Bernard Lacombe

Bernard Lacombe
	Lacombe pictured in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	15 August 1952 (age 69)
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
1969–1978	Lyon
1978–1979	Saint-Étienne
1979–1987	Bordeaux
Total
National team
1973–1984	France
Teams managed
1996–2000	Lyon
Honours
Representing France
UEFA European Championship
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

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.

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.

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.

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

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. He currently does not have official responsibilities, though serves as a "special adviser" to team president Jean-Michel Aulas. He also has 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).