Lille OSC

1944–1955: The first decade

The team with Coupe de France in 1946.

Crest of SC Fives

Crest of Olympique Lillois

Before the Second World War, the city of Lille had two clubs in Ligue 1; Olympique Lillois and Sporting Club Fivois. Weakened by the war, the two clubs decided to merge in the autumn of 1944, giving birth to Lille Olympique Sporting Club (LOSC). Within its first decade of existence, the new club won two league titles and reached the second place for four consecutive seasons. In the Coupe de France the club accumulated five wins in seven finals, including five successive finals. The final of the Latin Cup was also reached.

1956–1980: Lille loses the way

Lille was relegated for the first time in 1956. The club became a mid-table side and in the late 1960s, after a long period of anonymity, and weighed down by a lack of facilities and resources, Lille abandoned its professional status. It was feared that the club might disappear. However, some young leaders, such as Max Pommerolle, came and gave new impetus to the club. Nevertheless, the results remained erratic and the only titles that ignited the fans' passions were won in the Second Division.

1980–2000: Laying the foundations for future success

In July 1980, Lille was the first French club to opt for the status of a Mixed Economy Company, of which the city of Lille became the majority shareholder. The team of presidents Amyot, Deschot and Dewailly all struggled to compete with the top teams in the country. Jacques Amyot's resignation in 1990 led to three more difficult years for the club which compromised its very existence. It took Bernard Lecomte's arrival in 1993 to set the club finances on the road to recovery. After a final relegation in 1997, the team trained by Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodžić was soon promoted back to the elite, in the same year the French Football League was privatised.

2000–present: A steady climb to the top

Former logo, used between 2012 and 2018.

Moussa Sow and Gervinho celebrate winning the double in 2011.

In just its first season back in the top flight 2000–01 French Division 1, Lille qualified for Europe for the first time in the club's history, booking its place in the 2000–01 Champions League. On the back of the club's new status, Lille entered into a decisive new era under the guidance of chairman and Chief executive officer Michel Seydoux and coach Claude Puel. The club left the historical Stade Grimonprez-Jooris to join the Stadium Lille Métropole and became a regular on the European scene. Amongst its most emphatic results was the 1–0 victory over Manchester United at the Stade de France in 2005, the 2–0 triumph over Milan in San Siro in 2006 and the 1–0 home win over Liverpool in 2010. A steady development off the pitch (inauguration of the Domaine de Luchin training complex in 2007, opening of the Grand Stade in 2012), coupled with the sporting progression under the expert hand of coach Rudi Garcia, took Lille back to the summit of the French game with the League and Cup double in 2011 (56 years after the club's last trophy). In 2012, LOSC confirmed its place at the top table of the domestic game with another qualification for Europe's most prestigious club competition, the Champions League in 2012–13. With the club finishing just outside the UCL places that season, Garcia left to join Roma, while former Montpellier coach René Girard was appointed the new Lille manager.^[3] After two years in charge of the club, Girard left his role as the head coach by mutual consent. He was joined by assistants Gerard Bernadet and Nicolas Girard in making the exit. In May 2015, the Ivory Coast national team head coach Hervé Renard was appointed as the new manager. On 11 November 2015, Renard was terminated as manager and was replaced by Frederic Antonetti.^[4][5] On 23 November 2016 a year after being appointed, Lille terminated Antonetti's contract with the club lying second last in the table.^[6] In March 2017, Lille appointed Marcelo Bielsa as new manager of the club. In November 2017, Bielsa was suspended by Lille following an unauthorized trip to Chile with the club lying second from bottom on the table again and only managing 3 wins from the first 14 games of the season.^[7][8].

On December 23 2017, Bielsa was terminated by Lille and replaced with former Saint-Etienne manager Christophe Galtier.^[9] After a difficult 2017/2018 season, Lille managed to avoid relegation to Ligue 2 by defeating Toulouse 3-2 in the second last game of the campaign.^[10]

Current squad

As of 31 August 2018.^[12]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Adam Jakubech 3 DF Youssouf Koné 4 DF Gabriel 5 DF Adama Soumaoro (Captain) 6 DF José Fonte 7 FW Rafael Leão 8 MF Xeka 9 FW Loïc Rémy 10 FW Rui Fonte (on loan from Fulham) 11 FW Luiz Araujo 12 FW Jonathan Ikoné 14 FW Jonathan Bamba 15 DF Edgar Ié

No. Position Player 16 GK Mike Maignan 17 DF Zeki Çelik 19 FW Nicolas Pépé 20 MF Thiago Maia 21 MF Arton Zekaj 22 DF Kouadio-Yves Dabila 23 MF Thiago Mendes 24 MF Boubakary Soumaré 25 DF Fodé Ballo-Touré 26 DF Jérémy Pied 30 GK Hervé Koffi 34 DF Benjamin Vérité — MF Farès Bahlouli

Players under contract

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — DF Hakim Ouro-Sama — MF Imad Faraj

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — DF Júnior Alonso (on loan at Celta Vigo) — DF Ruben Droehlné (on loan at Orléans) — MF Rominigue Kouamé (on loan at Paris FC)

No. Position Player — FW Yassine Benzia (on loan at Fenerbahçe) — FW Anwar El Ghazi (on loan at Aston Villa)

Reserve team

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player — GK Anthony Herbin — GK Romain Vanherreweghe — GK Yann Lemeur — DF Maxime Wackers — DF Nicky Diafat — DF Ruben Droehnle — DF Thomas Decottignies — DF William Pau — DF Zohran Bassong — MF Aboubacar Condé — MF Agim Zeka

No. Position Player — MF Alexis Flips — MF Chahreddine Boukholda — MF Darly Nlandu — MF Kader Keita — MF Maxime Pau — MF Nauris Petkevicius — MF Jonathan Bumbu — MF Romain Jamrozik — FW Corentin Fatou — FW Ryad Habbas

Most appearances

#	Name	Matches
1°	Marceau Somerlinck	428
2°	André Strappe	365
3°	Rio Mavuba	313
4°	Mathieu Debuchy	301
5°	Florent Balmont	292

Top scorers

#	Name	Goals
1°	Jean Baratte	218
2°	André Strappe	135
3°	Gérard Bourbotte	96
4°	Jean Lechantre	81
5°	Bolek Tempowski	81

Domestic

• Ligue 1
  • Champions (3): 1945–46, 1953–54, 2010–11
  • Runners-up (6): 1935–36, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1950–51, 2004–05
• Ligue 2
  • Champions (4): 1963–64, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1999–00
• Coupe de France
  • Champions (6): 1945–46, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1954–55, 2010–11
  • Runners-up (2): 1944–45, 1948–49
• Coupe de la Ligue
  • Runners-up (1): 2015–16
• Coupe Gambardella
  • Champions (1): 1960
  • Runners-up (2): 1955, 2000
• Coupe Charles Drago
  • Runners-up (2): 1954, 1956

Europe

• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Winner (1): 2004
• Latin Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1951