Eight games into the season, Lille are the only unbeaten team in Ligue 1. Could they go all the way?
By Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French
Football News
A mishit shot from Gervinho was enough for Lille to beat Sochaux 1-0 on 18 May 2011 and secure their first league title in 57 years. There was pandemonium at the ageing Stade Metropole as a side containing Eden Hazard, Moussa Sow, Yohan Cabaye, Adil Rami and Mathieu Debuchy won the Ligue 1 title with two games to spare. They also lifted the Coupe de
France that season, beating PSG in the final thanks to a last-minute winner. Nine years and several disasters later, Lille are still waiting for another trophy. This could be the season they make an unexpected charge for the title.
Having delivered the club to such success and a futuristic new stadium, their outspoken president Michel Seydoux sold up to Luxembourgian businessman Gérard Lopez in 2017. Lopez quickly restructured the club’s management, recruiting Marc Ingla from
Barcelona to work as a general manager and, crucially, bringing in Luis Campos as sporting director after he left Monaco.