Morbi is a world full of heroes and villains. But there is very little space for those who carry the weight of fulfilling both roles at the same time. One of them is Michel Platini. The former president of UEFA has left the European body behind. However, if we stick to pure football, we find a player who has overtaken Maradona for the world throne in his best season at Juventus.
Childhood
Platini (Joeuf, 06/21/1955) was born in a small town in northern France. There he took the first step with the ball at his feet, beginning the idyll of football for 11 years in his country. At the first shows, he caught the attention of Nancy and ended up at a club in the country of Lorraine. His ascent to Olympus began to take off, despite a serious knee injury at the age of 19. He recovered, scoring 17 goals in the same season, propelling Nancy to promotion to Ligue 1. In the French top flight, he consolidated himself to everyone’s surprise. In four seasons selected, he scored 77 goals in 124 games and won the French Cup with Nancy in 1978, the only club he has in his record.
A big jump
Showing such a degree opened many doors for him. Among them the best team in the country at that time: Saint-Étienne. With ‘les verts’ he established himself as a star who still did not know where his ceiling was and scored 82 goals in 145 games, winning the league in 1981. One season later he made a big leap. When Platini arrived at Juventus, he was in demand in Serie A as the best competition in Europe in recent years. His first Ballon d’Or came into his hands after a magical run that ended in defeat in the 1983 European Cup final against Hamburg. A year later, however, it was over for him, and he lifted the Scudetto and the Cup Winners’ Cup, nearly a perfect season for Joeuf’s talent.
His zenith is located there, in 1983, 1984 and 1985. It was in the latter where Orejona led Juventus, beating Liverpool in the last tragedy marked by Heysel. Platini’s penalty goal was enough to break the red box and give the “bianconnero” team their first European Cup, which made them the first Italian team to win all three UEFA trophies (European Cup, UEFA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup).
Prince of France
His horse with the French national team was very excellent. He made his debut in 1976 and appeared in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, his first goal in the championship against the hosts. Later, before he arrived at Juventus, in 1982 he participated in the World Cup in Spain, where France was one of the most acclaimed teams to watch the big game and the excellent age of the players with whom they entered the tournament and who achieved it. two years later, the first big title for ‘les bleus’. For the hosts, the national team won the 1984 Euro Cup, where Platini scored nine goals in five games (two goals against Belgium and Yugoslavia in the group stage), a record that still stands today. His last appearance in the French jersey at a major tournament was in the 1986 World Cup, where he was the only one to stop Germany in the semi-final round.
