The forgotten Portsmouth man given boot from one of most prominent roles in world football
You’d be forgiven if you’d forgotten his time at Pompey.
But the man handed one of the most highest-profile jobs in world football this season does, indeed, have ties at PO4.
Christophe Galtier was named as head coach at European giants Paris St Germain last July, replacing Mauricio Pocchetino at the Parc De Princes.
The following month the 56-year-old was the man handed arguably the greatest footballer in the history of the game to work with, as PSG signed Lionel Messi.
That may have been a slight departure from when the Frenchman worked with the likes of Collins Mbesuma, Azar Karadas and Franck Songo’o at Fratton Park.
His time in Paris is now at an end, however, if the widespread reports of his sacking are accurate.
It’s passed many by but Galtier’s association with Pompey harps back to his time as Alain Perrin’s assistant, during the Frenchman’s ill-fated seven-and-a-half month Pompey tenure in 2005.
Perrin and Galtier did enjoy the 4-1 Demolition Derby win over Southampton that April, but what was one of just four wins from their 21 games at the club.
After Galtier’s cigarette-puffing presence was removed by Milan Mandaric as Perrin got the boot, the Marseille-born man helped his sidekick win the French title with Lyon in 2008.
It was when Galtier succeeded Perrin as St Etienne boss in 2009 that his career soared, as he grabbed a French cup win for Les Verts.
He then earned a Lille a second-placed finish in 2019, before pipping PSG to the title the following year.
The move to the French capital arrived last year with Galtier delivering a Ligue 1 crown.
It was Champions League failure in the round of 16 to Bayern Munich and a domestic cup exit to Marseille which appears to have been the greatest contributory factors to his sacking, with Julian Nagelsmann believed to be lined up as his successor.