Olympique Lyonnais Reserves and Academy

The U-19 squad participates in their weekly league, the Championnat National U19, which is a league comprising four groups of fourteen clubs who play each other twice during the regular season. This session is dubbed Phase 1. Following the regular season, the four group winners are randomly selected to face each other in semi-final matches (dubbed Phase 2) to decide who will play each other in the Under-18 Championnat National championship match, usually held in Mayenne. There is also a third-place match, which is usually held just before the championship match. The Under-18 squad also regularly participates in the Coupe Gambardella. They have won the title on 4 occasions. They won the cup in 1971, 1994, 1997 and 2022.

The U-17 side participates in a league, the Championnat National U17, a youth league comprising six groups of twelve clubs who play each other twice during the regular season, dubbed Phase 1. Following the regular season, the six group winners and the two best second place clubs are randomly inserting into two groups of four, where they play each other at neutral venues once over a span of four days. This portion is dubbed Phase 2. The two winners of each group will then face each other in the championship match to determine the champion of the Under-17 Championnat National. The Under-17 squad also participates in regional cup competitions.

The current National 3 manager is Gueida Fofana, who played for Olympique Lyonnais before but had his career cut-short due to injuries. He has been the manager of Lyon's reserves team since 2019. The manager of the Olympique Lyonnais U-19s and U-17s are former Lyon defender Jérémie Bréchet, and Mohamed Chacha.[2]

According to Faouzi Djedou-Benabid, the scout for Niort and the co-author of Pourquoi le foot français va dans le mur (Why French football goes into wall) (2015), published by Hugo Sport, the training provided in Olympique Lyonnais academy favors the technical learning of football over match results, like FC Barcelona: thus, "Lyon educators do not hesitate to have defenders play in midfield so that 'they can learn to use their feet better". In addition, the formation does not favor any pattern of play, allowing the players to adapt easily to all positions during the game.[3]

as a result of this philosophy, since the 2010s, Lyon youth academy gained reputation all around Europe as being one of the top football academies in the continent, producing several players playing in European top tier competitions.[4] Between 2012 and 2019, Lyon appears successively eight times in top 4 of the International Centre for Sports Studies list of the best football academies in Europe. Lyon was also rated by the French Football Federation as the best football academy in France for six seasons in a row, between 2013 and 2019.[5]

In February 2014, L'Équipe writes that Olympique Lyonnais ranks second in terms of the number of players trained at the club and playing in the "five major European championships" (Germany, England, Spain, France and Italy) tied with Real Madrid, and the first being FC Barcelona.[6][7] In 2015, France Football rated Lyon youth academy as one of the best in Europe, as it is used to feed the first team, and also having a pool of players with value on the transfer market, without this being in the heart of the club's policy.[8] Indeed, the competition level in Lyon's youth team is very difficult for young players, they will regularly, voluntarily or not, emancipate themselves in other very young clubs. Just as regularly, a certain number of them manage to have a good national or international career such as Ludovic Giuly, Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette, Samuel Umtiti, or Nabil Fekir.

• Championnat de France Amateurs: 7
  • Champions: 1998, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Championnat National U17: 4
  • Champions: 1994, 2000, 2004, 2014
• Championnat National U19: 3
  • Champions: 1993, 2000, 2005
• Coupe Gambardella: 4
  • Champions: 1971, 1994, 1997, 2022
  • Finalists: 1970, 1992, 2005, 2006, 2015
• Coupe Nationale U16 (with Rhône-Alpes): 2
  • Champions: 1960, 1996
• French Division 3: 1
  • Champions: 1993
• Montaigu Tournament: 2
  • Champions: 2000, 2004

As of 1 July 2023

Position	Name
General Director	Pierre Sage
Reserves Manager	Gueïda Fofana
Reserves Assistant Manager	Pierre Chavondrier
U-19 Manager	Jérémie Bréchet
U-19 Assistant Manager	Amaury Barlet
U-17 Manager	Mohamed Chacha
U-17 Assistant Managers	Nicolas Munda Martin Fabre
Preformation Director	Nicolas Brun
Sporting Coordinator	Guy Genet

Many players from Lyon's youth system have managed to reach the professional level in football, whether at Lyon or at other clubs. As of October 2023, 34 players formed in the Lyon academy had capped for the France national football team.[10] Below is a non-exhaustive list of notable players who trained in the youth or reserve teams of Olympique Lyonnais:

France Loïc Abenzoar Ghislain Anselmini Marcel Aubour Farès Bahlouli Mohamed Bahlouli Florent Balmont Bradley Barcola Melvin Bard Cédric Bardon Xavier Barrau Christian Bassila Karim Belhocine Olivier Bellisi Nicolas Belvito Hatem Ben Arfa Mourad Benhamida Farid Benstiti Karim Benzema Bryan Bergougnoux Olivier Bernard Jérémy Berthod Grégory Bettiol Romain Beynié Maxime Blanc Gilbert Bonvin Pierre Bouby Jérémie Bréchet Anthony Briançon Maxence Caqueret Alexis Carra Alain Caveglia Johann Charpenet Mickael Charvet Yves Chauveau Xavier Chavalerin Rayan Cherki Serge Chiesa François Clerc Jérémy Clément Timothé Cognat Renaud Cohade Mickaël Colloredo Néstor Combin Gilles Constantinian Yoann Court Laurent Courtois Florent Da Silva Stéphane Darbion Maxime D'Arpino Romain Dedola Romain Del Castillo Sylvain Deplace Jean-Christophe Devaux Fleury Di Nallo Jean Djorkaeff Raymond Domenech Jean Dumas Jean-Philippe Durand Franck Durix Alan Dzabana Mohamed El Arouch Sébastien Faure Julien Faussurier Nabil Fekir Yassin Fekir Jordan Ferri Fabrice Fiorèse Maxence Flachez Sébastien Flochon Laurent Fournier Pascal Fugier Rémi Garde Jordy Gaspar Bruno Génésio Alexis Genet Guy Genet Gaël Genevier Willem Geubbels Ludovic Giuly Yohan Gomez Maxime Gonalons Mathieu Gorgelin Amine Gouiri Hérold Goulon Sidney Govou Fabrice Grange Clément Grenier Sébastien Grimaldi Malo Gusto Joan Hartock Alexandre Hauw David Hellebuyck Kévin Jacmot Warren Jacmot Franck Jurietti Pierre Kalulu Timothée Kolodziejczak Billy Koumetio Zakarie Labidi Alexandre Lacazette Bernard Lacombe Guillaume Lacour Gérard Lanthier Florent Laville William Le Pogam Sekou Lega David Linarès Castello Lukeba Steed Malbranque Jérémy Manzorro Myziane Maolida Alexis Martial Anthony Martial Théo Ndicka Matam Boris Mathis Florian Maurice Jonathan Mendes Julian Michel Anthony Mounier Louis Nganioni Bruno Ngotty Camille Ninel Robert Nouzaret Harry Novillo Sandy Paillot Julian Palmieri

Ludovic Giuly, a former graduate of the Lyon youth academy. He was the assistant manager of Lyon's first team during the 2022-23 season. Mour Paye Gaëtan Perrin Jacques Philip Jérémy Pied Lenny Pintor Alassane Pléa Damien Plessis Grégoire Puel Paulin Puel Nicolas Puydebois Daniel Ravier Enzo Reale Loïc Rémy Remy Riou Claude-Arnaud Rivenet Thomas Robinet Mathieu Salamand Junior Sambia Mamadou Sarr Samuel Umtiti graduated from Lyon youth academy in 2012. He started for France national football team in UEFA Euro 2016 Final and 2018 FIFA World Cup Final. Romain Sartre Ernest Schultz Nicolas Seguin Yoan Severin Stéphane Solomenko Yaya Soumaré Julien Stephan Éric Taborda Kevin Tapoko Hermann Tebily Titouan Thomas Corentin Tolisso Johann Truchet Samuel Umtiti Cédric Uras Pierrick Valdivia Julien Viale Hugo Vogel Daniel Xuereb Yoan Zouma Karim Benzema played for Lyon from 1997 to 2005. He is one of the most successful graduates of the Lyon youth academy and the only person so far from the academy to win the Ballon d'Or. Africa Houssem Aouar Ishak Belfodil Yassine Benzia Abdelkader Ghezzal Rachid Ghezzal Yacine Hima Yannis Lagha Khaled Lemmouchia Karim Maroc Saïd Mehamha Yannis Tafer Mehdi Zeffane Nassim Zitouni Nassim Innocenti Vincent Ye Yann Mabella Sinaly Diomandé Lossémy Karaboué Éric Tié Bi Raphaël Anaba Romarin Billong Joseph-Désiré Job Olivier Kemen Philippe N'Dioro Clinton N'Jie Moussa Djoumoi Faiz Mattoir Sidney Govou joined Lyon youth academy in 1996 at the age of 17. He was promoted to the first team in 2000 and won the won the 2001 Young Player of the Year Award in his first season in Ligue 1. He is the only academy graduate to have taken part in all of the club's 7 successive league titles. Cyriaque Mayounga Dylan Mboumbouni Amos Youga Kelly Youga Aldo Kalulu Gédéon Kalulu Yann Kitala Samuel Moutoussamy Elisha Owusu Mouctar Diakhaby Sekou Yansané Mohamed Yattara Fabien Boyer Thomas Fontaine Jamal Alioui Fahd Moufi Kays Ruiz-Atil Issiar Dramé Frédéric Kanouté Habib Keïta Sidy Koné Bryan Ngwabije Lamine Gassama Abdoulaye Ndiaye Bouna Sarr Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr Demba Touré Sylvain Idangar Ludovic Assemoassa Malcolm Barcola Chaïm El Djebali Hamza Rafia Raymond Domenech, former France national football team manager and former graduate of the Lyon youth academy. Rest of World Hamdan Al Kamali Théo Defourny Héritier Deyonge Camilo Zachary Brault-Guillard Jérémy Frick Kilian Pagliuca Anthony Racioppi Jian Tao Yu Junwei Zhang Xiuwei Reo Griffiths Aleksandre Guruli Georges Mikautadze Noam Bonnet Francesco Migliore Kim Shin Philippe Paoli Christopher Martins Pereira Ulrik Yttergård Jenssen Tord Salte Anthony Lopes Cenk Özkaçar

Players in bold are those who capped for their National team.

References

1. "According to Lyon's official website, it suggests that they consider this their foundation date rather than 1899 – (translation: "1950, date of the club's creation")". OLWeb.fr. Archived from the original on 10 December 2005. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
2. "Academy : Notre nouvelle organisation". Olympique Lyonnais. 28 June 2023.
3. "Football français : "L'incompétence est à tous les étages"". Le Point. Retrieved 19 February 2023..
4. "The Talent Factory: How Lyon Built a Production Line for World-Class Talent". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
5. "PRESENTATION D'OL ACADEMY". Olympique Lyonnais. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
6. "OL : l'Équipe vante le deuxième centre de formation européen". L'Équipe. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
7. "Lyon: La fabrique à champions". L'Équipe. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
8. "Umtiti, Tolisso, Lacazette : une fierté lyonnaise". Le Libéro. Retrieved 19 February 2023..
9. "RÉSERVE EFFECTIF & STAFF". OLWeb.fr. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
10. "Aux Pays-Bas, Malo Gusto est devenu le 33e international A français formé à l'OL" (in French). Le Progrès. 14 October 2023.