Philippe Troussier bio: age, nationality, Islam, current teams, profile, latest news
Who is Philippe Troussier? Troussier is a former French professional footballer who is currently in management. Across Africa, he is known for his ability to have an eye for talented youngsters and turning them into superstars. There is a lot of interesting stuff about him. Do you know about this outstanding Frenchman's career or his White witch doctor nickname? Read about this and more below.
Source: Twitter
Philippe Troussier began his career as a football player. It is after his professional football career ended that he got into coaching. His management work has not only come with success but also with its share of losses. Get to find out why a former South African football legend referred to Troussier as an idiot.
Philippe Troussier profile
- Name: Philippe Omar Troussier
- Birthdate: 21st March 1955
- Philippe Troussier age: 65 years
- Birthplace: Paris, France
- Philippe Troussier nationality: French and Ivorian
- Philippe Troussier religion: Islam
- Occupation: Former French professional footballer, manager
- Position played: Defender.
Early life
The Frenchman was born in Paris, France, on 21st Mach 1955. There is not much known about his parents and his upbringing. He started his career as a junior, being a defender within the French leagues.
Source: Instagram
Career
The Frenchman has had a successful career in both professional playing and management. He started his youthful football playing days within French leagues. He then progressed into management.
Professional football player
Troussier started his early career in football at 19 years as a player for AS Choisy le Roi in 1974. Over the years between 1975 to 1983, he played for RC Joinville, Angouleme, Redstar 93, and Rouen. His last professional team was Stade de Reims before making a move into management.
Coaching career
The Frenchman got his first coaching gig in France. He managed INF Vichy through their league season of 1983/84, where they came in second place. In the following season, he moved to the amateurs club CS Alençon where he learned amateur club management. He then briefly returned to his former club Red Star 93 in the 1987/88 league season. He led them through to the end of the 1988/89 league and left the club in 1989.
Move to Africa
Omar's first gig in Africa was with Ivory Coast's top division football club ASEC Mimosas. Under his management, the team never lost a league game. Other Philippe Troussier teams include the teams of Morocco, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso.
In South Africa, he coached Kaizer Chiefs and the South African national team Bafana Bafana. He, unfortunately, did not succeed with the national team in the 1998 World Cup. The Philippe Troussier Bafana Bafana association would be short-lived because, after the tournament, he left Africa. He had already gained the nickname White Witch Doctor due to his success in African football.
Source: Instagram
Move to Asia
Omar moved to Japan to guide them through to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He struggled with language barriers with the players, which brought losses. He reverted to the under 20 team for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. The Japanese squad was successful even in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They managed to get to the final 16, the best finish within the competition at the time. He then moved to Qatar in 2003, but his success was not so. He got fired after failing to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Return to France and Africa
In 2004, Omar returned to France for the team Olympique de Marseille. His stay seemed chaotic as he collided with senior players. He was soon replaced and returned to Africa as head coach of the Moroccan national team in 2006. He was, however, fired after two months due to a difference in opinion.
Asia return
In March 2008, he returned to Japan to manage a third-division team. He then took a break from football and converted to Islam in 2010. He returned to manage a young Chinese team. Though amidst criticism from Chinese fans, he still managed the team through to the 2013 Chinese league season.
He moved to Malaysia for the Malaysia national football team, but disagreements with the Football Association of Malaysia saw the deal fail to materialize. In 2014, he became the manager of CS Sfaxien of Tunisia but then quit in the same year. A Philippe Troussier Vietnam rapport came in 2018 when he became a technical advisor of a Vietnamese Football Academy (PVF). He got to be the head coach of the Vietnam national U-19 team after a reference from PVF from 2019.
Source: Instagram
Omar honours
Over the past years, Omar's work has not gone unnoticed as he has a few under his name. They include:
- ASEC Mimosas - Côte d'Ivoire Premier Division for the years 1990, 1991 and 1992
- FUS Rabat - Coupe du Trône in 1995
- Japan national team - AFC Asian Cup of 2000
- AFC Coach of the Year in 2000
Omar latest news
In 2002, the Frenchman claimed that some national teams had sought him, Ireland being one. The Football Association of Ireland denied the acclaimed reports.
In 2020, Omar came under fire when the former Bafana Bafana defender Mark Fish referred to him as an idiot. He tweeted that Omar should never have been their coach due to his management style. Later, the Frenchman admitted his coaching mistakes.
Source: Instagram
Omar contacts
Philippe Troussier Instagram account does not exist, but he has a Twitter account: @Philippe Troussier.
That is everything you need to know about Philippe Troussier, the French coach with a knack for spotting and moulding young talents. Is he your favourite coach?
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Source: Briefly News
