Michel Platini

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Platini joined Juventus in 1982, inheriting the number 10 shirt from the recently departed Liam Brady. In a team featuring numerous members of Italy's victorious World Cup squad, he had a difficult introduction to Italian football, even coming close to leaving Italy in the winter of his first season. After he and teammate Zbigniew Boniek successfully called for a change in tactics, Juventus saw an upturn in their fortunes. They reached the 1983 European Cup final, losing to Hamburger SV, but won the Italian Cup. Platini went on to win the Serie A title with Juventus in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 (setting up Vignola's opening goal in the 2–1 victory over Porto), the 1984 European Super Cup, the European Cup in 1985, and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. He finished top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85), and won a hat-trick of European Footballer of the Year awards (1983 through 1985).

In Their Own Story

The 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels should have been the crowning moment of Platini's Juventus career, but was instead overshadowed by the Heysel Stadium disaster in which 39 people died, and 600 more were injured. It was decided to proceed with the match in order to avoid inciting any further trouble, and after both captains had appealed for calm, the match began just under an hour and a half beyond schedule, with riot police still engaged in a pitched battle with Juventus fans. Platini scored the only goal of the match from a penalty kick, which had been controversially awarded for a foul just outside the area on Zbigniew Boniek.

Reader's Guide

Platini's European Cup-winning campaign with Juventus in 1984–85 is the defining chapter of his continental legacy. He was the top scorer of that victorious campaign. The final itself, a 1–0 win over Liverpool, was played under the shadow of the Heysel disaster. Platini scored the match's only goal from a penalty kick, controversially awarded for a foul just outside the area on Zbigniew Boniek. Beyond the European Cup, Platini also won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984, setting up Vignola's opening goal in the 2–1 final victory over Porto, and the 1984 European Super Cup. His three consecutive Ballon d'Or awards (1983, 1984, 1985) coincided with this period of European dominance, making him the first former player to later be elected as president of UEFA in 2007.

Did You Know?

• Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
• He was the top scorer of Juventus's victorious 1984–85 European Cup campaign.
• Platini scored the only goal of the 1985 European Cup final from a penalty kick, controversially awarded for a foul just outside the area.
• He won the Serie A capocannoniere award three consecutive times between 1983 and 1985.
• Platini was the first former player to be elected as the president of UEFA, in 2007.