TUNISIA COACH:Roger Lemerre

It's incredible how quickly some people can go from being a bum to a hero. In 2002, Roger Lemerre was considered a pariah in his native France after the defending champions were eliminated in the opening round of the World Cup without winning a game or scoring a goal, and subsequently was fired.

In 2004, Lemerre directed Tunisia to the African Nations Cup crown and was hailed as the savior of Tunisian soccer. And in 2006, Lemerre has guided the side into the World Cup.

Born on June 18, 1941, Lemerre played 414 games for Sedan, Nantes, Nancy and Lens in the French First Division, and six international matches as a defender for the French before turning to coaching. He directed several club sides, including Red Star of Paris, Lens, Paris F.C., F.C. Strasbourg and Esperance (Tunisia). He then joined the French F.A. and coached France's military team to the military world championship before taking over the reins of the full national side. An assistant to Aime Jacquet when the hosts captured France '98, Lemerre guided Les Blues to the Euro 2000 title and then to the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001.