Robert Herbin

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Robert Herbin

Herbin in 1979
Personal information
Date of birth	(1939-03-30)30 March 1939
Place of birth	Paris, France
Date of death	27 April 2020(2020-04-27) (aged 81)
Place of death	Saint-Étienne, France
Position(s)	Defender, midfielder
Youth career
	Cavigal de Nice
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1972	Saint-Étienne	412	(88)
1975	Saint-Étienne	1	(1)
Total		413	(89)
International career
1960–1968	France	23	(3)
Managerial career
1972–1983	Saint-Étienne
1983–1985	Lyon
1985–1986	Al-Nassr
1986–1987	Strasbourg
1987–1990	Saint-Étienne
1991–1995	Red Star
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Herbin (30 March 1939 – 27 April 2020) was a French football defender and manager. A one-club man as a player AS Saint-Étienne, he later managed the team for eleven years. He won five Ligue 1 titles as a player and four as a manager, and his team lost the 1976 European Cup Final to FC Bayern Munich at Hampden Park.^[1]

Born in Paris, he moved to Nice as a child as his father played trombone at the Opéra de Nice. He moved from a local club to Saint-Étienne at age 18, for 2.5 million French francs (around €3,600 in 2020).^[2]

Herbin was dismissed by Saint-Étienne in February 1983 amidst the slush fund scandal that ended their period of national dominance. He was instantly hired by their Rhone derby rivals Lyon and could not prevent their relegation three months later, going on to spend two seasons in Ligue 2 with them.^[2] After a big-money job with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia and work with RC Strasbourg Alsace, he returned to Saint-Étienne in 1987 but was unable to restore their success over the next three years.^[2]

He was recognisable for his large red hair, and for his reserved personality he was known as "Le Sphinx".^[1] In retirement, he lived alone with his dog near Saint-Étienne and avoided social events, while also suffering from alcohol and tobacco abuse.^[3]

Saint-Étienne

• Ligue 1: 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70
• Coupe de France: 1961–62, 1967–68, 1969–70

Saint-Étienne

• Ligue 1: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1980–81
• Coupe de France: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1976–77
• European Cup: Runner-up 1975–76

• Profile^{[permanent dead link‍]}
• Profile on French federation official site
• Robert Herbin at L'Équipe Football (in French)