Inter the Oblivion...

[sherm]

When Michel Francois Platini stepped onto the pitch on May 3rd, 1973, for Nancy against Nimes, very few people would have been aware they were watching one of the future stars of world football, and very few people would have been aware that the 18 year old Frenchman would become a most influential figure in the world of football. He spent seven years at Nancy, having a big amount of success, including captaining the club to a French Cup in 1978, although he was injured for their Cup Winners Cup success. However, a low point in Platini's career was how the country held him solely responsible for the side's '78 World Cup failure, and the booing and jeering crowds led him to a transfer to St. Etienne in 1979

In his three year spell at Les Verts, the team lost in two French Cup Finals (Bastia in 1981, and PSG in 1982), although winning the League in 1981 took the disappointment away from that, but it was some of their European results that stood out, including a 6-0 win over PSV, and a 5-0 hammering of Hamburg, who were then a very good side, and it was in his spell at St. Etienne that Platini was recognised as one of the worlds best players. This recognition, as deserved as it was, was what earnt Platini a move to Juventus after the 1982 World Cup. After a difficult start, in which he almost left the club, success was forthcoming for Platini, as everybody fully expected it to be

They reached the 1983 European Cup Final, which they lost to Hamburg, and won that years Italian Cup. He won the Italian League Title in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners Cup in 1984 (aswell as the Super Cup), and in 1985 they won a controversial European Cup Final against Liverpool (a game overshadowed by the Heysel disaster) aswell as the Club World Championship. On a personal note, Platini was Serie A top scorer in three successive seasons (1982/83, 1983/84 and 1984/85), aswell as winning a hat-trick of European footballer of the year awards from 1983-85. He was also voted Player of the Year by World Soccer Magazine in 1984 and 1985

It's fair to say, as a player, Platini was awesome. His spell as manager of France, which included a 19 game unbeaten run, ended after a first round Euro '92 exit, but he now has a chance back in management, at the age of 45, as manager of Italian club Inter Milan. His record speaks for itself (72 international caps, 432 club appearances, with 224 goals, a fabulous record from midfield) and many feel he may be the man to take the Nerazzurri to the heights they reached in the golden days, as La Grande Inter, and when he stood with Massimo Morati, blue and black Inter shirt in hand, the Frenchman felt like he was right back where he belonged

---

Authors Note ; This is a game that is being played on the rather old CM 00/01, with Michel Platini as my character and managing Inter Milan. Italian and English Leagues loaded, and my representation of Platini will be (or at least I'm going to try) as accurate as possible. It is a fast game on the laptop, and I am considerably a way into it, but I won't be posting at a fast pace.

Hope you enjoy it

Sherm

[milanfan_apoorv]

go for it.