Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais, often called Lyon or simply OL, is a professional football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Established in 1950, they compete in Ligue 1, France’s top football division. The club won its first Ligue 1 title in 2002 and set a national record by winning seven consecutive titles. Lyon has also secured eight Trophées des Champions, five Coupes de France, and three Ligue 2 titles.
Lyon has competed in the UEFA Champions League seventeen times, reaching the semi-finals for the first time in the 2009–10 season and again in the 2019–20 season. The team plays home matches at the 59,186-seat Parc Olympique Lyonnais, also known as Groupama Stadium, located in Décines-Charpieu, a suburb of Lyon. The club’s home colors are white, red, and blue. Lyon was a member of the G14 group of leading European football clubs and a founding member of its successor, the European Club Association.
Nicknamed “Les Gones,” meaning “The Kids” in the regional Franco-Provençal dialect, Lyon has a long-standing rivalry with Saint-Étienne, with whom they contest the Derby Rhône-Alpes. Jean-Michel Aulas owned the club from 1987 until it was purchased by American businessman John Textor in December 2022.
Achievement
Domestic
League
- Ligue 1
- Winners (7): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- Runners-up (5): 1994–95, 2000–01, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Ligue 2
- Winners (3): 1950–51, 1953–54, 1988–89
Cups
- Coupe de France
- Winners (5): 1963–64, 1966–67, 1972–73, 2007–08, 2011–12
- Runners-up (4): 1962–63, 1970–71, 1975–76, 2023–24
- Coupe de la Ligue
- Winners (1): 2000–01
- Runners-up (5): 1995–96, 2006–07, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2019–20
- Trophée des Champions
- Winners (8): 1973, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012
- Runners-up (4): 1967, 2008, 2015, 2016
International Competitions
- UEFA Champions League
- Semi-finalists (2): 2009–10, 2019–20
- UEFA Europa League
- Semi-finalists (1): 2016–17
- UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup
- Semi-finalists (1): 1963–64
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners (1): 1997
Notable Player
Alexandre Lacazette
- Full Name: Alexandre Armand Lacazette
- Position: Forward (mainly a striker, but also deployed as a second striker and wide forward)
- Current Club: Lyon (Ligue 1)
- Notable Achievements:
- Lyon (2010–2017):
- Top Goalscorer (2014–15): Finished as Ligue 1’s top scorer.
- Ligue 1 Player of the Year (2014–15): Recognized for outstanding performance.
- French Cup Winner (2011–12): Contributed to Lyon’s victory.
- French Super Cup Winner (2011–12): Added to his honors.
- Arsenal (2017–2022):
- English FA Cup Winner (2020): Lifted the FA Cup with Arsenal.
- Europa League Runner-up (2018–19): Reached the final.
- Return to Lyon (2022–):
- Became Lyon’s second-highest all-time top goalscorer.
- Lyon (2010–2017):
Jake O’Brien
- Full Name: Jake O’Brien
- Date of Birth: May 15, 2001 (23 years old)
- Place of Birth: County Cork, Ireland
- Position: Centre-back
- Current Club: Olympique Lyon (Ligue 1)
- Notable Achievements:
- Belgian Second League Champion (2022–23): Achieved with RWD Molenbeek.
- Ligue 1 Debut (2023): Became the first Irishman since Tony Cascarino in 2000 to play in Ligue 1.
- 2024 Coupe de France Final: Scored for Lyon despite their defeat against PSG