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Ex-UAE & Senegal boss Bruno Metsu dies aged 59
Former UAE, Al Ain and Al Wasl boss Bruno Metsu has passed away at the age of 59 after a long battle with cancer.
News of Metsu's death comes almost a year to the day he was forced to stand down as Wasl boss after being diagnosed advanced cancer in his colon, liver and lungs.
In an interview with French daily L'Equipe back in July, the hugely popular coach, who guided the UAE to a first ever Gulf Cup success in 2007, spoke of "playing the match of his life".
Metsu also revealed that he was drawing strength from countryman Eric Abidal's own remarkable recovery from a life-threatening liver transplant as he bravely battled the terminal illness.
Aside from his success with the UAE, Metsu also guided Al Ain to AFC Champions League glory 10 years ago and in doing so became the first coach to taste continental success with a UAE club.
However, it was back in 2002 when the name of Bruno Metsu swept around the footballing world like wildfire after the Frenchman masterminded one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history.
France, defending champions and also Euro 2000 victors, were beaten by Metsu’s unfancied Senegal 1-0 in their opening match of the 2002 World Cup thanks to a goal from Papa Bouba Diop.
It was on the game's greatest stage that a relatively-unknown Metsu had given a first glimpse of the credentials that would soon make him revered in the UAE.
A charismatic figure with the flowing locks that were more rock star than football manager, Metsu exuded an aura that immediately stood out from his contemporaries.
A league and AFC Champions League double with Al Ain in 2003 captured the hearts of fans in the Garden City, with many taken by his humility and attention to detail in his tactics and strategy.
Four years later he was the toast of the Emirates after guiding the UAE to their first major trophy with success at the Gulf Cup on home soil.
His former captain Mohammed Omar paid tribute to his qualities and remarked that he was “loved by the players whether they were on the field or in the stands”.
- Neill and Le Roy lead tributes for 'lion' Bruno Mestu
That sentiment was echoed by Senegalese striker El Hadji-Diouf, who came to the fore under Metsu's tutelage in 2002 leading to a big-money move to Liverpool.
“For us, Bruno was like the dad of the team,” said Diouf in an exclusive interview with Sport360° last year.
“He’s the guy who always looks after the players, wants them to do well and gives them a lot of confidence. If you manage people and don’t give them confidence I don’t think it works. He made it work.
“He gave confidence to the players and you saw that on the pitch with our team’s performances. "We did well in the World Cup because we had a good spirit and we wanted to win together. He always gave the players belief that we could beat anyone, not just me.
"He’s a winner. I know him very well like my dad and he is a passionate man. He knows only one thing. He used to say all the time that ‘only winning was beautiful’."
Following his success in the UAE, Metsu spent time in charge of the Qatari national team and one of the country's biggest clubs, Al Gharafa, before returning Al Wasl in the summer of 2012.
An encouraging start to life at the Zabeel was cruelly cut short by the diagnosis that would ultimately lead to his untimely death.
Australia captain Lucas Neill, who played under Metsu during his three month tenure as Wasl boss, tweeted: "Very sad to hear Bruno Metsu has lost his battle with cancer. A great coach, a great man and a wonderful servant to world football. RIP mon ami."
Bruno Metsu. Gone, but never will he be forgotten here in the United Arab Emirates.
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