Saudi Arabia, almost at home, has hit the world table football and for now scores the first bang of the tournament. Lionel Scaloni and Lionel Messi’s debut rival of the Argentine national team in the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup is now leading his own zone (Mexico and Poland are also playing this Tuesday) and breaks all the odds.
The Middle East team qualified by being the leader in their area in the Asian Qualifiers and showing great superiority over the other teams. And against those led by Scaloni he scored a historic coup, beating the man who was considered one of the candidates for the Scudetto 2-1.
The mastermind behind this team is a very particular person. His coach, Herve Renard (54), breaks all the patterns that have been and will be in national football. The number of times the cameras decide to frame him explains a particular aspect.
Blond hair. Shaped physique in the gym. Caribbean tan. And a tight white shirt as a dress in every party he leads, his cabal. Many compare him to Brad Pitt. But, besides his looks about him, he has a very amazing life story.
Renard was born on September 30, 1968 in Aix-les-Bains, France. His career as a footballer was quite modest. He was defender and He barely played a professional game in the top division of his country with the AS Cannes shirt.
He played for this club between 1983 and 1990 and curiously shared a team with a certain Zinedine Zidanewhen zizou he was taking his first steps.
He then moved on to Stade de Vallauris and SC Draguignan before retiring in early 1998, aged 30. He never managed to stand out, but when he stopped playing he decided to stay connected to the sport forever, even if he was far from the most followed clubs or top leagues.
The following year he took over the reins of his last club, modest SC Draguignan and took them from the French sixth tier to fourth in just two years. Thus began his epic as technical director and his exotic adventure as a globetrotter.
His good start caught the attention of the French manager Claude LeRoy, a man with extensive experience in African teams. He joined him as his assistant when he became the technical director Guizhou Renhe of China. They spent two years in the Asian country where he performed well and expanded his resume.
They then returned to Europe to take over the reins of fourth division Cambridge Union England. The results were not as expected and Claude Le Roy decided to jump ship leaving Hervé Renard as head coach. It didn’t go well for the Frenchman and he decided to change his ways. He took over the nam din from Vietnameseonly worked a few weeks and yet to start again.
African football, its place in the world
Renard tried his luck again in his own country. In mid-2006, he took charge of AS Cherbourg in the third division of France. It has been an uneventful year. The good relationship with Claude Le Roy opens another door for him and the following season he enters the national team as an assistant. Ghana. It was love at first sight with African football.
In May 2008 he was confirmed as DT of Zambia national team and the following year he obtained third place in the 2009 African Cup. After the good results he was hired by Angola national teambut he left after 6 months after his salary was not paid.
For nine months he headed USM Alger of the first division of Algeria and went back to being a selector of Zambia, but this time to make history. He directed 24 matches between 2011 and 2013 and managed to get noticed Winner of the 2012 African Cup of Nations after beating Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast team in the final.
After the success in Africa, France has knocked on his door again. He took over as coach of the Sochaux-Montbéliard, in 2013, with the aim of maintaining the category. Renard wanted him to do well in his country, but it couldn’t be. After seven months on the job, his team was relegated and he left the French club.
The Selection of Ivory Coast recalled the coach who had won a final two years earlier and called him to lead the team in 2014. They weren’t wrong. Hervé Renard led The elephants to win the 2015 African Cup. And so, he became the only manager to win this tournament with two different teams.
After the experience in Africa, the Frenchman wanted a football revenge in his country. and he tried his luck at Lilac Ligue 1. He led the French team for just six months and they fired him for poor results.
Renard could never succeed in European football, but it seems made for African football. The Moroccan national team called him up for successes with the Ivory Coast and Zambia and he was back in his coaching suit.
He took over on 16 February 2016 as manager of the Moroccan team. He reached the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations in 2017 and managed to qualify Morocco for the Russian World Cup 201820 years after his last participation.
On 29 July 2019 Renard became the new head coach of Saudi Arabia and after qualifying for the Qatar World Cup 2022 The contract has been renewed until the year 2027.
The French arrived with a lot of confidence to direct the destinies of the children of the desert at his sixth participation in the World Cup. And now, with the fall of the World Cup, his name reaches the big tents. How far will it go?
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.