Montpellier

Montpellier Herault Sport Club was officially formed in 1974 by the merger of Stade Olympique Montpellierain, whose origins reach back to 1919, with AS Paillade. Owned for half a century by the Nicollin family, it won the Coupe de France in 1990 and, against all expectation, the Ligue 1 title in 2011-12. Laurent Blanc, Eric Cantona, Roger Milla, Carlos Valderrama and Olivier Giroud all played at the Stade de la Mosson.