Lyon

In 1899, a football club named Olympique de Lyon was formed within the multi-sport club, Lyon Olympique Universitaire, originally formed in 1896 as Racing Club de Lyon. During the early years of the club, the football section was often overshadowed by then-local rivals, FC Lyon. Following numerous internal disagreements regarding the cohabitation of amateurs and professionals within the club, then-manager of the club Félix Louot and his entourage contemplated forming their own club.

Following months of meetings, Louot's plans came to fruition when a final meeting of around twenty people took place on 23 May 1950 in Café Neuf in the city's main square, Place Bellecour. During this meeting, the name Olympique Lyonnais was decided for the new club, as well as the club's colours of red and blue. Among the twenty people were Albert Trillat, credited with the club's name and colours, as well as Armand Groslevin, who would become the club's first president. Days later on 26 May, Lyon-based newspaper, Le Progrès reported that the club had officially been formed.

Early success (1950–1987)

On 27 August 1950, the club played its first official match under manager Oscar Heisserer, defeating CA Paris-Charenton 3–0 in front of 3,000 supporters, with Lyon's first goal being scored within the first forty seconds of the match. The majority of the players in Lyon's squad had previously played for Lyon Olympique Universitaire. In just the club's second year of existence, Lyon were crowned champions of Division 2 during the 1950–51 season, securing promotion to Division 1 for the 1951–52 season. The club maintained its place in Division 1 for the remainder of the decade, excluding a year's stint in Division 2 for the 1953–54 season.

Lyon achieved moderate success during the 1960s and 1970s with the likes of Fleury Di Nallo, Néstor Combin, Serge Chiesa, Bernard Lacombe and Jean Djorkaeff playing major roles. Under manager Lucien Jasseron, Lyon won its first-ever Coupe de France title defeating Bordeaux 2–0 during the 1963–64 season. The club also performed respectably in the league under Jasseron's reign until the 1965–66 season, when Lyon finished 16th, which ultimately led to Jasseron's departure. His replacement was Louis Hon, who helped Lyon win their second Coupe de France title after defeating Sochaux 3–1 during the 1966–67 season. Lyon was managed by former Lyon legend Aimé Mignot heading into the 1970s. Under Mignot's helm, Lyon won its third Coupe de France title during the 1972–73 season, beating Nantes 2–1.

Jean-Michel Aulas' presidency (1987–2023)

In June 1987, Lyon was bought by local Rhône-based businessman, Jean-Michel Aulas who took control of the club aiming to turn Lyon into an established Division 1 side. His ambitious plan, titled OL – Europe, was designed to develop the club at a European level and back into the first division within a period of no more than four years. The first manager under the new hierarchy was Raymond Domenech. The aspiring chairman gave Domenech carte blanche to recruit whoever he saw fit to help the team reach the first division. They went on to accomplish this in Domenech's first season in charge, qualifying for the UEFA Cup. For the remainder of his tenure, however, the club underachieved. Domenech was replaced by former French international Jean Tigana, who led the team to an impressive second place in the 1994–95 season.

At the start of the new millennium, Lyon began to achieve greater success in French football. The club established itself as the premiere club in France, becoming France's richest club. Lyon also became known for developing promising talent who went on to achieve greatness not only in France, but also abroad and internationally. Notable examples include Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Sidney Govou, Juninho, Cris, Eric Abidal, Mahamadou Diarra, Patrick Müller and Karim Benzema.

Lyon won its first ever Ligue 1 title in 2002, starting a national record-breaking streak of seven successive titles. During that run, the club also won its fourth Coupe de France title in a 1–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, its first Coupe de la Ligue title and six Trophée des Champions. The club also performed well in UEFA competitions, reaching as far as the quarter-finals on three occasions and the semi-finals in 2010 in the UEFA Champions League. Lyon's streak and consistent dominance of French football came to an end during the 2008–09 season, when it lost the title to Bordeaux. Several years later, during the 2011–12 season, Lyon won their fifth and most recent Coupe de France trophy in a 1–0 victory against Quevilly.