Didier Couécou

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Didier Couécou (born July 25, 1944 in Caudéran , now a suburb of Bordeaux ) is a former French football player and official .

Player career

In the club

The left winger came from the youth of Girondins Bordeaux , for which he also stormed in Division 1 from 1963 . Didier Couécou was a committed player who never avoided a duel and therefore quickly developed into a crowd favorite, also technically well-trained and ready for the ball. At the end of his first season, however, he was not part of the regular formation when the team lost 2-0 to Olympique Lyon in the cup final . That changed from 1964, when he was twice in a row with the Girondins runner-up and a candidate for the national team (see below). In the following seasons, too, the eleven were among the top teams in France (again second in the league in 1968/69), and Couécou made a significant contribution to this position with his assists, especially on Héctor De Bourgoing , Laurent Robuschi and later Jacques Simon . He also often overcame the opposing goalkeepers: in 1967/68 (15 goals) and 1968/69 (13 goals, both years in 9th place) he was among the ten best goal scorers . In these two seasons he reached the cup final with Bordeaux, which was lost both times (1: 2 against AS Saint-Étienne and 0: 2 against Olympique Marseille ).

Nevertheless, the club loaned him to the second division OGC Nice in 1969 , with whom he was immediately promoted. Didier Couécou, however, moved to Olympique Marseille in 1970, and in the following years he was finally able to shed his reputation as an "eternal second". In Marseille, coach Mario Zatelli had formed a strong attacking team that became champions in 1971 and was able to defend this title in 1972; as Olympique also won the national cup in 1972, the left winger even celebrated winning the doublé that year alongside his top-class strike partners Skoblar , Loubet and Magnusson . In the cup final (2-1 over SEC Bastia ) he scored the early 1-0 lead for OM. At Marseille, too, he distinguished himself primarily through his crosses and templates for the inner strikers.

After this success he signed a contract with FC Nantes , and in 1972/73 he also became national champion there, and was close to his second double: this time his goal reached the final - whereby referee Wurtz overlooked his previous, clear handball, which Couécou then with “Today was the referee Ray Charles “ commented - but only for a correction of the result (1: 2 against Olympique Lyon). Also this year he was one of the leaders of his team and their coach José Arribas along with Bertrand-Demanes , Maas , Michel and De Michèle .

Surprisingly, he returned to Marseille after a few game days of the 1973/74 season, but stayed there only for a season in which Olympique landed only in midfield and Couécou played less than half of the point games. In 1976 he returned to his homeland to Girondins Bordeaux, where he was used again more often, but was also far removed from championship and cup lessons. There he ended his playing career in 1976.

Stations

  • Girondins de Bordeaux (1963-1969)
  • Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice (1969/70, in D2)
  • Olympique de Marseille (1970–1972)
  • Football Club de Nantes (1972/73)
  • Olympique de Marseille (1973/74)
  • Girondins de Bordeaux (1974-1976)

In the national team

In December 1967 Didier Couécou played his only A international match for France : in the 3-1 win over Luxembourg , he assisted Charly Loubet, but got nothing himself. National coach Henri Guérin had appointed him 18 months earlier in the Bleus squad for the World Cup finals ; however, it was not used in England. And in his most successful years (1970 to 1973) the left wing position at the Equipe tricolore was permanently assigned to Georges Bereta .

Palmarès

  • French champion : 1971, 1972, 1973 (and runner-up in 1965, 1966, 1969)
  • French cup winner : 1972 (and finalist 1964 [no one], 1968, 1969, 1973)
  • 1 international match (no hit) for France ; World Cup participant in 1966
  • 308 games and 117 goals in Division 1 , 188/75 for Bordeaux, 79/28 for Marseille, 41/14 for Nantes
  • 18 appearances (5 hits) in the European Cup, including 10/2 with Bordeaux, 6/2 with Marseille and 2/1 with Nantes

Life after player time

After 1976 he held various positions at Girondins Bordeaux; from February to May 1989 he even trained the professional team to bridge the interim between Aimé Jacquet and Raymond Goethals . He later worked in the management of Toulouse FC . At the beginning of the 21st century, he also worked as a player's consultant.

literature

  • Denis Chaumier: Les Bleus. Tous les joueurs de l'équipe de France de 1904 à nos jours. Larousse, o. O. 2004 ISBN 2-03-505420-6
  • Alain Pécheral: La grande histoire de l'OM. Des origines à nos jours. Ed. Prolongations, o. O. 2007 ISBN 978-2-916400-07-5

Remarks

  1. ↑ Chaumier, p. 81
  2. ↑ Pécheral, p. 427
  3. ↑ Pécheral, p. 210
  4. ↑ L'Équipe / Gérard Ejnès: Coupe de France. La folle épopée. L'Équipe, Issy-les-Moulineaux 2007 ISBN 978-2-915-53562-4 , p. 389; similar to Hubert Beaudet: La Coupe de France. Ses vainqueurs, ses surprises. Alan Sutton, Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire 2003 ISBN 2-84253-958-3 , p. 113
  5. ↑ L'Équipe / Gérard Ejnès: La belle histoire. L'équipe de France de football. L'Équipe, Issy-les-Moulineaux 2004 ISBN 2-951-96053-0 , pp. 328-331.
  6. ↑ after Stéphane Boisson / Raoul Vian: Il était une fois le Championnat de France de Football. Tous les joueurs de la première division de 1948/49 à 2003/04. Neofoot, Saint-Thibault o. J.
  7. ↑ L'Équipe / Gérard Ejnès: 50 ans de Coupes d'Europe. L'Équipe, Issy-les-Moulineaux 2005 ISBN 2-951-96059-X , pp. 235, 271 and 287
  8. ↑ Chaumier, p. 81

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Couécou, Didier
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH July 25, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Caudéran , now part of Bordeaux