Franck Sauzée

Franck Sauzée
Born	Franck Gaston Henri Sauzée (1965-10-28) October 28, 1965 Aubenas, Ardèche, France
Other names	"Le God"
Occupation(s)	Footballer, coach, football pundit
Years active	1983–2002 (player), 2001–2002 (manager), post-2002 (pundit)
Known for	Midfielder and defender; captain of France national team; UEFA Champions League winner with Marseille; cult hero at Hibernian

Franck Gaston Henri Sauzée (born 28 October 1965) is a retired French professional footballer and coach. Operating mainly as a midfielder or defender, he earned 39 international caps for France between 1988 and 1993, netting nine goals and captaining the national team on several occasions. At club level, Sauzée enjoyed considerable triumphs, including winning the 1993 UEFA Champions League and securing three Ligue 1 titles with Olympique de Marseille. He later gained acclaim for his time at Scottish side Hibernian, where he also briefly took on managerial responsibilities. Following his playing career, Sauzée transitioned into football analysis, working as a pundit for French television.

Sochaux

Originating from Aubenas, Ardèche, Sauzée launched his professional journey with Sochaux, making his debut at the age of 17 in August 1983. The club experienced relegation to Ligue 2 in 1987 but immediately bounced back by earning promotion the following season. During this campaign, Sauzée featured in the 1988 Coupe de France Final, where Sochaux were defeated on penalties by FC Metz.

Marseille (first spell)

In 1988, Sauzée transferred to Marseille, where he achieved notable success by winning back-to-back French league titles along with the Coupe de France in 1989 over a two-year period.

Monaco

For the 1990–91 season, Sauzée moved to Monaco, then under the management of Arsène Wenger. He played a part in Monaco securing the Coupe de France for the second time in his career. During this same period, Marseille reached the 1991 European Cup Final but were defeated on penalties by Red Star Belgrade.

Marseille (second spell)

Sauzée returned to Marseille in 1991 and contributed to winning the 1992 league title as well as qualification for the European Cup, a tournament no French team had yet captured. Marseille claimed victory over AC Milan with a 1–0 scoreline in the 1993 UEFA Champions League Final. His vital goal against Rangers during the group stage was instrumental in their path to the final. Renowned for his powerful midfield shooting, he notably influenced a pivotal match against rivals Paris-Saint Germain in May 1993.

Nevertheless, Marseille’s accomplishments were overshadowed by a match fixing controversy. Although they won the league championship in 1993, the title was revoked after club president Bernard Tapie was implicated in bribery. As a result, Marseille was prohibited from defending their European Cup crown in the subsequent season.

Atalanta

Following the scandal at Marseille, squad restructuring led to Sauzée’s transfer to Serie A outfit Atalanta. This spell proved difficult; coach Francesco Guidolin was dismissed after just ten matches, and Sauzée managed only one goal across sixteen appearances. Atalanta ended the 1993–94 Serie A campaign second from bottom and faced relegation to Serie B.

Hibernian

Sauzée holds a revered status among supporters of Scottish club Hibernian, where he served as captain from 1999 until his retirement in 2002. Under his leadership, Hibernian earned promotion back to the Scottish Premier League and reached the final of the 2001 Scottish Cup. The team also secured third place in the 2000–01 league season, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. He was nominated for SPFA Player of the Year in 2001.

Affectionately nicknamed "Le God" by Hibs fans, Sauzée was voted their ultimate cult hero in a 2005 Football Focus poll. He excelled particularly in Edinburgh derby contests against Hearts, remaining unbeaten across nine derbies as both player and manager. Highlights include scoring during the emphatic 3–0 "Millennium derby" win at Tynecastle and netting a headed goal despite being unconscious during a memorable 3–1 victory.

International career

Between 1988 and 1993, Sauzée represented France in 39 international matches, netting nine goals. He captained the national side on nine occasions and took part in the 1992 European Championship Finals. Additionally, he was a member of the France under-21 squad that clinched the 1988 European Championship title. His last appearance for the senior team was a 2–1 defeat against Bulgaria at Parc des Princes, a result that contributed to France missing out on qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup despite featuring prominent players such as Eric Cantona, Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, and Jean-Pierre Papin.

Managerial career

Sauzée assumed the managerial role at Hibernian following Alex McLeish's move to Rangers in December 2001. He became only the second non-Scottish manager in the club’s history and the first since 1919. His appointment came as a surprise shortly after the board convened to identify McLeish’s successor. Due to an Achilles injury, Sauzée had retired from playing to dedicate himself fully to coaching.

His spell as manager was largely disappointing; Hibernian secured just one victory in 15 games and failed to win any matches during the 2001–02 Scottish Premier League season. After a loss to bottom-placed St Johnstone, Sauzée was relieved of his duties after only 69 days in charge. Despite this setback, he remained optimistic that Hibs would avoid relegation—a prediction that proved accurate when Bobby Williamson guided the team to safety. Given the short duration of his tenure, his managerial capabilities were never fully demonstrated. Numerous supporters, including former player Alan Gordon, voiced criticism over how the club managed his exit.

In September 2011, Ted Brack released There's Only One Sauzée, a book commemorating Sauzée’s period at Hibernian.

Commentator

After departing Hibernian, Sauzée returned to France and pursued a career as a football pundit on French television. He spent six years with Canal+, where he provided match commentary and appeared regularly on a Monday evening football discussion program. In 2008, he transitioned to Orange, which had secured Ligue 1 broadcasting rights, before rejoining Canal+ in 2012.

Career statistics

Scores and results list France's goal tally first; the score column reflects the score following each Sauzée goal.

List of international goals scored by Franck Sauzée

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	19 November 1988	Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Yugoslavia	Template:Fb	2–1	2–3	1990 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	28 March 1990	Nepstadion, Budapest, Hungary	Template:Fb	3–1	3–1	Friendly
3	20 February 1991	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Template:Fb	1–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying
4	30 March 1991	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Template:Fb	1–0	5–0	UEFA Euro qualifying
5				2–0
6	14 August 1991	Stadion Miejski, Poznań, Poland	Template:Fb	1–1	5–1	Friendly
7	28 July 1993	Stade Michel d'Ornano, Caen, France	Template:Fb	1–0	3–1	Friendly
8	22 August 1993	Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden	Template:Fb	1–0	1–1	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	13 October 1993	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	Template:Fb	1–1	2–3	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Sochaux

• Division 2 champions: 1987–88
• Coupe de France finalist: 1987–88

Marseille

• Division 1 titles: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92
• Coupe de France winner: 1988–89
• UEFA Champions League winner: 1992–93

Monaco

• Coupe de France winner: 1990–91

Strasbourg

• Coupe de France finalist: 1994–95
• UEFA Intertoto Cup champion: 1995

Hibernian

• Scottish First Division champions: 1998–99
• Scottish Cup finalist: 2000–01

France U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship winner: 1988

References

Sources

• Jeffrey, Jim. Hibernian Greats. Breedon Books Publishing Ltd, 2006.