The death of Portuguese Artur Jorge, former coach of Paris Saint-Germain

Portuguese and Parisian fans are in mourning. Portuguese technician Artur Jorge died at the age of 78, after a long struggle with illness. “It is with great sadness that the family of Artur Jorge Braga de Melo Teixeira announces his death this morning in Lisbon, after a long illness. He died peacefully surrounded by his closest family members.We can read in a press release sent by his family.

Artur Jorge has had remarkable ups and downs in Paris. Two failures: Matra's version of Lagardère, and PSG's version of Pietri, which was dropped after a few months. But also successes: PSG of the Denisau era with the French Championship title in 1994 and the French Cup in 1993. That year, the first coach of the Canal+ era led the capital club to the semi-finals. By Juventus. Under his orders, the men of the capital defeated Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. An unforgettable achievement for Paris supporters.

However, Ginola's teammates suffered a tough 3-1 loss at the Santiago Bernabéu. Upon their return on March 18, 1993, they beat the Spaniards 4-1. After falling behind 3-0, the Madrid team snatched extra time with Zamorano's goal in the 92nd minute. A cold shower, then the pitch boiled, when Faldo put the ball in the 96th minute with Antoine Kombouare's winning header. The Princes' Garden rejoiced. Weah, Faldo and Kombouare changed the fate of PSG that day. The legend of the “Casque d'Or” was born.

Good results have not always made him a popular coach. He has been criticized for his overly cautious tactics.

Intellectual reputation and 7 spoken languages

“The press said we had a bad team.”, He told us this when he returned to the Paris region to coach Créteil in the French second division from 2006 to 2007. Jorge remains an atypical figure in world football. This lower-middle-class kid in Lisbon had a reputation – justified – as an intellectual. He spoke seven languages, earned a degree in German philology, and published a collection of poetry in his youth. Pollock, an enlightened admirer of Mondrian, obsessed with jazz, loved to hang out in museums. Did he dream of becoming an artist? “No, not at all” Draw with a smile. Football before everything.

An international striker in the 1960s, he ended his career in 1977, before beginning his coaching career in 1980, most notably leading Porto to the European Champion title in 1987, in addition to three Portuguese Champions League titles with the same team. After the glorious PSG page, the second part of his career was less brilliant. An adventurer, a mercenary, some say, with many fleeting experiences, he has coached in nine different countries and managed three national teams.

His last experience will remain that of Mouloudia Algiers from 2014 to 2015, which he joined seven years after the end of his experience in Crete. During our interview in 2007, the Portuguese shaved off his famous moustache. Enough to destabilize the interviewer because it was a symbol of character. “ It was the kids who asked me to cut it. We change » He said succinctly with a slight smile.

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