Clubs: Le Touquet AC, Arras FA (youth), US Noeux-les-Mines, RC Lens, Paris Saint-Germain FC, France, Liverpool FC, Olympique Lyonnais, Aston Villa FC

UEFA honours
UEFA Cup: winner 2001
UEFA Super Cup: winner 2001
UEFA European Under-18 Championship: winner 1996
UEFA.com users' Team of the Year: 2001

• An English teacher who never played the game professionally, Houllier established his coaching credentials during a six-year stay at northern French club Noeux-les-Mines before taking charge of Lens in 1982 and moving on three years later to PSG, with whom he won the French title in 1986.

• Became technical director of the French Football Federation (FFF) in the late 1980s and served as an assistant to France coach Michel Platini before taking the reins himself in 1992.

• Stood down after failing to qualify Les Bleus for the 1994 FIFA World Cup but remained as technical director and assumed responsibility for France's youth teams, leading the U18s to European success in 1996.

• After assisting in France's 1998 World Cup success he was appointed as joint-manager of Liverpool, in tandem with Roy Evans, before taking on the job alone and steering the club to several trophy successes, including five in 2001, among them the FA Cup and UEFA Cup; ended that year requiring heart surgery but returned after a five-month absence.

• Left Liverpool in May 2004 and resurfaced a year later at Lyon; enjoyed two successful seasons, winning the Ligue 1 title in each of them, but left in 2007, shortly after which he was reappointed as France's technical director – a job he held for the next three years.

• Returned to England in September 2010 to become the new manager of Aston Villa on a three-year contract.