 | ||||
| Full name | Football Club de Metz | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Les Grenats (The Maroons),[1] LesGraoullys | |||
| Founded | March 23 1932; 93 years ago (March 23 1932) | |||
| Ground | Stade Saint-Symphorien | |||
| Capacity | 28,786[2] | |||
| Owner | Bernard Serin | |||
| President | Bernard Serin | |||
| Manager | Stéphane Le Mignan | |||
| League | Ligue 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 2, 3rd of 18 (promoted) | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
Football Club de Metz (French pronunciation:[mɛs]ⓘ) is aFrench association football club based inMetz,Lorraine. The club was formed in 1932 and plays inLigue 1, the highest division in theFrench football league system, for the2025–26 season following their promotion from the second division in the2024–2025 season. They play their home matches atStade Saint-Symphorien located within the city. The team is currently managed byStéphane Le Mignan. Despite never winning the top flight, they have won theCoupe de France twice and theCoupe de la Ligue twice.
Metz was founded on 23 March 1932 by the amalgamation of two amateur athletic clubs, and shortly thereafter became a professional team; it is one of the oldest professional football teams in France. Its roots trace back further, to theSpVgg Metz club, formed in 1905 when the city of Metz was part of theGerman Empire.SpVgg played in the tier-oneWestkreis-Liga for a season in 1913–14, before the outbreak of the First World War stopped all play. Some players of this club were part of theCercle Athlétique Messin in 1919, which went on to become FC Metz in 1932.Messin was a leading club in theDivision d'Honneur – Lorraine, taking out league titles in 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929 and 1931.[3]
The club played in theFrench second division north from 1933, winning the league in 1935 and earning promotion toLigue 1 for the first time.[4] The team became a mid-table side in the first division until the outbreak of the war interfered with play once more.FCM did not take part in the top-tier regional competitions in 1939–40.[5]
DuringWorld War II, due to theMoselledépartement being annexed by Germany, the club had to play under the Germanised name ofFV Metz in theGauliga Westmark. In the three completed seasons of this league from 1941 to 1944, the club finished runners-up each year.[6]
Despite the city of Metz being retaken by allied forces in autumn 1944, the club did not take part in French league football in 1944–45, but returned to Ligue 1 in 1945–46, to come 17th out of 18 clubs. An expansion of the league to 20 clubs meant, the team was not relegated and stayed at the highest level until 1950, when a last place finish ended its Ligue 1 membership. Metz was allowed to stay within Ligue 1 as a special privilege due to its catastrophic situation in the year following the war: the stadium had been damaged, almost beyond repair. The team had to start from scratch once again.
The club rebounded immediately, finishing second in Ligue 2, behindLyon and returned to the first division. Metz made a strong return to this league, finishing fifth in its first season back. After this, the club once more had to battle against relegation season-by-season, finishing second-last in 1958 and having to return to Ligue 2. It took three seasons in this league before it could manage to return to Ligue 1 in 1961, but lasted for only one year in the top flight. Metz spent the next five seasons at second division level.
Metz ascended to the top level of French football once more in 1967; the team remained in the highest division until they were relegated in 2001, although they bounced back immediately and returned to the Ligue 1 the following year.
After losing the first leg of their1984–85 European Cup Winners' Cup tie 4–2 toBarcelona at Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz were widely expected to be thrashed at theCamp Nou. However, a hat-trick from Yugoslav strikerTony Kurbos gave Les Grenats a shock 4–1 win in the second leg to send the French side through 6–5 on aggregate.
In 1998, the team competed in the qualifications to theUEFA Champions League, but lost in the third round to Finnish teamHJK Helsinki. In 2006, Metz were relegated from Ligue 1, finishing at the bottom of the table, despite the regular presence of an extremely promising prospect,Miralem Pjanić, who would later be transferred to giants Lyon, for an astonishing fee of €7.5 million. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Metz finished 18th in Ligue 2 and were relegated to theChampionnat National, the third tier of French football after a 1–1 draw withTours at home on 20 May 2012, in very tense circumstances. Metz spent only one season at this level, rebuilding a team with iconic former playerAlbert Cartier as coach, winning promotion to Ligue 2, and then immediately finishing first and winning promotion to Ligue 1. The team was relegated again to Ligue 2, but won promotion the next season. This time, Metz managed to secure a 14th place finish, ensuring another season in Ligue 1. For the2017–18 Ligue 1 season, Metz endured a horrid campaign, losing eleven out of their first twelve matches. The club recovered later in the season but finished bottom of the table and were relegated back to Ligue 2.[7][8]
On 26 April 2019, Metz were promoted back to Ligue 1 at the first time of asking by finishing first in Ligue 2. The promotion was confirmed with a 2–1 victory overRed Star.[9]In the clubs first season back in the top flight, Metz finished 15th on the table followed by an improved 10th place finish the following season. In the2021–22 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished 19th and were relegated back toLigue 2.[10] The club were promoted back toLigue 1 asLigue 2 runners-up for the2022-23 season.[11]
On Pentecost Sunday, May 29, 2023, there was a dispute at a youth football tournament on the field of SV Viktoria Preußen e.V. in the Eckenheim district ofFrankfurt am Main between young players from Metz and JFC Berlin, in which a 16-year-oldMoroccan player from Metz killed a 15-year-oldGerman player from JFC Berlin.[12][13]On 12 June 2023, LFP Decision that Metz secure promotion to Ligue 1 from 2023–24 season after Bordeaux against Rodez has been suspended and return to top flight after one year absence. In the2023–24 Ligue 1 season, Metz finished in the relegation/promotion playoff spot and faced off againstSaint-Étienne from Ligue 2. Metz would lose the playoff 4-3 on aggregate and were relegated back to Ligue 2.[14]
Metz's biggest rivals areNancy, with whom they contest theLorraine derby. The other major rivals areStrasbourg.
There are currently twoultras groups:Gradins Populaires Ouest andHorda Frénétik (founded 1997).
Metz has fan friendships withToulouse, the German clubsKaiserslautern andEintracht Trier and the Italian clubVicenza.
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Metz plays its home matches atStade Saint-Symphorien, which has a capacity of 25,636. Thus, it is the largest venue dedicated to football inLorraine.
Its official colours are grenat (maroon) and white, from which the team derives its nickname Les Grenats. The team's crest features theLorraine cross, symbolic of the team's regional affiliation, and the dragon called theGraoully, which in local legend was tamed bySaint Clement of Metz.[15]
Metz also gained recognition in France and Europe for its successful youth academy, which produced star players including:Rigobert Song,Robert Pires,Louis Saha,Emmanuel Adebayor,Papiss Cissé,Miralem Pjanić,Kalidou Koulibaly andSadio Mané. The city's proximity to Luxembourg (about 55 km) plays a significant role in the importation of young prospects. The club's board has close ties with the Luxembourgish Football Federation.Nicolas "Nico" Braun, the team's top all-time goalscorer, as well as Pjanić or more recentlyChris Philipps, have played in the G-D's amateur leagues before joining "les Grenats". Despite this, not all Luxembourgers enjoy success with Metz, with Robert "Robby" Langers as the best example.
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–69 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | First round |  Hamburger SV | 1–4 | 2–3 | 3–7 |  |
| 1969–70 |  Napoli | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | |||
| 1984–85 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup |  Barcelona | 2–4 | 4–1 | 6–5 |  | |
| Second round |  Dynamo Dresden | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | | ||
| 1985–86 | UEFA Cup | First round |  Hajduk Split | 2–2 | 1–5 | 3–7 | |
| 1988–89 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup |  Anderlecht | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 | ||
| 1995 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Group stage (Group 6) |  Keflavík | — | 2–1 | 1st Place | |
 Partick Thistle | 1–0 | — | |||||
 NK Zagreb | — | 1–0 | |||||
 Linzer ASK | 1–0 | — | |||||
| Round of 16 |  Ceahlăul | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | |||
| Quarter-finals |  Strasbourg | 0–2 | — | 0–2 | | ||
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup | First round | Tirol Innsbruck | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Second round |  Sporting CP | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | |||
| Third round (round of 16) |  Newcastle United | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | | ||
| 1997–98 | First round | R.E. Mouscron | 4–1 | 2–0 | 6–1 | | |
| Second round | Karlsruher SC | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | | ||
| 1998–99 | UEFA Champions League | Second Qualifying round |  HJK | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |
| UEFA Cup | First round |  Red Star Belgrade | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3(3–4p) | ||
| 1999 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | Second round |  MŠK Žilina | 3–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | |
| Third round | Lokeren | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 (a) | |||
| Semi-finals |  Polonia Warsaw | 5–1 | 1–1 | 6–2 | |||
| Finals | West Ham United | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | |
Metz has never won the French championship; its best result was a second-place finish in 1998, behindLens. The title race lasted until the ultimate fixture, however Metz never recovered from a 0–2 loss against Lens on their home turf. Metz won theCoupe de France twice, in 1984 and 1988, the first of these victories enabled it to qualify for theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup where it achieved arguably the team's greatest moment, an upset ofBarcelona in the first round of the competition in October 1984. It lost 4–2 at home in the first leg but won 4–1 away in the return leg, thus qualifying 6–5 on aggregate, making Metz unique among the French teams who have beaten Barcelona at theCamp Nou. Metz also won theCoupe de la Ligue twice, in 1986 and 1996, and has made a total of ten appearances in European tournaments.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Below are the notable former players who have represented Metz inleague and international competition since the club's foundation in 1932. To appear in the section below, a player must have played at least a full season for the club.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Wilmer Aguirre
Sébastien BassongPatrick BattistonEric BlackJocelyn BlanchardDanny Boffin
Nico BraunAlbert Cartier
Papiss Cissé
Hugo CurioniMathieu DosseviMichel EttorePhilippe Gaillot
Daniel GygaxPhilippe Hinschberger
Szabolcs HusztiBožo Janković
Ahn Jung-hwanHenryk KasperczakSylvain Kastendeuch
Eiji KawashimaKalidou KoulibalyLionel LetiziFlorent MaloudaSadio ManéFrédéric Meyrieu
Faryd MondragónTressor MorenoMarcel MullerLudovic Obraniak
Oguchi OnyewuMichele PadovanoPascal PierreRobert Pires
Miralem PjanićGrégory PromentAndré ReyFranck RibéryJean-Philippe RohrLouis SahaFranck SignorinoRigobert SongJacques Songo'oLuc SonorJeff StrasserMarian SzejaSylvain WiltordBernard Zénier| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Stéphane Le Mignan |
| Assistant manager | Cyril LeBeau |
| Goalkeeping coach | Jean Claude Gourgelle |
| Physical trainer | Gauthier Netgen |
| Head doctors | Jules Gardenault Claude Chandelle |
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