Bernard Lacombe, "box fox" and figure of French football

The second highest scorer in the history of the French Championship (255 goals in 497 matches) behind the Argentinian Delio Onnis (299 goals), this outstanding finisher embodied better than anyone a style of center forward that was both instinctive and clinical, the archetype of the " box fox " despite his relatively modest height (1.71 m).

This role as a complete centre-forward, Bernard Lacombe, who was born on 15 August 1952 in Villefranche-sur-Saône, put him at the service of the team during Euro 1984: no goals scored during the tournament but a decisive performance in the final, when he won the free kick allowing Michel Platini to open the scoring against Spain (final victory 2-0).

This match was his last for France (38 caps, 12 goals) and the apotheosis of an international career marked by two participations in the World Cup (1978, 1982), despite the criticism that sometimes accompanied him in the selection.

" In my role as a striker, I may not have given complete satisfaction, but it still seems to me that I have sacrificed a lot for the community ," he said. "I regret a little the detrimental lack of confidence that we have in center forwards. Yet, who can say that it is not the most thankless position to hold?"

Bernard Lacombe occupied and embodied this position to perfection, at Lyon (1967-1978), briefly at Saint-Étienne (1978-1979) then at Bordeaux where he ended his playing career (1979-1987).

OL, his "favorite club"

It was with the Girondins that the striker added the most to his list of achievements: three French championship titles (1984, 1985, 1987), two French Cups (1986, 1987) and a semi-final of the European Cup of Champion Clubs, the forerunner of the Champions League (1985).

But it was at Olympique Lyonnais that the bonds were strongest, as Lacombe played every role, from player to manager, in what he described as " his favorite club forever ."

Having arrived at OL in 1967, at the age of 15, from CS Fontaines-sur-Saône (Rhône) and playing for the professionals for the first time at the age of 17 on December 7, 1969 against Red Star, scoring a goal (a 2-0 victory), Lacombe left for the first time in 1978. Ten years later, he returned, this time to the staff and management, until 2019, when he took a step back.

Jean-Michel Aulas, who took over the Rhône club in June 1987 when it had been languishing in the second division since 1983, wanted to bring together Raymond Domenech, another local figure, appointed coach, with Lacombe, assistant and sporting director, to bring the Lyon team back into the top flight.

Promotion was achieved in the spring of 1989. OL then returned to Europe and developed until dominating French football in the 2000s.

"A good man"

Lacombe quickly became sporting director, then coach (1996-2000) and notably achieved two third-place finishes in Ligue 1 and a UEFA Cup quarter-final before taking a higher position as advisor to the president until 2017, then stepping back from the club in 2019.

At a tribute ceremony, Aulas described him as " a good man, because he leaves a lasting mark ."

This legacy includes the recruitment of Lyon figures such as Sonny Anderson, Edmilson, Mickaël Essien, Mahamadou Diarra and especially Juninho who contributed to the glorious period of Lyon, seven times champion of France (from 2002 to 2008), winner of the Coupe de la Ligue (2001) and the Coupe de France (2008).

As an OL player, Lacombe formed a feared trio, known as the " elves ", with Serge Chiesa and his "master" Fleury Di Nallo, two other small players, with whom he won the 1973 Coupe de France.

His transfer to Saint-Étienne in June 1978 for three million francs saved the cash-strapped OL from bankruptcy. But it was in Bordeaux that he found success, with Aimé Jacquet as coach.

A figure in Lyon's life, known for his outspokenness and his off-the-cuff remarks (such as when he declared in 2013 on RMC that he " didn't want to discuss football with women ", before pleading "joke"), Bernard Lacombe appears on the "Fresque des Lyonnais", in the 1st arrondissement, which represents historical figures from the city.

In 2019, during a tribute at the stadium, OL supporters unfurled a laudatory banner with the inscription: " Lacombe, sharpshooter, goals and cult phrases, thank you for everything ."