Olympique Lyon, the great dynasty of women’s football
He Olympique Lyon Feminen, Barça’s opponents in the Women’s Champions League final in Bilbao, represents a great dynasty. women’s football. The French national team dominated European football in the 2010s with an iron fist and an impressive legacy, becoming the most successful team. in competition history with eight titles in their windows.
A combination of exemplary management, on-field talent and an unparalleled winning mentality. They have elevated the French team to the Legendary Team category, a title they refuse to lose even though they relinquished their throne last season. after becoming champion in 2022 against Barça.
When was the section founded?
Olympique Lyon women’s team. was founded in 2004 when the club absorbed Lyon, one of the oldest women’s teams in France. From the very beginning, the goal was clear: to transform Lyon into a power in women’s football. both nationally and internationally. Under the leadership of the always controversial club president Jean-Michel Aulas, the team began to invest in infrastructure and attract some of the best players in the world.
First successes in Europe and absolute dominance
Lyon’s first significant participation in the Women’s Champions League came in the 2007–08 season, when they reached the semi-finals. However, fIn the 2010/2011 season, Lyon began its golden era.. With a convincing 2-0 win over Potsdam in Germany, Lyon clinched their first Women’s Champions League title, starting a dynasty.
Since their first title in 2011, the French have won Women’s Champions League a total of eight times (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022). A run of five straight victories from 2016 to 2020 is an achievement that Di Stefano’s Madrid only achieved in the infancy years of the European Cup.
Dynasty with great star
During this period, Lyon had some of the best players in the world, such as Wendy Renard, Eugenie Le Sommer, Jennifer Marozan and Ada Hegerberg.
Norwegian is an iconic figure in women’s football not only because of her extraordinary talent on the field, but also because of her influence on it.. As the first women’s Ballon d’Or winner in 2018, Hegerberg has put women’s football on the global stage, but it is her strong stance in favor of gender equality in sport that makes her a special star.. Her courage in advocating for better conditions for women footballers has made her a role model and an influential voice in the fight for equality in the sport.
Actually, The Norwegian withdrew from the 2019 World Cup with her team in protest at the inequality with the men’s team in her country’s federation.. An example that Las 15 focused on in their protests in Spain against the RFEF model of Rubiales and Wilda.
New rivalry
Despite the success in the 2010s. Lyon are going through a stage where their offensive dominance has become a thing of the past.. Competition in The Women’s Champions League has intensified with the arrival of Barça (2 titles and two runners-up). and Chelsea becomes the greatest representative of this new stage.
The French had memorable confrontations against the Blaugranas. In the 2019 final Lyon won 4-1 thanks to Ada Hegerberg’s hat-trick in the opening 30 minutes to underline their dominance in Europe.. In the 2022 final, Lyon confirmed their dominance by again beating Jonathan Giraldes’ side, this time 3-1, reclaiming the European crown despite Barça reaching the final with far more experience than the defending champions . In Bilbao, faces will be seen for the third timeagain with the culés defending their crown.