France World Cup winner now lives very different life after retiring from football aged 31
A former striker who won the World Cup with France has been a swimming pool salesman for almost 20 years after snubbing a career in punditry.
Stephane Guivarc’h was one of the world's most in-form players coming into the 1998 World Cup in France.
After scoring 37 goals in all competitions for Ligue 1 side Auxerre, many believed he would play a crucial role for Aime Jacquet's side as they looked to lift their first-ever World Cup.
But the striker failed to find the net in six games that summer, leaving Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and Emmanuel Petit to shoulder the goalscoring burden.
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Speaking in an interview with RMC Sport in 2023, Guivarc’h said the tournament on home soil "still haunts" him to this day.
"You think about it constantly,” he said. “It's a World Cup, it's in France, you score 37 times in the season, and that day you have square feet.
“This is what makes football so charming. Lilian [Thuram], he has not scored a goal in his career and in the semi-final he scored with his right foot and his left foot."
Guivarc’h ended up playing 66 minutes in the final against Brazil and, despite his lack of form in front of goal, Newcastle and their manager Kenny Dalglish decided to take a £3.6 million punt.
He scored on his debut against Liverpool but struggled under Ruud Gullit and was sold to Rangers just months later, where he won the treble before rejoining Auxerre in 1999.
Three years later, Guivarc’h retired at the age of just 31 following a brief spell at Guingamp.
The former France international was soon asked to appear on television as a pundit but unlike many of his former teammates, Guivarc’h decided to step away from football to seek a new venture.
"I've been in swimming pools for 17 years," he explained.
“The boss is a friend. Basically, the company was a plumbing company that did my house. My friend then told me that he was going to create a swimming pool structure and that he was looking for a salesman.
“As I wasn't doing anything, I told him I was going to give him a helping hand... and I've been with him for 17 years, it's no longer a helping hand.
“I'm on the road all day, it goes very well, in the evening I'm at home... I have a balanced life, I'm not constantly looking for the camera or the microphone to live."
Emmanuel Petit says he would like to Stephane Guivarc’h again
Petit, who played a crucial role in France's World Cup win, is keen to reunite with Guivarc’h.
Speaking to L’Equipe this month, Petit said: “It’s been far too long since we’ve heard from him. I don’t really know his reasons; I’ve heard all sorts of rumours, but it’s a shame he wanted to sever ties with the World Cup.
“It’s something that transcends us, that doesn’t truly belong to us, but that binds us until the end of our lives.
“Having left the association myself for fifteen years for various reasons, after a while, I understood, I said to myself: ‘Manu, stop making it a personal matter.’
“I’d like to see him again, and I think I’m not the only one, because his name comes up often when we get together. In a way, we miss him," added Petit.
Topics: France, FIFA World Cup, Newcastle United
Jack Kenmare