Michel Prost (born 23 February 1946) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is known for being one of the first "stars" in the history of Paris Saint-Germain.[2]

Michel Prost
Personal information
Full nameMichel Prost[1]
Date of birth (1946-02-23) 23 February 1946 (age 78)
Place of birthCharenton-le-Pont, France
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)Forward
Youth career
1965–1966Paris Université Club
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1966–1967Stade Saint-Germain
1967–1969Bataillon de Joinville [fr]41(11)
1969–1970Stade Saint-Germain
1970–1972Paris Saint-Germain70(22)
1972–1973Paris FC33(4)
1973Nancy13(4)
1973–1976Bastia42(9)
1976–1977Red Star44(13)
1977–1978Poissy4(1)
Total247+(64+)
International career
France Amateurs
France Military
France B
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early career

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Prost was born in the town of Charenton-le-Pont, Île-de-France. In his teenage years, he played three different sports: football, rugby, and tennis.[2] He was a youth footballer for Paris UC until 1966, when he joined Stade Saint-Germain. He went on to play for Bataillon de Joinville [fr], a military team, from 1967 to 1969. Then, he returned to Stade Saint-Germain.[2]

Paris Saint-Germain

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In 1970, Stade Saint-Germain merged with Paris FC (PFC) to create Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Therefore, Prost joined the newly-formed club. He would make his debut for PSG in a 1–1 draw against Poitiers on 23 August 1970, the first game in the club's history.[3] His first goal for the Parisian club came in a 3–2 win over Quevilly six days later.[4]

With PSG, Prost would lift the only title of his career, the Division 2 title, in 1971. He finished the season with 10 goals to his name in 32 league appearances, which made him the joint top-scorer for the club in the league. He would continue with the club for the following season in the Division 1. In the 1971–72 season, Prost scored 12 goals in 38 league appearances, as PSG managed to reach a safe 16th-place finish. However, in 1972, PSG split into two; PFC kept the first team players, stayed in the first division, but lost the club identity, while PSG was given the reserve team players, relegated to the Division 3, and kept the club identity.[5] This meant that as a player with a professional contract, Prost now played for Paris FC. For Paris Saint-Germain, he had made 74 appearances and scored 22 goals in all competitions.[6]

Paris FC, Nancy, and Bastia

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Prost played for Paris FC from 1972 to 1973. He would score 4 goals in 37 appearances for the club in all competitions before signing for Nancy. Eventually, he would only stay at Nancy for only six months, signing with Bastia in December 1973.[7]

In the second half of 1976, Prost suffered an injury to his hip, and was told he could no longer play football at such a high level. He ended his professional career in October 1976, and left Bastia.[2]

Red Star and Poissy

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After his injury, Prost went to play for Red Star in a semi-professional setting. He would formally retire from playing football in 1977. Soon after, his former Stade Saint-Germain manager Roger Quenolle invited him to become sporting director at Poissy, where he was coach.[2] Prost accepted, but also worked for Chrysler on the side. He would also go on to play 4 games and score 1 goal for Poissy in the Division 2 in the 1977–78 season.[2]

International career

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Prost played for several different national teams of France. He represented his country at amateur, military, and B level.[7]

Personal life

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Michel has a son who is named Nicolas (born 1971/1972).[2]

After his football career, Prost would go on to work for Peugeot-Citroën in Poissy. Later in his life, he would be a secretary at the Syndicat FO.[2] In the 2010s decade, he would also become delegate in the town of Poissy.[8] He helped organize the plans for Paris Saint-Germain's new training center in the town.[6]

In September 2021, Prost was invited to a Paris Saint-Germain match at the Parc des Princes by the club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. He received a jersey with his name on it from Al-Khelaifi.[9]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[10]
ClubSeasonLeagueCupTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stade Saint-Germain1966–67CFA3[a]131
Bataillon de Joinville [fr]1967–68Division 230800308
1968–69Division 211300113
Total41110[a]04111
Stade Saint-Germain1968–69CFA8383
1969–70CFA1111
Total9[a]494
Paris Saint-Germain1970–71Division 23210303510
1971–72Division 13812103912
Total7022407422
Paris FC1972–73Division 133440374
Nancy1973–74Division 113400134
Bastia1973–74Division 111240152
1974–75Division 126771338
1975–76Division 1500050
Total4291115310
Red Star1975–76Division 226930299
1976–77Division 218400184
Total44133[a]04713
Poissy1977–78Division 2410[a]041
Career total2476434628170
  1. ^ a b c d e Cup statistics may be inaccurate during Prost's spells at Stade Saint-Germain, Bataillon de Joinville, Red Star, and Poissy.

Honours

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Paris Saint-Germain

References

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  1. ^ Michel Prost at Global Sports Archive
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Michel Prost : « En 1970, nous étions les « parigos têtes de veaux » »" [Michel Prost: "In 1970, we were the "Parigos veal heads" "]. PSG70 (in French). November–December 2006. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Michel PROST". Histoire du PSG (in French). 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  4. ^ "PSG – Quevilly 3-2, 29/08/70, Division 2 70-71". Archives Paris Football (in French). 7 November 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  5. ^ Bennett, Catherine (23 August 2020). "50 years of PSG: A look back at the rise of France's wealthiest club". France 24. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b Richardson, Thomas (19 July 2016). "Michel Prost, 74 matchs avec le PSG" [Michel Prost, 74 matches with PSG]. Actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Michel PROST". PSG70 (in French). Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Les Élus" [The Elected]. Ville de Poissy (in French). Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Jean-Claude Bras and Michel Prost at the Parc des Princes". Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  10. ^ Michel Prost at FootballDatabase.eu
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