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Michaël Debève

b. 1970

French football manager (born 1970)

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About Michaël Debève

Born 1970. Michaël Debève is a French association football player and association football coach.

Mickaël Debève (born 1 December 1970) is a French football manager and former football player who played as a midfielder. He is the assistant manager Ligue 1 club of Toulouse.

Playing career Born in Abbeville, Debève began his career at Toulouse; after a slow start - only four first-team appearances in three seasons, he became a main squad member. His first match in the top level came on 5 June 1987, in a 1–0 home win against Lens.

The most important part of Debève's career was spent at Lens, who he helped win the national league in 1998, adding the league cup the following year. In the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, he scored the game's only goal at Wembley, against English champions Arsenal, making Lens the first club from France to win at that ground.

After totalling more than 400 official matches in his country, Debève moved to England with Middlesbrough in February 2002, arriving for free and rejoining former Lens mate Franck Queudrue. He made his debut as a substitute in the FA Cup 6th round victory over Everton. He was then thrust into the starting line up for the semi-final against Arsenal due to various injuries, making only his second Boro appearance against the team he had knocked out of the UEFA Champions League four years earlier. However, he could not prevent Boro losing 1–0. He left in the summer, and closed out his career in France's second level, with Amiens.

Managerial career Immediately after retiring, Debève became a manager, starting as player-coach with hometown side Abbeville.

Debève was named manager of Toulouse, the club where he started his playing career, on 23 January 2018, replacing Pascal Dupraz. Upon his appointment, Toulouse was 19th in Ligue 1 on 20 points from 22 matches (five wins, five draws, twelve losses), and facing relegation. In his first match in charge of Toulouse, they lost 2–0 away to Bourg-en-Bresse in the 2017-18 Coupe de France Round of 32.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Michael Debeve, Michaël Henri René Debève, Michael Henri Rene Debève

People in Michaël Debève's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Michaël Debève's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Michaël Debève?

French football manager (born 1970)

When was Michaël Debève born?

Michaël Debève was born on 1 December 1970 in Abbeville.

What is Michaël Debève's occupation?

Michaël Debève is an association football player and association football coach.

What nationality is Michaël Debève?

Michaël Debève is French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Michaël Debève

· Wikidata: Q3311772

· DBpedia: Mickaël Debève

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Michaël Debève. https://biography.guide/michael-debeve/

MLA: "Michaël Debève." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/michael-debeve/.

Chicago: "Michaël Debève." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/michael-debeve/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-25 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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