Laurent Blanc is back in football as head coach of Qatari side Al Rayyan, four and a half years after he left Paris Saint-Germain.
The appointment was announced on Saturday, with 55-year-old Blanc described by his nickname ‘Le President’ as the Qatar Stars League welcomed its newest import.
“Laurent Blanc arrives,” the club said on their social media channels. There was no detail immediately available about his contract.
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A 1998 FIFA World Cup winner as a player with France, Blanc later coached the national team after a spell in charge at Bordeaux.
He then spent three seasons as PSG boss before departing at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, despite leading the Parc des Princes giants to two domestic trebles and a double.
PSG’s Qatari owners decided that a failure to mount a serious challenge for Champions League glory meant Blanc should depart.
At Al Rayyan he succeeds Uruguayan coach Diego Aguirre, with the team sitting sixth in the 12-team league after nine rounds of games.
Blanc’s appointment comes two years ahead of Qatar hosting the World Cup.