FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Nations League - France Press Conference - Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France - November 13, 2024 France coach Didier Deschamps during the press conference REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
(Reuters) - Factbox on Didier Deschamps, who the French soccer federation said on Tuesday would leave his role as France manager after his contract ends in 2026.
Born: Oct. 15, 1968, in Bayonne, France.
PLAYING CAREER
* Deschamps, a midfielder, made his league debut for Nantes in September 1985 before leaving to join Olympique de Marseille four years later.
* Won the first of his 103 caps for France in 1989 when he came on as a substitute in a 0-0 World Cup qualifier at home to Yugoslavia.
* After a brief stint at Girondins de Bordeaux he returned to Marseille where he helped to clinch the league championship in 1991 and 1992 before achieving Champions League glory in 1993.
MOVE TO ITALY
* Moved to Italian side Juventus in 1994 and won three Serie A titles and the Champions League again in 1996.
WORLD CUP
* Captained France to World Cup victory on home soil in 1998 and followed that with victory at Euro 2000 before retiring from international football.
* In between the World Cup and Euro 2000 triumphs he moved to English side Chelsea but left after one disappointing season and moved to Valencia, where he also played a single campaign before retirement in 2001.
MANAGEMENT
* In 2001 he became manager of 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.
* Returned to Italy and was 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 secured 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 the side to runners-up spot in 2011, and also won three successive League Cups.
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 at the quarter-final stage.
* 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 only the third man after Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer to win the World Cup as both 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 after a 3-3 draw.
* At Euro 2024, France finished second in their group, behind Austria and went out in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal following a 0-0 draw.
* France topped their group in the 2024-25 Nations League, ahead of Italy and Belgium, to reach the quarter-finals, where they will face Croatia in March.
* On Tuesday, the French soccer federation told Reuters that Deschamps, France's longest serving national team coach, will not seek to renew his contract which expires in 2026.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis)
