OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS

Olympique Lyonnais was born in May 1950, the bearer of two clubs: FC Lyon, a historic club that participated in the first final of the French Cup, and LOU, whose soccer section is called Lyon Olympic. After the Second World War, football in Lyonnais looks for a second breath, given by a group of round ball enthusiasts who create Olympique Lyonnais. The team plays with a white jersey with red and blue colours of the city of Lyon for the first time on August 27 th, 1950 in Gerland. From the first season, the OL is France's champion of D 2 and access to the elite. The seasons follow and do not look like the results are not always equal to expectations. The first trophy, a French Cup, was won in 1964. The 1960 s announced the arrival of a great club in the French championship and great players go through Gerland: Chiesa, Lacombe, Domenech, Bowl, Di Nallo or Chauveau. In 1976, the OL lost the final of the French Cup to Marseille, before starting a descent to the D 2. In 1983, after 28 years of the elite, the OL went down. The club has trouble recovering and settling in D 2. In distress, the OL discovers an ambitious man, arriving with a plan to lead the D 2 club to the European Cup in the next five years: Jean-Michel Aulas. Five years after its descent, the OL returned to the D 1 in 1989. A true renaissance is beginning and the most skeptical are obliged to recognize the talents of Jean-Michel Aulas and his team. At the dawn of the st century, the team strengthens and recruits a Brazilian magician named Sonny Anderson. From the 2000/2001 season, the OL won the League Cup, its first trophy since 1973. And the titles will follow. The OL won 7 French champion titles (from 2002 to 2008), wins 2 French Cups (2008 and 2012) and 1 League Cup (2001). The Champions of the League, including a semi-finals in 2010, lost against Bayern in Munich. The club, led by Jean-Michel Aulas, continues the beautiful adventure with his men's team, but also with a female team, the only one in France to have won a triple League of Champions, Championship and National Cup. Since the beginning of 2016, the OL has been evolving at the Olympique Lyonnais in Caudataires (now named the Groupama Stadium), a magnificent complex dedicated to football.