Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has been awarded the Legion d'Honneur - one of France's top civil awards.
The 54-year-old - who guided the English side to three trophies last season, the FA Cup, the Worthington Cup and the Uefa Cup - has recently recovered from heart surgery.
His return to the helm at Anfield has seen Liverpool move to second in the Premiership table and win themselves a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
He has largely been credited with laying the foundations for the national team's dominance of world football following the establishment of the French academy system.
Houllier was also seconds from taking France to the 1994 World Cup before losing to Bulgaria at the Parc des Princes.
Houllier, a former English teacher, was coach at Lens and Paris Saint-Germain.