Fifteen months after being sacked by France following their dismal World Cup exit, Roger Lemerre came full circle on Saturday when he guided Tunisia to their first African Nations Cup title.
"I have only asked for one thing - the right to work," said Lemerre who now has another continental title to add to the Euro 2000 crown he won with France after Tunisia's 2-1 win against Morocco here on Saturday.
"When I came here, it wasn't necessarily to win the African Nations Cup. It was to teach and to help Tunisia. Winning the tournament was the main priority of the people who hired me, but it wasn't mine."
Lemerre has added discipline and solidity to a team who were too often disorganised for their own good in the past but he refuses to be drawn into a debate over his long term future despite Tunisian Football Federation president Hammouda Ben Hammar claiming that the Frenchman has already achieved more than was expected.
"I prefer to listen to the president say he is happy with the work that has been done," said Lemerre. "It is satisfying to know that my work is recognised."
Tunisia is a familiar place for Lemerre having worked as coach to top club Esperance in 1983 and 1984 before heading home to immerse himself in the French federation where he was national technical director before acting as Aime Jacquet's second-in-command at the triumphant 1998 World Cup.