Guy Van Sam
French footballer (1935–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Guy Van Sam (20 December 1935 – 8 February 2024) was a footballer who played as a striker for Montpellier, RC Paris, and Toulon. Born in Lebanon, he made three appearances for the France national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 December 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Beirut, Lebanese Republic | ||
| Date of death | 8 February 2024 (aged 88) | ||
| Place of death | Toulon, France | ||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1955–1958 | Enclos Saint-François | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1958–1960 | Montpellier | 73 | (47) |
| 1960–1965 | Racing Paris | 122 | (61) |
| 1965–1968 | Toulon | 85 | (30) |
| 1968–1972 | La Valette | ||
| Total | 280 | (138) | |
| International career | |||
| 1961 | France | 3 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
Van Sam was born in Beirut, Lebanon on 20 December 1935 to Tran Van Sam, born in Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia,[2] an ethnic Vietnamese French consul in Beirut,[3] and a Lebanese mother from the Mouawad family.[3][1] His father joined the Free French Forces, becoming Secretary General of their General Staff, and was the first person of Asian descent to be naturalized French.[3] Following Lebanon's independence in 1946, the family settled in France.[3]
Van Sam attended the Enclos Saint-François private school in Montpellier.[3] He has two brothers who also played football:[4] his brother, Richard, later became the head coach of the Tahiti national football team in 1980, and then in 1997.[5]
Career
Vam Sam scored 50 goals in 96 Division 1 matches with RC Paris (1960–1965), and 86 goals in 185 Division 2 matches with SO Montpellier (1958–1960) and SC Toulon (1965–1968).[6]
He played three games for the France national team in 1961, against Belgium (friendly), Spain (friendly), and Bulgaria (1962 FIFA World Cup qualification).[6] Van Sam was the first player of Vietnamese descent to play for the France national team.[2]
