Michel Le Milinaire, former coach of Stade Lavallois between 1968 and 1992, died during the night from Friday to Saturday following pneumonia, at the age of 92. Sick for several months, Michel Le Milinaire “was in a retirement home in Brittany”, indicates France Bleu Mayenne. It’s a true local legend that has just disappeared. Indeed, the technician, whose bald head and famous cap were used to identify him, had greatly contributed to the club’s rise to Division 1, the ancestor of Ligue 1.
Le Milinaire was the Tango coach during the 1983-1984 season, during which Laval played in the UEFA Cup. Nicknamed “The Sorcerer” or “The Magician”, elected best elite coach in 1979 and 1983 by France Football, this coach with a strong personality remains inseparable from the feat against Dynamo Kiev (1-0, 0-0 in the first leg), in the 32nd final second leg of the UEFA Cup.
A tribute paid this Saturday in Laval
His tenure on the bench of the Laval first team ultimately lasted twenty-four years. Dismissed in 1992, when the team was poorly ranked in D2, the Breton then joined Stade Rennais between 1993 and 1996 (49 victories, 42 draws, 36 defeats). Reaching the age limit (65), he returned to Laval in 1997, with a short-lived status as an advisor and recruiter. Stade Lavallois obviously intends to pay tribute to him, this Saturday (7 p.m.), on the occasion of the reception of Grenoble (16th day of Ligue 2). “We will do a minute of applause,” announced the president of the club, Laurent Lairy, to Ouest-France.
