Shock at sudden death of ex-Hearts striker Stephane Paille

Stephane Paille, a former French footballer of the year who briefly lit up Scottish football in the late 1990s, has died after a serious illness. He was 52.

Stephane Paille, celebrates his semi-final goal against Dundee. Picture: Allsport.

Paille played for Hearts in the 1996-97 season, helping them reach the League Cup final with a fine goal and a man-of-the-match performance in the semi against Dundee at Easter Road. He also played in the final at Celtic Park where Hearts lost a thrilling match 4-3 to a Rangers side inspired by Paul Gascoigne.

His time at Tynecastle ended under a cloud when he tested positive for a banned stimulant containing amphetamine. It was the second failed drugs test of his career and he was sacked by Hearts but is fondly remembered by fans and team-mates as a player of great technical ability who sometimes struggled to reconcile off-field problems with his undoubted talent.

Neil McCann played alongside Paille at Hearts and recalls a gifted striker who was immensely popular in the dressing room.

“He was a big lump of a boy but he could play,” McCann said. “I wasn’t long in at Hearts from Dundee, and I remember thinking: ‘my goodness he can play’. He was in great condition physically.”

Paille was brought to Hearts by Jim Jefferies, initially on a two-month deal. He impressed sufficiently to earn a longer contract as he tried to rehabilitate his career after serving a two-month ban in France for testing positive for cannabis while with Mulhouse.

He was part of a golden generation of French players, coming through alongside Eric Cantona, Franck Sauzee and Laurent Blanc. He played eight times for France between 1986 and 1989 and counted Sochaux, Montpellier, Bordeaux, Caen, Lyon, Porto and Servette among his former clubs

“He came in with quite a big reputation,” recalls McCann. “You know what it’s like, sometimes when people come in from abroad with a big reputation you sometimes have some doubts. But you could immediately see that he had everything you need. He had a real presence about him, a proper big No 9. He was a great guy about the dressing room too.

“He wasn’t just a big target man who you’d smash balls up to and they’d bounce off him. I remember quite vividly watching him – in fact it was probably against Dundee in the semi-final at Easter Road – when he would just pull the ball down, link the game and power away from someone. “He came over and he was brilliant; great in the dressing-room, great in the training ground. His physical condition was exceptional. A big strong, powerful guy, he clearly looked after himself. But he was effective on the pitch too, that’s the most important thing. It’s absolutely tragic to hear this news.”