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AS Nancy Lorraine

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AS Nancy Lorraine
Full nameAssociation Sportive Nancy Lorraine
NicknameLes Chardons (The Thistles)
Founded1910; 116 years ago (1910)
professional section established 1967
GroundStade Marcel Picot, Tomblaine
Capacity20,087
Owner(s)Krishen Sud and Chien Lee[1]
ChairmanKrishen Sud
ManagerOswald Tanchot[2]
LeagueLigue 2
2025–26Ligue 2, 14th of 18
Websitehttps://www.asnl.net/
Current season

Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (French pronunciation: [asɔsjɑsjɔ̃ spɔʁtiv nɑ̃si lɔʁɛn]), commonly known as AS Nancy Lorraine, ASNL or simply Nancy, is a French association football club based in Nancy, Grand Est. The first team plays at the Stade Marcel Picot in the neighbouring commune of Tomblaine and competes in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football.

The club traces its origins to the multi-sports club Union sportive Frontière, founded in 1910 and renamed Association sportive lorraine in 1928. A professional football section was created in 1967, when the present name was adopted; the year 1967 on the club badge therefore refers to the creation of the professional structure rather than to the beginning of the association itself.[3]

Nancy's principal honours are the Coupe de France in 1978 and the Coupe de la Ligue in 2006. The club has also won the French second division five times, in 1975, 1990, 1998, 2005 and 2016, and won the Championnat National in 2025.[4] Its best finishes in the French top flight were fourth place in 1976–77 and 2007–08. Nancy has appeared in European competition on three occasions: the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1978–79 and the UEFA Cup in 2006–07 and 2008–09.

ASNL is particularly associated with the development of young players. Michel Platini began his senior career at Nancy and scored the winning goal in the 1978 Coupe de France final, while later products of the club's youth system include Mustapha Hadji, Youssouf Hadji, Pape Diakhaté, Michaël Chrétien, Landry N'Guémo, Massadio Haïdara and Clément Lenglet. The club has also had links with British football: Morocco international Abdeslam Ouaddou moved directly from Nancy to Fulham in 2001, Haïdara joined Newcastle United in 2013, and both N'Guémo and Marc-Antoine Fortuné moved from Nancy to Celtic in 2009.[5][6][7]

The club's traditional rival is FC Metz, with whom it contests the Derby Lorrain.

History

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Origins and the return of professional football to Nancy

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The origins of AS Nancy Lorraine lie in the gymnastics society La Frontière, founded in 1906 by Maurice Mathieu de Vienne. It became the multi-sports Union sportive Frontière in 1910 and adopted the name Association sportive lorraine in 1928. The amateur club played a secondary role in local football for much of the interwar period, while professional football in the city was represented by FC Nancy, a separate club which folded as a professional entity in the 1960s.

In 1966, businessman Claude Cuny, who had previously been involved with FC Nancy, began a campaign to restore professional football to the city. His publicity campaign, known locally as Boîte postale 17, invited people in Nancy and Lorraine to demonstrate their support for a new professional side; around 18,000 letters, cards and petitions were received.[8] Cuny used Association sportive lorraine as the amateur base required for admission to the professional game, and the new professional section was accepted into Division 2 on 16 June 1967.

Nancy's first professional manager was former France international René Pleimelding. The new team needed only three seasons to reach Division 1, gaining promotion in 1970.

The Platini era

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Michel Platini, who began his senior career with Nancy, is the club's all-time leading goalscorer.

Nancy's most celebrated period began with the emergence of Michel Platini. He joined the club in 1972 as a teenager, initially appearing for the reserve team, and established himself in the first team the following year. During Nancy's season in the second division in 1974–75 he scored 17 league goals as the club won its first Division 2 title.

Back in the top flight, Nancy developed a young and 'technically gifted' side around Platini, Olivier Rouyer, Jean-Michel Moutier, Carlos Curbelo, Paco Rubio and Philippe Jeannol. The team finished fourth in Division 1 in 1976–77, still one of the two highest league finishes in the club's history.

The high point came on 13 May 1978, when Nancy beat Nice 1–0 in the 1978 Coupe de France final at the Parc des Princes. Platini scored the only goal and received the trophy from President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.[9]

The cup win took Nancy into Europe for the first time. In the 1978–79 European Cup Winners' Cup, the club eliminated Frem Copenhagen before losing to Servette in the second round. Platini missed much of that campaign through injury. He left Nancy for AS Saint-Étienne in 1979 after seven seasons with the senior side.

From the 1980s to the early 2000s

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Nancy remained in the top division throughout the first half of the 1980s. Future Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger was appointed coach in 1984 and remained until 1987, when the club was relegated. Wenger left for Monaco after relegation.

The club returned to the top flight after winning Division 2 in 1989–90. That season was followed by an ambitious spell under coach Aimé Jacquet, later manager of France's 1998 World Cup-winning side, with players including Soviet international Oleksandr Zavarov and Poland international Ryszard Tarasiewicz. The project was short-lived, and Nancy spent much of the 1990s moving between the top two divisions.

László Bölöni became coach in 1994 and helped restore stability. Nancy returned to Division 1 in 1996 and again in 1998, when a side containing players such as Pablo Correa, Tony Cascarino, Frédéric Biancalani, Vincent Hognon and Cédric Lécluse won the Division 2 championship. Cascarino, an Irish international well known in British football for spells with Aston Villa, Celtic and Chelsea, became a popular figure at Marcel-Picot during his three seasons with Nancy.

Pablo Correa, cup success and Europe

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After a difficult start to the 2002–03 season, former Nancy forward Pablo Correa was appointed head coach. He built a side around a group of young players, many developed by the club, including Michaël Chrétien, Pape Diakhaté, Jonathan Brison and Moncef Zerka. Nancy won Ligue 2 in 2004–05 and returned to the top flight.

Nancy and Nice before the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final

In their first season back in Ligue 1, Nancy won the Coupe de la Ligue. On 22 April 2006 they beat Nice 2–1 at the Stade de France, with goals from Zerka and Brazilian forward Kim. Around 40,000 Nancy supporters travelled to the final, using eleven special trains, more than 300 coaches and thousands of private cars.[10]

The victory qualified Nancy for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. In the first round they were drawn against Schalke 04, who had reached the semi-finals the previous season. After losing the first leg 1–0 in Germany, Nancy won 3–1 at Marcel-Picot to reach the group stage.[11] They finished second in their group before being eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 32.

The 2007–08 season produced Nancy's best league campaign since the Platini era. The club was second at the halfway point and entered the final day in contention for a place in the UEFA Champions League. A 3–2 home defeat by Rennes, combined with a win for Marseille, left Nancy fourth.[12] Fourth place nevertheless qualified the club for the 2008–09 UEFA Cup. Nancy beat Scottish side Motherwell in the first round before being eliminated in the group stage.

Decline and recovery

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Correa left in 2011 after nine seasons as head coach. Nancy were relegated from Ligue 1 in 2013 but returned after winning a fifth Ligue 2 championship in 2015–16. Their stay in the top flight lasted one season, and several years of increasing financial and sporting difficulty followed.

In 2022 Nancy were relegated to the third-tier Championnat National for the first time in the club's professional history. The following season they finished in the relegation places and faced the prospect of dropping further after financial problems led to an administrative demotion. In the summer of 2023 shareholders Krishen Sud and Chien Lee consolidated control of the club and provided additional funding; Nancy ultimately remained in the National after the administrative relegation of Sedan created a vacancy.

Correa returned for a second spell as head coach in November 2023, when Nancy were near the bottom of the National. After finishing sixth in 2023–24, the club dominated the following season and won the 2024–25 Championnat National, securing promotion back to Ligue 2 in May 2025.[13] Nancy finished 14th in Ligue 2 in 2025–26 and remained in the division. Correa left at the end of the season and was succeeded by Oswald Tanchot for 2026–27.[14]

Stade Marcel Picot

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The Stade Marcel Picot in Tomblaine

Nancy play their home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot, situated in Tomblaine immediately east of Nancy. The ground opened in 1926 as the Parc des sports du pont d'Essey and was renamed in 1968 after Marcel Picot, a former president of the Stade universitaire lorrain and FC Nancy.

The stadium's record attendance is 30,384 for a league match against AS Saint-Étienne in 1976. Between 1999 and 2003 it was extensively rebuilt as a fully seated and covered stadium, with a capacity of 20,087. In 2007–08, Nancy's most successful recent Ligue 1 season, average home attendance reached 18,741, corresponding to a 93.3 per cent occupancy rate.[15]

The ground has a distinctive place in football history because of Michel Platini's testimonial on 23 May 1988. The event, marking the end of Platini's playing career, brought leading international footballers to Nancy, including Pelé, Diego Maradona, Zico, Lothar Matthäus, Rabah Madjer, Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse and others. According to ASNL, Marcel-Picot is the only stadium in which Pelé, Maradona and Platini appeared on the pitch together.[16]

Youth academy and player development

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France international Clément Lenglet was developed at Nancy.

The club's training and academy complex is located in the Forêt de Haye west of Nancy. Youth development has long been central to ASNL's identity. Platini arrived at the club as a teenager and progressed through the reserve side before establishing himself in the first team. Other players developed at Nancy include Olivier Rouyer, Philippe Jeannol, Mustapha Hadji, Youssouf Hadji, Michaël Chrétien, Pape Diakhaté, Jonathan Brison, Landry N'Guémo, Moncef Zerka, Massadio Haïdara, Clément Lenglet, Michaël Cuisance, Amine Bassi and Neil El Aynaoui.

The academy has also been a route into British football. Defender Abdeslam Ouaddou, developed at Nancy, was sold to Premier League club Fulham in 2001.[17] Left-back Massadio Haïdara joined Newcastle United directly from Nancy in January 2013.[18] In 2009 Cameroon midfielder Landry N'Guémo joined Celtic on loan, while former Nancy forward Marc-Antoine Fortuné moved permanently to the Glasgow club after a loan spell in the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion.[19][20]

Supporters and rivalry

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Nancy supporters at a Derby Lorrain away to Metz in 2013

Nancy has traditionally drawn support from the city and the wider southern Lorraine area. The scale of that support was particularly visible at the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue final, when around 40,000 supporters travelled to the Stade de France.[21] Organised ultra support at Marcel-Picot dates from the early 1990s.

The club's principal rivalry is with FC Metz, around 55 km (34 mi) to the north. Matches between the two clubs are known as the Derby Lorrain and form one of the most important regional rivalries in French football.

Nancy supporters also have long-standing friendships with supporters of German club 1. FC Saarbrücken and FC Rouen.

European record

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SeasonCompetitionStage reachedNotable opponents
1978–79European Cup Winners' CupSecond roundFrem Copenhagen, Servette
2006–07UEFA CupRound of 32Schalke 04, Feyenoord, Blackburn Rovers, Shakhtar Donetsk
2008–09UEFA CupGroup stageMotherwell, CSKA Moscow, Deportivo de La Coruña

Nancy's 2006–07 campaign remains the club's best European run. The 3–1 home victory over Schalke in September 2006 overturned a first-leg deficit and was described by UEFA as a major breakthrough in only the club's second European campaign.[22]

Players

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Current squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  FRA Enzo Basilio
2 DF  FRA Héliohdino Tavares
4 DF  FRA Nehemiah Fernandez
7 MF  FRA Zakaria Fdaouch
8 FW  FRA Walid Bouabdeli
9 FW  MAR Ilyes Housni
10 FW  FRA Adrian Dabasse
14 DF  GLP Nicolas Saint-Ruf
17 MF  MTN Mamadou Fofana
18 MF  FRA Hugo Barbier
19 MF  FRA Kouroufia Kébé
20 FW  COD Brandon Bokangu
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 DF  GNB Elydjah Mendy
22 DF  BEL Logan Ndenbe
24 MF  ALG Yanis Delaveau
25 MF  FRA Jérémy Gélin
26 MF  FRA Zakaria Ztouti
28 MF  ALG Issam Bouaoune
44 DF  FRA Enzo Tacafred
45 MF  FRA Chafik El Hansar
60 GK  FRA Kenzo Noël
77 DF  FRA Yannis Nahounou

Notable former players

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Notable managers

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Several coaches associated with Nancy later achieved wider international prominence. Arsène Wenger managed the club from 1984 to 1987 before joining Monaco and later Arsenal. Aimé Jacquet coached Nancy in 1990–91 before eventually leading France to victory at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. László Bölöni was in charge from 1994 to 2000, while former Nancy player Pablo Correa managed the club for more than a decade across two main spells and led the team to the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue, fourth place in Ligue 1 in 2008 and the 2025 National title.

Honours

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Domestic

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Top-flight record

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References

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  1. ↑ "AS Nancy Lorraine : que retenir du communiqué des actionnaires ?". L'Est Républicain (in French). 16 July 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Les entraîneurs de Ligue 2 BKT en 2026/27" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "50 ans de l'ASNL : 1967 ou le retour du football professionnel à Nancy" (in French). France Bleu. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Palmarès National" (in French). French Football Federation. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Fulham capture Morocco defender". The Guardian. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Newcastle complete signing of Massadio Haidara from Nancy". BBC Sport. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Celtic get Fortuné on their side". UEFA. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "50 ans de l'ASNL : 1967 ou le retour du football professionnel à Nancy" (in French). France Bleu. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "50 ans de l'ASNL : la Coupe de France 78, premier grand titre pour Nancy" (in French). France Bleu. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Finale de la Coupe de la Ligue Nancy–Nice (2–1): 10 ans déjà" (in French). France 3 Grand Est. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Nancy ready to grasp the nettle". UEFA. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Nancy rate la marche" (in French). Eurosport. 17 May 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Le bilan et les chiffres de la saison" (in French). French Football Federation. 11 June 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Les entraîneurs de Ligue 2 BKT en 2026/27" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 3 August 2026. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Le gâteau sans la cerise". Le Figaro (in French). 25 May 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Étiez-vous au jubilé Platini ?" (in French). AS Nancy Lorraine. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Fulham capture Morocco defender". The Guardian. 2 August 2001. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Newcastle complete signing of Massadio Haidara from Nancy". BBC Sport. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "Celtic seal N'Guemo loan". Sky Sports. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Celtic get Fortuné on their side". UEFA. 8 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Finale de la Coupe de la Ligue Nancy–Nice (2–1): 10 ans déjà" (in French). France 3 Grand Est. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Nancy ready to grasp the nettle". UEFA. 3 October 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2026.

Further reading

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  • Claude Cuny, with Michel Caffier, Histoire d'un club: AS Nancy-Lorraine (Paris: Éditions Alta, 1981).
  • Jean-Pierre Hopp, Histoire de l'AS Nancy-Lorraine. De Claude Cuny à Michel Platini et depuis... (Le Coteau: Éditions Horvath, 1988).
  • Christian Portelance, AS Nancy-Lorraine. Des épopées et des hommes (Alan Sutton, 2007).
  • Bertrand Munier, AS Nancy-Lorraine – Histoire d'un club – Au fil des saisons depuis 1935 (Éditions Serpenoise, 2010), ISBN 978-2-87692-747-6.
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