Robert Jonquet

Football player infobox
playername = Robert Jonquet


fullname = Robert Jonquet
height = 1.76 m
nickname = "le héros de Highbury" (The hero of Highbury)
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1925|5|3
cityofbirth = Paris
countryofbirth = France
currentclub =
clubcrest =
clubnumber =
position = Defender
youthyears = 1937-1941
1941-1942
1941-1942
1942-1945
youthclubs = Robinson
Châtenay-Malabry
SS Voltaire de Paris
Stade de Reims
years = 1945-1960
1960-1962
clubs = Stade de Reims
RC Strasbourg
caps(goals) = 502 (9)
55 (3)
nationalyears = 1948-1960
nationalteam = flagicon|France France
nationalcaps(goals) = 58 (0)
manageryears = 1961-1964
1964-1967
1980-1981
managerclubs = RC Strasbourg
Stade de Reims
Stade de Reims
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Robert Jonquet (born May 3, 1925), is a French former football defender. He played the majority of his professional career for the club Stade de Reims, winning five French championships and appearing in two European Cup finals.

Nicknamed "The Hero of Highbury" after an outstanding individual performance against England in London in 1951, Jonquet was integral to the French national teams of the 1950s, playing at the World Cup finals of 1954 and 1958.

Playing career

1946-1956

During his youth, Jonquet played in the surrounding countryside of southern Paris in Châtenay-Malabry , and afterwards for the "Société Sportive Voltaire". In 1946/47, he played his first season at Stade de Reims in the division 1. He became a first-team player, and in the spring 1947, he was called up for the first time to the French national team. Jonquet was relatively short (1.76 m) for his playing position, but as a "libero", played with elegance and talent in the number 5 shirt, rather than in the mould of a typical centre-back "destroyer".

In the 1948/49 season he won his first French championship, 1950 the Coupe de France, followed in 1953 by his second French championship and the Latin Cup. In the year after he participated with Les Bleus in its first World Cup finals in Switzerland; in 1955 he won the French championship again, the French Supercup, was finalist in the Coupe Latine and the following year (1956) reached with Stade Reims the final of the newly born European Cup , losing to Real Madrid 3:4. Two further high points of these years took place on international fields: in October 1951 with the France he played in London against England (which included Alf Ramsey and Billy Wright). Jonquet's superb game helped France obtain a 2:2 draw, and on the next morning a newspaper headline referred to him as the "The Hero of Highbury". [ [http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=195 FFF : Equipe de France de Football, football, fiche, Bleus, actualité, vidéo, reportage, photo ] ] The "hero" also played in a European selection which defeated England in a friendly match in 1955.

A main player in one of the best teams of Europe

Robert Jonquet's fellow players with Reims reads like a Who's Who of the French football during the 1950s: between goalkeeper (Dominique Colonna) and offensive forces (Raymond Kopa, Michel Hidalgo, Léon Glovacki, Jean Vincent, Just Fontaine, Roger Piantoni, René Bliard) stood safe defensive players such as Roger Marche, Armand Penverne, Albert Batteux, Michel Leblond, Jean Wendling - and evenly over one decade for Jonquet, which is the only players who played in all four final of European Cup. Albert Batteux by the way accompanied and supported Jonquet career over this time in three different ways: as a fellow players (until 1950), as a manager (1950-1959) and as French national football coach (starting from 1955).

1957-1961

The 1957/58 season held further titles but also included probably the blackest hour for Jonquet. With Reims he won the treble of the French Championships Cup and Super Cup. In addition he participated in its second soccer world championship, at 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden where France finished third. However its misfortune in the semi-final (see below) prevented Jonquet's participation in the match for third place (6: 3 against Germany). [ [http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=246 FFF : Equipe de France de Football, football, fiche, Bleus, actualité, vidéo, reportage, photo ] ]

To the second European Cup final against rival Real Madrid (1959, 0:2) Raymond Kopa returned from "Los Merengues" to Reims - and Jonquet won his fifth French championship in 1960 and his third Super Cup. In this summer he retired at age 35 from France and moved to Racing Strasbourg in the second divisom, helping them to promotion to the top division division 1 in 1961 - his final success as a player.

National player

Between April 1948 and July 1960 Robert Jonquet played 58 matches for France and was captain in of them. He participated 1954 FIFA World Cup (one match) and 1958 FIFA World Cup (five matches as the team captain). In Sweden his injury in the semi-final against Brazil after 35 minutes, following an impact with Vavá, all but incapacitated him. In the half-time break - substitutes at that time not yet permitted - the team physician injected a pain-satisfying syringe, and Jonquet was able to stand on two legs. He spent the second half more or less useless and hobbling on the left wing. Indeed, he had broken its fibula. [ [http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=245 FFF : Equipe de France de Football, football, fiche, Bleus, actualité, vidéo, reportage, photo ] ] ["Fabuleuses histoires de l'équipe de France", les dossiers Ouest France, 1998] But five months later he came back in the national team. [ [http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=250 FFF : Equipe de France de Football, football, fiche, Bleus, actualité, vidéo, reportage, photo ] ]

He played his last match at Euro 1960 against Czechoslovakia. [ [http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=261 FFF : Equipe de France de Football, football, fiche, Bleus, actualité, vidéo, reportage, photo ] ]

After his playing career

At RC Strasbourg, Robert Jonquet moved from the playing field to the coaching sidelines, enjoying a spell with Stade Reims and afterwards with a small suburb team, Rumilly. He is now very disappointed with the rise of money in football, missing his time at Stade de Reims. [ [http://www.humanite.presse.fr/journal/1996-11-20/1996-11-20-765582 La nostalgie de Robert Jonquet - l'Humanite ] ]

Overview on Jonquet's career

Clubs

* SS Voltaire Paris
* Stade de Reims (1946-1960, 502 matches in the D1)
* RC Strasbourg (1960/62, D2)
* Coach of RC Strasbourg (1961/64) [France Football magazine, N°3044]
* Coach of Stade de Reims (1964/1967 and 1980/1981)

Honours

* French championship winner: 1949, 1953, 1955, 1958, 1960 (and runner-up 1947 and 1954, in addition three times third and fourth the D1; only 1956 only 10th place for Reims)
* Coupe de France winner: 1950, 1958
* French Supercup (Trophée des Champions) winner: 1955, 1958, 1960
* European Cup finalist in 1956 and 1959,
* "Coupe Latine" winner: 1953 (and finalist 1955)
* 58 caps for France, including nine times as captain.

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.fff.fr/servfff/historique/historique.php?id=JONQUET%20Robert Player bio at the official web site of the French Football Federation]