Lyon pride at French supremacy

Over the next few weeks uefa.com will be charting the history of all clubs through to next season's UEFA Champions League from the third qualifying round onwards. Here we look at French champions Olympique Lyonnais.

Golden era
Olympique Lyonnais are currently enjoying a golden era, sealing their first French championship under Jacques Santini in 2001/02 before repeating the feat 12 months later to become the first club to retain the title since Olympique de Marseille eleven years previously.

Immediate impact
Founded by a group of seven football enthusiasts on 3 August 1950, Lyon gained promotion to the first division in their debut campaign only to be relegated the following year. However, after promotion two seasons later, they consolidated their top-flight status.

Cup success
Lyon's European debut in 1958 was disastrous as they lost 7-0 to Internazionale FC in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but the team continued to develop. They reached successive French Cup finals in 1963 and 1964. After losing the first to AS Monaco FC, Lyon defeated FC Girondins de Bordeaux in the second.

Little Prince of Gerland
Inspired by prolific strike duo Fleury di Nallo and Nestor Combin, Lyon enjoyed success in Europe that same season, reaching the semi-final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup before losing to Sporting Clube de Portugal in a replay. Nicknamed the Little Prince of Gerland, Di Nallo played 489 games for Lyon in 15 seasons, scoring a club record 220 goals - and inspired the club to two more French Cup wins in 1967 and 1973.

Financial troubles
Lyon finally found consistency in the league in the 1970s, finishing third in 1974 and 1975. Aimé Jacquet was coach between 1976 and 1980 but the club ran into financial difficulties and Jacquet was forced to sell several star players, including Bernard Lacombe and Raymond Domenech. The inevitable happened in 1983 when Lyon were relegated after 29 years in the top flight.

Tigana in charge
Lyon's fortunes changed in 1987 when Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of a local software and computer company, took over as chairman. By 1989 Lyon were back in the first division. Jean Tigana was appointed coach in 1993 and guided Lyon to a record second-placed finish in 1995. Former striker Lacombe continued Tigana's good work and got the club into Europe in four consecutive seasons between 1997 and 2000.

League title
Lyon's UEFA Champions League debut in 1999/00 was disappointing, losing to NK Maribor in the qualifying round, but they did much better under Santini in 2000/01, reaching the second group stage. Santini wrote himself into Lyon folklore in 2001/02 by guiding the club to its first championship thanks largely to the goals of Sonny Anderson, Sidney Govou and Eric Carrière.

Faith repaid
Santini quit Lyon to take charge of France and was replaced by Paul Le Guen. The young coach received heavy criticism early on in the 2002/03 season but Aulas stuck by his man and had his faith repaid when Lyon clinched back-to-back titles.