Vladimir Petkovic, 57, had already invited to the French living room a month ago, on the occasion of the now bitterly famous France - Switzerland in the round of 16 of the Euro in Bucharest.
He is now installed year round, sitting on the bench of the Girondins de Bordeaux in place of Jean-Louis Gasset.
He came to an agreement on Sunday with Gérard Lopez's club.
It remained, however, to obtain the green light from the Swiss Federation with which he was linked until December 2022 and the Qatari World Cup.
At the end of well-conducted negotiations, common ground was found between the two parties.
A more than satisfactory record at the head of the Nati
Among a short list of 4 names (with Sacramento, Guion and Favre), the experienced Petkovic has established himself as the number 1 choice of Lopez, anxious to go quickly in this file within fifteen days of the resumption of the Ligue 1. The technician, for his part, was very transparent with his employer by indicating his intention to give a new direction to his career by responding favorably to requests from Bordeaux.
He spent seven years on the bench of the Nati, beating the record for directed matches (78) and reaching the quarter-finals during the last Euro (defeat against Spain on penalties).
Nicknamed "Il Dottore" (the doctor), Petkovic has repositioned the Swiss selection on the chessboard of European football since 2014. With him, Switzerland obtained three consecutive qualifiers for major tournaments, a participation in the "Final Four" of the Nations League 2019 and an average of 1.81 points per game (42 wins, 15 draws and 21 losses). None of his predecessors had been able to rely on such a record.
Elegantly dressed during the Euro matches, Petkovic was particularly distinguished by his composure.
"I have this ability to remain calm, quiet," he explained to the Geneva daily Le Temps.
In Italy or in Turkey, I made a name for myself and I gained respect thanks to my behavior, always irreproachable towards the others, the adversaries, the officials, the journalists.
The Italian referees still greet me today when I meet them.
But I don't force anything, I'm just like that.
"
I still think Vladimir Petkovic never got the recognition he deserves.
He is the most successful Nati coach of all time, and he pulled this off by playing exciting, offensive football.
Historic achievement. # Petkovic #Nati @nati_sfv_asf pic.twitter.com/tzYFoUosh9
- Swiss Football Data (@swissfootdata) July 26, 2021
A European course
Born in Sarajevo (Bosnia) to teaching parents, Petkovic plays as an attacking midfielder in various Swiss clubs from the age of 24. After his thirties, he naturally began to retrain as a coach. At the same time, he worked for five years as a social worker in the charitable organization Caritas, participating in the vocational training of young adults.
Naturalized Swiss in 2003, "Vlado" has the particularity of speaking eight languages including French (Croatian, Bosnian, English, Spanish, German, Russian and Italian).
For the anecdote, Gérard Lopez, the new owner of the Girondins, speaks only seven. His last experience at the head of a professional club now dates back to his time at Lazio Rome between June 2012 and December 2013 with a cup from Italy at stake.
But the 9th place of the Laziale club after 18 days in Serie A had notably precipitated his departure.
The rest is known and consists of the succession of Ottmar Hitzfeld at the helm of the Nati after the 2014 World Cup.
📽 "This is the start of an adventure, and we will make sure that it is successful!".
The President's first words to the employees of the Girondins.
pic.twitter.com/wJBHt4FwuG
- FC Girondins de Bordeaux (@girondins) July 25, 2021
A follower of an offensive game and renowned for his ability to launch and advance young elements, this great coach (1m90) had previously worked in particular at Young Boys, FC Sion or Samsunspor (Turkey).
He will join his new players currently in training at La Baule.
Under contract until June 2022, Jean-Louis Gasset, Laurent Blanc's former assistant at PSG, should leave with a check estimated at 1.1 million euros.
Friday July 23, during his first press conference, Lopez recalled that a club of the standing of Bordeaux, only 12th in the previous year, had to play the top of the table every year.
Petkovic is already keeping his roadmap.