Bernard Lacombe

Bernard Lacombe, born 15 August 1952 and died 17 June 2025 at the age of 72, was a French professional football player and manager who played as a striker, mainly for Lyon, Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne and for the France national team. He began his professional career with his hometown club Lyon in 1969 and earned his first cap for France in 1973. At the 1978 World Cup he scored after only 30 seconds against Italy, the fastest goal ever for a French player and the first goal of that tournament; he also played at the 1982 World Cup and won UEFA Euro 1984. After a brief stay with Saint-Étienne he joined Bordeaux, where he won three French Ligue 1 championships, and he won the Coupe de France twice, with Lyon and with Bordeaux. With 255 goals in Ligue 1 he ranks second among the league's strikers behind Delio Onnis. After retiring as a player he returned to Lyon as technical manager, trainer and manager, and later served for twenty years as a special adviser to the club president Jean-Michel Aulas.