Alain Laurier

French football midfielder Alain Laurier started his career with Reims in 1965, going on to play more than 100 matches for the club before leaving the side in 1972. During his time at Reims Laurier helped the side to promotion to the top flight after winning the Division 2 title in the 1965–66 season. In 1972 he joined Paris FC, followed by brief spells with Angers and Le Mans, before joining Caen in 1979. Laurier worked in the role of player-manager at Caen until he retired as a player in 1982.

Laurier made a handful of appearances for the French national side and played in three matches during their 1968 Olympic football qualification campaign. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics he played in France’s 2–1 defeat against Colombia in the group stages of the competition.

Following his playing career Laurier turned to management with his first job at Le Mans from 1976 until 1979. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he coached multiple French sides including Grenoble, Istres, and Dijon, before coaching Al Wasl in Dubai and Shenyang Jinde in China. Laurier’s final managerial role was as the technical director of the Qatar national team from 2002 to 2004.