Papin's pleasure principle

After eight years away from professional football, Jean-Pierre Papin returned when he was appointed coach of RC Strasbourg last summer. His undiminished enthusiasm is already rubbing off on his players who are pushing for promotion from Ligue 2.

Appetite intact
Observing Papin on the training ground outside the Stade de la Meinau provides ample evidence that his appetite remains intact. While his charges are off running, the 43-year-old strikes free-kick after free-kick into the top corner. The prolific former Olympique de Marseille, AC Milan, FC Bayern München and France striker then organises a series of training drills, but soon he is drilling ferocious shots at his two goalkeepers.

'Passionate'
It is little surprise to hear him speaking about his new role with equal fervour. "I've always been a passionate man," he told uefa.com. "I love football and I'll never forget it has made me the person I am today. This sport brought me a Ballon d'Or, many trophies, happiness and a privileged lifestyle. So I'm delighted that today, even though my playing career is over, I can still earn a living through football."

Italian influence
Few predicted that Papin would make a good coach but, having played under such luminaries as Raymond Goethals, Fabio Capello, Otto Rehhagel and Giovanni Trapattoni, Papin knew he had plenty to offer. "I only decided I wanted to coach at the end of my playing career," he explained. "But looking back, I have no doubt that working with the Italians in particular provided me with inspiration. Capello is the top man in coaching circles. I learned so much from him in terms of rigour, discipline and preparation. Trapattoni was something else; I got to know a wonderful coach but also an exceptional man. He's such a classy guy and I loved playing for him."

'Loved every minute'
Having ended his professional playing career with spells at FC Girondins de Bordeaux and then EA Guingamp in 1998, he became FC BAS player-coach in 2004. "I wanted to start at amateur level to get a feel for the job and to find out if I enjoyed it," said Papin, by now fully qualified having completed the esteemed coaching course at Clairefontaine. He swiftly guided the club to promotion to France's fifth tier. "Working with amateur players was a refreshing experience," he said. "A lot of people forget but all great players, once upon a time, played for a small team. I absolutely loved discovering football at a grassroots level again. And importantly, I realised I enjoyed taking charge of a group and I could be good at it."

'Fun'
His progress was being monitored by Strasbourg's ambitious president Philippe Ginestet, who wanted a coach capable of breathing new life into the club following relegation from Ligue 1. Papin has done exactly that. "I've tried to get them all smiling again. I understand football today is like a business but you must never lose sight of the fact that it's a game and it's fun. When I played in Germany and Italy the players enjoyed training. In France there's a tendency to be miserable."

Exciting future
With Strasbourg winning regularly, the players have much to be cheerful about, while Papin's future is promising to be every bit as exciting as his past. "The short-term goal is to get Strasbourg back into Ligue 1, then consolidate our position in the top flight next season. That's all I'm worried about for now. After that, who knows what might happen?"

This is an abridged version of an article that appears in this week's edition of the uefa.com Magazine. To read the article in full, click here.