Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice Côte d'Azur (commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice) is a French association football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top-tier of French football. Nice plays its home matches at the Stade Municipal du Ray located within the city. In 2013, the club is scheduled to move into a new stadium, named Allianz Riviera. Nice is managed by Claude Puel and captained by midfielder Didier Digard.
Nice was founded under the name Gymnaste Club de Nice and is one of the founding members of the first division of French football. Along with Marseille, Montpelllier, Rennes, and Sochaux, Nice is the only club to have played in the inaugural 1932–33 season and still be playing in the first division as of today. The club has won Ligue 1 four times and the Coupe de France three times. Nice achieved most of its honours in the 1950s with the club being managed by coaches such as Numa Andoire, Englishman William Berry, and Jean Luciano. The club's last honour was winning the Coupe de France in 1997 after beating Guingamp 4–3 on penalties in the final. Nice's colors are red and black.
During the club's successful run in the 1950s, Nice were among the first French clubs to successfully integrate internationals players into the fold. Notable players include Argentines Hector De Bourgoing and Pancho González, Luxembourger Victor Nurenberg, and Spaniard Joaquin Valle. Valle is the club's all-time leading goalscorer and, arguably, the club's greatest player.
Famous quotes containing the word nice:
“We are becoming like cats, slyly parasitic, enjoying an indifferent domesticity. Nice and snug in “the social” our historic passions have withdrawn into the glow of an artificial cosiness, and our half-closed eyes now seek little other than the peaceful parade of television pictures.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)