Football Club de Nantes (;

Gallo Gallo may refer to: *Related to Gaul: **Gallo-Roman culture **Gallo language, a regional language of France **Gallo-Romance, a branch of Romance languages **Gallo-Italic or Gallo-Italian language, a branch spoken in Northern Italy of the Romance ...

: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a French professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

club based in

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire (; ; br, Broioù al Liger) is one of the 18 regions of France, in the west of the mainland. It was created in the 1950s to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful of "balancing metropolises" (). ...

. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one large club. From 1992 to 2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes Atlantique before reverting to its current name at the start of the 2007–08 season. Nantes play in

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...

, the first division of

Football in France Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the co ...

. Nantes is one of the most successful clubs in

French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the cou ...

, having won eight Ligue 1 titles, four

Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe Charles Simon, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organized by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and profession ...

wins and attained one

Coupe de la Ligue The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France ...

victory. The club is famous for its ''jeu à la nantaise'' ("Nantes-style play"), its collective spirit, mainly advocated under coaches

José Arribas José Arribas (16 January 1921 – 28 September 1989) was a Spanish professional football player and manager. As a player, he was a midfielder. He mostly notably coached Nantes from 1960 to 1976, where he created the "jeu à la nantaise", a tact ...

Jean-Claude Suaudeau Jean-Claude Georges Suaudeau (born 24 May 1938) is a French former professional football manager and player. He played as a midfielder with FC Nantes from 1963 to 1969 and then managed the youth teams from 1973 to 1982. From 1982 to 1988 and fr ...

and

Raynald Denoueix Raynald Denoueix (; born 14 May 1948) is a French football manager and former defender. Born in Rouen, Denoueix spent his whole playing career as a defender at FC Nantes before becoming a coach at the club's youth academy. During his time at ...

and for its

youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

, which has produced players such as

Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly (born Odenke Abbey; 7 September 1968) is a French former professional footballer, widely considered to be among the greatest centre-backs and defensive midfielders to ever play football. During a successful career at club level, l ...

Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, ...

Mickaël Landreau Mickaël Vincent André-Marie Landreau (; born 14 May 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Landreau hol ...

Claude Makélélé Claude Makélélé Sinda (born 18 February 1973) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently a youth coach and technical mentor at Chelsea, having formerly been the head co ...

, Christian Karembeu and

Jérémy Toulalan Jérémy Toulalan (born 10 September 1983) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, but was also utilized as a central defender. He is best known for his humble demeanor, simple distribution, good technique ...

. As well as ''Les Canaris'' (''The Canaries''), Nantes is also nicknamed ''Les jaunes et verts'' (''The Green and Yellows'') and ''La Maison Jaune'' (''The Yellow House'').

History

Foundation

The club was founded in 1943. The first match played by Nantes as a professional team took place at the

Stade Olympique de Colombes The Stade Yves-du-Manoir (officially Stade olympique Yves-du-Manoir, also known as the Stade olympique de Colombes, or simply Colombes to the locals) is a rugby, track and association football stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France. History ...

against CA Paris, where Nantes triumphed 2–0. The first home match was a defeat of the same score against

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

. The club finished fifth at the end of this first season following which the club's manager Aimé Nuic left the club following a dispute, and was succeeded by Antoine Raab, who took over in a player-coach role. After winning 16 consecutive matches, Nantes lost 9–0 to

Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy S ...

. The club became a professional football club in 1945 after winning the Western Region championship, and started that season in the second division. Under historic president Marcel Saupin, it spent a few years as a mid-table club in that division, with even threat of relegation in 1950, avoided on the last game only.

The 1950s

Results improved from 1951 onwards, and the club just missed out on promotion in 1952, finishing 4th, under respected coach Emile Veinante. His successor Antoine Raab was able to recruit more prestigious players, including Dutch stars Gerrit Vreken and Jan van Geen, but despite this, the club stagnated again. A number of coaches followed, but the club did not progress, and promising early starts to seasons often petered out by their ends. In 1960, president Marcel Saupin selected the young and promising amateur coach

. He was credited with revolutionising the team's game, insisting on team-based, less individual play, and an attack-oriented game. He set up a 4-2-4 instead of the then traditional 4 banks of players. His system showed promise but results were not forthcoming right away: placings read 11th, 6th in his first 2 seasons, and finally 2nd in 1962, having led the second division for the first half of the season. In that time, the club took part in the short-lived Anglo-French-Scottish cup, losing 71 to Liverpool FC.

Life in the top division - the José Arribas years (1963 to 1976)

José Arribas and Nantes found their place in the top division right away and finished 8th in their first season. The following season was even better: the club becomes French champions, and their star striker Jacky Simon was the league's top goalscorer and became the first Nantes player to earn an international cap. The club also won the

French League Cup The Coupe de la Ligue (), known outside France as the French League Cup, was a knockout cup competition in French football organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. The tournament was established in 1993 and, unlike the Coupe de France, w ...

. In 1965, the club confirmed its place at the top and won the league again. Best defence (36 goals conceded), best attack (84 goals scored),

Philippe Gondet Philippe Gondet (17 May 1942 – 21 January 2018) was a French footballer who played as a striker. He played for France during the 1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournamen ...

ended the season as the league's top goalscorer with 36 goals in 37 games. French success did not lead to European success however, and Nantes lost their first-round European Cup game to

Partizan Belgrade Jugoslovensko sportsko društvo Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Југословенско спортско друштво Партизан, lit=Yugoslav Sports Society Partizan), commonly abbreviated as JSD Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, ЈСД Партизан, link ...

, who went on to reach the final. At the end of that season, three Nantes players ( De Michèle, Gondet and Budzynski) wre part of the French team playing the World Cup in England. The late 60s and early 70s were not stellar years for the club, typically ending between the 10th and 7th place in the league. They made the French Cup final in 1970 but were routed by Saint-Etienne 5-0. Coach José Arribas's place was not under threat however, being very popular with players and fans alike. In parallel, the club worked hard behind the scene to modernise its structures and to develop its recruitment and player academy. Ex-players

and Robert Budzynski joined the coaching and recruitment team, and were tasked with deploying the club's playing philosophy at all levels of the club's teams. Young players such as

Patrice Rio Patrice Rio (born 15 August 1948 in Le Petit-Quevilly, Seine-Maritime) is a French former football defender who obtained a total number of 17 international caps for the France national football team in the 1970s. Playing for FC Nantes (1970–19 ...

, allied with experienced Argentinians

Ángel Marcos Ángel Marcos (born April 7, 1943) is an Argentina, Argentine former Association football, football striker (football), striker currently working in the staff of Chamois Niortais FC, Niort. Playing career Marcos started his professional playing c ...

and

Hugo Bargas Hugo Christophe Bargas (born 22 October 1986) is a French professional footballer who plays as a forward and was recently signed by Club Deportivo FAS in Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador. Club career Born in Le Puy-en-Velay through ...

, as well as Bayern Munich star

Erich Maas Erich Maas (born 24 December 1940) is a German former footballer who played as a striker. He spent eight seasons in the Bundesliga, as well as five seasons in the French Division 1, and was capped three times for the West Germany national te ...

enabled the club to turn its fortunes around and win the league in 1973. They also made the French Cup final but lost to Lyon. The club however could not break its European jinx: Danish amateur club

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the ...

eliminated Nantes in the first round of the European Cup. Results in the French league are good, although below that of high-flying club

AS Saint-Etienne As, AS, A. S., A/S or similar may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English critic, novelist, poet and short story writer * "As" (song), by Stevie Wonder * , a Spanish sports newspaper * , an academic male voice ...

, but European results disappointed, year after year. In 1976, the club and José Arribas finally decided to part ways after 13 years together.

Jean Vincent and Jean-Claude Suaudeau (1976 to 1988)

New coach Jean Vincent was tasked with bringing more success in cups, both domestic and European. He started by reshuffling the team, putting aside a few stars and starting young academy players such as Loic Amisse, Eric Pécout and

Bruno Baronchelli Bruno Baronchelli (born 13 January 1957 in Tours) is a former professional French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the nationa ...

. The team still used a very watchable system of play and won the league in 1977, for the fourth time in its history. In 1978, the team finished second behind Monaco but European disappointments continued. That year, the club opened its start-of-the-art training complex La Jonelière (since renamed José Arribas Sporting Centre), the most advanced in France at the time. In 1979, Jean-Claude Suaudeau was promoted to assistant manager, and this association saw the club thrive, winning its first French Cup in 1979, while finishing 2nd in the league. And finally in Europe, the club enjoyed some success, reaching the semi-finals of the Cup Winners Cup competition where they lost to Spanish club

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. With Argentinian star player

Enzo Trossero Enzo Héctor Trossero (born 23 May 1953), nicknamed ''El Vikingo'' (the Viking), is an Argentine footballer and coach. Club career He began his playing career at Argentine minnows Belgrano de San Francisco but he soon moved on to Colón de S ...

, and young up-and-coming academy players José Touré and

William Ayache William Ayache ( ar, ويليام عياش, born 10 January 1961) is a French former professional footballer who played as a side back, both left and right, and then manager. International career At international level, Ayache participated at ...

, the club remained 92 games unbeaten at home. Jean Vincent left the club in 1981, struggling to fit his new star striker, Yugoslav Vahid Halilhodzic, into Nantes system of play. Suaudeau took the reins by himself. He benefited from a star-studded defense, with French international goalkeeper

Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes Jean-Paul Fernand Gabriel Bertrand-Demanes (born 13 May 1952) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He earned eleven international caps for the France national team during the 1970s and was part of the France nat ...

, centre-backs Patrice Rio and Maxime Bossis, and full backs

Michel Bibard Michel Bibard (born 30 November 1958) is a French football manager and former player. He is the head coach of French club FC Saint-Cloud. As a player, Bibard was a defender. He won the gold medal with the France Olympic team at the 1984 Sum ...

Thierry Tusseau Thierry Tusseau (born 19 January 1958) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. As a player of French side Girondins de Bordeaux (1983–1986), he was a member of the France national team in the 1986 FIFA World Cup ...

and William Ayache; Bruno Baronchelli still pulls the strings in midfield, helped by academy youngster

Seth Adonkor Seth Adonkor (30 October 1961 – 18 November 1984) was a French football player of Ghanaian descent, who played as a defender or midfielder. He was the half-brother of Marcel Desailly, who later followed him to the FC Nantes Atlantique. Adon ...

protecting the defence; winger Loic Amisse enjoyed a purple patch in his twilight years; strikers José Touré (nicknamed 'the Brazilian') and particularly Vahid Halilhodzic enjoyed a great partnership. In their new La Beaujoire stadium, built for the 1984 Euro competition, Nantes won the title in 1983, and missed out on the double when they lost the French Cup final to

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

. Several other French clubs then increased their budgets significantly, and Nantes could not compete. The club lost Thierry Tusseau to Bordeaux, William Ayache to PSG and Maxime Bossis to

Matra Racing Racing Club de France Football (, also known as Racing Paris, RCF Paris, Matra Racing, Racing Club, or Racing) is a French association football club based in Colombes, a suburb of Paris. Racing was founded in 1882 as a multi-discipline spor ...

. Nantes were still among the premier clubs in France, attracting players such as Jorge Burruchaga (World Cup winner with Argentina in 1986), and managed to finish 6th in 1984, 2nd in 1985 and 2nd again in 1986. Other expensive recruits such as Maurice Johnston and Eddie Vercauteren did not gel and the results gradually declined. The constant influx of talented academy players such as

and

was not quite enough to compensate the departures and progress made by other clubs. The club finished 12th in 1987 and 10th in 1988.

Crisis and renaissance (1988 to 2004)

Suaudeau was then let go and the Croatian coach Miroslav Blazevic takes his place. The club however experienced financial difficulties (and was even nearly demoted in 1992), and had to rely almost exclusively on its young academy players to survive in the top division. The club became a "feeder club", selling its best young players to richer clubs: Deschamps and Yvon Le Roux to

Olympique Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club pl ...

Michel Der Zakarian Michel Der Zakarian ( hy, Միշել Տեր-Զաքարյան, born on 18 February 1963) is an Armenian football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. Raised in France, he played for Nantes and Montpellier, and earne ...

to Montpellier,

Antoine Kombouaré Antoine Krilone Kombouaré (; born 16 November 1963) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Ligue 1 club Nantes. Playing career Born in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, Kombouaré be ...

to Toulon, and

Vincent Bracigliano Vincent Bracigliano (born 30 September 1958) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is the uncle of Gennaro Bracigliano. Honours Metz * Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Coupe ...

to Nimes. In July 1991, the club re-appointed Jean-Claude Suaudeau, and in July 1992, after spending a fortnight in the second division due to an administrative decision by the ''DNCG'' (French Football's financial regulator), FC Nantes was renamed FC Nantes Atlantique, and was able to take its place in the first division back. Working closely with youth coach

, Suaudeau reinstated the "Nantes way of play" and, despite Marcel Desailly's departure to Marseille, stabilised the team. Soon the club could again show its trademark quick game with instant passing. The academy provided players who could mix the physical with the technical, particularly those such as Christian Karembeu, Patrice Loko,

and

Nicolas Ouédec Nicolas Pierre Ouédec (born 28 October 1971) is a retired French professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Born in Lorient, Morbihan, Ouédec was a product of FC Nantes's famous youth academy. He made his Ligue 1 debuts at ...

. Midfield maestros

Japhet N'Doram Japhet N'Doram (born 27 February 1966) is a Chadian former professional footballer who played as a striker. His 14-year senior career was mainly spent with Nantes, which he represented in several capacities. He was nicknamed ''The Wizard''. ...

and Raynald Pedros delighted crowds all over France. The team reached the French Cup final in 1993 (losing to PSG) before winning the French league in 1995. Nantes registered ten 3–0 wins at home that season. In 1995–96 Nantes reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, coming close to eliminating

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football league system. Founded in ...

after a superb performance in the return leg at home. However, Nantes continued to sell its best players, with Karembeu and Loko sold in 1995 and Ouédec, N'Doram, Makélélé,

Benoît Cauet Benoît Cauet (born 2 May 1969) is a French professional football manager and former player, who played as a midfielder. Playing career Cauet was born in Châtellerault. He won the Ligue 1 in 1989 and 1990 with Marseille and in 1995 with Na ...

and goalkeeper

David Marraud David Marraud (born 3 August 1964) is a retired French football goalkeeper Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form o ...

sold in the following two years. In 1997, frustrated by this, Suaudeau left the club and Denoueix took charge. The academy cane to the rescue once again, and nimble, technical, players such as

Stéphane Ziani Stéphane Ziani (born 9 December 1971) is a French former professional footballer, who played as a defensive midfielder with scoring ability. Following his career as a player, he managed FC Libourne-Saint-Seurin (2008) and Fujairah SC (2016). ...

Olivier Monterrubio Olivier Monterrubio (born 8 August 1976) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for FC Nantes, Stade Rennais, RC Lens, FC Sion in Switzerland, and FC Lorient. Club career Nantes Monterrubio started his ...

, Eric Carrière, Mikael Landreau and

Frédéric Da Rocha Frédéric Da Rocha (born 16 September 1974) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Nantes From 1996 to 2009 he was a key player for Nantes, winning the Coupe de France in 1998–99 and 1999–2000, t ...

enabled the club to win two French Cups in a row (1999 and 2000) before winning the league in 2001. Denoueix's departure for

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septemb ...

impacted the club somewhat, but Nantes still managed a French Cup semi-final, a League Cup final and 6th place in the league in 2004 under coaches Angel Marcos Loic Amisse.

Down and out (2005 to 2013)

Nantes finished last in the league in 2007 and were relegated, triggering a pitch invasion and protests by fans. 44 consecutive seasons in the top division came to an end. In the summer of 2007 summer the club was sold to business

Waldemar Kita Waldemar Kita (born 1953) is a Polish millionaire businessman residing in France.

. While the club had only five managers between 1960 and 2000, in the decade 2000 to 2010 ten were employed and sacked. The club was promoted back to the top division in 2008, only to be relegated again the next season. Nantes then finished in 15th place in Ligue 2 under the management of three different coaches.

Back to the top (2013 to present)

FBBP01_-_FCN_-_20151028_-_Coupe_de_la_Ligue_-_Michel_Der_Zakarian

Ex-player

took the helm in 2012, leading the club to promotion from the

2012–13 Ligue 2 The 2012–13 Ligue 2 season was the 74th season since its establishment. The league schedule was announced in April 2012 and the fixtures were determined on 30 May. The season began on 27 July and ended on 24 May 2013. The winter break was in e ...

, with 20 goals from

Filip Đorđević Filip Đorđević ( sr-Cyrl, Филип Ђорђевић, ; born 28 September 1987) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a forward. Đorđević earned 14 caps and scored 4 goals for Serbia from 2012 to 2014. Club career Early ca ...

. The team made it to the semi-finals of the 2013–14 Coupe de la Ligue, losing 2–1 at home to PSG. In April 2016, after a tense relationship, club president

Waldemar Kita Waldemar Kita (born 1953) is a Polish millionaire businessman residing in France.

announced that Der Zakarian would leave at the end of the season. René Girard was sacked after 15 games with Nantes second from bottom in December 2016, and was replaced by Sérgio Conceição. He took the team to 7th place, but left in June 2017 for

FC Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Port ...

to be closer to his family. Following brief spells by

Claudio Ranieri Claudio Ranieri Grande Ufficiale OMRI (; born 20 October 1951) is an Italian football manager and former player. He will be the new head coach of club Cagliari from 1 January 2023. Ranieri began his managerial career in the lower leagues in ...

and Miguel Cardoso, former Nantes player Vahid Halilhodžić was hired in October 2018. The following January, the club transferred Argentine striker

Emiliano Sala Emiliano Raúl Sala Taffarel (; 31 October 1990 – 21 January 2019) was an Argentine professional footballer who played as a striker. After playing youth football in Argentina and following a short spell in Portugal's regional leagues, Sala ...

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

club

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

for £15 million; he died in a light aircraft crash in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

. The club reached the semi-finals of the

2018–19 Coupe de France The 2018–19 Coupe de France was the 102nd season of the main football cup competition of France. The competition was organised by the French Football Federation (FFF) and was open to all clubs in French football, as well as clubs from the ov ...

, losing 3–0 to PSG. After a year with Christian Gourcuff in charge and seven games under former France national team manager Raymond Domenech, 18th-placed Nantes hired

on 10 February 2021. He finished the season in that position, before winning the play-off against

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

to stay up. On 7 May 2022, Nantes won their fourth Coupe de France with a 1–0 win over

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

, their first honour since 2001; Ludovic Blas scored the only goal from the penalty spot.

Stadiums

FC Nantes played at

Stade Marcel Saupin The Stade Marcel-Saupin is a sports complex in the city of Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), France. It was opened in 1937 under the name Stade Malakoff, and was used primarily by Stade nantais université club for rugby union, then became the stadium ...

from 1937 to 1984. They moved to their current home ground

Stade de la Beaujoire The Stade de la Beaujoire – Louis Fonteneau, mostly known as Stade de la Beaujoire (), is a stadium in Nantes, France. It is the home of French football club FC Nantes. The stadium opened for the first time on 8 May 1984, for a friendly game ...

in 1984; the stadium has a capacity of 38,128. A new stadium dubbed '

YelloPark YelloPark was a proposed football stadium planned to be built in Nantes, France. It was expected to serve as the stadium of FC Nantes and as a football venue for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris and the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The stadium wo ...

' was expected to be built as Nantes' home ground in 2022, but the project was abandoned on 26 February 2019 following refusal by the Nantes Metropolitan Council to sell lands needed for development of the site.

Players

Current squad

Reserve squad

Out on loan

Retired numbers

(posthumous honour)

Notable players

Below are the notable former players who have represented Nantes in

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

and international competition since the club's foundation in 1943. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 100 official matches for the club. ''For a complete list of FC Nantes players, see :FC Nantes players'' * Loïc Amisse *

Sylvain Armand Sylvain Armand (born 1 August 1980) is a French former professional footballer who played as a left-back for Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain, Nantes, and Clermont. Career Born in Saint-Étienne, Loire, Armand started playing youth team football f ...

Bernard Blanchet Bernard Blanchet (born 1 December 1943 in Saint-Mars-la-Jaille) is a former professional French football player. External links * * Profileon FFF.fr Profileon TangoFoot 1943 births Living people French men's footballers France men's i ...

* Maxime Bossis *

Robert Budzynski Robert Budzynski is a former professional French association footballer born in Calonne-Ricouart of Polish origin, who played as a defender, notably for France at FIFA World Cup 1966 The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a ...

* Eric Carrière *

Jean-Michel Ferri Jean-Michel Ferri (born 7 February 1969) is a former France international footballer who played midfielder. He won the championship with FC Nantes in 1995. He joined Liverpool near the end of his career in 1998, but left after playing just ...

Nicolas Gillet Nicolas Gillet (born 11 August 1976) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. In 2001, he earned a cap for France during the 2001 Confederations Cup against Australia. Career Whilst at FC Nantes Gillet contributed ...

Jocelyn Gourvennec Jocelyn François Gourvennec (born 22 March 1972) is a French professional football manager and former player who most recently was the head coach of Ligue 1 club Lille. He played as a midfielder for clubs such as Lorient, Rennes, Nantes, Mar ...

* Christian Karembeu *

* Yvon Le Roux * Patrice Loko *

Henri Michel Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the worl ...

Jean-Claude Osman Jean-Claude Osman (born March 6, 1947 in La Suze) is a French retired professional football defender. External links Profile on French federation official site 1947 births Living people French men's footballers France men's international ...

Dimitri Payet Dimitri Payet (; born 29 March 1987) is a French professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Marseille. A set-piece specialist, known for his accurate, bending free kicks, he primarily plays as an attacking midfielder, and is described a ...

Éric Pécout Éric Pécout (born 17 February 1956) is a retired football striker from France who obtained 5 caps (one goal) for the French national team. Titles *French championship in 1977, 1980 with FC Nantes, 1982 with AS Monaco *Coupe de France in 197 ...

Reynald Pedros Reynald Pedros (born 10 October 1971) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He currently manages the Morocco women's national team. Club career Pedros was born in Orléans, Loiret, and is of S ...

Gilles Rampillon Gilles Rampillon (born 28 July 1953 in Aubiers) is a French former professional footballer. He is a historic player of FC Nantes Football Club de Nantes (; Gallo: ''Naunnt''), commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (), is a ...

Omar Sahnoun Omar Sahnoun ( ar, عمر سحنون; 18 August 1955 – 21 April 1980) was a French professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Football career Sahnoun was born in Guerrouma, Algeria the son of a harki, and his family settled in Beauv ...

Nicolas Savinaud Nicolas Savinaud (born 20 November 1975) is a French former professional footballer who spent most of his career at FC Nantes. Mostly deployed as a defender, he also played in other positions. Career Born in Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, Savin ...

* José Touré *

Valentin Rongier Valentin Rongier (born 7 December 1994) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille, Marseille, which he Captain (association football), captains. Club career Nantes ...

Jordan Veretout Jordan Marcel Gilbert Veretout (born 1 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Marseille and the France national team. Veretout is a former France youth international, having represented his ...

Djamel Abdoun Djamel Abdoun (born 14 February 1986) is an Algerian retired professional footballer who played as a winger. In the summer of 2011, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos, on a free transfer from Kavala, due to their relegation to ...

Ángel Bargas Ángel Hugo Bargas (born 29 October 1946) is an Argentine former football defender. He represented Argentina at the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Playing career Bargas, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, started his career at Racing Club in 1965 but he ...

* Jorge Burruchaga * Mauro Cetto *

Néstor Fabbri Néstor Ariel Fabbri (born 29 April 1968) is an Argentinian former footballer who played as a defender. Career Fabbri started playing at the young division of All Boys in 1984, he made his debut for the first team during the 1984–85 season i ...

Oscar Muller Oscar Muller (28 July 1957 – 19 August 2005) was an Argentine footballer who played in France with Nantes, Rennes, Amiens and AS Angoulême As, AS, A. S., A/S or similar may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * A. S. Byatt (born 193 ...

Julio Olarticoechea Julio Jorge Olarticoechea (born 18 October 1958) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a defender. At international level, he represented Argentina at the 1986 and the 1990 World Cups, winning the former edition of the tournament. He s ...

Victor Trossero The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French sho ...

Franky Vercauteren François Vercauteren (born 28 October 1956), nicknamed "The Little Prince", is a Belgian former footballer who played as a left winger. He is currently unemployed after most recently managing Antwerp. Club career Vercauteren made his first ...

* Diego Carlos * Vahid Halilhodžić *

Salomon Olembé René Salomon Olembé-Olembé (born 8 December 1980) is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a left midfielder. Club career Olembé started his career with Nantes, where he contributed 30 appearances as his side won 2000� ...

Oswaldo Vizcarrondo Oswaldo Augusto Vizcarrondo Araujo (, born 31 May 1984) is a former Venezuela international footballer who played as a centre-back. He retired as a professional football player in 2019 and started a coaching career in 2020. He coached at the AS ...

Mario Yepes Mario Alberto Yepes Díaz (; born 13 January 1976) is a Colombian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is well known for his time in Paris Saint-Germain, where he was considered to be one of the best defenders at the ...

Noureddine Naybet Noureddine Naybet ( ar, نور الدين نيبت; born 10 February 1970) is a Moroccan former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He played in Spain (Deportivo de La Coruña) and Portugal for Sporting CP and England for To ...

Jaouad Zairi Jaouad Zairi ( ar, جواد الزايري; born 17 April 1982) is a Moroccan professional footballer who played as a winger. He played for the Morocco national team between 2000 and 2009, making 34 appearances and scoring six goals. Early l ...

Samson Siasia Samson Siasia (born 14 August 1967) is a Nigerian former professional football striker and the former head coach of the Nigeria national team from 2010 to October 2011. He was reappointed in 2016. On 16 August 2019, FIFA banned Siasia from all ...

* Robert Gadocha * Roman Kosecki *

Viorel Moldovan Viorel Dinu Moldovan (born 8 July 1972) is a Romanian former professional football forward and currently a manager. He was an important player for the Romanian national team in the 1990s. Career Moldovan was born in Bistrița. At club level, ...

Claudiu Keșerü Claudiu Andrei Keșerü (; born 2 December 1986) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays mainly as a striker for Liga I club UTA Arad. After starting out at hometown side FC Oradea, he soon moved to Nantes in 2003. Over the course of n ...

Mo Johnston Maurice John Giblin Johnston (born 13 April 1963) is a Scottish football player and coach. Johnston, who played as a forward, started his senior football career with Partick Thistle in 1981. He moved to Watford in 1983, where he scored 23 leag ...

Marama Vahirua Marama Vahirua (born 12 May 1980) is a Tahitian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career in France before finishing his professional career in Greece with Panthrakikos F.C. In July 2018, he became pr ...

* Imed Mhedhebi *

Adel Sellimi Adel Sellimi ( ar, عادل السليمي; born 16 November 1972) is a former football player and current manager. As a child, he drew inspiration from the 1978 World Cup team who became the first African nation to win a World Cup match. At ...

Alejandro Bedoya Alejandro Bedoya (born April 29, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder and captains the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer. Early life Bedoya, of Colombian descent, was born in New Jersey and raised ...

Club officials

Coaches

* Aimé Nuic (1943–46) * Antoine Raab (1946–49) * Antoine Gorius (1949–51) *

Émile Veinante Émile Veinante (12 June 1907 – 18 November 1983) was a French football player and coach. A striker, he represented FC Metz and RC Paris at club level while scoring 14 goals in 24 appearances with the France national team. Club career Vei ...

(1951–55) * Antoine Raab (1955–56) * Stanislas Staho (1956) *

Ludwig Dupal Ludwig Dupal (born 17 April 1913, date of death unknown), also known as Louis Dupal, Ludvík Dupal or Ludwick Dupal, was a Czech football player and manager. He played for SK Bata Zlin, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard Football Club Sochaux-Montbé ...

(1956–59) *

Karel Michlowsky Karel Michlowsky (9 October 1918 – 11 December 1998) was a Czech footballer and football manager. He played for SK Bata Zlin, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, Angers SCO and AS Saint-Étienne Association Sportive de Saint-Étienne Loire (), co ...

(1959–60) *

(1960–76) * Jean Vincent (1976–82) *

(1 July 1982 – 30 June 1988) * Miroslav "Ćiro" Blažević (1 July 1988 – 2 February 1991) *

(2 February 1991 – 30 June 1997) *

(1 July 1997 – 27 December 2001) *

(28 December Dec 2001–30 June 2003) * Loïc Amisse (5 June 2003 – 2 January 2005) *

Serge Le Dizet Serge Le Dizet (born 27 June 1964 in Douarnenez, Finistère) is a French football coach who had a playing career. He is currently an assistant manager at Ligue 2 club Caen. He played his whole career in Brittany, with Stade Quimperois, Stade Re ...

(3 January 2005 – 10 September 2006) *

Georges Eo Georges Eo (born 7 November 1948 in Lorient) is a French football manager and former midfielder. He was assistant manager of Nantes from 1987 to 2005, during which time the club won two Ligue 1 titles. He became the club's full manager in 2006, ...

(20 September 2006 – 12 February 2007) *

and

(12 February 2007–07) *

(2007–26 August 2008) * Christian Larièpe ''(interim)'' (27 Aug 2008 – 2 September 2008) *

Elie Baup Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven. The burgh comprised the linked ...

(2 September 2008 – 30 June 2009) *

Gernot Rohr Gernot Rohr (born 28 June 1953) is a German professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of the Nigerian national team. Managerial career In 1996, he managed Girondins de Bordeaux to the UEFA Cup final, whe ...

(1 July 2009 – 3 December 2009) *

Jean-Marc Furlan Jean-Marc Furlan (born 20 November 1957) is a French football manager and former player who played as a defender. Club career Born in Sainte-Foy-la-Grande, Furlan started his career at Bordeaux, where he signed his first professional contract i ...

(3 December 2009 – 20 February 2010) * Baptiste Gentili (21 February 2010 – 6 March 2011) *

Philippe Anziani Philippe Anziani (born 21 September 1961) is a French former football striker and manager. In 2019, he became manager of the Olympique de Marseille reserves in the fourth tier. Coaching career Anziani became SC Bastia manager ahead of the 2009 ...

(7 March 2011 – 30 May 2011) *

Landry Chauvin Landry Chauvin (born 7 December 1968) is a French former footballer who most recently was the manager of Tunisian team Club Africain. Chauvin spent his playing career in the semi-professional leagues. He made six appearances in two seasons with ...

(31 May 2011 – 30 May 2012) *

(31 May 2012 – 10 May 2016) * René Girard (11 May 2016 – 2 December 2016) * Sérgio Conceição (8 December 2016 – 6 June 2017) *

(15 June 2017 – 19 May 2018) * Miguel Cardoso (13 June 2018 – 2 October 2018) * Vahid Halilhodžić (2 October 2018 – 2 August 2019) * Christian Gourcuff (August 2019 – December 2020) * Raymond Domenech (December 2020 – February 2021) *

(February 2021 – present)

Honours

National

** Winners (8): 1964–65, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1994–95, 2000–01 *

** Winners (4): 1978–79, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2021–22 *

** Winners: 1964–65 *

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 other countries. His ...

** Winners (3): 1965,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

International

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

** ''Semi-finalists'': 1995–96 * UEFA Cup ** ''Quarter-finalists'': 1994–95 *

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA. The tourn ...

** ''Semi-finalists'': 1979–80 *

Cup of the Alps Coppa delle Alpi (translated as ''Cup of the Alps'') was a friendly football tournament, first organized by the Italian national league as it started in 1960 and then they were aided by the Swiss League from 1962, for the reason that the majorit ...

** Winners: 1982

References

External links

FC Nantes
at

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...

* {{Authority control Sport in Nantes

Ligue 1 clubs