Herve Renard: He worked as a cleaner, he is the "brain" behind the historic success of Saudi Arabia
The Frenchman Herve Renard (54) is the coach of the football national team of Saudi Arabia, which shocked Argentina at the start of the World Cup and after a turnaround triumphed with 2:1.
Renard was a footballer, cleaner, coach of lower leagues, worked in Vietnam, France, England, Morocco...
During his playing career, he played in Cannes, in the lower leagues Valur and Dragunjan, and when he hung up his boots, he became a coach. He could not make a living from it, so during the day he worked as a toilet cleaner.
Congratulations to the time and the staff for this game, I order this victory to the saudi people. We are waiting for your support next match! 🇸🇦🦅💚#HervéRenard #SaudiArabia #WorldCup #Alhamdulillah pic.twitter.com/FOUTs999gr
— Hervé Renard (@Herve_Renard_HR) November 22, 2022
In 2002 he went to a lesser-known club in Shanghai to be an assistant coach. Then in England, where he took over the lower league Cambridge. This was followed by a move to Vietnam where he took over Nam Dinh, then back to France and two years on the bench at AS Chebour.
Renard arrived in Africa in 2008. He took over Zambia and in two years he did a miracle. He took them to African Cup of Nations, and in 2010 Zambia managed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years. He then spent a year in Angola and Algeria, and in 2011 he was returned to the helm of the Zambia national team, becoming a national hero, as he won the first Cup of Nations trophy with Zambia.
Won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia.
Won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast.
Leads Saudi Arabia to a surprise victory over Argentina in the 2022 World Cup.
It's time to familiarize yourself with the tactical genius that is coach Herve Renard 🧠 pic.twitter.com/ynJ3XYpbjt
- ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 22, 2022
They didn't lack for that at FC Ivory Coast, after spending a year on the bench at Sochaux, they immediately brought him in and won the Nations Cup with him in 2015. He got a chance back home for a short while, managed Lille for a year, then returned to the coaching job. He led it Мароко until the 2016 World Cup, and when he was fired after the 2019 Nations Cup, Saudi Arabia reacted.
He took the national team to the WC 2022, before the match with Argentina, no one asked the question about the winner, but how many goals they will receive. The Saudis shocked everyone, staged the sensation of the century, beat Messi and company, and all thanks to the 54-year-old coach.
