He took his first steps in soccer with Nancy, under the supervision of his coach father. He then moved to St. Etienne, from where Juventus grabbed him for a princely sum. He won three Serie A titles in four years for Juventus, and was crowned European Footballer of the Year thrice, the second player to accomplish this feat after Johann Cruyff.

A creative player, Platini left an indelible impression on the World Cup. He made his World Cup debut in 1978, helped France notch fourth place in 1982 and third in 1986.

In 1984, France won the European championship with Platini scoring 9 goals, including 3 hat-tricks.