FC Girondins de Bordeaux

Did You Know?

• Bordeaux's first competitive European match was in the 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup, beating 1. FC Köln 2–1 before losing 2–4 on aggregate.
• The club was co-champion of the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup and reached the final of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup.
• From 14 August 2008 to 30 October 2018, the M6 Group operated 'Girondins TV', a network covering club activity including matches, reserve games, training, and a daily talk show.

History

The club took its name from the demonym for people of the Gironde department and was founded on 1 October 1881 as a gymnastics and shooting club under chairman André Chavois. It later added rowing, equestrian, and swimming, among other sports. Football was introduced on a trial basis in 1910 following urging from club president Raymond Brard, but lasted only a year before returning in 1919. The first official match was in 1920, a 12–0 win over Section Burdigalienne.

Bordeaux achieved professional status on 2 July 1936 after merging with fellow Bordelais club Girondins Guyenne Sport, forming the current club. This occurred alongside the French Football Federation's push to increase professionalism, which had been absent before 1932. The club entered the second division and debuted in the 1937–38 season under Spanish manager Benito Díaz, who brought Spanish players Santiago Urtizberea and Jaime Mancisidor, the latter as captain.

Prominent French players included homegrown attacker Henri Arnaudeau and goalkeeper André Gérard. The first official match was on 23 May 1937, a 2–1 win over FC Scionzier at the Stade de Colombes. The first league match was on 22 August, a 3–2 loss away to Toulouse, with the first league win against Nîmes. The team finished 6th in the Southern region and placed 3rd in the relegation playoff.

A year later, Bordeaux moved to the Stade Chaban-Delmas, built for the 1938 FIFA World Cup, having previously played at the Stade Galin, now a training ground.

Rivalries

Bordeaux has two main rivalries. The Derby de la Garonne is contested with Toulouse FC, named for the two cities on the river Garonne in southwestern France; it grew more competitive after Toulouse returned to Ligue 1 following an administrative relegation in 2001. The Derby de l'Atlantique is with FC Nantes, stemming from both cities' proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, with over 50 years of history and more than 90 derby matches. Bordeaux also held a 44-year record against Marseille, who did not win away at Bordeaux's home ground from October 1977 to January 2022.

Management and staff

The club president is Dominique Delport. In its history, Bordeaux has had 46 coaches. The first was Spaniard Benito Díaz, who won the Coupe de France in 1941. The first coach to win the league was André Gérard, who led the team to the 1950 title and is the longest-serving coach with a decade from 1947 to 1957. Aimé Jacquet spent nine seasons in the 1980s, winning three league titles and two Coupe de France titles.