Ligue 1 Time Machine: Yoann Gourcuff

The most talented player of his generation, the "successor" found his comfort zone beyond the football pitch as the spotlight did not match his personality.

“I immediately switched to a new organisation with my family. I experienced the end of my career very well. I returned to who I am; I am in control. Leaving the world of football did me a lot of good…I have no problem saying that I am a stay-at-home dad. The days are busy, but seeing my children grow up every day is a privilege.”

In a exclusive interview with Ouest-France (transcribed by Get French Football News). Midfielder Yoann Gourcuff revealed what most of football thought of him at the time:

The sooner he left the football pitch, the stress of being a footballer left his shoulders.

Considered to be the true “successor” to France legend Zinedine Zidane. Gourcuff took Ligue 1 by storm playing for Rennes from 2003-2006.

Able to play as a central midfielder and as a second striker, Gourcuff’s technical ability caught the eye of many top clubs in the world. He even acquired the famed #10 shirt as he began the 2005-2006 Ligue 1 campaign. That season, he scored 6 goals.

The ability to move like Zizou prompted Italian giants AC Milan to acquire the signature of the talented Frenchman for a fee of approximately 5 million euros.

While the sky was the limit for Gourcuff, his time at Milan showed another side of him. A side that was closer to his true self.

While making appearances for the Rossoneri, being behind in the pecking order as Kaka was ahead of him, he was often criticized for not having the right mentality within the group.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti stated that Gourcuff had psychological issues and captain Paolo Maldini stated that he did not involve himself with the group and that he was unwilling to learn Italian right as he joined that club.

In the summer of 2008, it was agreed that Gourcuff would be loaned back to France as he joined Bordeaux joining up with manager Laurent Blanc and emerging talent Marouane Chamakh.

This would be the season Gourcuff thrusted himself into the limelight and become the true successor to Zidane.

Straight away he helped Bordeaux win the Trophees des Champions and even scored against Vannes in the club’s triumph in the Coupe de la Ligue.

He scored 12 goals over the course of the league campaign and in a true piece of skill, scored a roulette goal with outside of his boot passed PSG goalkeeper Mickael Landreau in what French legend Christophe Dugarry exclaimed was worthy of Zidane.

To quote Eudoros in Wolfgang Peterson’s sword and sandal epic Troy about Patroclus’s death to Achilles sums up Gourcuff’s ability to be exactly similar to Zizou:

“We thought he was you, my lord…He wore your armor. Your shield, your greaves, your helmet. He even moved like you.”

His playmaking feats (11 assists) and elite partnership with Chamakh helped Bordeaux win the 2008-2009 Ligue 1 title beating Marseille to the summit by three points.

His performance in the campaign crowned him Ligue 1 player of the year and a part of the Ligue 1 team of the year.

In December of 2009, France Football Magazine hailed him, as their player of the year, beating out the likes of Franck Ribery, Nicholas Anelka, Hugo Lloris, and Thierry.

In the summer of 2009, Bordeaux activated his 15 million euro release clause, making him a permanent player for the side.

While he did not reach the heights he had in his first season at the club, it was still a respectful season for him.

Internationally, his time with France was not like his Bordeaux career.

For context, the French squad that represented the country in the world cup was rotten to the core.

Manager Raymond Domenech sought to make Gourcuff the focal point in his tactical plans for the competition, but players like Anelka and Ribery did not take kindly to Domenech’s plan which created resentment.

Extroverted personalities like Anelka and Ribery clashed with Gourcuff who was introverted which included locker room bust-ups.

In the first match of the competition, Anelka and Ribery refused to pass to Gourcuff as France drew 0-0. Ex-French players such as Just Fontaine described Gourcuff as being “lost” in the match, but it probably was not of his own doing considering the events that transpired during the match.

Gourcuff’s world cup campaign ended on a sour note as he was sent off for elbowing a player in the face against South Africa.

France would be eliminated in the group stage.

Gourcuff’s world cup campaign did not stop clubs targeting him as he made a big-money move to Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais.

It would be his time with OL that his career went on the decline.

His time at Lyon was blighted by many injuries. ESPN Correspondent Julien Laurens described his time at the club:

“So it was little surprise that after his move to Lyon for 23 million euros in 2010, after his status got even bigger, the injuries started to come. They were possibly more psychological than physical. In the first four years of his time at l'OL, Gourcuff spent more time injured than not. He played 73 of Lyon's 152 Ligue 1 games in that period. Ankle, Achilles, foot, calf, back, groin, toe, knees, thighs; almost every part of his body had a problem. Including this season, he has spent nearly 700 days on the sidelines since joining Lyon.”

It seems as if the spotlight got bigger, Gourcuff tended to shrink. He had brief spells of good play but would quickly be followed up by a massive spell on the sidelines due to injury.

His time at Lyon ended with a whimper as he left on a free transfer back to Rennes in 2015. He would then end his career at Dijon where he terminated his contract in 2019.

It is now safe to say that the successor to Zizou did not live up to the expectations that the world had for him when he broke onto the scene in the late 2000’s.

Also, it’s not say that it was Gourcuff’s fault. He was a player who did not enjoy the spotlight and that’s not a bad thing. Laurens also describe in detail how Gourcuff was:

“There is something else that has always struck me about Gourcuff. When he was playing for France -- he has 31 caps, the last one in June 2013, and four goals for Les Bleus -- he used to come to the mixed zone around 45 minutes after the end of a game and provide the best analysis you had ever heard. He would always look at his shoes when answering a question, never at whoever was asking the questions. When others just want a beer and to switch off, Gourcuff thinks tirelessly about the game, cogitating, blaming himself for a missed pass or a wrong decision…The only thing Yoann Gourcuff likes doing is playing football. He would play five-a-side with you and your friends after work. He would play on the beach all day, in the streets, at the park, anywhere and everywhere. But the rest, the corporate and media commitments, it's not for him.”

Yoann Gourcuff was a pure footballer. All he wanted to do was to play the sport he loved. His personality did not mesh with the times and I think that ultimately put him at odds with how a top player should “conduct” himself. He could talk to you about the details of the beautiful game or how well or how bad he played, but he would rather not be at the front and center of all of it.

His injury record may have been true, but also his time at Lyon should he was moving further and further away from the sport he loved. His mind could have been elsewhere.

Not everyone lives up to the expectations that others have of them at that’s okay. The only expectations you have to live up to is your own. Some players aren’t destined to go to the very top, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t good players.

In the case of Gourcuff, he couldn’t wait to leave the sport. Today he lives in relative obscurity living a quiet life in Bretagne with his family.

Stay-at-home Dad is something Gourcuff would rather be known for.