Olympique Lyonnais

The Olympique de Lyon —officially in French Olympique Lyonnais (French pronunciation: /ɔlɛ̃pik ljɔnɛ/) —, known as OL, is a French football club based in the metropolis of Lyon that plays in Ligue 1. It is one of the most popular teams and the fourth most successful in the history of French football, with seven league championships.

The club Lyon Olympique Universitaire (LOU) was formed in 1899, according to many supporters and sports historians, but was not established nationally as a professional club. The 1950s saw the official founding of Olympique Lyonnais by LOU dissidents who wanted to make a national-level professional club in Lyon. Its most successful period has been the 2000s. The club won its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, starting a record streak of seven consecutive national titles. Lyon also holds the records of eight Champions Trophies, five French Cups, one Coupe de la Ligue, and three Ligue 2 Championships. They have appeared in the UEFA Champions League on eleven occasions and during the 2009-10 season they reached to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time after three previous appearances in the quarter-finals.

Lyon were a member of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs and are founding members of its successor, the European Club Association. The president of Lyon is Jean-Michel Aulas. The club is managed by Laurent Blanc.

OL is one of the most popular clubs in France. Around 11% of the country's population supports the club, that is about 7 million people. It is, therefore, the third most followed team in France, behind Olympique de Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. In addition, it was the richest club in the country in the 2008-09 season, in which it generated an annual income stream of 139.6 million euros according to accountants Deloitte. It has a women's team, whose successes are greater than those of its male counterpart at the local level, winning 15 Leagues, 9 French Cups and 2 French Super Cups, and in Europe its successes are even greater, being crowned on 8 occasions, 5 of them consecutive. (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020). This turned the women's team into a giant on a continental and global level.

History

The club was founded on August 3, 1899 as Olympique de Lyon et du Rhône, by dissidents of the Lyon Olympique Universitaire, founded in 1896, but who did not want to access professionalism and which exists still. Until the 2000s (his most successful period so far), he had won 3 French Cup (1964, 1967, 1973), 1 Trophée des champions (1973) and 1 Intertoto Cup (1997), but no French title. league.

The club would win its first Ligue 1 championship in 2002, thus beginning an unprecedented series, both in France and Europe, of seven consecutive titles as league champions. In addition to the lightweight titles, the club would once again win the French Cup (2008, 2012), the Trophée des champions (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012) and for the first time in the League Cup of France (2001).

In the 2009-10 season they achieved their best participation in a UEFA Champions League, reaching the semi-finals, in which case they would lose to Bayern Munich. In the round of 16 they had eliminated none other than Real Madrid and in the quarterfinals they had eliminated Girondins de Bordeaux.

The 2010–11 season would end as the club's worst season since they became title contenders in the early 2000s. Lyon finished the season with less than 65 points (64); The last time he scored less than 70 points was in the 2002-03 season (68 points), but it was enough to become champion at that time. With a third place, they qualified for the preliminary round of the 2011-12 Champions League. In the European tournament, Lyon faced Real Madrid again in the round of 16, but could not repeat the feat of the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League. After a 1-1 draw in Gerland, the club was thrashed 3-0 in the Spanish capital. The performance in the League Cup and the French Cup was also unsatisfactory.

In recent years, the club has achieved 2 league runners-up (2014-15, 2015-16) and 3 third places (2012-13, 2017-18, 2018-19). In the Cup, the title obtained during the 2011-12 season stands out. In addition, they obtained 2 runners-up in the League Cup (2011-12, 2013-14) and 2 runners-up in the Super Cup (2015, 2016). On the international scene, the greatest achievement was reaching the semifinals of the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League.

In the 2019-20 season, the club played in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, being the second time in its history that it reached this stage of the European tournament, in an atypical season for world football as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic. Ligue 1 was abruptly ended by the French government so as not to spread the disease in the stadiums through the audience, which left Lyon with no chance of playing European tournaments next season, as it finished in 7th place in the league. table before the suspension of the tournament. In addition, the club lost the League Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Symbols

History and evolution of the shield

The first layer of Olympique Lyonnais was created in 1950 with the founding of the club. The red and blue colors are proposed by the surgeon Trillat Marcel. The shield is directly inspired by the emblem of the city of Lyon which bears "in field of gules a lion in the money léopardée tail, the head sewn Azure three fleurs-de-lys of gold", that is, they say that a coat of arms, the lower part is red and covered with a lion with a blue cap and covered with three fleurs-de-lys. That of the Olympique de Lyon continues to have the same characteristic, but replacing the less lis with a reference at the top OL. This logo appears in the center of the trunk of the shirts first. It remains for the first ten years of existence before being replaced after the 1960s. Since 1970, the crest becomes more complex with a series of white, blue and white stripes on the right flank, the rest being red with the motif of a soccer ball he defeated the lion function of the city of Lyon. OL cards are to the left of the lion and interlock. This motif facing a lion letter OL remained on the logo from 1961 to 1989.

After the arrival of Jean-Michel Aulas, in 1987, the study of a new emblem was launched. It appears on t-shirts in 1989 and no longer represents the original coats of arms. Its design is more dynamic and modern. It is characterized by capital letters OL with a drop shadow to the right. Two "V" shaped edges They are integrated into the cards. The top edge is red and the seconds blue. This logo will be used by Olympique Lyonnais until 1996. The year 1996 marks a new evolution in the design of the Olympique Lyonnais emblem. A layer with the head was found, that is, an upper horizontal band. It is red with the background and two lines marked "Olympique Lyonnais" in capital letters of gold. The background color is overlaid in OL-blue letters lined with gold and black piping. The lion feature of the city of Lyon is inserted into the letter O in gold. Small changes to the coat of arms were made in 2006. This is the word 'Olympique Lyonnais' at the top. Gold is replaced by white.

Clothes

Colors

Historically, the color of the Olympique Lyonnais home shirt is white. The early years until 1961 and the white shirt is covered with a "V" formed by two red stripes bleue70. which are the colors of the city of Lyon. The shorts are blue and the place of the red stain on the shirt is located just below the collar or on the left side of the chest. A first change in the style of the shirt was made in 1961 with the replacement of the radiolucent "V" with two blue and red strips that are placed horizontally on the belly71. The short maintains its blue color until 1964, when it was replaced by white and this until 1967. The shirt with red and blue stripes was abandoned during the 1967-1968 and 1969-1979 seasons to make way for a white shirt with pants partner blue. Between these two dates, the t-shirt with horizontal blue stripe and reused red and blue shorts is associated with white shorts from 1970 to 1971. Since 1971, a new version of the shirt appears. This is a traditional white jersey with two thin vertical bands of red and bleu73 placed on the left side of the shirt. The blue band was initially the right one until 1974, then the colors were inverted until 1976.

After 1976, a radical change was made to the Lyon club's tunic. The white color is replaced by a completely red set shirt and shorts without crest in both seasons between 1976 and 1978 and this red is completed in several blue vertical stripes the next two seasons. The red jersey has been united again replaced from 1985 until 1990, with some variations, especially in 1985 when the top of the shirt and the sleeves are white and then in 1989 with a blue band-shaped "V" at the top of the shirt.

The original white color was updated after 1990. That year, the overcoming styles of the 1950s are back in place. The next five years offers more of various colors with predominantly white jerseys. Then in 1996, the red and blue vertical stripes are back in place. These were placed on the left side of the jersey until 1998 before transitioning to the model with two wide vertical strips placed in the center of the jersey until 2001. The following year, the team wore a white-only jersey. The rest of the year 2000 offers alternating vertical bands or tunic or lateral plants. In 2009, Olympique Lyonnais opted again for a shirt with horizontal stripes, but in reverse compared to 1960 as the red line is at the top. The following year, in 2010, the OL has a diagonal striped jersey with integrated lion bands.

• Uniform holder: White t-shirt with blue and red details, white trousers and white stockings.
• Alternative uniform: Black t-shirt, black pants and black stockings.

Chronology:

2000-01 2001-02 2002-04 2004-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24

Rivalries

Historically, Lyon has a rivalry with AS Saint-Étienne, with whom it competes in the Rhône-Alpes Derby. This rivalry is due to the geographical proximity of the two cities, since only 62 kilometers separate them. However, since the club's dominance at the start of the new millennium, it has established rivalries with Olympique Marseille, FC Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique Lille. Lyon also shares minor rivalries with other Rhône-Alpes clubs, Grenoble and AS Lyon Duchère.

The Saint-Étienne rivalry began during the 1960s when Lyon established permanent residence in the French first division. The Arpitan rivalry is due to the proximity of both clubs, separated by only 38 miles, as well as the historical social and cultural difference between the two cities where they are based; Lyon is cited as more upper class, while Saint-Étienne is cited as more working class. The derby also pits the "most successful French club recently" (Lyon) against "the formerly biggest French club" (Saint-Étienne) and is often cited as one of the high points of the Ligue 1 season.

Lyon's rivalry with Marseille dates back to September 23, 1945, when the clubs played their first match. The derby, often called Choc des Olympiques ('Clash of the Olympic Games') or Olympico, is often cited as particularly important as both clubs have a high level in French football and the championship is decided regularly between the two. Marseille, Saint-Étienne, Lyon and PSG are the only French clubs to have won the French first division four times in a row and Marseille have done so twice.

Infrastructure

Stadium

Olympique Lyon plays its home games at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, a modern venue inaugurated in 2016 that replaced its old stadium, the Stade Gerland. Its new court cost approximately €480,000,000 and has a capacity for 59,186 spectators. The opening match was played on January 9, 2016 between Lyon and Troyes, within the framework of the twentieth matchday of Ligue 1. Striker Alexandre Lacazette, then a Lyon player, had the honor of scoring the first goal in the new stadium.

Since its inauguration, the stadium has hosted important international competitions, such as Euro 2016 and the 2019 Women's World Cup, both tournaments held in France. In addition, it was selected as one of the venues to host the football championship during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Hobby

Olympique Lyonnais has a very active and loyal fan base made up of many fan groups. One of the club's most notable groups is the Bad Gones ("Bad Boys"). The Bad Gones were established in 1987 at the time of Jean-Michel Aulas' purchase of the team and occupy the Virage Nord area of the Stade de Gerland. During the 2007-08 season, the group celebrated its 20th anniversary. The Bad Gones are the largest fan group in France and have a very strong reputation in Europe, due to the club's control of Ligue 1, as well as Lyon's continued appearances in the UEFA Champions League.

Another notable fan group is the Cosa Nostra Lyon, which occupies the Virage Sud area of the stadium. The group was created in 2007 as a result of a merger between two groups, the Lugdunum, which existed since 1993, and Nucleo Ultra, which was formed in 2000. The merger was created to achieve a sense of stability among fans. The group is no longer recognized by the club, but continues to operate on a functional basis. Other support groups are the Hex@gones, which was formed in 2000 and sit in the Virage Sud area, the Gastrogones, who occupy the Jean Bouin stand, and the O'Elles Club, who sit in the Jean Jaurès stand.

Club details

• Seasons in Ligue 1: 63.
• Best place in the league: 1o (7 occasions).
• Worse placed in the league: 19th (1982-83).
• Increased number of points in a season: 84 (2005-06).
• Increased number of goals in a season: 87 (2017-18).
• Major goleada in favor
  • In national competitions:
    • Lyon 8-0 Olympique de Marseille at the 1996-97 Season.
    • Lyon 8-0 Angers SCO at the 1967-68 Season.
  • In international competitions:
    • Lyon 7-0 Red Boys Differdange at the UEFA Cup 1974-75.
• Greatest fight:
  • In national competitions:
    • Lens 9-2 Lyon at the 1945-46 Season.
  • In international competitions:
    • FC Barcelona 5-1 Lyon at the UEFA Champions League 2018-19.
• Player with more contested matches: Serge Chiesa (541).
• Player with more goals scored: Fleury Di Nallo (182).

Property and finances

Olympique de Lyon has since its inception been an association affiliated with the French Football Federation under the name “Olympique de Lyon et du Rhône”, but also a company composed of a single president. The latter has the status of a professional sports limited company and manages the professional group as well as merchandising. The holding company OL Groupe is also listed on the stock exchange.

Olympique de Lyon is owned by businessman Jean-Michel Aulas, who acquired the club on June 15, 1987. He is the founder and director of operations of CEGID (Compagnie Européenne de Gestion par l'Informatique Décentralisée). After ridding the club of its debt, Aulas restructured the club's management and reorganized the finances and, within a span of two decades, transformed the club from a second division team into one of the richest football clubs in the world. However, critics have criticized Aulas for running the club as if it were a business. The club currently operates on the European Stock Exchange under the name OL Groupe, with its initials OLG.

In April 2008, the business magazine Forbes ranked Lyon as the 13th most valuable soccer team in the world. The magazine valued the club at $408 million (€275.6 million), excluding debt. In February 2009, Lyon were ranked 12th in the Deloitte Football Money League, reportedly generating an annual revenue of €155.7 million for the 2007–08 season, which is among the top football clubs. of the world in terms of income.

In 2016, a Chinese private equity fund acquired a 20% stake in the Olympique Lyonnais Group for €100 million. The fund was managed by IDG Capital Partners.

Currently, Aulas is part of the board of directors of the European Club Association, a sports organization that represents European football clubs. He was also the last president of the now-defunct G-14 organization.

Sports organization chart

Players

Maximum gorillas			More contested parties
1.	Fleury Di Nallo	182	1.	Serge Chiesa	541
2.	Alexandre Lacazette	160	2.	Grégory Coupet	519
3.	Serge Chiesa	134	3.	Fleury Di Nallo	494
4.	Bernard Lacombe	128	4.	Yves Chauveau	490
5.	Juninho Pernambucano	100	5.	Anthony Lopes	456
In bold active players. Updated as at 31 July 2023.

2023-24 Squad

Lyon Olympique Template of the Season 2023-24

Players			Technical equipment
N.o Nac. Pos. Name Age Ult team. End contract International Porteros 1 Why? 0BY Anthony Lopes 33 years Lower divisions 2025 Absolute 16 FRA! 0BY Mathieu Patouillet 19 years Lower divisions 2026 17 FRA! 0BY Rémy Riou 36 years S. M. Caen 2024 Defense 2 CIV! 1DEF Sinaly Diomandé 22 years Guidars F. C. 2025 3 ARG! 1DEF Nicolás Tagliafico 31 years Ajax de Amsterdam 2026 Absolute 4 FRA! 1DEF Castello Lukeba 20 years Lower divisions 2024 Sub-17 5 CRO! Leave Lovren 34 years Zenit Saint Petersburg 2025 Absolute 12 BRA! 1DEF Henrique 29 years Vasco da Gama 2024 15 MAR! 1DEF Achraf Laâziri 20 years Lower divisions 2027 Absolute 28 FRA! 2MED Enzo Le Fée 23 years Lorient An Oriant 2025 Sub-21 22 ANG! 1DEF Clinton 30 years Club Bruges 2027 Absolute 29 FRA! 1DEF Mamadou Sarr 18 years Lower divisions 2024 Mali! 1DEF Youssouf Koné 28 years A. C. Ajaccio 2025 Sub-18 Campers 6 FRA! 2MED Maxence Caqueret 23 years Lower divisions 2027 Sub-20 8 FRA! 2MED Corentin Tolisso 29 years Bayern de Munich 2027 Absolute 13 BRA! 2MED Walk 24 years A. A. Ponte Presta 2027 24 FRA! 2MED Johann Lepenant 21 years S. M. Caen 2027 Sub-20 85 FRA! 2MED Florent Da Silva 20 years Lower divisions 2024 Sub-20 77 FRA! 2MED Jeff Reine-Adélaïde 25 years Angers S. C. O. 2027 80 FRA! 2MED Skelly Alvero 21 years F. C. Sochaux 2027 84 FRA! 2MED Mohamed El Arouch 19 years Lower divisions 2027 98 FRA! 2MED Ainsley Maitland-Niles 26 years Arsenal F. C. 2024 Delanteros 7 GNB! 3OF THE Mama Baldé 27 years E. S. Troyes A. C. 2024 Absolute 10 FRA! 3OF THE Alexandre Lacazette 32 years Arsenal F. C. 2025 Absolute 11 ZIM! 3OF THE Tino Kadewere 25 years Le Havre A. C. 2025 Absolute 18 FRA! 3OF THE Rayan Cherki 20 years Lower divisions 2024 Sub-17 19 Why? 3OF THE Diego Moreira 19 years Chelsea 2024 Sub-21 37 GHA! 3OF THE Ernest Nuamah 20 years RWDM 2024 Absolute 47 BRA! 3OF THE Jeffinho 23 years Botafogo 2024 Cessions N.o Nac. Pos. Name Age Eq. provenance Lost to 7 SWE! 3OF THE Amin Sarr 22 years S. C. Heerenveen VfL Wolfsburg	Coach(s) Fabio Grosso Deputy(s) Ludovic Giuly Claudio Caçapa Rob Maas Physical Preparer(s) Cédric Uras Alexandre Fahri Terry Peters Coach(s) of porters Rémy Vercoutre Physical therapist(s) Abdeljelil Redissi Patrick Perret Doctor(s) Frank Pelissier Jean-Marc Laborderie Yann Fournier Jérémie Jacquemot Abdeljelil Redissi Johann Howse Sylvain Rousseau Legend Captain Mission quarry (club-trained) Training (association-trained) European passport Aliens Extracommunity without restriction Lost to the club Granted to another club Discarded / No chip Updated on July 31, 2023 Official web template		4-2-3-1 Why? BY 1 DEF 20 DEF 5 DEF 4 DEF 3 MED 24 OF THE 10 MED 8 MED 18 MED 26 MED 6

Coaches

Olympique Lyon has had a total of 31 coaches since the club appointed Oscar Heisserer as professional coach in 1950. Heisserer also served as the club's first player-manager, coming out of retirement to play during its last season at the club. The longest-serving coach in terms of time was Aimé Mignot, who coached Lyon for eight years from 1968 to 1976.

The most successful coach is Paul Le Guen, who won three French league titles between 2003 and 2005 during his three seasons at the club. Then comes Gérard Houllier with two titles in 2006 and 2007, Jacques Santini with a title in 2002 and a Coupe de la Ligue in 2001 and Alain Perrin, was the first Lyon coach to win a French Cup-Championship double in 2008.

Updated as of January 12, 2023.

No.	Period	Coach
1	1950 - 1954	Oscar heisserer
2	1954 - 1955	Julien Darui
3	1955 - 1959	Lucien Troupel
4	1959 - 1961	Gabriel Robert
5	1961 - 1962	Manuel Fernandez
6	1962 - 1966	Lucien Jasseron
7	1966 - 1968	Louis Hon
8	1968 - 1976	Aimé Mignot
9	1976 - 1980	Aimé Jacquet
10	1980 - 1981	Jean-Pierre Destrumelle
11	1981 - 1982	Vladimir Kovačević
12	1982 - 1984	Robert Herbin
13	1984 - 1987	Robert Nouzaret
14	1987 - 1988	Denis Papas
15	1988 - 1988	Marcel Leborgne
16	1988 - 1993	Raymond Domenech
17	1993 - 1995	Jean Tigana
18	1995 - 1996	Guy Stephan
19	1996 - 2000	Bernard Lacombe
20	2000 - 2002	Jacques Santini
21	2002 - 2005	Paul Le Guen
22	2005 - 2007	Gerard Houllier
23	2007 - 2008	Alain Perrin
24	2008 - 2011	Claude puel
25	2011 - 2014	Remi Garde
26	2014 - 2015	Hubert Fournier
27	2015 - 2019	Bruno Génésio
28	2019	Sylvinho
29	2019 - 2021	Rudi García
30	2021 - 2022	Peter Bosz
31	2022 - current	Laurent Blanc

Presidency

Olympique Lyon has had, including the current one, 8 presidents since the club was founded in 1950.

No.	Period	Chairman
1	1950 - 1959	Armand Groslevin
2	1959 - 1965	Ferdinand Maillet
3	1965 - 1977	Edouard Rochet
4	1977 - 1981	Roger michaux
5	1981 - 1982	Jean Perrot
6	1982 - 1983	Raymond Ravet
7	1983 - 1987	Charles Mighirian
8	1987 - 2023	Jean-Michel Aulas
9	2023 - present	Santiago Cucci

Statistics

Players with the most matches

Player	Parties
Serge Chiesa	541
Grégory Coupet	519
Fleury Di Nallo	494
Yves Chauveau	490
Aimé Mignot	424
Sidney Govou	412
Juninho Pernambucano	344

Players with the most goals

These are the top scorers who have worn the Lyon shirt:

Player	Goles
Fleury Di Nallo	222
Alexandre Lacazette	160
Serge Chiesa	132
Bernard Lacombe	128
Juninho Pernambucano	100

The winners of the UNFP Player of the Year award

The following players have won UNFP Player of the Year while playing for Lyon:

Player	Year
Michael Essien	2005
Juninho Pernambucano	2006
Florent Malouda	2007
Karim Benzema	2008
Lisandro López	2010
Alexandre Lacazette	2015

Statistics in international competitions

By competition

Palmarés

In all its sections, the club has 9 international titles (1 in soccer and 8 in women's soccer) and 23 national titles (7 in soccer and 16 in women's soccer).

National Tournaments (21)

National competition	Titles	Subcamponatos
First Division of France (7/5)	2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08.	1994-95, 2000-01, 2009-10, 2014-15, 2015-16.
French Cup (5/3)	1963-64, 1966-67, 1972-73, 2007-08, 2011-12.	1962-63, 1970-71, 1975-76.
League Cup (1/5)	2000-01.	1995-96, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2019-20.
French Super Cup (8/4)	1973, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007.	1967, 2008, 2015, 2016.
Ligue 2 (3)	1950-51, 1953-54, 1988-89.

International Tournaments (1)

International competition	Titles	Subcamponatos
UEFA Intertote Cup (1)	1997.

Other achievements

• Semifinal UEFA Champions League (2): 2009-10, 2019-20.
• Semifinal UEFA Europa League (1): 2016-17.

Media

Olympique de Lyon has its own television channel, OL TV, which was founded on July 27, 2005. It offers daily news about the life of the club and sports results within its programming. Its headquarters are located near the training center. Information about the club is also broadcast daily on the local channel Télé Lyon Métropole. There are also alliances with national radio stations. RTL radio and the club's official channel partnered for some broadcasts; this is also the case of Europa 1 or Radio Espace.

Other equipment

Women's team

It currently plays in the first division of France, Division 1 Féminine. The women's team was created in the 1970s as part of FC Lyon, but joined OL in the summer of 2004. Most of them play their home games at the Groupama OL Training Center, 200 meters from the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, the main stadium. They are the current champions of the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Reserve team