AS Saint-Etienne Football Club

AS Saint-Etienne Football Club

Only one team in all of France has the honor of showing a star as a badge in its logo. This star represents ten league championships won. That is AS Saint-Étienne. Its full name is Association Sportive de Saint-Etienne Loire (ASSE), and it is based in the city of Saint-Étienne in the Rhône-Alpes. This club currently plays in French Ligue 1 and is the team that has won the most Ligue 1 titles. In its history, there are many victories and also some relevant failures. These events made the club won the hearts of many fans in France.

The History Of AS Saint-Etienne

In 1919, the Groupe Casino chain of stores created a sports section called “Amicale des employés de la Société des magasins Casino”. Thus was born the A.S.C. Green was the distinctive color of the Casino stores, and the team took that color for their uniforms. In its early years, the club assured itself certain stability and built its stadium. That stadium is named after the club's founder, Geoffroy Guichard. In 1927, the ASC was merged with the Stade Forézien Universitaire. Thus, the Association Sportive de Saint-Etienne was born. The ASSE leaped to professionalism in 1933, in the second division. There it was for five seasons before reaching the highest category. This team achieved its first French championship in 1957. The golden age of "the greens" arrived in the 1960s and 1970s with Roger Rocher as president. After the 1957 triumph, another four leagues arrived in the 1960s and another 4 in the following decade. Also, they won 6 French Cups between 1962 and 1977. In 1981, the club achieved its tenth league title. Thanks to this, it became the only team in France that can have on its shield the star that symbolizes the ten leagues.

The Great Feat Of The Greens

AS Saint-Etienne did not do well in the UEFA European Cup until the 1975/76 season. At that time, watching a French team advance in international competitions was seen as a feat. On that occasion, the team played the final of this tournament against Bayern Munich. AS Saint-Etienne dominated the match and even had several clear scoring chances. However, these did not materialize, and they ended up losing 1-0. Despite the defeat, the team was greeted as heroes upon their return to France. The team paraded down the Champs Elysees in front of thousands of proud of their performance French people. AS Saint-Etienne had won the hearts of all of France.

The club experienced a brief resurgence from 1979 with the hiring of Michel Platini. Led by this soccer star, they won their last league title in 1981. Afterward, there was a long period marked by several relegations. Recently, its most outstanding performance was qualifying for the Europe League's group stage in 2019. Besides, during its history, the club has had notable players. Among them are René Domingo, Salif Keita, Rachid Mekhloufi, Dominique Rocheteau, Hervé Revelli, Robert Herbin, and Michel Platini. Although the club's glory days are long gone, the memories of the golden age are indelible. So, the newspaper L'Equipe Magazine distinguished this club in 2006 as the best French soccer team in history.