The first football team that was established in Lyon dates back to 1899 though the club we know today appeared much later, in 1950. From the very beginning the club enjoyed a broad and ardent support of the fans gathering 3,000 supporters at their first official match. Today Olympique is supported by 11 per cent of the French and about 40,000 are through the gates at their home matches.
The nicknames of the club are the Kids and the Lions. Lyon has stayed at the Stade de Gerland since 1950, the moment PSG was founded.
The team was promoted to the first division in 1952 and competed in the top flight of the French football for three decades. Olympique tasted the Coupe de France honors in 1964 beating Bordeaux in the final match 2–0. It was three years later that the team claimed the same trophy the second time outperforming Sochaux 3-1 in the decisive match.
In 1987 the team was bought by the businessman from Rhône Jean-Michel Aulas whose goal was to promote Lyon to the European level. The plans turned into reality only at the beginning of the 21st century as the club dominated on the domestic arena and claimed seven consecutive League titles, one French cup and a Coupe de la Ligue title. The team was successful in the UEFA Champions League reaching quarter-finals three times.
The biggest victory of the club was 10-0 win over Ajaccio in the 1953–54 campaign of the Coupe de France.
The Olympique’s youth training center is well-known throughout the country for such world-class players as Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou, Hatem Ben Arfa and Ludovic Giuly who graduated from it. With an estimated value of $408 million (€275.6m) Lyon is one of the most valuable clubs in the world.
Found a mistake? Highlight it with mouse and press CTRL + Enter. Thank you!
