Coupe de France Preview: History of Cannes

During this Coupe de France, Cannes pulled off upset wins over Ligue 2 BKT sides En Avant Guingamp and FC Lorient on their way to the semifinal.

While Cannes are looking to secure its first Coupe de France in over 90 years, the club is a staple of French football, having been the institution that allowed several young talents to develop.

The most prominent name among these is Zinedine Zidane, who spent three years in Cannes' youth system, eventually cracking the first team in 1989 and spending four years with Les Dragons, before then moving to Bordeaux.

Zidane isn't the only big-name French talent to come through Cannes. Patrick Vieira saw the club as an excellent place to establish himself as a professional footballer. Following his departure from Tours' youth academy in 1993, Vieira joined Cannes, where he spent three years before going to play abroad.

Gaël Clichy is another name that came up through Cannes youth academy, which put him on a path to becoming a household name in England for Arsenal and Manchester City. Clichy spent three years in Cannes' system before cracking the team in 2002 and spending one season before moving to the Gunners in 2003.

Although Cannes have had notable players come through their ranks, it will be up to this collective group to make history. Still, it won't be an easy task as Reims are coming into this matchup full of confidence after their win over Olympique de Marseille this past weekend.

Reims manager Samba Diawara believes that his squad is brewing up a run that will allow them to reach the Coupe de France final and distance themselves from a relegation fight.

"The players are really focused; they know something big could come from this match. I see determination, not overconfidence. We've started to build some momentum, and it's on us to keep it going."

"We'll approach this game like any other Ligue 1 match. Beating Marseille brought some relief, but there's no time to get carried away. We have a big game against Cannes coming up, and the situation in the league hasn’t changed."

Photo credit: @ASCannes1902

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