Early and Personal Life
Gourcuff was born on 11 July 1986 in Ploemeur, Morbihan, Brittany to parents Dr. Marine Thalouarn and Christian Gourcuff, both being Bretons. comes from a very athletic family. His mother was a basketball player, his older brother, Erwan, is a competitive swimmer and cyclist, while his father was a former footballer who played for several clubs in such countries as France, Switzerland, and Canada, however, he is best known for his time at Rennes, Lorient, and Le Mans. Gourcuff's father later moved into the managerial role having stints at Rennes, Le Mans, Lorient (twice), and Qatari club Al-Gharafa. He currently serves as manager of Lorient, his third stint at the club, whom he has managed since 2003. As a youth, the younger Gourcuff excelled at both football and tennis, becoming the top player of his age group (12), but eventually opted to focus on football. While beginning his career as a football player, Gourcuff admired and drew inspiration from the playing style of the Brazil national team from the 1970s, whom he discovered from watching tapes with his father. He often attempted to emulate the skills of Brazilian legend Pelé.
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