René Girard (born 4 April 1954) is a French football manager and former player.

Girard was born in Vauvert, Gard.^[1]

Girard won seven caps, scoring one goal for France and was a member of the squad that finished fourth at the 1982 World Cup. At club level, while playing for Bordeaux, Girard won three Ligue 1 titles – in 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1986–87, as well as two Coupes de France, over Marseille in the 1986 and 1987 editions.^{[citation needed]}

Girard managed Nîmes, Strasbourg, Pau FC and multiple France youth teams. He coached the France national under-21 team from 2004 to 2008.^{[citation needed]}

On 3 June 2009, he became the new head coach of Montpellier HSC, replacing Rolland Courbis. In the 2011–12 season, Montpellier shocked the footballing world by winning its first Ligue 1 title, finishing the season with 82 points, three more than runner-up Paris Saint-Germain. He said after his team won it. "I think our triumph is a real shot in the arm for French football.^[3][4][5] "It just goes to show that everyone can beat everyone and that money isn't the be-all and end-all. We're a club of mates, a club that brings young players through and gives them a chance. "At the end of the day, it's worked out well for us. We played some great football, with a well-balanced team and I'm overwhelmed."^[6][7][8]

He signed for Lille in July 2013, replacing Rudi Garcia who left for Roma.^[9][10][11]

On 30 September 2018, he was appointed as the head coach of Moroccan club Wydad AC.^[12]