Bernard Lacombe

Bernard Lacombe

File:Bernard Lacombe en 2012.jpg Bernard Lacombe, 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1952-08-15) August 15, 1952
Place of birth	Lyon, France
Height
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1960–1969	CS Fontaines
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1978	Lyon	274	(153)
1978–1979	Saint-Étienne	39	(29)
1979–1987	Bordeaux	317	(142)
Total		630	(324)
International career
1973–1984	France	38	(12)
Managerial career
1996–2000	Lyon
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bernard Lacombe (born August 15, 1952 in Lyon) is a retired French football player. He played forward, mainly with Olympique Lyonnais, Girondins Bordeaux and AS Saint-Etienne and the French national team.

Career

Bernard Lacombe started his professional career with Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) in 1969, one of his teammates Aimé Jacquet will be later his team manager (and the manager of the French national team who won the World Cup 1998).

He had his first cap with the French national team in 1973. He played the World Cup 1978, scoring after only 30 seconds against Italy, the fastest goal ever for a French player, and the first goal of that championship. He played also the World Cup 1982 and won the 1984 European Championship.

After a brief stay with AS Saint-Étienne he joined FC Girondins de Bordeaux where he was re-united with Aimé Jacquet. He won three French Ligue 1 championships.

With 255 goals in Ligue 1 he is the second best striker of all times in the French championship, after Delio Onnis.

After his career of player ended, he came back to Lyon to join the technical staff of Olympique Lyonnais, first as technical manager (from 1988 to 1996), then as trainer (1996 to 2000) and manager. He was instrumental in the successes of Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1 and also on the European scene (seven participations in a row at the UEFA Champions League). He does not have official responsibilities now, except as "special adviser" to the team President Jean-Michel Aulas, but he has a lot of influence on the choices made, he is behind the arrival of several of the brilliant Brazilian players that joined the Olympique Lyonnais in recent years (Juninho Pernambucano, Edmílson Gomes, Cris, Caçapa and Fred).

Honours

• 1984 European Championship with France national team.
• French Ligue 1 championship in 1984, 1985 and 1987 with FC Girondins de Bordeaux
• Coupe de France (French Cup) in 1973 with Olympique Lyonnais and in 1987 with FC Girondins de Bordeaux
• Trophée des Champions in 1973 with Olympique Lyonnais and in 1987 with FC Girondins de Bordeaux

• 38 caps with France national team (12 goals)

References

• Bernard Lacombe player profile at footballdatabase.eu