A large and collected crowd came this Wednesday, December 31 to say goodbye to the former Montpellier coach Jean-Louis Gasset, who died on December 26 at the age of 72. To accommodate the more than 1000 people present, the funeral ceremony of this figure of French football took place at the Montpellier exhibition center, in Pérols (Hérault).
Around the family, football personalities like Laurent Blanc, of whom Jean-Louis Gasset was the assistant at Bordeaux, at PSG and with the French team, Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, or even Laurent Nicollin, the president of the MHSC (Montpellier Hérault Sport Club) as well as many players.
Aged 20, Cameroonian player Wilfried Ndollo Bille, right back within the MHSC, is not about to forget Jean-Louis Gasset. “It was him who made me play for the first time among the pros, it was March 8, 2025,” he confides. “He was more than a coach for me, he was my grandpa. He was always smiling with his cap screwed on his head. He was the one who helped me to have confidence in myself. »
“This human side is what defined him and what gave him his strength”
Described by some as the spiritual son of Jean-Louis Gasset, international player Yann M’Vila, 35, currently at SM Caen, was also present. “All these people today, it’s not for nothing. Beyond football, he was an extraordinary person. Humanly speaking, I think we couldn’t have done better. Many coaches and directors should take an example from him. The day I lost my grandfather, at the chat before the match, he didn’t talk about football once, but about life. This human side is what defined him and what gave him his strength. He can be proud of himself like his mother, his children can be too. »
In the audience, also many anonymous people, like Christian, 70 years old, who came as a neighbor. “We lived in the same neighborhood of Montpellier when we were children. Our parents were friends and our fathers played football together. I remember playing with him once myself. I managed to get into the match a little,” he smiles.
Jean Carrasco, 60 years old, also came as a neighbor. He is the president of the Gignac football club, a few kilometers from Montpellier, where Jean-Louis Gasset’s son, Robin, played in the past. “Jean-Louis, we played together for a few years. He was a humble, simple and accessible person. It’s not nothing when he has played for very big clubs. It’s a big loss for French football, it’s not just Montpellier. »
“The best grandfather in the world”
Words that will often be heard throughout the ceremony to describe Jean-Louis Gasset and his extraordinary personality. “At your side, we learned to surpass ourselves, you who loved challenges, emergencies and missions that seemed lost. You loved people and people loved you,” we can still hear. “How lucky we were to have been placed in your path.”
Same emotion when the family’s turn comes to say a few words. “All the messages of the last few days live up to the void you leave,” declares his daughter Coralie, followed by Jean-Louis Gasset’s three grandchildren who declare him “the best grandfather in the world.”
And as the ceremony draws to a close and the coffin of Jean-Louis Gasset is taken to be buried in the afternoon in his village of Saint-Georges d’Orques, the entire audience rises in a round of applause.
Keep reading
