Jean-Pierre Papin

Born Nov. 5, 1963.
Country France
. Position Striker
. Clubs: INF Vichy (1981-1984), . Valenciennes (both France) (1984-1985), . Bruges (Belgium) (1985-1986), . Olympic, . Marseille (France) (1986-1992, . captain), . Milan (Italy) (1992-1994), . Bayern Munich (Germany) (1994-1996), . Bordeaux (France) (1996-1998), . Guingamp (France) (June 1998 - November 1998), . Saint Perrua Reunion (1999),
.
. Titles: Winner of the Golden Ball European Footballer of 1991, . UEFA Cup 1986, . Finalist Champions League 1991, . 1993, . Champion of France 1989-1992, . Champion of Italy 1993, . 1994, . Cup Belgium 1986, . Cup France 1989, . Super Cup Italy 1992, . Luigi Berlusconi Cup 1992, . 1993, . Top scorer of France championships 1988 (19 goals), . 1989 (22), . 1990 (30), . 1991 (23), . 1992 (27), . Top scorer of the Champions League 1991/1992 (7 goals), . 1990/1991 (as P. Pakult from Tyrol scored 6 goals), . 1989/1990 (as Romario from PSV scored 6 goals), . Member of the World Cup 1986 (3rd winner), . European Championship 1992,
.
Team 1986-1995: Held 54 matches and scored 30 goals.
Debut in National Team: February 26, 1986 with Northern Ireland (0:0).

Passion for football He was given to genes

Long before Jean-Pierre in France had already spent one Papen, who glorified their country. This was a physicist and inventor Denis Papin (life years 1647-1714), created the first steam boiler. No one, including himself, Jean-Pierre did not know whether there is a relationship between. And it's very interesting to look through three hundred years, with whom the French name will be associated Papen - with a physicist or a football player.

"The question about who I'll be when I grew up as a child I did not even arisen. After my father Guy also played football, and love for the sport I was told we can say with genes, "- says Jean-Pierre.

Then in his family drama occurred. His parents split, actually throwing it. The teenager moved to a town near Germon from the Belgian border - to grandmother. But she somehow managed to keep an eye on him.

In 15 years, Jean-Pierre attracted the attention of "Valenciennes, which two years later sent him to the well-known throughout the country smithy football training -" Vichy ". There, von Papen, as he says, at first a little skive, but when he felt it begin to overwrite, and began to work hard - and on the technique, and on physical strength.

. "Valenciennes, were then in the second division, returned it to him when he was 20
. Jean-Pierre's debut in professional football was held July 11, 1984. "We played with" Kahn ", the match ended in a draw - 1:1, - he recalls. - I was shocked that it had not implemented such a chance! From two feet kicked the ball like a mule, and the goalie to beat off. "

Rehabilitated it a week later at Le Havre. The exact impact Papen in nine brought "Valenciennes' victory. Jean-Pierre has proven to be bad that season, scoring 15 goals, and the summer of 1985 the first was one of the most attractive young players on the football market. It was obvious that next season he will start in the elite.

And it really turned out well - only the elite, where he was, was not French, and Belgian. Club Brugge unexpectedly agile fellow Papen and take his own. Ironically, it was in Belgium for the first time Papen came popular love and reverence. It was in Belgium, he was given the nickname JPP (it's his initials), which is durably came into use. And it is in Belgium, just three months after it appeared fans have created the first fan club Papen. Fans liked his determination and thirst for fight. At every match he came out as the last in life, and tried to beat on the gate as soon as that provided for the slightest opportunity. Style Papen bore fruit: he scored for Club Bruges 21 goals in the league, 5 - Cup Belgium and 6 - in the Cup champions, in total - 32 goals.

. With this performance JPP has made a seemingly impossible: it was included in the France team for World Championships-86, not looking at the fact that he had not even one game in the top league of his own tournament
. Papin believes that the turning point, when he finally admitted in his homeland, became a hat-trick in the Champions Cup match Club Brugge - "Boa Vista" - his first hat-trick in the career. Learning of this, the whole of France longed to know: who is he, this Papen, and where it came from? Coach Tri-Color Henri Michel initially treated him with skepticism, but from month to month his relationship to Jean-Pierre became more favorable. Team leader Michel Platini, he also liked.

CLOWN into a superstar

FIFA World Cup in Mexico have not turned Papen. That worked at the Belgian Championship, there has not worked. JPP clearly lacked the experience, and two of Michel, perhaps, with haste. Papen was the author of the anniversary, 1200 th goal in the history of mundialey, scoring it at 79-th minute of the first match with Canada. But how many points he squandered before the ball thrust his head into the net after lumbago Yannick Stopira! Probably not less than half a dozen. If he had acted as coolly as Oleg Salenko in the match against Cameroon in 1994, one of the game it would be enough to return home with the title of top scorer.

Henri Michel Papin deprived status of major player. In subsequent games, when he was allowed to replace, JPP acted with the same awkwardness and angularity.

On his return to France he was confronted with an ironic, sarcastic attitude towards his football audience. Anyone else in his place would have fallen into melancholy and resigned to his fate. But it was absolutely not in the nature Papen. He reacted to the failures of anger, obsession, in training and games. The results of his work on oneself were stunning: for some two or three years of clown-spoon into a ruthless superforvarda with perfectly delivered a blow. Papin with striking methodically packed balls into the net, even from very complex provisions. In situations where the normal, ordinary attacker had great difficulty even if somehow, at random, to strike on goal - say, after a strong flank lumbago - Papin masterfully dismissed the case and bitingly stacked projectile accurately into the corner. Such methods began to receive him so gracefully and naturally, that the uninitiated would never guess would be that hard labor, which is behind all this lay hidden. Jean-Pierre beat the summer, poised in the air, sideways, through a. His firm strikes journalists dubbed "papinadami.

. Thanks Gholam Jean-Pierre "tricolor", . led by Michel Platini, . three years at the turn of the 80-90 did not know defeat, . did not lose a single point in the qualifying games for Euro-92 (but in the final tournament were mediocre, . not justify the name of favorites),
. 1991 brought Papen "Golden Ball". Could it add to the Cup, but his club lost the final of Marseille in a penalty shootout Red Star Belgrade.

. The happiest moments, the most striking victories, the best hope for Papin were linked to Marseille, where he moved in 1986
. Five times in succession, he became its leading scorer of the championship of France, four times in a row - a national champion.

But the most vivid impression remained with him from the final match at the Coupe de France 1989. "Marseilles" won "Monaco" 4:3, and JPP scored three goals. "For this hat-trick, I was awarded a special: in addition to the Cup, also received a kiss of President Mitterrand, which from him not only me - no one expected. He was usually very chary of such displays of emotion, "- said Papin.

The noise of scandal associated with the fact that Marseille president Bernard Tapie bought the matches took place after the sale of Jean-Pierre in Milan. "I was already in Italy, but it was painful to watch as the excellent team virtually destroyed, the more so that most of the charges were just ridiculous. From Tapi made notorious villain. But he is different. He - a special person, and I owe him many. Perhaps, without my fate would have been not so successful: because Tapie was the first who believed in me. He invited me to a time when the lost faith in my talent. Others may throw stones at him, but I personally perceive it as a second father, "- says Jean-Pierre.

.

Families First

If the "Marseilles" Papin was in the central roles, . then in Milan with its six legionaries in three places in the composition he had to accept the fact, . that he is not in every meeting out on the field,
. Ironically, these two clubs were in May of 1993 contenders for the Champions League final. Those who watched the match may have noticed an unusual expression on his face Frenchman: always very lively and expressive, the day it struck some unnatural detachment. Perhaps in his heart he reigned confusion: whose victory to rejoice about? Defeated "Marseille", and Papen for the second time in three years turned into losers. The next draw AC Milan played a successful and defeated in the finals of the "Barcelona" (4:0), but this victory Papen actually already had relationships.

Two years vegetating in Milan marked the sunset career JPP. At this time he arose and family problems. Papin's daughter Emily was discovered congenital disease - cerebral palsy, because of what she could not walk and lagged behind in development. What did Jean-Pierre did not undertake to cure her - even drove a few times in the United States to one of the most prominent specialists in this field of medicine.

He subjugated his subsequent career health daughters. Could have stayed in Milan, but doctors advised him to live near any of the resort - for example, near the German Baden-Baden. For this Papin moved to Bayern Munich, although the soul to her from him and did not lay a. In the "Bavaria" have been sympathetic to his constant without leave to America. But Jean-Pierre played even less than in Milan, and he first got the idea of retirement.

. Within five years he has met several times to withdraw from the big football: and after the failure of the "Bavaria", and, after it refused to invite a French team after the departure of Eric Cantona, his best friend
. Each time he changed his decision, and finally left the football only in 1999. His last club (except for a short stay in Saint-Perruaz "from the island of Reunion) was" Guingamp, in Brittany.

"I had hoped to carry out his last football dream - to bring" Guingamp "in the first division - said Papin. - But then I realized that no longer can hold up to three months without her family. And in one of those rare moments, at home and looking at my favorite Emilia, I said to myself: "Enough!" How long can you delay what must inevitably happen ". That Emily made me move away from football. Of course, there is progress, but we have so much to do, that it is finally healthy. "

.

Make Money - to help children

May 30, 1999 at the 60 thousandth sold out de Marseille Velodrome "spent Papen from football
. Goal of the match farewell he, contrary to the law of the genre, did not score - note only hit the crossbar. About the same time he developed a "namesake" - the stadium "Jean-Pierre Papin" in the town Shatenef-le-Rouge.

"I had two really heavy disappointment - says Papin. - Firstly, I am not able to give fans of Marseille UEFA Champions League, although we were so close to that trophy! "Red Star" at the time was not stronger than us. This finale in Bari, I mentally replay a lot of time and probably before the end of my days I will think: "What would happen if ...". And another disappointment: I was so hoping that Aime Jacquet invited me to the team to participate in its "home" World Cup! After all, it was my last chance to achieve something and in this field. Jacquet called me and was very polite, but nevertheless categorical: "Sorry, Jean-Pierre, but for you it's too late, your time has passed. I hope you will understand everything correctly ". Of course, intellectually I understand everything, but that I was no less offensive. Especially since he gave me hope, although I have not been engaged in the national team since 1995.

. After retiring from football, Jean-Pierre signed up for coaching courses and began to work harder in the Association of the families of disabled children, which he himself, in December of 1996 and founded
. It is called "Nine of hearts" because of the founders, in addition to Papin, includes eight parents whose children suffer from serious congenital ailments.

. In the spring of this year, suffering Bernard Tapie back at the helm of "Marseilles"
. He suggested Papen enter into his team, to which he responded consent. This, however, was not about coaching positions, and on administrative. In early June on the occasion of the tennis tournament Roland Garros at Paris' Parc des Princes hosted a match of French and foreign tennis players. Hat-trick Papen, which has reinforced the team countrymen (for the balance of the opposing team out Luis Fernandez), allowed the French to win - 6:4.