We'll miss outgoing Stade Francais president and headline machine Max Guazzini, so as he shuffles off to his seat in the stand, we celebrate his contributions to French rugby

After 19 years at the helm of Stade Francais, owner and president Max Guazzini has handed over the reins to Thomas Savare, smartcard entrepreneur and son of France's 46th richest man Jean-Pierre Savare.

It marks the end of an extraordinary reign at Stade Jean-Bouin for media magnate Guazzini, which saw him drag the club up from the fourth tier to win five French championships and reach two Heineken Cup finals. But his influence on rugby in France and beyond goes further. As he retires to his seat in the stands, here are five ways Guazzini has left his mark on the game...

In the pink

Have you ever seen a panther that is pink? No, and we'd never seen a rugby shirt that was pink until Paris's finest ran out against Perpignan in September 2005, resplendent in the rose that was the antithesis of everything the rugbyman of l'Ovalie should be. Opprobrium and amusement followed in equal measure, but Guazzini played up to the critics, with later shirts featuring flowers, garish tattoos and even a Warhol-esque representation of French Queen Blanche de Castille. Following the playful example of Racing Club's 1980s Showbizz Set, Max hasn't been afraid to camp it up on matchday either: supporters are handed pink flags, the goalposts are pink and Guazzini lays on outrageous pre-match circus and can-can shows at Stade de France games and inviting Madonna and Naomi Campbell to join him in renditions of club anthem I Will Survive.

Homes from home

Once upon a time, everyone had a modest home ground and, apart from the rare occasions when the mighty Toulouse crossed the city to play at the football stadium, that's where they played. In 2004, with his club champions of France but its Jean-Bouin capacity stuck in the low teens, Guazzini had the bright idea of hosting the table-topping visit of Toulouse at the neighbouring Parc des Princes. Canny pricing - tickets from as little as €5 - drew a crowd in excess of 45,000, and a year later the two clashed at Stade de France in front of 80,000 spectators. Last season Stade played five Top 14 matches at Saint-Denis, and the experiment has been replicated across France and beyond, with Racing-Metro playing their own Toulouse tie at Stade de France, Biarritz, Bayonne, Perpignan and Bourgoin hosting matches over the border in Spain and Switzerland, and London's big clubs taking up temporary residency at Twickenham and Wembley.

Brand extensions

It's no exaggeration to say that Guazzini's efforts raised Stade Francais into the consciousness of even non-rugby followers. Key to this - as well as those shirts - is the brand extensions, not least the Dieux du Stade calendars. First published in 2001, the artistic calendars, which feature squad members and other prominent French sportsmen wearing little more than a few beads of sweat and some strategically placed props. The calendars, which sell in their thousands at a salty €30+ a piece, have many imitators, but increasingly risqué poses have ensured they retain their place at the top of the 'sporno' league table. And for those men who can't quite pull off the poses of the calendar, the club sells a line of skincare products under the Dieux du Stade brand.

The pride of Paris

In the mid-90s, Paris was just somewhere southern rugby supporters travelled up to once a year to see their teams compete for the Bouclier de Brennus. The great Racing Club de France were in the doldrums, and their opponents in the first French Championship final back in 1892 were now playing to un homme et son chien in the Bois de Boulogne. As Guazzini steps down, he can reflect not just on the five Boucliers added to the Paris palmares, but on the fact that his Stade de France gala matches have made rugby a family night out for the capital, and - ironically - that the success of Stade Francais has breathed new life into their cross-town rivals to the extent that Racing have finished ahead of Stade in the last two seasons. With both clubs building new stadiums in the west of the city, the rivalry is at its keenest in over a century.

Monsieur le Personalité

Not since hatmaker Jean Bourrel signed up the cream of the southwest and took Quillan to three successive finals in the 1920s has one man had such an impact on the sport from the sidelines, while raising his own profile at the same time. An expert in the media and marketing, Guazzini made the rebirth of Stade Francais his personal project, taking the praise - and the flack - for the club's on- and off-field adventures. In his wake have come a slew of moneyed Personality Presidents, chief among them Racing-Metro's Jacky Lorenzetti and Toulon's Mourad Boudjellal - the Guazzini of the South. Fittingly, Guazzini has turned down the title of 'Honorary President' to declare himself the club's Number One Supporter.