LOSC LilleThe nickname Les Dogues, 'the Mastiffs', belongs to a club that has two beginnings rather than one. LOSC Lille (Lille Olympique Sporting Club) was formed on 23 September 1944, as the war was drawing to a close, through the merger of two local sides: Olympique Lillois and SC Fives. Both were founding members of the French Division 1, and Olympique Lillois became the first champion of France in 1932/33. It is from this predecessor that the new club took a nickname evoking the fighting spirit of the breed. Lille's colours are red and white.
The new club was an immediate force. In its first season it reached the Coupe de France final, and a year later, in 1946, it completed the double of league title and cup (a 4-2 win over Red Star in the final). The cup followed in 1947 (2-0 against Strasbourg) and 1948 (3-2 against Lens), and again in 1953 and 1955. Between 1945 and 1955 Lille played seven cup finals and won five of them, adding the league title in 1954. The team of coaches George Berry and André Cheuva, with players such as Jean Baratte and Roger Vandooren, became known as 'La Machine de Guerre', the 'War Machine'.
The golden decade was followed by a long period without major honours: the next trophy, the Coupe de France, arrived only after 56 years, in 2011, when Lille beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ludovic Obraniak. In that same 2010/11 season Lille, coached by Rudi Garcia, also won the league, with Eden Hazard, a product of the club's youth system, named player of the year. President Michel Seydoux, in charge since 2002, invested in youth development, and academy players were complemented by others such as Yohan Cabaye.
In Europe, Lille has twice reached the round of 16 of the Champions League. In 2006/07 it lost to Manchester United 1-0 at home (the match was played in Lens) and 1-0 at Old Trafford. The most notable recent chapter, however, was 2020/21: led by Christophe Galtier, the team overtook Paris Saint-Germain to win a fourth French title, with a club-record 83 points, and later added the first Trophée des Champions. The following season, as the reigning champion, Lille won its Champions League group ahead of Salzburg, Sevilla and Wolfsburg before losing to Chelsea in the round of 16 (2-1 at home, 4-1 on aggregate).
Since 2012 Lille has played at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, a stadium with a retractable roof and a capacity of over 50,000, named after the city's long-serving mayor and former French prime minister Pierre Mauroy. The rivalry with RC Lens, known as the Derby du Nord, remains one of the club's defining local traditions.
