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Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo (born 2 October 1959), known as Luis Fernandez, is a French football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder.
Fernandez spent most of his playing career for Paris Saint-Germain. He earned 60 international caps and scored 6 goals for the France national team between 1982 and 1992, and was part of their teams that won UEFA Euro 1984 and came third at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Fernandez managed PSG in two spells, winning several domestic and European honours. He also managed AS Cannes and Reims in France, and Athletic Bilbao, RCD Espanyol and Real Betis in La Liga.
After the elimination from the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and just after he had won the Division 1 championship with PSG, Fernandez made the decision to join Jean-Luc Lagardère's team Racing Club de Paris. However, in spite of a team that was strong on paper, the club and Fernandez did not succeed, and he left Racing after three seasons.
From Racing, Fernandez joined AS Cannes in 1989, a more modest club. At club level, Cannes was relegated to Ligue 2 at the end of the 1991–92 season, but Fernandez decided to remain with the club and end his career when his contract expired. A few weeks, however, Cannes named Fernandez its manager, and so he finished the season as player-manager, leading Cannes back to Division 1 at the end of the season. He then retired from playing professionally to become a full-time manager.
Fernandez was still a part of the France national team in spite of a declining physique. Not a starting player under new national team manager Michel Platini, Fernandez would play the role of a late joker, with the job to clinch a result at the end of the match and successfully helped France to overcome Spain, the country of his birth, to qualify for the UEFA Euro 1992. Fernandez took part in Euro 1992, where France were eliminated in the group stage, and Fernandez decided to end his international career.
In March 2003, after the decline from a good start that saw PSG top in October, Fernandez announced that he would retire at the end of the season. In the game before the announcement, his club won Le Classique 3–0 at Marseille's Stade Velodrome.
France
Individual
Espanyol
On 4 November 2003, Fernandez was hired by RCD Espanyol, who were situated in last place in the league table with five points from ten games, and had sacked Javier Clemente. He saved them from relegation with a 2–0 home win over Real Murcia in the final game of the season, with both goals in the last 20 minutes.
Al-Rayyan & Beitar Jerusalem
In 2005, Fernandez was briefly in charge of Al-Rayyan of the Qatar Stars League before switching to Israel's Beitar Jerusalem in November. He took the team to third place and UEFA Cup qualification in his only season.
Real Betis
Fernandez joined Real Betis midway through the 2006–07 La Liga season and Betis' centenary season. However, he was released on 10 June 2007 following a 5–0 loss at the Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera to CA Osasuna with just one match remaining in Betis' relegation threatened season. Including Copa del Rey matches, Fernandez led Betis for 26 matches, winning 5, drawing 16 and losing 7. His tenure lasted from 27 December 2006 to 10 June 2007. "Real Betis fires Luis Fernandez; Francisco Chaparro Jara named coach." SI.com 10 June 2007.
Stade de Reims
Fernandez joined Stade de Reims halfway through the 2008–09 season. Reims were playing in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, but Fernandez was unable to avoid relegation. He was replaced in June 2009 by Marc Collat. Marc Collat succède à Luis Fernandez
Israel
On 21 March 2010, Fernandez was appointed manager of the Israel national team on an 18-month contract effective 1 May. He vowed to only have Israelis on his coaching team. The following February, he was suspended for an outstanding debt to Al-Rayyan. In December 2011, his contract was allowed to expire after failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 2012, and Eli Guttman succeeded him.
Guinea
On 29 April 2015, Fernandez signed a 20-month contract with the Guinea national team, with the option of an extension. He left by mutual consent on 24 May 2016, due to disputes within the Guinean Football Federation.
Honours
Player
Paris Saint-Germain
Manager
Paris Saint-Germain
External links
Categories: 1959 Births, Living People, People From Campo De Gibraltar, Footballers From The Province Of Cádiz, French Men's Footballers, France Men's International Footballers, Spanish Football Managers, Spanish Men's Footballers, Spanish Emigrants To France, French People Of Spanish Descent, Sportspeople Of Spanish Descent, Men's Association Football Midfielders, Paris Saint-germain Fc Players, Racing Club De France Football Players, As Cannes Players, Ligue 1 Players, Ligue 2 Players, Uefa Euro 1984 Players, European Champions For France, 1986 Fifa World Cup Players, Uefa Euro 1992 Players, Uefa European Championship–winning Players, As Cannes Managers, Paris Saint-germain Fc Managers, Athletic Bilbao Managers, Rcd Espanyol Managers, Al-rayyan Sc Managers, Beitar Jerusalem F.c. Managers, Real Betis Managers, Stade De Reims Managers, Israel National Football Team Managers, Guinea National Football Team Managers, La Liga Managers, Ligue 1 Managers, Ligue 2 Managers, Qatar Stars League Managers, French Expatriate Football Managers, Spanish Expatriate Football Managers, Expatriate Football Managers In Israel, Expatriate Football Managers In Qatar, Expatriate Football Managers In Guinea, Naturalized Citizens Of France, 20th-century French Sportsmen, 20th-century Spanish Sportsmen
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