JEAN-PIERRE PAPIN

(Born in 1963)

Played in the French clubs, Valenciennes, " Vichy ", Marseille, Bordeaux, Guingamp, Saint-Perrua Reunion", the Belgian club Bruges, "the Italian" Milan " , German "Bavaria". In the years 1986-1995 has 54 matches for the French team.

Jean-Pierre Papin entered the history of football, as a master of the accurate, strong shots, often of the most unlikely positions. These attacks turned a hail of goals. Five times he was leading scorer in the French championship three times in the best goleadorom sweepstakes European cups. Now, it is difficult to imagine what was in his career when the whole of France exposed him to ridicule. And it is really surprising is the fact that football glory Frenchman Papin began not in France and in Belgium.

Childhood Jean-Pierre gave not too happy. His parents separated, leaving the child in the care of grandmothers. To a large extent it was left to himself and great delight in chasing the ball. When he was 15, the ability of adolescent noticed breeders club Valenciennes, speaking at the time in the second division. After receiving the "football education" in twenty years, Jean-Pierre made his debut in a match against "Kanna". The first game was marked by the fact that the future great goleador with two meters into the goalkeeper managed to please.

However, in the next game, he drove his ball into the "nine", providing "Valenciennes" victory. And in general the first season had grown up Papen successfully. He scored 15 goals, but an amazing attention to the promising striker drew not any of the French clubs, but the Belgian Club Brugge.

Photo — «Jean-pierre Papin»

They began this football glory, Jean-Pierre Papin.

Belgian fans were delighted with his game. Papin possessed excellent speed, and his signature style began to spurt with a powerful final blow, often from outside the penalty area. During the year 1985-1986 season, held in Bruges, he scored 32 goals, taking into account not only the championship of the country, but the game in the Cup of Belgium and the European Cup. Way, in a match of the European tournament, he made my first hat-trick. Cup, the truth, "Bruges" is not won, but took the Belgian Cup. This was the first big victory Papen.

Then striker has finally become interested and at home. Season 1986, he started in the club Olympique Marseille, where he was destined to play six of the best years of his career, and as a team captain. But before that was invited to the French team, who were preparing for the World Cup 1986, held in Mexico, and in February 1986 Papen had his first match. The French then had a brilliant team, whose leader was Michel Platini. Two years ago the first time in its history, the French team became the champion of Europe.

In general, the French were quite successful and at the world championships, where the only team in the semifinals lost to West Germany - 0:2, and then in the match for third place team defeated Belgium - 4:2. But at twenty-two Papen championship will not work. Rather, he simply did not have enough experience. Coaches initially made him a bet, as the main striking force, but he managed to screw up many favorable moments. In the end it began to produce a replacement.

Photo — «Jean-pierre Papin»

And yet even this failed for a championship with Jean-Pierre Papin got one very loud achievement. In the first match of the group stage the French play against Canada, and here Papin scored the only goal, which brought his team to victory. This goal was the anniversary, 1200-meters in the history of world championships.

After the team returned to France Papen had a chance to experience a very ironic attitude. Fans and newspapermen recollected him unrealized moments, and sometimes he looked at them, even humorous way. Fortunately, it believed the president of the Marseille club Olympique de Marseille, Bernard Tapie. Papen himself responded to the criticism that did not spare himself in training, practicing strokes of the most difficult situations. In the end, he brought his action to such automatism that it was fit to compare with the machine for plugging heads. And with the machine, for which there is nothing impossible. He was scoring goals, as soon as it seemed for the slightest opportunity.

Two years later, Papin for the first time became the best scorer of France and held the title five consecutive years. In the 1989-1990 season, he has achieved stunning results, scoring 30 goals. Two years later, little did not have lasted up to his same record, scoring "only" 27 goals.

These were the years not only to take off striker Jean-Pierre Papin, but his club Olympique de Marseille. Since 1989 Marseillais four times in a row were the champions of the country, and in 1989, in addition won the Cup in France. Incidentally, in the final match with Monaco, won with a score of 4:3, Papin scored a hat-trick.

Photo — «Jean-pierre Papin»

When the captain of "Olympic" received the cup from the hands of French President Mitterrand, the one usually reserved, kissed striker, who admired his game.

In 1991, the "Olympic" and could win the European Cup, but lost to Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade on penalties. Unfortunately, this time Papen failed to score a goal or in the main, or in extra time and expense remained 0:0. But in the same 1991 with Papen was another personal achievement - he received the Golden Ball as the best footballer in Europe.

Needless to say, a brilliant striker is back in the French team, where he regularly scoring goals. All it into the national team scored 30, but in fairness I must say that the great achievements in these years the French have not been. 1990 FIFA World Cup was held without the French team. The French, however, considered the undisputed favorites before the championship of Europe in 1992, setting a record achievement - have won all eight matches in the qualifying group with a difference of 20:6. But in Sweden itself, surprisingly not scored a single victory, nobody′s satisfied with the masters, the Swedes and the British, and lost 1:2 future champions, the Danes. French team could not even leave the group.

Also in 1992, Jean-Pierre Papin moved from the "Olympic" in a more eminent in the European arena Milan. But here it is very much has changed: in the Marseilles club, he was the star of first magnitude, while AC Milan was a whole constellation of the best players in Europe. Papin had to accept the fact that part of the match he found himself not always.

Photo — «Jean-pierre Papin»

An interesting conflict has developed in the spring of 1993. In the final match of the European Cup to come together "Milan" and "Olympic". Playing in the day Papen felt, no doubt, conflicting feelings - after all it is in the Stadio Olimpico passed his best football years. Whatever it was, won the Marseille club - 1:0, and von Papen for the second time left is not a winner, but only a finalist.

But later the famous scandal erupted. President of Olympique de Marseille, Bernard Tapie accused that his club "buy" matches. As a result of "Olympic" was deprived of his title, and Tapi some time even held in jail. Papen himself with tremendous respect for Tapie, considered far-fetched accusations. But the scandal has led to a great club that was destroyed, and years later it had to be created anew.

As for the Papen, the years of stay in Milan did not go to his advantage. He then played, then sat on the bench. However, twice with AC Milan became the champion of Italy.

In 1994, Papin left for Bayern Munich, but here too often did not get in the composition. In general, a great career scorer already coming to an end. True, he was replaced a few clubs, had not distinguished, and finished performances only in 1999.

May 30, 1999 in Marseilles "velodrome" was a farewell match, Jean-Pierre Papin, collected tens of thousands of spectators. Recently (2004) a great player works in the resurgent "Olympic" in an administrative position.