"He didn't run a lot like Cruyff and didn't depend
on his physique, but I liked how he was the brain organising things
on the pitch. He was a player who used his head in the broader
sense. The way he shone with France and Juventus, and his capacity
for taking free-kicks, made him
the European footballer of the 1980s."
Pele, world football legend
"This is a very sad day. Another gift to us from above
has come and gone. Platini will remain in our memories as one of
Juventus' greatest ever players."
Giovanni Agnelli, Juventus President, on Platini's
departure from the club
"Michel has never chosen to do things the easy way. He
achieved everything in his career as a footballer and now he has
unseated the man who controlled European football for many years.
Okay, [managing to do that] wasn't football exactly, but it
makes me realise how much he has achieved even more. I feel pride,
of course, as does his mother. We're proud to have put a boy
like him into the world, because he nonetheless gave us all sorts
of headaches from a young age."
Aldo Platini, Michel Platini's father
"He was exceptional because he never once looked up. When a
player is as successful as he was, there's always the risk
they'll end up doing something stupid, like Maradona. He, on
the other hand, was always calm, quiet and friendly."
Stefano Tacconi, Juventus goalkeeper
(1983-92)
"Michel was one of those great players
who saw fitness work as being a bit superficial. He used to say,
'We're not going to compete in the 5,000 metres at the
Olympics, we have to play with our feet."
Giovanni Trapattoni, former Juventus coach
"When I was a kid and played with my friends, I always
chose to be Platini. I let my friends share the names of my other
idols between themselves."
Zinedine Zidane, France playmaker after
Platini
"He was a great player who left a mark on his era, and
it's always good when players take up positions in the higher
echelons of the game. He knows everything there is to know about
football."
Lilian Thuram, France and Barcelona defender
