Yoann Miguel Gourcuff is a French former professional footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder. He could also be utilized as a withdrawn striker; he was described as a "playmaker of real quality", "an accomplished passer of the ball". He was widely characterized as one of the most promising French youth talents of his generation. His talent, playing style, tenacity on the pitch, technical skills, as well as precocious ability have drawn comparisons to Zinedine Zidane.

Gourcuff was born in Ploemeur, Brittany to parents Dr. Marine Thalouarn and Christian Gourcuff, both of whom are Bretons. He comes from a very athletic family: his mother was a basketball player, his older brother, Erwan, is a competitive swimmer and cyclist, while his father was a former footballer who played for several clubs in such countries as France, Switzerland, and Canada. However, his father was best known for his time at Rennes, Lorient, and Le Mans. Gourcuff's father later moved into managerial roles, having stints at Rennes, Le Mans, Lorient (three times), and Qatari club Al-Gharafa. As a youth, the younger Gourcuff excelled at both football and tennis, becoming the top player of his age group (12), but eventually opted to focus on football. While beginning his career as a football player, Gourcuff admired and drew inspiration from the playing style of the Brazil national team from the 1970s, whom he discovered from watching tapes with his father. He often attempted to emulate the skills of Brazilian legend Pelé.