Factbox-Soccer-Departing France manager Didier Deschamps


Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Bronze Final - France v England - Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. - July 18, 2026 France coach Didier Deschamp looks dejected after the match as France finish fourth place in the World Cup REUTERS/Carlos Barria

July 18 (Reuters) - Didier Deschamps, the longest-serving France manager, ended ⁠his 14-year spell in the role after Les Bleus were beaten 6-4 by England in the third-place match at the World Cup on ⁠Saturday.

France lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Following are facts about Deschamps' playing and coaching career:

Born: October 15, 1968, in ‌Bayonne, France.

PLAYING CAREER

* Deschamps, a midfielder, made his Ligue 1 debut for Nantes in September 1985 before leaving to join Olympique de Marseille four years later.

* Won the first of his 103 caps in 1989 as a substitute in a World Cup qualifier at home to Yugoslavia.

* After a brief stint at Girondins de Bordeaux he returned to Marseille, helping them clinch the ​league championship in 1990 and 1992 before achieving Champions League glory in 1993.

MOVE TO ITALY

* Moved ⁠to Juventus in 1994 and won three Serie A titles ⁠plus the Champions League again in 1996.

WORLD CUP

* Captained France to a World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998 and followed that with Euro ⁠2000 ‌success before retiring from international football.

* In between the World Cup and Euro triumphs, Deschamps moved to Chelsea but left after a disappointing season to join Valencia, where he also played one term before retiring in 2001.

MANAGEMENT

* In 2001 became manager of AS Monaco and won the 2003 French ⁠League Cup before leading them to the 2004 Champions League final which they lost 3-0 ​to Porto.

* Resigned in September 2005 after a ‌bad start to the season.

* Appointed Juventus coach in July 2006 following their demotion from Serie A due to a match-fixing scandal. After ⁠persuading several top players to ​stay, led the team straight back to the top flight despite a nine-point deduction.

* Resigned a week after Juve clinched promotion amid disagreements with club officials over the way forward in Serie A.

MARSEILLE RETURN

* Appointed successor to Eric Gerets as manager of Marseille for the 2009-10 season.

* Won French title in first season back at Marseille and led theme ⁠to runners-up spot in 2011. Also won three successive League Cups from 2010 to ​2012.

FRANCE

* Named France coach in July 2012 to succeed former national teammate Laurent Blanc who decided not to renew his contract after the country's quarter-final exit at Euro 2012.

* Qualified for the 2014 World Cup, losing to eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals.

* France hosted Euro 2016, and Deschamps' side reached the final which they ⁠lost to Portugal after extra time.

* Won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final.

* Deschamps became the third man after Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer to win the World Cup as player and manager.

* France won the 2020-21 Nations League, defeating Spain 2-1 in the final.

* Led France to a second successive World Cup final in Qatar in 2022, losing on penalties to Argentina following a 3-3 draw after extra time.

* At Euro 2024, ​France finished second in their group behind Austria and went out in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout ⁠defeat by Portugal following a 0-0 draw after extra time.

* In January 2025, the French soccer federation told Reuters that Deschamps, France's longest serving national team coach, would ​not seek to renew his contract, which expires in 2026. Deschamps confirmed the news.

* France topped ‌their group in the 2024-25 Nations League, ahead of Italy and Belgium and ​beat Croatia in quarter-finals before losing 5-4 to Spain in the semis.

* Deschamps' men faced another semi-final loss to Spain at the World Cup on Tuesday, going down 2-0.

* Deschamps has a record 20 World Cup victories as coach.

(Compiled by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Ken Ferris)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Others Also Read