Christophe Galtier, manager of SC Neom in Saudi Arabia, has opened the door to a return to Ligue 1 in an interview with Le Parisien.

Galtier, following his one year at Paris Saint-Germain (before being replaced by Luis Enrique), made the move to manage in Qatar (Al-Duhail SC) before taking the reins at the newly-formed Neom. However, he has told Le Parisien that he still follows France’s top-flight closely. “I remain connected to Ligue 1 because it is the league that I know the best, the one that allowed me to flourish and grow, and, with a lot of modesty, it is also the league that I won,” he said.

Not only did he win the league title in his one and only season at PSG, something of a minimum requirment at the Parc des Princes, he also won it with Lille OSC back in 2021. Galtier, over the course of his time in Ligue 1, also managed OGC Nice and AS Saint-Étienne.

This season, with Neom, he has won five of his seven games in the Saudi Pro League. However, in the long-term, he is more than open to a return to France’s top flight. “I will not close any door to France, nor to ‘my’ league. That is a certainty. But it is also possible that I remain abroad, in Saudi Arabia, in Asia, in South America, in Europe, or elsewhere. I don’t know what will happen,” added Galtier.

The former PSG manager did, nonetheless, allude to a potential future retirement. “One thing is sure, I will still be a manager for at least the next three years.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle