Stephane Guivarc'h, who helped France win the 1998 World Cup, has swapped football for a career selling swimming pools. The former striker, now 55, earned 14 caps for his country and was a key part of the squad that beat Brazil 3-0 in the final on home soil.
From World Cup glory to pool salesman
Guivarc'h played a crucial role in France's World Cup triumph, not through prolific goalscoring but by disrupting defenders and enabling teammates to shine. He also had a lengthy club career, playing for Auxerre, Newcastle United, and Rangers, winning multiple trophies before retiring in 2002 at En Avant Guingamp.
After hanging up his boots, Guivarc'h took a markedly different path, becoming a businessman at a friend's company. He entered the leisure industry and now sells swimming pools for a living, opting for a low-key existence compared to many of his former teammates who became pundits.
Cutting ties with former teammates
Guivarc'h has cut ties with many of his former friends from the 1998 squad, leading to disappointment among his ex-teammates. Emmanuel Petit told L'Equipe: "It's been far too long since we've heard from him. I don't really know his reasons; I've heard all sorts of rumours, but it's a shame he wanted to sever ties with the World Cup. It's something that transcends us, that doesn't truly belong to us, but that binds us until the end of our lives."
Petit added: "Having left the association myself for fifteen years for various reasons, after a while, I understood, I said to myself: 'Manu, stop making it a personal matter.' I'd like to see him again, and I think I'm not the only one, because his name comes up often when we get together. In a way, we miss him."
Family reasons behind the decision
Guivarc'h has previously opened up about his decision to leave football behind at age 31, citing a need to protect his family. He said: "I could have stayed in football, but I didn't because it's a life choice. After my football career, I lost my mother. My father was left all alone, and I decided to stay with him, to help him. And then I stayed here in Concarneau, where all my family is."
Across 339 appearances, the ex-striker scored 169 goals and won four domestic trophies, including the Scottish league and cup double with Rangers and the French league and Intertoto Cup with Auxerre.
