From cleaner to coach who led Saudi Arabia to historic win against Messi’s Argentina: Meet Herve Renard

Football is often regarded as one of the top sports in the world. The game  has effectively evolved from Africa to Asia and Europe to become the most popular sport on the planet. However, in only two countries in the world- the United States and Australia, football is not amongst the popular sports. In soccer, players frequently receive a lot of attention and publicity, but managers do not always get the recognition they deserve.

When teams do poorly, players survive longer in the team, but managers do not. They are fired and replaced by new personnel. Football managers are just as important to a football club’s success. They are accountable for everything that happens on and off the field, and they are the driving force behind every team. They are essential to the game’s success. Football has seen a plethora of head coaches throughout its history.

Herve Jean-Marie Roger Renard is one of the most underrated coaches. Renard, who was born on September 30, 1968 in Aix-les-Bains, played as a defender for French clubs AS Cannes, Stade de Vallauris, and SC Draguignan from 1983 to 1998. He worked as a cleaner at Draguignan after quitting as a professional player, eventually establishing his own cleaning company.

He was named manager of Zambia’s national team in 2008. He led Zambia to the quarterfinals of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 14 years. Renard, on the other hand, resigned as Zambia manager in 2010, with only two months left on his contract. He accepted the role of Angola manager two days later, but resigned from that position in October 2010.

Renard returned to Zambia as coach on a one-year contract in October 2011. In 2012, he led the team to their first African Cup of Nations victory. The Football Association of Zambia stripped Renard of his duties as coach of the Zambia National team after Zambia was eliminated from the group stages of the 2013 African Cup of Nations.

Renard guided Saudi Arabia to qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in March 2022. In the process, he became the foreign-born manager with the most wins (18) in Saudi football history. Renard guided Saudi Arabia to its first-ever World Cup opening match victory on November 22, 2022, a historic 2-1 upset victory over heavily fancied Argentina.

How Herve Renard became a World Hero?

Saudi Arabia had never won their opening World Cup match. In 2002, they were humiliated 8-0 by Germany, and in 2018, they were defeated 5-0 by Russia. The Saudi Arabia team fell behind to an early Lionel Messi penalty on November 22, 2022. But Leonard responded with a spirited halftime team talk to seal a 2-1 win over the two-time world champions. That halftime team meeting inspired a successful counterattack against Argentina.

Fans have a lot of respect for Herve Renard as many believe his success over Argentina demonstrates his mastery of mind games. Renard, according to the Saudi captain, is not just a technical adviser but also a strong motivator. In his own words, he is a wild coach who gave them instructions and highly stimulated them during halftime. He emphasized the significance of the game to the players on the pitch. Renard is the type of coach that every country wishes to have.

Story behind Renard and Saudi Arabia’s rise to stardom?

Renard joined the Saudi Arabia National team in 2019 after a disastrous stint as Morocco’s head coach, which saw the north African nation eliminated in the group stages of the 2018 World Cup. Since his arrival, the national team has risen from 70th to 51st in the FIFA world rankings, and they just won their World Cup qualification group, which includes Japan and Australia.

Following the achievement, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) announced that Renard has extended his existing contract until 2027. The country is already considering the team’s longevity, solidification, stability, extension, and consistency to fame.

Saudi Arabia, ranked 48 places lower than Argentina, having lost friendlies to Venezuela, Colombia, and Croatia, in addition to the dreadful memories of 5-0 losses to Russia in 2018 and 8-0 losses to Germany in 2002. Nonetheless, they have experience: this is their sixth World Cup, they reached the last 16 in 1994, and they qualified for Qatar by topping their group ahead of Japan.

Renard can no longer be questioned. If his club football stints with Sochaux and Lille were unsuccessful, he has proven to be a master of the international stage, answering anybody who asked whether his ability could be transferred outside Africa. That is why he accepted his current position, hoping to jam the revolving door that has offered Saudi football little hope of stability.

Saudi Arabia will next meet Poland in a Group C match on November 26.

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