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Michel Platini 1984
Michel PLATINI
1984 top three…Michel Platini, Ian Rush and Zico
Platini is the tops
It has been an absolutely fantastic year for France – that is the overwhelming message of readers and contributors from all around the world who voted in Wor ld Soccer’s annual awards poll.
Mi Michel Platini won the World chel Platini won the World Fo Footballer of the Year accolade with otballer of the Year accolade with a record advantage ovea record advantage over runner-up r runner-up Ia Ian Rush; France was unrivalled in then Rush; France was unrivalled in the vo voting as World Team of the Year forting as World Team of the Year for th their bri eir brill lliant victory in the Europeaniant victory in the European Championship (reinforced by theirChampionship (reinforced by their Ol Olympic success); and Michel Hympic success); and Michel Hidalgo, idalgo, th the Free French boss, was voted Manager nch boss, was voted Manager of the Year.
Platini, Platini, th the modest millionairee modest millionaire of Juof Juve ventus and France, can hardlyntus and France, can hardly pretend su pretend surp rprise any more at the rise any more at the way he has swept every award this past year.
Wor ld Soccer’s World Player of the Year crown is the latest in an ever-lengin an ever-length thening collection ening collection and no doubt there are more to and no doubt there are more to come in the next few weeks.
His achievements last summer set him up in a class of his summer set him up in a class of his own. He took Juventus to victory in the European Cup Winners’ Cup and Italian championship, and then scored the goals and provided the inspiration with which France carried off the European Championship.
Armed with this redoubtable background, Platini is now poised to launch himself towards the one major club level title which neither he nor Juventus have ever won: the European Champions’ Cup.
There is perhaps no club in Europe for whom victory in the Champions’ Cup would mean so much. The fact that they have won the Italian league on a record 21 occasions and the cup a record seven times, the Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup...all count for nothing beside the regret that they have never been Europe’s No.1.
“That,” says president Giampiero Boniperti, “is the biggest prize of all. Milan have won it. Internazionale have won it. But Juventus have not. That is our goal this season.”
Poland star Zbigniew Boniek even went as far as to say: “If we finish one place above the relegation zone in the league, but win the European Cup then it will have been a great season.”
The man who carries most responsibility is Platini. He has been playing in Italy for two seasons now and both times he has been the league’s leading scorer. In 1983 he also inspired Juventus to reach the Champions’ Cup final – where they lost surprisingly 1-0 to Hamburg – and last season of course he overthrew Diego Maradona as the world’s top player with his displays for France.
Platini says he will quit the European scene for some easy money in the United States after the next World Cup in 1986. His ambition to win the European Cup is a great one and he has admitted that this season could prove his best – and perhaps last – chance.
Platini knows all about the physical danger he runs against ruthless opponents who will do almost anything to try to stop him. Born in June 1955, he had barely made his first-team debut with Nancy-Lorraine at the age of 17 when he was hacked down from behind. The outcome: Platini was carried off with a broken leg.
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Hat-trick hero…Platini stars against Belgium at Euro ’84
Most other young players would never recover. They might return to the first team, but their confidence would be shattered. Yet Platini returned with his attitude amended only by a fierce determination to make up for lost time.
He has done so. But along the way he has also had to suffer a cartilage operation and a broken ankle.
On March 27, 1976, Platini was chosen for the first time for the French national team by Michel Hidalgo. It was Platini’s big test – and also an important selection for Hidalgo, for whom this game against Czechoslovakia was his first as manager of France.
Early in the game France were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Czech penalty area. French skipper Henri Michel placed the ball and stepped back, ready for a crack at goal. Suddenly Platini trotted across.
“Leave it,” he told Michel. “I’m going to put this in the net.”
Skipper Michel stepped back and waited. Platini took that familiar run-up and clipped a curling free kick round the edge of the wall and past goalkeeper Ivo Viktor. From that day on goalkeepers
have lived in fear of Platini’s free-kicks – even top men such as Italy’s Dino Zoff, England’s Peter Shilton and Spain’s Luis Arconada, have been beaten by them.
At first French fans were not totally agreed on Platini’s talents. Many thought France played better without him.
Hidalgo didn’t listen. He said: “The problem is that for some reason many fans won’t believe their own eyes. If Platini played abroad, in Italy or Spain, they would accept his ability. It ’s because he has stayed in France that too many people take him for granted.”
That Platini would finish up playing in Italy was rarely in doubt. His father, Aldo Platini – who had been his youth coach at Nancy-Lorraine – still had distant relatives in Italy. The question was: When?
After appearing in Argentina in the 1978 World Cup finals, Platini was transferred from little Nancy to the greatest French club of the 1970s, Saint-Etienne. In the past 18 months that once-proud club have been humbled by an under-the-counter payments scandal. But in 1978 Les Ver ts were helping to restore French pride in their football.
Platini immediately took over as midfield creator and top scorer. In 1981 they were within one match of the league and cup double. The championship they won easily, losing only four games in 38. But in the cup final Platini and Co. – the hot favourites – lost surprisingly 2-1 to Bastia.
One more year and Juventus arrived on the scene. Italian rivals Internazionale had earlier had an option on Platini, but that now lapsed. Before Platini went off to play for France in the World Cup finals he had all but signed up with Juventus.
After the finals, in which Platini was the brightest star of a brilliant French team, he completed the deal with Juventus – who sold off Liam Brady to Sampdoria to make way for the Frenchman.
The Juventus forward-line looked unstoppable: Italy’s Roberto Bettega, Marco Tardelli and Paolo Rossi, then Platini, then Polish star Boniek. In the Italian league they were back as champions in 1983, beat Verona 3-2 on aggregate in the cup final, and Platini was league top scorer with 18 goals. They also reached the Champions’ Cup final – beating Aston Villa on the way – only to lose to Hamburg
Last season Platini announced: “I’m going to concentrate more this time on making goals for my team-mates than scoring myself.”
Yet he was once again Italian football’s goal king, with 20, before hitting nine goals in five matches in the European Championship – including hat-tricks against Belgium and Yugoslavia, and the last-gasp semi-final winner against Portugal.
Platini said recently: “We can win the European Cup. But the fans must not expect miracles.”
After his exploits this far in a glittering career, that is just what they do expect from the World Footballer of the Year. Keir Radnedge
European champion… Platini
Top 10 Players of 1984
Player Club
Country % of vote 1) Michel Platini Juventus France 54 2) Ian Rush Liverpool Wales 9 3) Zico Udinese Brazil 7 4) Fernando Chalana Benfica/Bordeaux Por tugal 5 5) Jean Tigana Bordeaux France 2.7 6) Morten Olsen Anderlecht Denmark 2.3 7) Renato Gremio Brazil 1.7 8) Paolo Rossi Juventus Italy 1.5 9) Graeme Souness Liverpool/Sampdoria Scotland 1.3 10) Bryan Robson Manchester United England 1.1
In a class of his own…Michel Platini
Other World Soccer Award winners 1984
Runaway winners…France polled 45 per cent of the vote
TEAM OF THE YEAR: France
