The journalist Didier Roustan died on the night of Tuesday, September 10 to Wednesday, September 11, at the age of 66. An iconic figure in French football, the man was known for his love of the “beautiful game”.
A certain idea of football disappeared at the same time as the disappearance of Didier Roustan. Lover of what should be called “the beautiful game”, romantic figure of a sport that in many ways seems to be less and less, the journalist died on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday at the age of 66, died of cancer recently discovered.
A unique style
If the younger ones know him for his role as manager within Chaîne L'Equipe, where he has been active since 1999, in particular with the title of “President for life” within the flagship program “Evening team” ; Didier Roustan has had a very rich professional career. With a rather rare precocity for the time since he joined TF1 in 1976 at the age of 19, before commentating his first match two years later He then became one of pillars of the cult show “Téléfoot”, a program he presented from 1986 to 1989. Didier Roustan also collaborated with Canal + and Antenne 2, forming a duo of rock'n'roll commentators with his great friend Eric Cantona during World-.94 in the United States.
DISAPPEARANCE The sports journalist Didier Roustan died at the age of 66.
\u23ea In 1978, he appeared on television for the first time. pic.twitter.com/iRZeJ8Cdp9— INA.fr (@Inafr_officiel) September 11, 2024
A fan of unlikely colored T-shirts and the soccer jerseys he collected, the journalist had a unique, inimitable style, peppering his interventions with cultural or historical references and lyrical flights of fancy, with a pronounced prism for South America and especially Argentina. A journey off the beaten path that led him to create the global players' union (AIFP) in 1995 alongside Albiceleste legend Diego Maradona, his idol.
“Journalism Revolutionary”
The announcement of Didier Roustan's passing caused great excitement in the French football community, with tributes pouring in throughout the day on Wednesday. “He was a football lover and a revolutionary in journalism,” emphasizes Michel Platini Team.
In addition to his work as a journalist, Didier Roustan was also very involved in the associative sector. To him we owe the creation Citizen football in 2003, an organization that was created to fight violence in amateur football. “To me, he was the greatest sports journalist,” Eric Cantona said in an Instagram post “Intelligent, lively and with a great sense of image.” Who will be greatly missed by the fans of this sport of which he was a part.