Leclercq was born 4 September 1949 in
Trith-Saint-Léger, France and came up in the youth system of
Valenciennes. Nicknamed le «Druide» (The Druid) for his long white hair, he played central defender for his entire career. In 1967, he made his first appearance in Ligue 1 with Valenciennes. In 1970, he began a stint with
Olympique de Marseille. In Marseille, he was part of a squad that won the Ligue 1 championship in the 1970–71 and 1971–72 seasons. He also celebrated a championship in the 1972
Coupe de France and the 1972
Trophée des Champions. In 1974, he began his long association with RC Lens. He played nine of his 17 seasons with the club, appearing in 289 matches and scored 27 goals. After leaving Lens, he played one more season with his hometown club, Valenciennes before retiring. He obtained his first assignment as a manager with Valenciennes in 1986, serving for one season. In 1997, he was hired at Lens where he found his greatest success. In the
1997–1998 season, he managed the club to its only Ligue 1 championship, beating
FC Metz on
goal differential. His club also reached the
1998 Coupe de France Final where it fell to
Paris Saint-Germain F.C. 2–1. In the
1998–99 UEFA Champions League, Lens played in the group stage of the tournament. Although it did not advance to the knockout round, the French squad defeated
Arsenal F.C. on the road at
Wembley Stadium. He achieved one more honor in 1999, winning the
1999 Coupe de la Ligue before leaving the team. ==References==