The World Cup in Qatar is well underway, we have seen upsets but none bigger than Lionel Messi’s Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia. The victory has been labelled as the biggest upset in World Cup history. The manager leading Saudi Arabia to this victory was Frenchmen Herve Renard.
Herve Renard will be well-known to fans who follow African football, in particular the African Cup of Nations, for his triumphs and infamous style. The 54-year-old wears a staple clean white shirt, with well-tailored black trousers and it has become infamous during his successes. Renard has won the African Cup of Nations twice in his career with minnows Zambia and Ivory Coast. Renard led Zambia to victory in 2012 with a win against Ivory Coast, beating the star-studied team 8-7 on penalties following a 0-0 draw. Following a disappointing spell in club football in his native France with Ligue 1 side Sochaux, Renard was appointed manager of Ivory Coast in 2014. Renard led Ivory Coast to their 2nd AFCON win, beating Ghana 9-8 on penalties following a 0-0 draw, whilst becoming the first manager to win the tournament with two different nations.
In 2016, Renard became manager of Morocco and in 2017 qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Morocco’s first since 1998. In 2019 Renard left his position following a shock exit to Bennin in that years African Cup of Nations.
However, it is not well known that the successful Frenchman used to manage in England. Renard managed Cambridge United in 2004 in League Two. Only being at the club for a few months before getting sacked, the former defender left a big impression at The Abbey stadium and with all associated with the club. Former Cambridge United defender Warren Goodhind, who worked under Renard at The Abbey Stadium, told sky sports “When I came back from rehab to do running on my own, he (Renard) would run with me before he began the session with the rest of the players. I just thought he was brilliant.” Shane Tudor, who also worked under Renard at Cambridge, labels the 54-year-old as “the perfect head coach.” Tudor goes on to mention that Renard “transformed the club in many ways.”
At Cambridge, on the pitch, Renard struggled after losing important players over the summer. Cambridge only managed to win three of their first 21 games and Renard was sacked in December. The club eventually got relegated out of the football league that season and did not return until the 2014/15 season.
Renard leading Saudi Arabia to victory against Argentina can be seen as one of his greatest achievements in his illustrious international career. Following the victory Renard said, “Today all the stars in the sky were in a line for us.” Goals from Al-Hilal’s Saleh Al-Shehri and Saudi Arabian golden boy Salem Al-Dawsari in the second half cancelled out Lionel Messi penalty in the 13th minute, to send the Saudi Arabian fans into pandemonium. In Saudi Arabia, the following day was declared as a public holiday due to the success of the national team.
