The Michel Hidalgo International Football Academy has a competent and qualified staff who have a significant experience in transmitting their knowledge and skills, allowing players to understand the world they’re living in. Although high performance football is the main thing at the Academy, nothing has been neglected to give a balanced training including sport and studies.
The members and staff of the Michel Hidalgo Academy
Michel HIDALGO: Founder of the Academy and honour president.
As the world football Embassador, Michel dedicated most of his life to promoting football, its sports and human values, in France and abroad. He founded the Academy in 2006 and set up the basic principles himself. He was the link between the academicians and the professional clubs in order to praise the talents of the players. Since Michel died in March 2020, we are pursuing his work and objectives.
Laurence POTIER : President of the Academy.
Co-founder of the Academy together with Michel Hidalgo and Sébastien Nassif, Laurence was first committed to high level competition as an athlete (4 x France handball champion, champion of Spain, 23 European Cup matches). For more than 15 years, as the manager of "France Sport", she worked closely with the French Football Federation to professionalize the camps and matches of foreign teams in France (450 teams received every year), and more recently as the manager for FIFA 2019 Women's World Cup. For the Academy, she is the link between the staff and the coaches, the players and their families.
Abdelaziz Zino GHENADRA : Manager of the Academy.
As a former player and sports educator, Zino determines the Academy agenda and manages the weekly meeting and gathering of all the players. He is the tie between the academicians and the football clubs coaches. His task is to make sure that the timetables and schedules are followed and respected. He takes care of each academician in person, and controls and assesses their skills, progress and behaviour.
Jérémy De MAGALHAES : Head coach. Jérémy was trained at Stade lavallois where he signed his first pro contract when he was 19 years old. In 2007 he played with AS Cannes in National division, then moved to England to play for League 2 Barnet club. Since 2013, he is entitled with "Brevet Fédéral" (UEFA A), as coach of U19, U20 and senior teams at Cannet Rocheville. Regarding the Academy, Jérémy is in charge of all trainings and physical prep, setting his experience and know-how in view of optimizing the performances of every player.
Christian LOPEZ: General manager at Cannet-Rocheville football club, he is known for having been a very successful player, 4 times French champion with AS Saint Etienne in the late seventies in the position of libero. He boasts 39 selections with the French national team coached by ... Michel Hidalgo, between 1975 and 1982, 9 times captain, and semi-finalist of the 1982 World Cup. Every week, he coaches the players of the Academy to assess their progress all over the year.
Football coaches in FFF clubs
Our academicians are under the instructions of the technical staff of AS Cannes, USCBO Cannes, ESCR Cannet-Rocheville, US Mandelieu, FC Mougins, RC Grasse, FC Antibes, AS Fontonne, Antibes JLP. Together with the academy manager, the coaches decide which team our football players will be playing with, according to their age and their level. Graduated with the highest diplomas from the Football Federal Institutions, they are all fully dedicated to transmitting their knowledge and experience.They are very much requiring regarding the behaviour of our players during trainings and matches.