He coached France at the 1986 World Cup, where they reached the semi-final, eventually managing a third–place finish; he also helped the Olympic squad win a gold medal in the 1984 edition of the tournament.

Later that year, he managed the Ivory Coast at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, where they played well but went home in the group stage after two defeats by Argentina and the Netherlands, before beating Serbia & Montenegro 3–2 in their final match.

[6] On 10 December 2010, Michel was hired head coach of the Equatorial Guinea to lead the team for 2012 Africa Cup of Nations they would co-host with Gabon.

He suddenly resigned from his post on 19 October 2011, with the Africa Cup of Nations three months away, because he said he could not have the best players in the country, but five days later he was rehired thanks to the dismissal of Sports Minister Ruslan Obiang Nsue.

[7] On 28 August 2012, Michel was named by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) as the head coach of the Harambee Stars, taking over from James Nandwa, who was acting as manager on a caretaker basis.

[9] The FKF has also stated that they were disappointed with his attitude especially in looking down towards local tournaments, even describing the 2012 CECAFA Cup as useless and sent Nandwa to handle the team as interim coach.