Alain Giresse, tributes and emotion

Former French national team playmaker and iconic Girondins de Bordeaux player still holds very strong memories of his time leading Kosovo, which is gearing up to play the most important match in its history against Turkey in the World Cup playoffs.

Alain Giresse ended up on the Kosovo bench by chance, through a friend who was the brother-in-law of the federation president. After a little over a year at the helm of the team, with a balanced record of 4 wins, 6 draws, and 4 losses, the former French national team or Girondins de Bordeaux midfielder was deeply impacted by his experience.

Giresse remains in touch with some players, including star Edon Zhegrova, as well as the officials and even the new coach, German Franco Foda. He will be watching the match against Turkey on Tuesday night, as the Kosovars aim to reach their first ever World Cup, after joining FIFA in May 2016.

“They are achieving something exceptional and rare for a country that is so new,” Giresse emphasized in an interview with L’Equipe. “Everyone experiences things abroad in their own way. I was not indifferent to what I lived with them there, so I am not indifferent to seeing what they are achieving today.”

For Giresse, the success of Kosovo is not happenstance but owes much to the work of Kosovar leaders. “What struck me was the desire to develop, structure. I found that in terms of organization and logistics, the federation made every effort for us to be in the best conditions,” he noted. “We had good training conditions, a technical center was under construction in Pristina, a private plane for travel… And we were staying in the best hotel in the city.”

The attachment of Kosovar players to their national team is also a key factor in their success, according to the Euro 1984 champion. “I felt a great commitment from the players to wear this jersey. When you learn about the history of Kosovo, marked by war before its independence in 2008, you understand that representing this team is powerful,” Giresse explained. “There is a real attachment. They said to themselves: ‘This is our country — us.'”

Giresse only has good memories of his brief time in Kosovo. “I really enjoyed coaching there. When you go abroad, you have to immerse yourself in the place, in what the selection represents for the country. It was a very unique, very strong context,” he affirmed.