RIP BERNARD LACOMBE
RIP BERNARD LACOMBE
Legendary former France international Bernard Lacombe has passed away at the age of 72.
The prolific striker is one of the victorious European Champions of 1984 alongside Michel Platini, and netted 12 times for Les Bleus in his 38 international appearances. Lacombe scored within 30 seconds of the World Cup clash with Italy back in 1978, France's fastest at football's greatest competition.
He has the second-most goals of any player in Ligue 1 history, registering 255 goals in 497 appearances across stints with Lyon, (258 games), Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux.
After hanging up his boots, Lacombe went on to manage Lyon - where he came through the ranks having been born in the city - for four years between 1996 and 2000, winning the Intertoto Cup in 1997.
He spent then 20 years as a special advisor to owner Jean-Michel Aulas, and was reportedly crucial to the retention of a number of the club's Brazilian players, such as Juninho, the best period of Olympique Lyon with 7 consecutive Champions titles !
RIP Bernard Lacombe.