 13 October 2015.
  19. Book: Witzig, Richard . 2006 . The Global Art of Soccer . CusiBoy Publishing . 187 . 9780977668809.
  20. Web site: Strasbourg 2-1 Lens . https://web.archive.org/web/20081207152514/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/FootballFicheMatch13504_100572.html . dead . 7 December 2008 . fr . lequipe.fr . 25 August 2007 . 2 November 2012.
  21. Web site: Papin nommé entraîneur . Lequipe.fr . 29 December 2009 . 28 April 2011 . fr . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100611133014/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/20091229_174138_papin-nomme-entraineur.html . 11 June 2010.
  22. Web site: Après son départ du FC Sion, Didier Tholot trouve déjà de l'embauche. Il signe 2 ans à Châteauroux . tsr.ch . 2 June 2010 . 28 April 2011.
  23. News: Entraîneur à Arcachon, Jean-Pierre Papin retrouve ses racines. Sud Ouest. fr. 23 August 2014. Leshauriès. Yoan.
  24. Web site: Historique. FC Bassin d'Arcachon Official Site. fr. 15 July 2019. 15 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190715094618/https://www.fcbarcachon.com/historique. dead.
  25. Web site: National 2. Jean-Pierre Papin nouvel entraîneur de C'Chartres !. footamateur.fr. fr. 2 June 2020.
  26. Web site: Le sketch des Guignols 'Reviens, JPP, reviens !' . fr . dailymotion.com . 22 December 2009 . 2 November 2012.
  27. https://www.footgolf-france. fr/AFFG ambassadors: Ambassadors
  28. Web site: Jean-Pierre Papin » Club matches . worldfootball.net . 16 October 2022 . 2 November 2022.
  29. Web site: Football PLAYER: Jean-Pierre Papin. eu-football.info.
  30. Web site: Football PLAYER: Jean-Pierre Papin. eu-football.info.
  31. Web site: HOW JEAN-PIERRE PAPIN BECAME ONE OF THE GREATEST GOALSCORERS IN FRENCH FOOTBALL HISTORY. These Football Times. 5 September 2019. 19 June 2020.
  32. Web site: IFFHS Awards 1991 . IFFHS . 14 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201014093259/https://www.iffhs.de/index.php/posts/276 . 14 October 2020 . dead .
  33. Web site: August 1995 - Papin. 12 July 2013. de. Sportschau. 11 December 2018.
  34. https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/fifa-xi.html FIFA XI´s Matches - Full Info
  35. Web site: Skoblar dernier joueur de la dream team des 110 ans. OM.net (Olympique de Marseille). 24 April 2010. 13 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180928043956/https://www.om.net/actualites/140213/skoblar-dernier-joueur-de-la-dream-team-des-110-ans. 28 September 2018. dead.
  36. 14 July 2005 . Décret du 13 juillet 2005 portant promotion et nomination . Decree of 13 July 2005 on promotion and nomination . Official Journal of the French Republic . 2005 . 163 . PREX0508597D . 3 January 2021 . fr.