Legend of Olympique Lyonnais, where he played and coached for almost 20 years, Aimé Mignot, who died at the age of 89, also laid the foundations of modern French women’s football at the end of his career as coach of Les Bleues between 1987 and 1997.
Born in Aix-en-Provence, Mignot initially played as a left-back in his hometown club in the 2nd division, from 1954, before joining Olympique Lyonnais in 1957. He played 425 games with the club Rhone, and in 1964, won the Coupe de France and played in the semi-final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup against Sporting Portugal.
Replaced at OL by Aimé Jacquet
In 1968, he became coach of OL professionals after having already coached amateurs, a position he only ceded in February 1976 to the future coach of the Blues, Aimé Jacquet, which allows him to still hold today. the longevity record for an OL technician.
During his mission, Lyon won the Coupe de France in 1973 (against Nantes), lost in the final in 1971 (against Rennes) and twice finished 3rd in the championship (1974, 1975). He also managed Angers (D1 and D2, 1976-1979) then Alès (D2, 1979-1981).
In 1987, appointed by the president of the French Football Federation at the time, Jean Fournet-Fayard, he became coach of the French women’s team. At that time, women’s football in France was embryonic. Thus, regional technical adviser of the Rhône-Alpes League, Aimé Mignot was only “detached” from the Bleues, but it was under his impulse that the division 1 championship was notably reduced by four groups of 12. teams to a single group of 12 clubs.
Blue coach from 1987 to 1997
Mignot notably had under his direction in the France team players such as striker Marinette Pichon, Sandrine Soubeyrand, current coach of Paris FC, Corinne Deacon, the coach of the France team, the goalkeeper Sandrine Roux, Emmanuelle Sykora or even Elisabeth Loisel, whom he made his assistant before she succeeded him in 1997.
He ended his career with the Blues by becoming the first coach to guide them to a final phase of the European Championship, in Sweden in 1997, where they were eliminated at the end of the first round, on goal difference.