The legend of Herve Renard grows ever greater after the suave Frenchman led Morocco out of a difficult Group C at the 2017 African Nations Cup finals in Gabon on Tuesday.
The 48-year-old has already written his name in the annals of African football history after leading unfancied Zambia to the 2012 Nations Cup title and repeating that success with Cote d'Ivoire two years ago.
The former Parisian garbage collector is now seeking a third continental title with the Moroccans, who have not been crowned champions of Africa for 41 years.
Renard's career has not been all success – he had a failed spell with Angola in 2010 when lured by plentiful cash. He failed to click with the Portuguese-speaking players, and it all ended in his axing after seven months.
He also had two failed spells coaching in Ligue 1, getting relegated with Sochaux in 2014, and then axed by Lille a year later after taking just 13 points from the first 13 games of the 2015/16 season.
But it is in Africa where he has found his niche, able to get his teams to perform - often above their expectations.
In a remarkable statistic in such a difficult tournament, Renard has lost just two of his 22 matches at the Nations Cup, and in some cases with teams not expected to shine.
Perhaps his "lucky white shirt" that he insists on wearing is a charm after all, but the more likely explanation is that he is a coach who understands his players, knows their strengths and weaknesses, and hatches a game-plan to suit.
He is not ambitious in trying to exact more than he knows is possible from his team, but rather has them organised, well-drilled and motivated to perform.
And Renard hates to lose, he detests it and it consumes him.
I had the opportunity to interview him on the pitch for TV immediately after the 2009 COSAFA Cup final in Zimbabwe, where his Zambian side just lost 3-1 to their hosts.
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He afforded me the opportunity despite his deep disappointment - his manners dictated that he do so - but I could see he was seething, distracted and lacked focus in the interview. Too upset at what was a defeat in a fairly low-key championship.
"I'm not a forecaster, I'm a competitor," he told reporters recently when assessing Morocco's chances this year.
"With our ability, I think qualification for the quarterfinals is a minimum, an absolute objective. We have worked hard."
And Renard has received support from two individuals who he worked closely with in the past.
Yaya Toure was part of the Ivorian side that triumphed in Equatorial Guinea and the Manchester City midfielder says Renard has a way of pushing a team to work all in the same direction.
"He's a challenger, he's a winner," said Toure. "We wait to see what happens but I think he has a good chance of winning this cup again because he always has this feeling, a smell, this way of making champions. And he knows how to galvanise his teams."
And it is a thought backed up by Claude Le Roy, whom Renard assisted for many years at clubs in China and England, as well as with the Ghana national side, before he launched his career as a head coach.
"He knows how to lead a group and he likes his players," Le Roy said. "And when you love players without giving them gifts, with a great sense of justice and understanding the way they feel, this is the best way to work."
