Softfootball reports that Laurent Blanc turns 60 today, November 19, 2025, and honestly, it still feels a bit strange saying that out loud. For a lot of people across France, Blanc isn’t just another football figure; he’s practically football royalty.
“Le Président”, as he was fondly called back in his playing days, carried himself with a kind of calm authority that almost nobody else could match. And somehow, after all these years, that aura hasn’t faded much at all.
Ligue 1 led the tribute via their official x account, calling the Gaffer a legend.
Blanc’s story started in Alès, and by 1983 he was already making noise at Montpellier. What’s funny is that many younger fans don’t even know he began as an attacking midfielder, and a really good one too. He scored 83 goals for the club, which is still the record, something that tends to surprise people who only remember him as that classy, ball-playing defender.
It was Michel Mézy who shifted him to the back, a move that turned out to be one of the smartest tactical decisions in French football history. Blanc suddenly had more space to do what he did best: read the game like he was two steps ahead of everyone.
Then came the national team years, the golden period. Blanc collected 97 caps and 16 goals, but the numbers barely capture what he meant to that squad. France, in their tribute to him, highlighted the coach’s achievement. In a post made via their official X account.
They posted:
His golden goal against Paraguay at the 1998 World Cup is still replayed like it happened yesterday. And the defensive unit he formed with Desailly, Thuram, and Lizarazu? It’s no exaggeration to say opponents dreaded facing that backline. France didn’t lose a single match when the four of them started together. Not one.
When his boots eventually came off, Blanc moved into management with the same calm brain he had on the pitch. Bordeaux’s 2009 Ligue 1 title was pure genius, and his run with Paris Saint-Germain, (who are currently celebrating Achraf Hakimi’s CAF player of the year award) three straight league titles plus the domestic cups, laid down the blueprint for the club’s modern era.
Bordeaux also sent an appreciation message to the gaffer appreciating his achievement in delivering the league title in a post made via their official X account.
They Celebrated:
And just when people thought he was winding down, he went off to Saudi Arabia and grabbed the 2024 Pro League title with Al-Ittihad before parting ways with the club after a painful Al Nassr defeat.
Today, tributes have been pouring in from everywhere – Montpellier, Auxerre, Bordeaux, fans all over, because Blanc isn’t just a former player. He’s a symbol of an era, a leader who made football look smoother and smarter than everybody else around him.
A true “Président,” even at 60.
