Tiniga started his professional career as a player at Toulon, having been spotted fairly late playing part-time while employed in a spaghetti factory and then as a postman.

[6] He represented France, and as an international Tigana joined Michel Platini, Luis Fernandez and Alain Giresse in what was termed "the Magic Square" (le Carré Magique) – one of the greatest midfield foursomes of all time.

[4] He was part of the France national football team that won UEFA Euro 1984 on home soil, defeating Spain in the final.

Tiniga was a world-class box-to box midfielder, who usually played in the centre, and who was noted for his great movement, teamwork, pace and tireless stamina.

He took over as manager of English club Fulham in April 2000[4] and helped them to promotion from Division One to the FA Premier League as champions in his first full season.

On 15 April 2012, Tigana resigned as manager of Shanghai Shenhua after a run of poor form, leaving the Chinese club in the bottom five of its domestic league.