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Michel, former France player and World Cup coach, dies at 70

Posted April 24, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - Henri Michel, who played for France at the World Cup and later coached the team to the semifinals at the 1986 tournament, has died. He was 70.

France's Professional Footballers Association wrote on Twitter that Michel died Tuesday morning.

Michel was an accomplished midfielder who played almost his entire career at Nantes and helped the club win three French league titles. He played 58 times for France, including two games at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

In 1986, Michel coached the France team to the semifinals in Mexico. The team included his former teammates Michel Platini, Patrick Battiston and Dominique Rocheteau. France lost to West Germany, and then beat Belgium in the third-place game.

Michel later coached several African national teams, including Ivory Coast at the 2006 World Cup.

FILE - In this June 15, 2006 file photo, Henri Michel, from France, then coach of the Ivory Coast's national soccer team, gives directions to his players during a training session at the Gottlieb-Daimler stadium in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany. .Henri Michel, who played for and coached France at the World Cup, died Tuesday April 24, 2018. He was 70. (AP Photo/Thomas Kienzle, File) The Associated Press

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