Derby du Rhône
Encyclopedia
The Derby du Rhône is a football match contested between French clubs Olympique Lyonnais
and AS Saint-Étienne
. Both clubs situate themselves in the region
of Rhône-Alpes
along the Rhône
river, which is where the rivalry's name is derived from.
The two clubs first met in 1951 and, due to the each club's close proximity towards each other being separated by only 50 kilometres (31.1 mi), a hotly contested rivalry developed. The Derby du Rhône is cited as one of the high-points of the Ligue 1
season and, like other major rivalries, extends outside of the pitch. The rivalry is locally considered a symbolic challenge between the well-offs of Lyon
and the workers of Saint-Étienne
with the city of Lyon being considered white collar
and its counterpart Saint-Étienne being viewed by the locals as more blue collar
.
The derby
also pits the recently most successful French club (Lyon) against the formerly biggest French club (Saint-Étienne). During the 20th century, Saint-Étienne was the most successful club in French football winning ten league titles between 1957–1981, a record that still stands today. During that span, the club also won six Coupe de France
titles and performed well at European level
. However, following the club's relegation to the second division
in 1984, Saint-Étienne's stranglehold on the football scene in France began to dwindle. Lyon began a similar ascension into French football at the beginning of the new millennium when the club won their first-ever Ligue 1 championship in 2002. The initial title started a national record-breaking streak of seven successive titles, a streak unmatched in French football history. Lyon have also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League
, a feat that hasn't been matched by a French club since 2004 when Monaco
reached the final
.
who, after having a successful 13-year career with Saint-Étienne, departed the club for Lyon, where he spent three seasons. Jacquet later went on to manage Lyon and coached the team to the 1973 Coupe de France Final. Similarly, striker
Bernard Lacombe
established himself as one of Lyon's all-time leading goalscorers before leaving the club for Saint-Étienne in 1978 where he was often booed and jeered, which led to the player departing the club for Bordeaux
after one season. The other players who transferred directly between clubs are François Lemasson
, Alain Moizan
, Andre Calligaris, Romarin Billong, Jean-Luc Sassus
, Christopher Deguerville, Grégory Coupet
, Franck Priou, Lamine Diatta
, and Bafétimbi Gomis
.
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais is a French association football club based in Lyon. They play in France's highest football division, Ligue 1. The club was formed as Lyon Olympique Universitaire in 1899, according to many supporters and sport historians, but was nationally established as a club in 1950. The...
and AS Saint-Étienne
AS Saint-Étienne
Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire is a French association football club based in Saint-Étienne. The club was founded in 1919 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. Saint-Étienne plays its home matches at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard located within the city...
. Both clubs situate themselves in the region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
along the Rhône
Rhône
Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
river, which is where the rivalry's name is derived from.
The two clubs first met in 1951 and, due to the each club's close proximity towards each other being separated by only 50 kilometres (31.1 mi), a hotly contested rivalry developed. The Derby du Rhône is cited as one of the high-points of the Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
season and, like other major rivalries, extends outside of the pitch. The rivalry is locally considered a symbolic challenge between the well-offs of Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and the workers of Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
with the city of Lyon being considered white collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
and its counterpart Saint-Étienne being viewed by the locals as more blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
.
The derby
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
also pits the recently most successful French club (Lyon) against the formerly biggest French club (Saint-Étienne). During the 20th century, Saint-Étienne was the most successful club in French football winning ten league titles between 1957–1981, a record that still stands today. During that span, the club also won six Coupe de France
Coupe de France
The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation...
titles and performed well at European level
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. However, following the club's relegation to the second division
Ligue 2
Ligue 2 , formerly known as Division 2, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel , the other being Ligue 1, the country's top football division...
in 1984, Saint-Étienne's stranglehold on the football scene in France began to dwindle. Lyon began a similar ascension into French football at the beginning of the new millennium when the club won their first-ever Ligue 1 championship in 2002. The initial title started a national record-breaking streak of seven successive titles, a streak unmatched in French football history. Lyon have also reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, a feat that hasn't been matched by a French club since 2004 when Monaco
AS Monaco FC
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club are a French football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. The club was founded in 1924 and currently play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The team plays its home matches at the Stade Louis II located within Fontvieille...
reached the final
2004 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2004 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on 26 May 2004, to decide the winner of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League...
.
Head to head record
Last updated: 26 October 2011| Competition | Played | Saint-Étienne | Draw | Lyon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French League French football league system The French football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in France. At the top two levels of the system is the Ligue de Football Professionnel, which consists of two professional national divisions, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Below that are a number of leagues run by the... |
95 | 36 | 29 | 30 |
| Coupe de France Coupe de France The Coupe Charles Simon, commonly known as the Coupe de France , is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation... |
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Coupe de la Ligue Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue , known outside of France as the French League Cup, is a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trophée des champions Trophée des champions The Trophée des champions , is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super Cups found in many countries... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coupe Drago Coupe Charles Drago The Coupe Charles Drago was an elimination cup competition organised by the Ligue de Football Professionnel, between clubs that are knocked out before the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. The tournament was founded in 1953 and was discontinued after the 1965 tournament.-Finals:Key-Results by... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Challenge des champions Trophée des champions The Trophée des champions , is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super Cups found in many countries... |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 102 | 39 | 30 | 34 |
Switching clubs
Due to the clubs' ongoing rivalry, few players have played for both Lyon and Saint-Étienne. Since the two clubs first contested each other in 1951, only 27 players have played for both Lyon and Saint-Étienne and only 13 players have transferred directly from Lyon to Saint-Étienne and vice-versa. The first player to "commit" the offense was Antoine Rodriguez in 1951, when after having a nine-year spell at Saint-Étienne, he moved to Lyon, where he spent only one season. Other notable players who made the switch were Aimé JacquetAimé Jacquet
Aimé Étienne Jacquet is a French football coach and former player, and manager of the France national football team when they won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.-Biography:...
who, after having a successful 13-year career with Saint-Étienne, departed the club for Lyon, where he spent three seasons. Jacquet later went on to manage Lyon and coached the team to the 1973 Coupe de France Final. Similarly, striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
Bernard Lacombe
Bernard Lacombe
Bernard Lacombe is a retired French football player. He played forward, mainly with Olympique Lyonnais, Girondins Bordeaux and the French national team.-Career:...
established himself as one of Lyon's all-time leading goalscorers before leaving the club for Saint-Étienne in 1978 where he was often booed and jeered, which led to the player departing the club for Bordeaux
FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux is a French association football club based in the city of Bordeaux. The club currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football, and won its last Ligue 1 title in the 2008–09 season....
after one season. The other players who transferred directly between clubs are François Lemasson
François Lemasson
François Lemasson is a retired professional football goalkeeper from France.He was the goaltender for the Olympique de Marseille team that reached the 1999 UEFA Cup Final. However, he remained on the bench as they lost 3-0 to Parma.-External links:...
, Alain Moizan
Alain Moizan
Alain Moizan is a retired French professional football midfielder.In February 2008, he was appointed coach of the Mauritania national football team, his second national team coaching job after a short stint with Mali in 2004.-External links:*...
, Andre Calligaris, Romarin Billong, Jean-Luc Sassus
Jean-Luc Sassus
Jean-Luc Sassus is a former French international football player.-Titles:*Coupe de France in 1993 with Paris Saint-Germain*Ligue 1 in 1994 with Paris Saint-Germain-External links:...
, Christopher Deguerville, Grégory Coupet
Grégory Coupet
Grégory Coupet is a retired French association football goalkeeper who last played for Paris Saint-Germain. He has played for clubs such as Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Atlético Madrid. He has also played for the France national team....
, Franck Priou, Lamine Diatta
Lamine Diatta
Lamine Diatta is a Senegalese footballer who currently plays as a defender for Étoile Sportive du Sahel.-Career:Diatta moved to France when he was only one year old...
, and Bafétimbi Gomis
Bafétimbi Gomis
Bafétimbi Gomis |Var]]) is a French footballer of Senegalese descent who currently plays as a striker for Lyon and the French national team.-Saint-Étienne:...
.
OL, then ASSE
| Name | Pos | Lyon | Saint-Étienne | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | Apps | Goals | Career | Apps | Goals | ||
 Bernard LacombeBernard Lacombe Bernard Lacombe is a retired French football player. He played forward, mainly with Olympique Lyonnais, Girondins Bordeaux and the French national team.-Career:... |
FW | 1969–78 | 230 | 128 | 1978–79 | 32 | 14 |
| Alain Moizan Alain Moizan Alain Moizan is a retired French professional football midfielder.In February 2008, he was appointed coach of the Mauritania national football team, his second national team coaching job after a short stint with Mali in 2004.-External links:*... |
MF | 1980–82 | – | – | 1982–84 | – | – |
| Franck Priou |
MF | 1980–88 | – | – | 1988–90 | – | – |
| Laurent Fournier Laurent Fournier Laurent Fournier, is a former French footballer and now manager of AJ Auxerre.-As a player:*French championship in 1991 with Olympique Marseille and 1994 with Paris SG... |
MF | 1986–88 | 53 | 15 | 1995 | 10 | 3 |
 Romarin Billong |
DF | 1988–95 | 111 | 5 | 1995–2000 | 102 | 5 |
| Patrice Ferri |
GK | 1992–93 | – | – | 1995–96 | – | – |
| Jean-Luc Sassus Jean-Luc Sassus Jean-Luc Sassus is a former French international football player.-Titles:*Coupe de France in 1993 with Paris Saint-Germain*Ligue 1 in 1994 with Paris Saint-Germain-External links:... |
MF | 1994–97 | – | – | 1997–98 | – | – |
| David Hellebuyck David Hellebuyck David Hellebuyck is a French professional football player in the Midfielder position, who currently plays for OGC Nice in the French Ligue 1 championship.-External links:... |
MF | 1996–2000 | 3 | 0 | 2001–06 | 167 | 14 |
| Laurent Morestin |
DF | 1997–98 | 3 | 0 | 2003–04 | 24 | 0 |
| Patrice Carteron Patrice Carteron Patrice Carteron is a French football player. He is currently Manager of Dijon FCO.-Career:Carteron is fondly remembered in Sunderland for scoring in the heated Tyne Wear derby for Sunderland in 2001... |
DF | 1997–2000 | 101 | 6 | 2001–05 | 100 | 16 |
 Lamine DiattaLamine Diatta Lamine Diatta is a Senegalese footballer who currently plays as a defender for Étoile Sportive du Sahel.-Career:Diatta moved to France when he was only one year old... |
DF | 2004–06 | 40 | 0 | 2006–08 | 27 | 1 |
| Sylvain Monsoreau Sylvain Monsoreau Sylvain Monsoreau is a French footballer who plays for Saint-Étienne. He started his career with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard playing 110 games and scoring 4 goals. His first professional match for Sochaux was a 2–1 victory over Bordeaux in 2001.He also scored a goal for Sochaux in 6 UEFA Cup matches in... |
DF | 2005–06 | 19 | 0 | 2008–present | 23 | 0 |
ASSE, then OL
| Name | Pos | Saint-Étienne | Lyon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | Apps | Goals | Career | Apps | Goals | ||
| Michel Cristobal |
DF | 1945–49 | – | – | 1950–52 | – | – |
| Antoine Rodriguez |
DF | 1942–51 | – | – | 1951–52 | – | – |
| Andre Calligaris |
DF | 1957–60 | – | – | 1960–61 | – | – |
| Aimé Jacquet Aimé Jacquet Aimé Étienne Jacquet is a French football coach and former player, and manager of the France national football team when they won the 1998 FIFA World Cup.-Biography:... |
MF | 1960–73 | 176 | 12 | 1973–76 | 26 | 2 |
| André Guy André Guy André Guy is a French former professional football player.-External links:**... |
FW | 1962–65 | 82 | 52 | 1967–71 | 116 | 66 |
| José Broissart José Broissart José Broissart is a former professional French association football player.-External links:*... |
MF | 1969–73 | – | – | 1976–80 | – | – |
| Jean-François Larios Jean-François Larios Jean-François Larios, nicknamed "Turbo" is a retired football midfielder from France. He arned seventeen international caps for the French national team during the late 1970s, early 1980s.... |
MF | 1973–83 | 167 | 36 | 1984–85 | 27 | 1 |
| Olivier Roussey |
MF | 1977–78 | – | – | 1979–80 | – | – |
| Patrice Ferri |
GK | 1981–88 | – | – | 1992–93 | – | – |
| François Lemasson François Lemasson François Lemasson is a retired professional football goalkeeper from France.He was the goaltender for the Olympique de Marseille team that reached the 1999 UEFA Cup Final. However, he remained on the bench as they lost 3-0 to Parma.-External links:... |
DF | 1986–87 | 5 | 0 | 1987–90 | 101 | 0 |
| Christopher Deguerville |
MF | 1987–95 | – | – | 1995–97 | – | – |
| Grégory Coupet Grégory Coupet Grégory Coupet is a retired French association football goalkeeper who last played for Paris Saint-Germain. He has played for clubs such as Saint-Étienne, Lyon, Atlético Madrid. He has also played for the France national team.... |
GK | 1993–97 | 88 | 0 | 1997–2008 | 518 | 0 |
| Frédéric Piquionne Frédéric Piquionne Frédéric Piquionne is a French football player who plays as a forward for West Ham United. His former clubs are Golden Star of Martinique, Nîmes Olympique, Rennes, AS Saint-Etienne, AS Monaco, Lyon and Portsmouth... |
FW | 2004–07 | 97 | 27 | 2008–09 | 26 | 4 |
| Bafetimbi Gomis Bafétimbi Gomis Bafétimbi Gomis |Var]]) is a French footballer of Senegalese descent who currently plays as a striker for Lyon and the French national team.-Saint-Étienne:... |
FW | 2003–09 | 162 | 49 | 2009–present | 50 | 16 |
| Pape Diakhaté Pape Diakhaté Pape Malickou Diakhaté is a Senegalese professional footballer who currently plays in Spain for Granada CF.-Career:... |
DF | 2010 | 18 | 1 | 2010–2011 | 3 | 0 |