Lyon: How a dynasty was made

Paris Saint-Germain have created a dynasty, but it isn't the first one that has been created in Ligue 1 McDonald's in the 21st century. Before the QSI era at the Parc des Princes, Lyon were the dominant force in France's top flight for much of the previous decade.

OL win seven in a row

PSG and Lyon are two of the most successful teams in the history of Ligue 1 McDonald's. The former have a record 13 league titles and, after Marseille, are only the second French side to win the Champions League. OL have been imperious domestically, especially at the start of the 21st century. They have seven Ligue 1 McDonald's titles to their name, one Coupe de la Ligue, five Coupe de France titles, and eight Trophée des Champions.

It was Jacques Santini who began Lyon's period of dominance before Paul Le Guen and the legendary Gérald Houllier consolidated it. It was Alain Perrin, in his only season as manager of Les Gones, who won the club's seventh consecutive title, and the most last one to date.

When Juninho turned up on matchday like this 😮‍💨🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/K0VvKQfOSB
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 31, 2026

Over that time, there was plenty of churn; managers came and went, as did players. Jean-Michel Aulas was a figure of continuity in that time of consistent brilliance, whilst the likes of Sidney Govou and Grégory Coupet also became part of the furniture at Gérland. There was a sprinkling of foreign stars, with Juninho, the great player to have played for Lyon in the Ligue 1 McDonald's era, absolutely pivotal, most notably.

Fred, Nilmar, Michel Bastos, Kim Kallstrom, Michael Essien and the likes all came in, with the club casting a wide net across several continents. Despite being foreign, many shared the commonality of having already landed in French football. Much like PSG have recently done with the signings of Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Lucas Chevalier, OL were in the market of hoovering up the best talents across France, making their success very much one Made in France.

The secrets to OL's and PSG's dynasties

Especially since the likes of Karim Benzema, Florent Malouda, and Mahamadou Diarra, to name only a few, were nurtured at the club's esteemed academy. In that sense, OL's period of dominance and that of PSG, which we continue to live through, are very similar.

Les Parisiens, despite recently being crowned European champions, have not yet pulled of Lyon's feat of seven consecutive league titles, but their strategy is one built to last. Luís Campos said that "buying more at the supermarket doesn't make you a better cook", an announcement that the club would be leaning more heavily on their academy, whilst all the while remaining vigilant to the best emerging talents in France and abroad, just as OL did during the 2000s.

It was their ability to develop talent, to give them opportunities, but also to recruit with consistent success that built OL's dynasty and which is laying the foundation for PSG's.

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