René Girard

Girard in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1954-04-04) 4 April 1954 (age 70)[1]
Place of birth	Vauvert, France
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1973–1980	Nîmes	202	(27)
1980–1988	Bordeaux	241	(17)
1988–1991	Nîmes	92	(5)
Total		535	(49)
International career
1981–1982	France	7	(1)
Managerial career
1991–1994	Nîmes
1996–1997	Pau FC
1998	Strasbourg
2002–2003	France U19
2003–2004	France U16
2004–2008	France U21
2009–2013	Montpellier
2013–2015	Lille
2016	Nantes
2018	Wydad AC
2020–2021	Paris FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

René Girard (born 4 April 1954) is a French football manager and former player.

Girard was born in Vauvert, Gard.^[1]

Girard won seven caps, scoring one goal for France and was a member of the squad that finished fourth at the 1982 World Cup. At club level, while playing for Bordeaux, Girard won three Ligue 1 titles – in 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1986–87, as well as two Coupes de France, over Marseille in the 1986 and 1987 editions.^{[citation needed]}

Girard managed Nîmes, Strasbourg, Pau FC and multiple France youth teams. He coached the France national under-21 team from 2004 to 2008.^{[citation needed]}

On 3 June 2009, he became the new head coach of Montpellier HSC, replacing Rolland Courbis. In the 2011–12 season, Montpellier shocked the footballing world by winning its first Ligue 1 title, finishing the season with 82 points, three more than runner-up Paris Saint-Germain. He said after his team won it. "I think our triumph is a real shot in the arm for French football.^[3][4][5] "It just goes to show that everyone can beat everyone and that money isn't the be-all and end-all. We're a club of mates, a club that brings young players through and gives them a chance. "At the end of the day, it's worked out well for us. We played some great football, with a well-balanced team and I'm overwhelmed."^[6][7][8]

He signed for Lille in July 2013, replacing Rudi Garcia who left for Roma.^[9][10][11]

On 30 September 2018, he was appointed as the head coach of Moroccan club Wydad AC.^[12]

Bordeaux

• Division 1: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87^[2]
• Coupe de France: 1985–86, 1986–87^[2]
• Challenge des Champions: 1986^{[citation needed]}

Montpellier

• Ligue 1: 2011–12^{[citation needed]}

Wikimedia Commons has media related to René Girard (footballer).

• René Girard at the French Football Federation (in French)
• René Girard – UEFA coaching record (archived)
• Profile at www.pari-et-gagne.com