Bernard Lacombe

For the dual-code rugby player, see Bernard Lacombe (rugby union).

Bernard Lacombe (born 15 August 1952) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a striker, mainly with Lyon, Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne and the France national team.

Bernard Lacombe

Lacombe pictured in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1952-08-15) 15 August 1952 (age 72)
Place of birth	Lyon, France
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Youth career
1960–1969	CS Fontaines
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1978	Lyon	222	(123)
1978–1979	Saint-Étienne	32	(14)
1979–1987	Bordeaux	243	(118)
Total		497	(255)
International career
1973–1984	France	38	(12)
Managerial career
1996–2000	Lyon
Medal record Representing  France UEFA European Championship Winner 1984 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

Lacombe began his professional career with hometown club Lyon in 1969. One of his teammates, Aimé Jacquet, would be later his team manager (and the manager of the France national team which won the 1998 FIFA World Cup).

Lacombe earned his first cap for France in 1973. He went on to represent his nation at the 1978 World Cup, scoring after only 30 seconds against Italy, the fastest goal ever for a French player, and also the first goal of that tournament. Lacombe also played at the 1982 World Cup and won UEFA Euro 1984.^[1]

After a brief stay with Saint-Étienne, Lacombe joined Bordeaux, where he was re-united with Aimé Jacquet. He won three French Ligue 1 championships. Lacombe won the Coupe de France twice (with Lyon and Bordeaux), and scored a goal in the 1973 Coupe de France Final.^[2]

With 255 goals scored in Ligue 1, he is the second-best striker of all-time in the French championship, after Delio Onnis.^[3]

After his playing career ended, Lacombe joined the technical staff of former club Lyon, first as technical manager (from 1988 to 1996), then as trainer (1996 to 2000) and manager. He was instrumental in the successes of the club in Ligue 1 and also on the European scene, helping lead his side to seven-straight UEFA Champions League appearances. Lacombe served as a "special adviser" to team president Jean-Michel Aulas for twenty years.^[4] He also had significant influence on choices made; for example, he helped retain several Brazilian players who would join Lyon during the 2000s, including Juninho, Edmílson, Cris, Caçapa and Fred).

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[5][6]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Lyon	1969–70	Division 1	5	1			—		5	1
	1970–71		3	0			—		3	0
	1971–72		36	19			—		36	19
	1972–73		35	23			—		35	23
	1973–74		31	13			4[a]	1	35	14
	1974–75		27	17			4[b]	4	31	21
	1975–76		16	5			0	0	16	5
	1976–77		36	21			—		36	21
	1977–78		33	24			—		33	24
	Total		222	123			8	5	230	128
Saint-Étienne	1978–79	Division 1	32	14			—		32	14
Bordeaux	1979–80	Division 1	33	11			—		33	11
	1980–81		34	18			—		34	18
	1981–82		33	17			3[b]	1	36	18
	1982–83		33	20			6[b]	0	39	20
	1983–84		35	18			2[b]	0	37	18
	1984–85		36	22			8[c]	3	44	25
	1985–86		23	7			1[c]	0	24	7
	1986–87		16	5			2[a]	0	18	5
	Total		243	118			22	4	265	122
Career total			497	255			30	9	527	264

1. Appearances in European Cup Winners' Cup
2. Appearances in UEFA Cup
3. Appearances in European Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[5][6]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
France	1973	1	0
	1974	3	2
	1975	—
	1976	3	1
	1977	4	0
	1978	6	1
	1979	4	4
	1980	3	1
	1981	3	2
	1982	5	0
	1983	—
	1984	6	1
Total		38	12

Honours

Player

Lyon

• Coupe de France: 1972–73
• Trophée des Champions: 1973

Bordeaux

• Division 1: 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87
• Coupe de France: 1985–86, 1986–87
• Trophée des Champions: 1986

France

• UEFA European Championship: 1984

Manager

Lyon

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1997^[7]

References

1. "OL: "L'INSTINCT DU FOOTBALL", THE BOOK THAT TRACES THE LEGEND OF BERNARD LACOMBE". www.tonicradio.fr. 24 November 2021.
2. "Bernard Lacombe revisits his successes in the Coupe de France". La Montagne. 13 December 2015.
3. "OL: Bernard Lacombe, 70 ans d'amour foot" (in French). Le Progrès. 15 August 2022.
4. "OL : Bernard Lacombe prendra sa retraite à la fin de l'année" (in French). L'Équipe. 5 November 2019.
5. "Bernard Lacombe » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
6. Bernard Lacombe at National-Football-Teams.com
7. "Lyon 3-2 Montpellier (Aggregate: 4 - 2)". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2004. Retrieved 11 October 2020.