France World Cup winner now enjoys a very different life after retiring from football at 31
Stephane Guivarc’h, a former striker who helped France win the World Cup, has been working as a swimming pool salesman for almost 20 years, choosing not to become a football pundit.
Back in 1998, Guivarc’h was one of the hottest players coming into the World Cup in France. After scoring 37 goals for Auxerre that season, many thought he would be a key player for coach Aime Jacquet’s team as they aimed to win their first World Cup.
But during the tournament, he didn’t manage to score in six games. Instead, Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, and Emmanuel Petit had to take on the scoring. In a 2023 interview with RMC Sport, Guivarc’h said the World Cup at home “still haunts” him. He explained, “You think about it all the time. It’s the World Cup, it’s in France, you score 37 goals in the season, and then you go blank.” He added, “That’s what makes football special. Lilian [Thuram] never scored much but in the semi-final, he scored with both feet.”
Guivarc’h played 66 minutes in the final against Brazil. Despite not scoring much, Newcastle and manager Kenny Dalglish spent £3.6 million to sign him. He scored on his debut but had a tough time under Ruud Gullit and was sold to Rangers a few months later. At Rangers, he won the treble before going back to Auxerre in 1999. Three years later, after a short time at Guingamp, he retired at 31.
Though many of his old teammates became TV pundits, Guivarc’h chose a different path. He shared, “I’ve been in the swimming pool business for 17 years. The boss is a friend who started a pool company after doing work on my house. He needed a salesman, and I wasn’t busy, so I helped out. Now it’s been 17 years, and it’s more than helping.” He enjoys his balanced life, saying, “I’m on the road during the day, and in the evenings I’m home. I’m not chasing microphones or cameras to live.”
Emmanuel Petit, who played a big part in France’s World Cup win, would love to catch up with Guivarc’h. Petit told L’Equipe, “It’s been too long since we heard from him. I don’t really know why he stepped away. I’ve heard many rumors, but it’s a shame he wanted to break ties with the World Cup.” Petit added, “The World Cup is bigger than us and connects us for life. I left the association for 15 years for personal reasons but later realized I needed to stop making it personal. I’d love to see him again. I think many of us miss him.”