Pierre Allemane

Early life Richard Pierre Louis Alègre was born in Montpellier on 19 January 1882, and was only recognized by his father, Jean Pierre Alemane, or Allemane (both spellings are found in the civil registry) in 1898, when the latter decided to marry his mother in Paris, when Pierre was already 16 years old. and then for United Sports Club in 1897 and 1898, the year in which he turned 16, but even though he was still very young, he was already standing out for his size at 1.80 metres tall, which, at a time when the average conscript was no taller than 1.63 metres, made him a colossus, especially since he would soon weigh 90 kilos, hence the choice to place him at the back. and later that year, on 23 October, he started in the 1899 Coupe Manier final at Suresnes, helping his side to a 6–0 win over RC Roubaix.

Together with Lucien Huteau, Georges Garnier, and Gaston Peltier, Allemane was a member of the Club Français team that won the 1899–1900 USFSA Paris championship. On 29 April 1900, he started in the final of the 1900 Challenge International du Nord in Tourcoing, which ended in a 3–2 loss to Le Havre. In the following week, on 6 May, he started in another final against Le Havre AC in the 1900 USFSA Football Championship, which ended in a 1–0 loss. Later that year, on 23 December, Allemane formed a defensive partnership with Louis Bach in the 1900 Coupe Manier final at Joinville, keeping a clean-sheet in a 1–0 win over UA I arrondissement. The chronicles of the time often described the pairing of Allemane and Bach as a "wall".

Allemane quickly became Racing's main pillar, playing a crucial role in helping the club reach the 1902 USFSA Football Championship final, which ended in a 5–3 loss to RC Roubaix, but he achieved his revenge in the following year, by beating Roubaix in the final (3–1). In 1908, he was described as a 27-year-old bank employee and as the "current best midfielder in France".

While at Racing, Allemane did not hesitate to wear other jerseys, playing a few matches for other clubs, such as FC Paris in the 1903–04 season and S.C. Amical in 1908. The player was criticized in the press for regularly changing teams, and was even suspected of selling his services, left and right, to the highest bidder, thus no longer being really an amateur. He stayed loyal to CASG for five years until 1914,

International career Unofficial appearances

Allemane was listed as a defender for the USFSA team at the 1900 Olympic Games. He was selected for both matches, which ended in a 4–0 loss to Upton Park on 20 September, and in a 6–2 win over a team representing Belgium three days later. The French team came second and Allemane was thus awarded with a silver medal. On 5 March 1905, he played for a France XI in a friendly match against a London League XI, which ended in a 3–1 loss.

Allemane was still called up for the 1908 Olympic Games in London, but he ended up not traveling when the USFSA decided to send only two instead of three teams, which saved him from a humiliation that was undoubtedly worse than the one he had experienced against the English, since it exposed the French team to a resounding 17–1 loss to Denmark. The principles of his tactics were based on precise passes, therefore on a collective game and not based on individual exploits of a gifted or inspired attacker, and on the offensive support of the half-backs.

A stockbroker at the Paris Stock Exchange, he enjoyed an advantageous social position at the time.

Death After retiring, he moved to a very small village in the Autreville, Aisne (600 inhabitants in the 1950s), where he died on 24 May 1956, at the age of 74.

Honours Club Français USFSA Paris Championship: 1899–1900 USFSA Football Championship runner-up: 1900 Coupe Manier: 1899, 1900 Challenge International du Nord runner-up: 1900

Racing Club de France USFSA Football Championship: 1903, 1907; runner-up: 1902, 1908 Dewar Cup: 1905, 1906, 1907; runner-up 1904

France Summer Olympics silver medal: 1900