Gerard Houllier, former Liverpool coach, dies at 73

PARIS (AP):

Gerard Houllier, a Frenchman who led English club Liverpool to three titles in one season following a disappointing spell as coach of France's national team, has died. He was 73.

Liverpool and the French football federation announced the death yesterday. French sports daily L'Equipe said Houllier, who also won the French league title with two different teams, died at home on Sunday following heart surgery in France.

"He is a true Liverpool legend and he is a true coaching legend," said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. "He was really influential in the game. A great coach, but a human being who gave you a really warm feeling when you were around him. For all of us, it is a big loss and a really sad day."

French President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to Houllier, along with many current and former Liverpool players

"Absolutely devastated by the news about Gerard Houllier," Jamie Carragher wrote on Twitter. "Loved that man to bits, he changed me as a person and as a player and got LFC back winning trophies. RIP Boss."

Houllier had a mediocre stint as coach of France's national team in the early 1990s, his short-lived journey ending with an embarrassing failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

His tenure at Liverpool were far more successful, leading the Reds to the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup treble in 2001. He is one of only three managers -- along with Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola - to have won three trophies with an English club in the same season.

Houllier joined Liverpool in 1998, initially as co-manager with Roy Evans before taking sole control within a few months after Evans stepped down. He rebuilt the team, bringing a more disciplined and tactically savvy approach using more foreign-based players.

"Gerard Houllier was still a young man at the age of 73," former Manchester United manager Ferguson said. "He had fantastic football knowledge which he gained during his extensive and varied career."

Arsene Wenger, another Frenchman who had a big impact on the English league when he coached Arsenal, said his former rival "brought Liverpool into the modern era".

"It was he who launched Steven Gerrard, who took Carragher forward, and so many others," Wenger told L'Equipe. "He is enormously respected in Liverpool for everything he has done there."

Houllier had recovered from heart surgery in 2001 after doctors operated on him for several hours to repair damage to a major artery near his heart. He stopped coaching in 2011 following a final job with Aston Villa.

UEFA paid tribute to Houllier at the start of the Champions League draw on Monday.

"He greatly contributed to European football," UEFA Deputy Secretary General Giorgio Marchetti said. "Our thoughts are with his family and the whole of French football in these difficult times."

A former amateur player-turned-English teacher, Houllier started his coaching career with second division French team Noeux-les-Mines before joining Lens. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 1986 and led the club to its first league title.

Houllier joined the French federation in 1988 and was appointed as deputy coach of the national squad, working alongside Michel Platini. Houllier was named coach when Platini stepped down following the 1992 European Championship.