Spaghetti, glory and gratitude: the rebirth of Jean Tigana

Ghost-written autobiographies of many famous footballers usually begin with a glimpse of the early days, mostly spent in a youth-setups of the major clubs were their talent was immensely noticed by the entire coaching staff.

In the case of the legendary French midfielder born in Bamako in 1955, however, it was a whole different story. Yes, Jean Amadou Tigana was a hard-working fella with lots of compliments coming for his devotion, except not from tacticians but from his bosses in a spaghetti factory in Toulon. One of the greatest French football sons was a blue-collar worker until someone from a then-modest Sporting Club Toulon noticed him and gave him a fair chance in 1975. While fighting for a better life and the acknowledgement in the world of football, Tigana continued working in a spaghetti factory before proving himself also as a genuine postman.

That was the case up until 1978, when he joined Lyon and launched his stellar career. Bordeaux, Marseille, and the French national team during the '80s wouldn't be the same without this standout midfielder of Mali origins. Later he would become a successful coach, with proper tenures at AS Monaco, Fulham, Besiktas and Bordeaux. Known for his unique, colourful sideline appearance with an inevitable toothpick in the corner of the lips, Tigana was a fans' hero wherever he would work.

After a couple of years of football absence, now, at the age of 65, he is back in the game as general manager. Yesterday he signed a contract with none other than SC Toulon, his maiden club and the first non-spaghetti-related employee. Tigana is not only trying to put his career back on track but with this assignment, he also shows a sense of gratitude towards Toulon, now living on a borrowed time in the fourth level of the French football hierarchy.

Whatever heights do you reach, it's always important not to neglect and never forget the roots. Nor the once who made you what you are today. Obviously, Tigana is acing that valuable lesson.