Guy Roux

Guy Marcel Roux (French pronunciation: [ɡi ʁu]; born 18 October 1938) is a French former football player and manager known for being in charge of AJ Auxerre for more than 40 years and for leading the team to national and worldwide prominence.

Guy Roux
Roux in May 2014 presenting his latest book
Personal information
Full name Guy Marcel Roux[1]
Date of birth (1938-10-18) 18 October 1938
Place of birth Colmar, France
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1954–1957 Auxerre
1957–1958 Stade Poitevin
1958–1961 Limoges
1961–1962 Auxerre
1962–1970 Auxerre
Managerial career
1961–2005 Auxerre
2007 Lens
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Managerial career

A native of Colmar, Roux played for AJ Auxerre between 1954 and 1957 and became player-manager of the then Division d'Honneur (fourth level) club in 1961 to become its living legend and symbol. In 1970 Auxerre got promoted to the Division 3 League, and Roux retired as a player. In 1974 Auxerre got promoted again, this time to Division 2. With Roux in charge the team made it to a Coupe de France final in 1979 and progressed to Division 1 in 1980.[3] The team then went further to clinch the Division 1 title in 1995–96 and win the Coupe de France four times (1993–94, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05).[3] Among AJ Auxerre's honours under Roux are also an Intertoto Cup triumph and the 1992–93 UEFA Cup semi-final. Roux retired in 2000, but returned the next year.

Roux believed that a strong infrastructure was paramount to long-term success. In 1980, Roux rejected the chance to sign French international striker Olivier Rouyer in favour of opening a state-of-the-art youth academy.[3] During his period at the helm, the team established itself as a powerhouse in French football and became known worldwide as an academy for top players, since it was the club where football stars such as Eric Cantona, Basile Boli, Alain Goma, Frédéric Darras, Pascal Vahirua, Raphael Guerreiro, Stéphane Mazzolini, Djibril Cissé, Philippe Mexès and Teemu Tainio won themselves a name being spotted and their talent further developed by Roux.[3] He also helped rebuild the careers of players, such as Laurent Blanc and Enzo Scifo, after they had experienced poor spells.[4]

In 2000, Roux was a recipient of the UEFA President's Award which recognises outstanding achievements, professional excellence and exemplary personal qualities.[5]

Roux retired from managing Auxerre in June 2005 to be replaced by Jacques Santini. At the end of his career as Auxerre manager, Roux led Auxerre through about 2,000 games, including a European record of 890 top-flight league matches.[4]

He briefly came out of retirement in June 2007 when he signed a two-year contract with RC Lens. However, he resigned on 25 August 2007 during a 2–1 defeat at Strasbourg after only four matches without a win at the helm.[3]

Honours
Roux with AJ Auxerre in 2003

Auxerre

Individual

Orders

See also

References
  1. "Décret du 30 janvier 2008 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 30 January 2008 on promotion and appointment]. Journal Officiel de la République Française (in French). 2008 (26): 1818. 31 January 2008. PREX0811182D. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  2. "Guy Roux - Fiche joueur - Football".
  3. "The Epic Life and Legacy of Guy Roux, The Man Who Managed Auxerre for 44 Years". These Football Times. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  4. "This Guy deserves a statue". The Guardian. 11 June 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  5. "UEFA President's Award". UEFA.com. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. "Five longest serving football managers of all time". Footie Central. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. "Palmarès Trophées UNFP - Oscars du football - Meilleur entraîneur de Ligue 1" (in French). Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  8. "Décret du 13 juillet 1999 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 13 July 1999 on promotion and appointment]. Journal Officiel de la République Française (in French). 1999 (161): 10480. 14 July 1999. PREX9903628D. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
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General

  • Paytashev, Rumen (2001). Svetovna Futbolna Entsiklopediya. Sofia: KK Trud. ISBN 954-528-201-0.
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