History of Olympique Lyonnais facts for kids
Olympique Lyonnais is a famous French football club from the city of Lyon. Their main team plays in Ligue 1, which is France's top football league. They also compete in big European tournaments like the UEFA Champions League when they qualify. Olympique Lyonnais is one of the most successful clubs in French football, having won seven Ligue 1 titles. This makes them one of the top clubs in France's football history.
Club History: How Lyon Became a Football Giant
Early Days of Lyon Football
Olympique Lyonnais started in 1896 as Racing Club de Lyon. It was part of a bigger sports club called Lyon Olympique Universitaire. In 1899, a football team was created within this club. In the early years, another local team, FC Lyon, was more famous. But in 1910, Lyon Olympique won the French Championship, showing their growing strength.
By 1945, a leader named Félix Louot helped the club become professional. They won a wartime championship, but there were disagreements between amateur and professional players. Because of this, Louot decided to create a new, separate club.
On 3 August 1950, Olympique Lyonnais was officially founded by Dr. Albert Trillat and others. The new club moved to the Stade de Gerland, a stadium designed by Tony Garnier. Their first manager was Oscar Heisserer. On 26 August, they played their first official match, winning 3–0. In 1951, Lyon won the second division title and moved up to the first division. They went back down for a short time but returned to the top league in the 1953–54 season.
After Heisserer left, Lucien Troupel became manager. He built a strong team with experienced players like Jacques Fatton and young talents like Jean Djorkaeff. The team improved, finishing in the top half of the league and reaching the semi-finals of the Coupe de France. In 1959, Gaby Robert took over as manager, bringing in new players like Nestor Combin and Eugène N'Jo Léa.
Success in the 1960s and 1970s
The 1960s brought more success for Olympique Lyonnais, thanks to star players like Fleury Di Nallo, known as "The Little Prince of Gerland," and Néstor Combin. Under manager Lucien Jasseron, the club reached its highest league finish at the time, fifth place. They also reached the 1963 Coupe de France final, but lost. The next season, they won their first-ever Coupe de France title, beating Bordeaux 2–0.
After Combin left, the team struggled a bit. Jasseron left in 1966, but he is remembered for winning Lyon's first Coupe de France. Louis Hon became the new manager. Despite losing key players, the club won their second Coupe de France title in 1967, beating Sochaux 3–1. However, they continued to struggle in the league.
Aimé Mignot, a former Lyon player, became manager. The 1970s saw new stars emerge, like defender Ljubomir Mihajlović and young striker Bernard Lacombe. Midfielder Serge Chiesa also became very important. In the 1972–73 season, Lyon won their third Coupe de France title, defeating Nantes 2–1, with Lacombe scoring the winning goal. Lyon finished third in the league for the next two seasons.
In 1976, Mignot resigned, and Aimé Jacquet took over as player-coach. Jacquet helped the club avoid relegation. His time as manager (1976–1980) was challenging, with the team often fighting to stay in the top league. During this period, star player Bernard Lacombe left for rivals Saint-Étienne.
Jean-Pierre Destrumelle replaced Jacquet in 1980, bringing in new players like Jean Tigana. The club finished in the top half of the table and set a new attendance record at Stade Gerland. Over the next six years, Lyon had several managers and presidents. By 1987, the club was playing in the second division.
Building Towards Success in the Late 1980s
In June 1987, businessman Jean-Michel Aulas took control of the club. He had a big plan called "OL – Europe" to make Lyon a top team in France and Europe within four years.
Aulas's first season (1987–88) was good, with the club finishing second in their division. He brought in different managers that season. The next season, Aulas hired Raymond Domenech, a former Lyon player, as manager. He also brought back Bernard Lacombe as sporting director. They had the freedom to sign players to help the team get back to the first division.
Domenech signed experienced players like Eugène Kabongo and focused on young talents like Bruno Ngotty. This strategy worked! Lyon won the Ligue 2 title and were promoted back to Ligue 1.
In their first season back in the top league, Lyon finished eighth. The next season, they achieved Aulas's goal of reaching European competition by finishing fifth. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup. However, the next season was disappointing, and Lyon finished 16th. After the 1992–93 season, Domenech resigned.
Aulas then hired Jean Tigana, a famous former French national team player. Tigana brought in talented players like Abédi Pelé, Manuel Amoros, and Pascal Olmeta. In their first season under Tigana, Lyon finished eighth. The 1994–95 season was even better, with Lyon finishing second in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Cup again. Tigana left after this successful season.
For the 1995–96 season, Guy Stéphan became manager. The team faced injuries to key players like Franck Gava and Florian Maurice. They finished 11th in the league and lost in the 1996 Coupe de la Ligue final on penalties. Stéphan was later fired and replaced by sporting director Bernard Lacombe.
Lacombe changed the team's style. They finished eighth in the league and won the UEFA Intertoto Cup, which helped them qualify for the UEFA Cup. They reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Cup, losing to Italian club Internazionale.
The 1998–99 season had ups and downs. New players like Vikash Dhorasoo joined. The team started strong but faced tragedy when goalkeeper Luc Borrelli died in a car accident. His number 16 shirt was retired. Despite this, the players pulled together and finished third in the league, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time!
The late 1990s were a learning period for Lyon. They regularly qualified for European competitions but didn't make a huge impact. They finished third in both the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons.
Lyon Becomes a Top Team: The Seven-Year Reign
At the start of the new millennium, Olympique Lyonnais began to achieve amazing success in French football. In 1999, Aulas made a big move, signing Brazilian star Sonny Anderson from Barcelona for a French record fee. He also signed Pierre Laigle and Tony Vairelles. The 1999–2000 season saw Lyon start slowly but then take control of the league. In their first Champions League appearance, they were eliminated early.
Lyon finished third again, qualifying for the Champions League for the second year in a row. Sonny Anderson proved his worth, scoring 23 league goals.
After the season, Bernard Lacombe stepped down as manager and Jacques Santini took over. Santini brought in more Brazilian players like Edmílson and Caçapa, and Swiss international Patrick Müller. Lyon started the season with some draws but then went on an 18-match unbeaten streak. They finished second in the league and won the 2001 Coupe de la Ligue final, beating Monaco 2–1. This was their first major trophy since 1973.
The 2001–02 season saw the arrival of the talented Brazilian player Juninho. Santini also brought in Eric Carrière and gave more playing time to young player Sidney Govou. The league title came down to the final match: first-place Lens against second-place Lyon at Stade Gerland. Lyon won 3–1, securing their first-ever Ligue 1 title! This victory started a winning mindset for the club.
Two weeks later, Santini left to manage the France national football team. Paul Le Guen, a former Rennes manager, took his place. Le Guen focused on developing young players and signed talents like Mahamadou Diarra.
Le Guen's first season started with Lyon winning the Trophée des champions (a super cup). In the league, they focused on the Champions League, where they reached the second group stage. After being eliminated from other cups, Lyon focused on the league and reached the top with six matches left. They won their second straight Ligue 1 title! However, the celebrations turned sad when Lyon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé passed away during a match at the Stade Gerland. His number 17 shirt was retired.
Le Guen's second season (2003–04) saw Lyon win their third consecutive league title. He continued to bring in young talent like Florent Malouda, Michael Essien, and Anthony Réveillère. They also signed veteran Brazilian player Giovane Élber. Lyon performed well in the Champions League, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Porto, who went on to win the competition.
The 2004–05 season was amazing, with Lyon winning their fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title by a huge margin. Le Guen kept his key players and signed new ones like Eric Abidal, Sylvain Wiltord, and Cris. Lyon started strong, winning the Trophée des champions and quickly building a big lead in the league. They won the title by an incredible 12 points.
In the Champions League, Lyon showed their strength, winning their group ahead of Manchester United. They crushed Werder Bremen in the knockout stages but were surprisingly eliminated by PSV Eindhoven on penalties in the quarterfinals. After the season, Michael Essien won the UNFP Player of the Year award, the first Lyon player to do so. Le Guen announced he would leave the club.
Continued Dominance and European Ambitions
On 29 May 2005, Gérard Houllier, a famous former manager of the French national team and Liverpool, became Lyon's new coach. Houllier brought in new strikers like Fred and John Carew, and midfielders like Tiago. He also gave more playing time to young talents like Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa. Juninho became the team's captain.
Lyon started the 2005–06 season with a 15-match unbeaten streak. They won another Trophée des champions and famously beat Real Madrid 3–0 in the Champions League. Lyon dominated their Champions League group, going undefeated. In the league, they secured their fifth consecutive title with three games to spare, winning by a stunning 15 points! However, they lost in the Coupe de France semi-finals and were eliminated from the Champions League quarterfinals by Milan in the final minutes. Juninho won the UNFP Player of the Year award after the season.
The 2006–07 season saw some key players leave, like Diarra and Carew. Houllier replaced them with other Ligue 1 stars like Kim Källström and Jérémy Toulalan. Lyon had a historic season, leading the league with a record 50 points at the winter break. They reached the Coupe de France quarterfinals and the Coupe de la Ligue final, where they lost to Bordeaux. In the Champions League, they went undefeated in the group stage again but were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Roma. Despite a tougher second half, Lyon won their sixth straight league title by a large margin. Malouda won the Player of the Year award.
After the season, Houllier's contract ended, and he left. He had strengthened Lyon's hold on French football, leading them to record points totals. His main disappointment was not reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
League and Cup Double, Then Challenges
Lyon needed a new manager, and Alain Perrin took over. Before the season, Lyon lost several important players like Malouda, Abidal, and Tiago. Aulas continued to sign top Ligue 1 players, bringing in Mathieu Bodmer and Kader Keïta. They also signed Fabio Grosso and César Delgado.
Perrin changed the team's playing style to a more attacking 4–3–3 formation. He promoted Karim Benzema to the main striker role. The team struggled at first, losing two of their first three matches and suffering injuries to key players. However, they recovered, with Benzema scoring many goals. In the Champions League, Lyon struggled early but managed to reach the knockout rounds. They faced Manchester United in the Round of 16, drawing the first leg but losing the second, ending their Champions League journey for the second straight season.
The league season was more challenging, with Bordeaux becoming a strong rival. Lyon stayed in first place but had some surprising losses. There were also some team issues, including disagreements between players. The league title came down to the final day. Lyon won their match against Auxerre, securing their seventh consecutive Ligue 1 title! They finished only four points ahead of Bordeaux. Benzema won the UNFP Player of the Year award.
Lyon also won the Coupe de France for the first time in over 30 years, beating Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 in extra time. This meant Lyon achieved their first-ever double (winning both the league and the main cup in the same season).
Despite winning the double, Aulas was not completely happy, as the club hadn't gone far in Europe, and there were problems within the team. Alain Perrin was fired at the end of the season.
The Claude Puel Years: End of the Winning Streak
After a long search, Claude Puel, the manager of Lille, was chosen to replace Perrin in June 2008. Before Puel arrived, Aulas signed players like Ederson, Hugo Lloris, and Miralem Pjanić. After Puel joined, they added John Mensah and Frédéric Piquionne. Some veteran players also left the club.
Lyon started Puel's time negatively, losing the Trophée des Champions. In the league, they had good unbeaten runs but also some surprising losses. In the Champions League, Lyon went unbeaten in their first five matches. In the knockout rounds, they faced Barcelona. After a 1–1 draw at home, Lyon lost 2–5 in the second leg, and Barcelona went on to win the competition.
In the cup competitions, Lyon were surprisingly eliminated early from the Coupe de la Ligue. In the Coupe de France, they beat Marseille but then lost to Lille. On 11 April 2009, Lyon lost their first-place position in the league after a draw with Monaco. They finished in third place, ending their amazing streak of seven consecutive titles. This was the first time since 1999–2000 that the club finished outside the top two.
The next season, Marseille won the league, which was tough for Lyon fans. However, Lyon had a great run in the Champions League, reaching the semi-finals for the first time. They had memorable wins against Liverpool and Real Madrid, showing their strength in Europe. They were eventually eliminated by Bayern Munich.
In the summer of 2010, Lyon signed playmaker Yoann Gourcuff from Bordeaux. The 2010–11 season was one of the club's worst since they became title contenders. They finished with fewer points than usual, but still managed to get third place, qualifying for the Champions League. In the Champions League, they again met Real Madrid but were eliminated in the Round of 16.
For the first time since Aulas bought the club, fans protested against manager Claude Puel. They felt he had ruined the club's dominance and made their football boring. Puel was criticized for his tactics, communication, and training methods, which led to many player injuries.
Despite Aulas initially saying Puel would stay, the pressure from fans and poor results led to a change. On 15 June 2011, Lyon began the process to end Puel's contract. On 20 June 2011, Puel left his position. Former Lyon and Arsenal player Rémi Garde took over as the new club manager, with the goal of bringing back Lyon's winning ways.
Images for kids
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Aimé Jacquet, a former manager for Olympique Lyonnais and the France national football team.
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Raymond Domenech, former France national team manager and former Lyon manager.
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Jean Tigana, a former manager of Olympique Lyonnais.
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Paul Le Guen led Lyon to three consecutive Ligue 1 titles.
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Michael Essien was the first Lyon player to win the UNFP Player of the Year award.
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Under Gérard Houllier, Lyon won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
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Karim Benzema was a key player for Lyon during the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons.
