Olympique Lyonnais - Rivalries

Rivalries

Historically, Lyon has had a healthy rivalry with fellow Ligue 1 club Saint-Étienne, whom they contest the Derby du Rhône (Rhône derby) with. However, since the club's dominance at the start of the new millennium, they have established rivalries with Marseille, Bordeaux, Paris Saint-Germain, and Lille. Lyon also share minor rivalries with fellow Rhône-Alpes clubs Grenoble and AS Lyon Duchère.

The Saint-Étienne rivalry began during the 1960s when Lyon established permanent residency in the French first division. The Arpitan rivalry stems from both clubs close proximity of each other, separated by just 38 miles, as well as historical social and cultural difference between the two cities where they are based; Lyon cited as being more upper-class, while Saint-Étienne is cited as being more working-class. The derby also pits "the recently most successful French club" (Lyon) against "the formerly biggest French club" (Saint-Étienne) and is often cited as one of the high-points of the Ligue 1 season.

Lyon's rivalry with Olympique de Marseille goes back to 23 September 1945, when the clubs contested their first match. The derby, often called Choc des Olympiques (Clash of the Olympics), is often cited as being particularly important as both clubs are of high standard in French football and the championship is regularly decided between the two. Marseille, Saint-Étienne, Lyon are the only French clubs to have won the French first division four straight times with Marseille doing it on two occasions.