Nowadays you look at the chubby strange looking man that goes by the name of Michel Platini, and it's very hard to believe that he was once a superbly skilful and sexy footballer revered the world over. Erase those thoughts from your head because this man was a God.

Success followed Platini throughout his career with Nancy, St Etienne, Juventus and the national team. He made the progression from a young inexperienced player at Nancy to being the star of the French national team in a very short space of time. Platini's superb goal on his international debut, at the age of 20, was the first step towards cementing his place as a legend in his own time.

The mercurial midfielder firmly established himself in the French squad, and became the darling of the French nation. After an impressive showing at the 1978 World Cup he moved from Nancy to St Etienne to play at a higher level. Another inspiring display at the next World Cup in 1982, which saw the French cruelly miss out to West Germany in the semi finals, led to Platini's £1.2 million move to Italian giants Juventus.

His spell in Italy brought endless success to both himself and Juventus. Platini was the top scorer in his first three seasons in Italy, which led to him being named European Player of the year three times in a row. He also inspired Juve to win the European Cup Winners Cup, the European Cup and two Scudetto's.

All of Platini's domestic success is over shadowed by an even greater achievement on the international stage. Platini, who won 72 caps and scored 41 goals, captained the French team to victory in the 1984 European Championships. On the way to victory in the final against Spain, which France won 2-0, Platini finished top of the tournament scoring charts with two hat-tricks to his name.

After a unprecedented playing career Platini moved into management, which saw him take the helm of the national team at the beginning of the 1990's. He led his team which included Papin and Cantona to qualification for Euro 1992, but resigned after his team disappointed in Sweden. Platini was not finished placing his influence on French football as he became co-chairman of the French World Cup Organisation Committee, and as we all know he did a good job with France being crowned World Champions.