The sad news of the death of Gerard Houllier at the age of 73 on Monday has sent shockwaves throughout the global soccer community.
Renown for coaching Liverpool and the French national team, he also served as the head of global football for Red Bull, which included overseeing the New York Red Bulls as well as RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg. He held that position from July, 2012. Tributes were paid by Major League Soccer, league Commissioner Don Garber and the New York Red Bulls.
“Major League Soccer deeply mourns the passing of Gerard Houllier," read a statement from MLS. "As Head of Global Football at Red Bull, Gerard worked closely with MLS and left an indelible mark on the success of the New York Red Bulls. Beyond his incredible career as a manager at the club level and of the French National Team, Gerard was one of the most respected figures in the game, and he will be remembered for his great warmth and generosity. MLS extends our condolences to Gerard’s family, friends, colleagues and fans.”
An emotional Jesse Marsch held back tears as he remembered the man who interviewed him for the head coaching position with the Red Bulls.
Thierry Henry, a former New York Red Bulls legend who came through the French youth ranks at a time when Houllier was in charge of France's junior sides, said he woke up in his Orlando hotel Monday morning to the news of Houllier's passing. In a virtual press conference ahead of the Montreal Impact's Concacaf Champions League second leg quarterfinal match against CD Olimpia Tuesday (8 pm ET | FS2, TUDN, TSN 3/5, RDS), Henry reflected on the manager who showed faith in him at a young age.
"Gerard Houllier was a clever man, very intelligent, tactically sound, great human being," Henry said. "I met him the first time when we were [French national team] Under-17, he named me captain when he was the coach. We won the Euro Under-18, then we went to the World Cup in Malaysia Under-20 so I know him very well.
"Brilliant man, he trusted me to be the captain of that generation and we didn't lose a lot of games with him. He made me understand a lot of stuff about the game. It's very difficult now to talk about and go into details about the discussions that we had at times, but what a man, what a coach.
"It's a sad day for French football right now because he was very intelligent, at the start of a lot of stuff that now clubs are enjoying. When you obviously talk about the likes of Clairefontaine [the renowned French national training center] and the youngsters that you see everywhere coming through all the time, playing in different leagues, coming through France, he had a lot to do with that. It is a sad day for French football, but I guess we have to remember him as a great man that he was and a great coach that he was. It's a tough one for me personally because he made me captain and trusted me with that team. He saw something in me with the national team at a young age and he trusted me to be captain of that generation and we went on to be successful. Yes, it is a tough one."
Tim Cahill, who played for the Red Bulls from 2012-15, also fondly recalled "an amazing gentleman" and mentor.
Now an assistant coach with the Seattle Sounders, Djimi Traore was signed by Houllier to play for Liverpool as an 18-year-old.
