Claude Puel

Puel started his football career as a youth with Castres, where he was spotted by Monaco, joining their training centre in 1977. He played his first professional game in the 1979–80 season. He spent his entire career at Monaco, playing 601 official matches in total. During his time at Monaco, he won two championships and three French Cups. He also played under compatriot Arsène Wenger who jovially recalled being on the wrong end of a sliding tackle saying "Even on the morning of a Cup final he could tackle and even if it was the manager then no problem!".

Monaco

Before being appointed as the manager of Monaco, he was the physical trainer and manager of Monaco's reserve team. He was appointed as the manager in January 1999. He won the French Championship in 2000, with players such as Ludovic Giuly and Marcelo Gallardo.

Lille

Lille were one of the winners of the 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup, having defeated União de Leiria of Portugal 2–0 in extra time in the final after a goalless aggregate draw.

Lyon

Puel joined Lyon, the team who had won the last seven French league titles, on a four-year contract on 18 June 2008. In 2010, he helped the club reach the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time in its history. In his final game in charge in May 2011, he defeated his former club Monaco and ended their 34-year spell in the top flight. Lyon terminated his contract on 20 June 2011, although he had just finished third, as he had not won a trophy in his three seasons.

Nice

On 23 May 2012, Puel reached agreement on a three-year deal with Nice.

Southampton

On 30 June 2016, Puel was appointed the manager of Southampton on a three-year deal. On 14 June 2017, Puel's contract was "terminated with immediate effect". His sacking yielded mixed reactions. In his only season in charge, Southampton reached the League Cup final and recorded an 8th-place finish in the Premier League, albeit with 17 fewer points than his predecessor Ronald Koeman attained the season prior. Puel was…

Puel has two sons and a daughter. Both of his sons, Paulin and Grégoire, are professional footballers and played under his command at Nice.

Player

Monaco Ligue 1: 1981–82, 1987–88 Coupe de France: 1980, 1985, 1991 Trophée des Champions: 1985

Manager

Monaco Ligue 1: 1999–2000 Trophée des Champions: 2000 Lille UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2004 Southampton

EFL Cup runner-up: 2016–17 Saint-Étienne

Coupe de France runner-up: 2019–20 Nice

Coupe de France runner-up: 2025–26