French football world is in shock after the death of Jean-Louis Gasset, a former football player and later football manager with a huge experience in France, and a legend for Montpellier. Gasset died on Friday at the age of 72, having last worked in April 2025, when he left Montpellier.
As a player, he worked for Béziers betwee 1969 and 1975, and later joined Montpellier for ten years, where he made 231 appearances and scored 10 goals as a midfielder. Since 1998, he worked as a coach for Montpellier, Caen, Istres, Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux and Marseille in France, and also as head manager for Ivory Coast.
His last gig as a manager was for Montpellier, which left in April 2025 on mutual consent as the club was demoted to Ligue 2.
"A true son of the club, he left a lasting impression on all who met him through his professionalism, kindness, and passion for sharing his knowledge", Montpellier announced today, also highlighting his work as ambassador for Montpellier's youth academy, helping players promote to Paris Saint-Germain, Espanyol Barcelona, AS Saint-Étienne, Olympique de Marseille, and the French national team.
During Friday, many football clubs in France have expressed their condolences to Jean-Louis Gasset's family and friends, as well as players who worked with him, like Amine Harit who met him in Marseille in 2024, saying that he was "one of those rare people you meet in football, but who leave their mark far beyond the pitch", or Kylian Mbappé, who described him as "an encyclopedia of football".