Michel COUGÉ

Born in Gorron in the Mayenne region of France, Michel Cougé began his professional career in 1972 with Stade Lavallois, in the Second Division. He became a First-Team regular in Orange and Black in the 1973/1974 season. This tall attacking midfielder or striker played for Laval until 1975. He signed the following season for Stade Rennais just after Rennes has been relegated from the First Division to the second tier of French football. He would see little action in his first season with the club (1975/1976), but he would get more game-time after the injury to Pokou. He would score a huge goal against his former club on 14th February 1976, which meant that Rennes could maintain their grip on the lead at the top of the Second Division as they won 3-2 against their second-placed opponents. After being in the starting line-up continuously from matchdays 16-24, he would disappear from the teamsheet thereafter, with Jerzy Willim and Patrick Delamontagne taking his place for the remainder of the season. In total, he would make 18 appearances for Rennes, scoring 8 goals during his one-year tenure at the club. He also represented the French Olympic football team at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Despite Rennes achieving promotion back to the top flight, Cougé left the club to return to his former team-mates at Laval, qui had also managed to gain promotion to the First Division. He was converted to a new role as a defensive midfielder, and he would end up staying five seasons with Laval, but would be forced to hang up his boots for good after a serious knee injury ended his career in 1980. He then turned his hand to scouting, to recruit players for Bordeaux and then Le Mans. A man who was grounded, and passionate about horse racing, he would subsequently become the owner of a stud farm, and went into the field of horse breeding. After being accused of paedophilia in Dakar in 2010, he was sentenced to three years in prison.