Hervé Renard went from scrubbing floors at 2:30 AM to orchestrating one of football’s greatest World Cup upsets. The French coach who famously defeated Argentina at the 2022 World Cup has already secured Saudi Arabia’s qualification for the 2026 tournament, sealing his status as one of football’s most remarkable underdog specialists.
Biography
Hervé Jean-Marie Roger Renard was born on September 30, 1968, in Aix-les-Bains, located in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. His maternal grandparents were Polish immigrants who’d settled in France. He’s become one of international football’s most distinctive figures, known as much for his trademark white shirt as for his ability to transform underdog teams into giant-killers.
Renard attended Lycée Carnot in Cannes during his youth academy years and stands 1.84 metres tall. His playing career as a defender lasted from 1983 to 1998, spanning exclusively French lower divisions including AS Cannes’ youth system, Stade de Vallauris, and SC Draguignan. A knee injury at age 29 ended his playing days, forcing him to reconsider his future in football.
Career
What happened next became football folklore. After retiring from playing, Renard took a coaching position at SC Draguignan, but there was a catch. He couldn’t survive on coaching wages alone. For eight years, he worked as an industrial cleaner to make ends meet whilst pursuing his coaching dreams.
Renard would wake at 2:30 AM and spend the next nine hours cleaning a block of flats, managing rubbish disposal until noon. He’d then prepare for coaching sessions that started at 5 PM, returning home around 9 PM to eat before collapsing into bed at 11 PM. As he told BBC Sport in 2019, “That was my rhythm of life for eight years.”
Eventually, Renard founded his own cleaning company before coaching opportunities expanded.
Coaching Legacy in Africa
Renard’s breakthrough came through his mentor, Claude Le Roy, who taught him the importance of cultural immersion. Between 2002 and 2003, he served as Le Roy’s assistant at Shanghai Cosco in China, then briefly managed Cambridge United in England’s lower divisions in 2004. After stints at AS Cherbourg and as Ghana’s assistant coach, Renard took charge of Zambia in May 2008.
In 2012, he led Zambia to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations title, defeating star-studded Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in Libreville, Gabon. The victory was particularly poignant as it occurred near the site where 18 Zambian players had died in a 1993 plane crash.
Three years later, Renard achieved the seemingly impossible. Now coaching Ivory Coast, he faced his former team Zambia before defeating Ghana 9-8 on penalties in the 2015 AFCON final after missing their first two spot-kicks. Goalkeeper Boubacar Barry saved Ghana’s final attempt, then scored the winner himself. Renard became the first coach ever to win the Africa Cup of Nations with two different nations.
From Morocco to Saudi Arabia
After brief stints at French clubs Sochaux and Lille, Renard took charge of Morocco in February 2016. He ended the nation’s 20-year World Cup drought by qualifying for Russia 2018, though they exited in the group stage.
In July 2019, he became Saudi Arabia’s first French manager. After guiding them to the 2022 World Cup, Renard orchestrated one of football’s greatest upsets. On November 22, 2022, his Saudi Arabia side defeated Argentina 2-1 in Qatar, with Lionel Messi’s first-half penalty proving insufficient against two quickfire second-half goals.
France Women and the Return
Renard resigned from Saudi Arabia in March 2023 to manage France’s women’s national team, making history as the first male head coach of Les Bleues. He became the first manager to lead teams at both men’s and women’s World Cups in the same calendar year, and when France defeated Brazil 2-1 in July 2023, he became the first coach to win matches at both tournaments.
France reached their first-ever continental final in the 2024 UEFA Women’s Nations League, but their campaign ended with a quarter-final defeat to Brazil.
On October 26, 2024, Renard returned to Saudi Arabia following Roberto Mancini’s dismissal. Almost exactly one year later, on October 14, 2025, he guided Saudi Arabia to 2026 World Cup qualification with a goalless draw against Iraq. The moment was deeply emotional for Renard, whose mother had passed away in February 2025.
“My mother was in the stands at Lusail Stadium when we beat Argentina at the 2022 World Cup,” he revealed. “The last time I saw her was in January. She told me, ‘I won’t be able to see you at the next World Cup, but do your best to qualify the team.'”
2026 World Cup Challenge
Saudi Arabia will face Spain, Uruguay, and Cape Verde in Group H at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the USA. It’ll be the nation’s seventh World Cup appearance. Renard views the challenge positively: “We’ve landed the best team in the world, Spain, who are number one in the FIFA world rankings. But we’re taking it positively, telling ourselves it’s a privilege to face the best team in the world.”
His tactical trademark remains his high defensive line and aggressive pressing, the same system that neutralized Argentina in 2022. His famous halftime speech from that match perfectly captures his approach: “Last time, Messi has the ball in the middle of the pitch, you stand in front of the defence. Take your phone, you can make a picture with him if you want.”
The White Shirt Superstition
Renard’s trademark white shirt emerged from superstition at the 2010 AFCON. “We were playing Cameroon. I wore a light blue shirt, but we lost 3-2. In the following game, I wore a white shirt. We won,” he explained. “I won two Africa Cup of Nations on a white shirt, so you want me to change for what?”
He ha won CAF Coach of the Year awards (2012, 2015, 2018).
Personal Life
Renard’s partner is Viviane Dièye, the widow of Bruno Metsu, the legendary French coach who led Senegal to their famous 2002 World Cup victory over France. Metsu died of colon cancer in October 2013. Viviane, who operates a sports store in Casablanca, Morocco, met Renard during his tenure as Morocco’s coach between 2016 and 2019.
Renard has three biological children from a previous relationship: son Kevin Renard (born September 1989), and daughters Candide and Audrey Renard. Candide has pursued acting and television appearances in France. In 2018, she participated in the reality show Koh-Lanta but alleged sexual assault by a fellow contestant on the fourth night of filming. TF1 cancelled the entire season, and the accused, Eddy Guyot, was formally charged in November 2022. Legal proceedings continued through March 2024.
Renard maintains rigorous fitness through daily running and exercise, which keeps him match-ready on the touchline. Known as “The White Wizard” or “Prince of Africa,” he’s accumulated an impressive social media following with approximately 544,000 Instagram followers, 210,000 on Twitter/X, and 97,000 Facebook likes.
Net Worth
Hervé Renard’s net worth is estimated at approximately $5 million as of 2025, a significant growth from the $2 million figure reported in 2022. His current Saudi Arabia salary stands at €5 million annually (roughly 23.5 million Saudi Riyals), making him one of Asia’s highest-paid national team coaches.
Previous reported salaries include £1.1 million annually during his first stint with Saudi Arabia and approximately $500,000 annually when he was managing France’s women’s national team.
Renard’s income is buttressed by sponsorship partnerships. He’s confirmed as a partner of luxury watchmaker Hublot through their “Hublot Loves Football” campaign, with artist Mira creating personalized artwork featuring “unity” as his coaching value during the 2022 World Cup. He’s also reportedly partnered with Adidas, though this hasn’t been officially confirmed, and was spotted wearing Louis Vuitton LV Trainer Sneakers (designed by Virgil Abloh, approximately $1,200) during the 2022 World Cup.