Jean Djorkaeff

Djorkaeff made his debut as a professional footballer playing for Lyon in a match against Limoges on 28 December 1958. Though he started out as a striker, he was famous for his work as central defender and appeared in around 400 matches in the French football league. He spent a total of 16 seasons within the first two tiers, during which he played with only four clubs (eight seasons with Lyon, four with Marseille, two with Paris Saint-Germain, and two with Paris FC). He won the Coupe de France twice, the first time with Lyon in 1964 and the second with Marseille in 1969.

At international level, Djorkaeff also played for France on 48 occasions between 1964 and 1972, scoring 3 goals. He represented his nation at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

Djorkaeff would become interim manager of Paris FC for two matches in 1972 while he was a player at the club. After his retirement from playing football, he would coach UGA Lyon-Décines. In 1981, Djorkaeff became manager of Grenoble. After two seasons at the Division 2 club, he left for first tier Saint-Étienne, where he would stay one season. From 1986 to 1987, he worked as assistant manager in the France national team. Later on, he would return to his position at UGA Lyon-Décines.

Djorkaeff was born in the French commune of Charvieu, located in the département of Isère. He was born to a Kalmyk father, Armadyk Djorkaeff (Dzhorkayev), who emigrated from Imperial Russia, and Polish mother.