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Michel François Platini is a former French football player and manager, and the president of the Union of European Football Associations since 2007. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, he came sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century grand jury vote, and was chosen as a member of the FIFA World Cup Dream Team. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, which was a record jointly held with Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Lionel Messi until Messi won his fourth award in 2012. In 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony.
During his professional footballing career, Platini played for the clubs Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus, and was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He also participated in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, reaching the semi-finals in the latter two. Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana together made up the "carré magique", the group of midfield players that formed the heart of the French team in the 1980s.
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