The Derby du Languedoc is a football match contested between French clubs Nîmes Olympique and Montpellier HSC.[1][2][3] The name of the derby derives from the fact that Nîmes and Montpellier are the two major clubs in France that are located in the former region of Languedoc-Roussillon.
| Other names | Languedoc Derby |
|---|---|
| Location | Languedoc, France |
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 5 September 1937 |
| Latest meeting | Nîmes 1–1 Montpellier Ligue 1 (14 March 2021) |
| Statistics | |
| Most wins | Nîmes (18) |
History edit
The distance between the two cities (about fifty kilometers) accentuates the rivalry. Nîmes Olympique was considered the best club in the region from the 1950s until the early 1980s. This leadership is challenged by the rise of Montpellier HSC in the 1970s. The club gradually weakens Nîmes by recovering many important players like Louis Landi, Michel Mézy or the coach Kader Firoud.
Players who played for both clubs edit
| Player | Montpellier career | Nîmes career | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Span | Apps | Goals | Span | Apps | Goals | |
 Michel Mézy
|
1979-1982 | 78 | 1 | 1965-1975, 1977-1979 | 319 | 20 |
| Laurent Blanc
|
1983-1991 | 243 | 76 | 1992-1993 | 29 | 1 |
| Eric Cantona
|
1989-1990 | 33 | 10 | 1991 | 16 | 2 |
| Omar Belbey
|
2000-2002 | 43 | 1 | 1995-2000 | 113 | 1 |
| Théo Sainte-Luce
|
2022–present | 9 | 1 | 2019-2022 | 34 | 2 |
| Téji Savanier
|
2019–present | 70 | 17 | 2015-2019 | 124 | 21 |
Players currently playing for their respective Derby du Languedoc club are written in bold.[4]
References edit
- ^ Nicolas, Couet; Julien, Landry (28 September 2018). "Ligue 1 : Pourquoi Montpellier et Nîmes se détestent autant". rmcsport.bfmtv.com (in French).
- ^ "Nîmes frustrate Montpellier in Derby du Languedoc". ligue1.com. 14 March 2021.
- ^ Adam, White; Eric, Devin (1 October 2018). "Ligue 1 suffers more crowd trouble as rival fans battle over stolen banner". The Guardian.
- ^ "From Nîmes to Montpellier: Crossing the derby divide". ligue1.com. December 3, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
External links edit
- (in French) Nîmes Olympique Official Site
- (in French) Montpellier Official Site
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