63 appearances with the national side. 3 goals. Two World Cups (2006 and 2010), two Euros (2004 and 2008) and some titles to boot (German champions 2004 and 2007). Former left back for Werder and Stuttgart (amongst others), Ludovic Magnin (38 years old) has started his career as a coach with FC Zurich, where he ended his playing days. After managing the youth sides, the Lausanne born coach is now sitting in 5th place in the Raiffeisen Super League. After spending a week at the club, in the company of other Swiss coaches, he spoke about his role. As well as speaking at length about his relationship with Lucien Favre, his "second dad".

Ludovic, how has your week been?  

We came to speak with the people at the club in order to get an idea of how the club is organised. I will be able to compare it with FC Zurich, where we don't have the same means but where we are trying to improve certain structures. To want to progress and to ask questions of yourself, is always very important. I will also steal 2 or 3 things from Lucien, even though I know him very well...  

Lucien Favre and yourself, it's a long story...

Something special. He comes from St-Barthélémy, 2km away from my house, my dad grew up with him. He is a friend. I had my first contact with him when he was a player and I was a kid, I had to do some homework for school. We had the opportunity to have a Swiss international with us, it was huge. When he stopped playing, he ended at Echallens and he started to coach the youth teams. I was 13 years old. At 15, I was allowed to train with the first team and he gave me my chance at 17 years old in the Swiss D2, at Yverdon. I went to training with him, I am not sure that is conceivable nowadays. It's thanks to him that I had this career, he is a bit like my second dad. And it was both my dad and Lucien who were there for me in the difficult moments.  

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Have you kept in touch with him? 

Always. Throughout my career as a player, as soon as I needed some advice, we spoke on the phone, and vice versa. He played around 30 international games, I managed 63: to have reached his level as a player is already great. Now my second objective is to become a coach like him. He has a technical and tactical ability that is incredible. I had a lot of coaches in my life, some exceptional coaches, but Lucien Favre, he is a very special man.

"All of Switzerland make the comparison" 

So here you are, now in charge of the first team at FC Zurich.

I was given the chance, 6 weeks ago, to take charge of the club where Lucien was champion and where he is the hero... All of Switzerland makes the comparison, people talk to me about it a lot. If I have the joy of making my sides play like his sides do, I will bring a lot to football.  

What image do you have of Le Gym? 

I am very happy to be back here, I have some very good memories here. I had the chance, in 2003, to play against OGC Nice in the Intertoto Cup. We beat you too... (0-1 ; 0-0).  At home, we know the club, even more so thanks to Lucien Favre. With the season they had last season, now in Switzerland, OGC Nice are a reference point. If we were to face the club with our teams, I think we would have more problems than 15 years ago, which doesn't make us feel any younger...

And your thoughts about L1 ?

French is our mother tongue. The Roman Swiss, we grew up back in the day, with the French league, with Téléfoot, with the huge PSG, the giants of Marseille, the French national side… To be able to coach in L1, that's special. And for Lucien, after so many years in Germany, to come back to France has been important. What he manages to do here doesn't surprise me.

C.D.

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