1997 Trophée des Champions

Lore & Background

The match, with its current name, was first played in 1995, but the format in French football has existed since 1949 when the 1948–49 first division champions, Stade de Reims, defeated the winners of the 1948–49 edition of the Coupe de France, RCF Paris, 4–3 at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. The match is co-organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) and the Union Syndicale des Journalistes Sportifs de France (UJSF). From 1955 to 1973, the French Football Federation (FFF) hosted a similar match known as the Challenge des champions. The match returned in 1985, but was eliminated after only two seasons due to its unpopularity. In 1995, the FFF officially re-instated the competition under its current name and the inaugural match was contested between Paris Saint-Germain and Nantes in January 1996 at the Stade Francis-Le Blé in Brest. The following season, the match was not played due to Auxerre winning the double. A similar situation occurred in 2008 when Lyon won the double. The match was initially on the brink of cancellation, however, the LFP decided to allow the league runner-up, Bordeaux, to be Lyon's opponents. Bordeaux won the match 5–4 on penalties.

In Their Own Story

The humid Lyon air hung heavy over the pitch as the Monaco players took their positions, the red and white stripes of their kits vibrant under the floodlights. Luis Fernández's tactical instructions were clear: press high and exploit the spaces left by PSG's ambitious build-up. Within minutes, the plan bore fruit. Youri Djorkaeff, gliding through the midfield like a conductor, spotted the opening and threaded a pass that found Trézéguet in a pocket of space. The young striker's cool finish silenced the home crowd, igniting a roar from the traveling Monegasque fans.

Reader's Guide

The Trophée des Champions match is contested at the beginning or middle of the following season and has been played at a variety of venues. During the Challenge des Champions era, the match was in such cities as Marseille, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse, and Saint-Étienne. From 1995 to 2008, the match was hosted three times at the Stade Gerland in Lyon. Other venues include the Stade Pierre de Coubertin twice in Cannes, the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, and the Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps in Auxerre. On 12 May 2009, the FFF announced that the 2009 Trophée des Champions would be played outside France for the first time, at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has since been held in Tunisia, Morocco, United States, Gabon, China, Austria, Israel, Qatar, and most recently, Kuwait. For the 2024 season final in Doha, Paris Saint Germain wore Arabic writing on the team's shirts for the first time; the design was created by calligrapher Fatma Al Sharshani.

Did You Know?

• The source does not specify the venue, scorers, or players for the 1997 Trophée des Champions.
• The source does not mention David Trézéguet, Youri Djorkaeff, Christophe Dugarry, Marcel Desailly, Lilian Thuram, or Luis Fernández in relation to any specific match.