Senegal and Montpellier striker Souleymane Camara, who was a member of the Senegal team at the 2002 World Cup finals, told L'Équipe, "More than a coach, he was a big brother to us. What I liked about him was that when we had to work, we worked, when it was time to have a laugh, we laughed. His speech to the Senegal team before the France-Senegal match at the 2002 World Cup finals ... I still talk about it to my friends. He managed to motivate us so much that we could not lose. He knew how to find the right words."