Michel Platini-The French soccer Legend

Michel Platini - More than a footballer

Michel Platini with Ballon d'Or

   Michel Platini, is a name of a star. He is not only a footballer but also a person who tries to improve the game and serve his life for the game.  Michel Platini was the European Footballer of the year for three times and probably he is the best footballer to have been produced by his country, France.  Michel Platini led France to two World Cup semi-finals and to the title during the 1984 European Championship.

   Michel Platini is a French football player who played as an attacking midfielder during his career. Michel Platini is named as one of the best free kick specialists in history, and he is the principal architect of the successes of the French soccer squad and Juventus in the eighties. Michel Platini was a playmaker with a great vision of the game and an inherent instinct for goal-scoring. His incredible football technique and his talent to be a leader earned him the nickname of Le Roi (The King, in French language). He played football for French National Team during 1972-1987, and he had played 72 International matches and scored 41goals for his country.

   Michel Platini was the winner of the 1985 European Cup with Juventus and the 1984 Euro Cup with France. During the European Football Championship of 1984, he scored 9 goals in 5 matches that made him the tournament’s top scorer of all time-a record which still stands today. Among his several individual awards is the Ballon d’Or, which he won three consecutive times (1983, 1984 and1985). He is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time, he come in the sixth position in the “FIFA Player of the Century” vote, and he is also chosen on the “FIFA World Cup Dream Team”. In 2004, Michel Platini was named in the “FIFA 100” list of the world’s greatest living players.

FIFA Ballon d'Or Award-FIFA Player of the Year Award

FIFA Ballon d'Or Award or FIFA Player of the Year Award for male

FIFA Ballon d'Or

   The FIFA Ballon d'Or (it means “Golden Ball" in French) is an organization football award given annually to the male player who is considered to have performed the best in the previous year. It is awarded based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams, as well as journalists from around the world.

   Previously, the Ballon d'Or was referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award. It is an annual association football award. The award was conceived by France Football’s chief magazine writer Gabriel Hanot, who asked his associates to vote for the player of the year in Europe in 1956. The first winner was British footballer Stanley Matthews of Blackpool football club.

   Originally, journalists could only vote for European players at European clubs, meaning that players like Diego Maradona (who played in European football clubs but is not an European) and Pele (who neither played for a European club and nor European) were ineligible for this award. A change in the rules in 1995 allowed non-European players to be eligible for the award if they played for a European club. The first non-European to win after the rule change was A.C. Milan’s George Weah in that same year. In 2007, any player in the world became eligible, and the number of journalists allowed to vote also increased; 96 journalists from around the world chose their top five players, as opposed to the 52 Europe-based journalists in 2006.