Name	Lyon
Image flag	Flag of Lyon.png
Image flag size	115px
Image coat of arms	Blason_Lyon.png
Image coat of arms size	115px
Flag legend	City flag
Coat of arms legend	City coat of arms
City motto	Avant, avant, Lion le melhor.(Franco-Provençal: Forward, forward, Lyon the best)
Caption	Lyon, with the old city in the foreground
Longitude	4.842223
Latitude	45.759723
Time zone	CET (GMT +1)
Insee	69123
Postal code	69001-69009
Region	Rhône-Alpes
Department	Rhône (69)
Arrondissement	Lyon
Canton	chief town of 14 cantons
Mayor	Gérard Collomb
Party	PS
Term	2008–2014
Subdivisions entry	Subdivisions
Area km2	47.95
Elevation min m	162
Elevation max m	305
Subdivisions	9 arrondissements
Population date	2007
Population	480,660
Population ranking	3rd in France
Urban area km2	954.19
Urban area date	1999
Urban pop	1,422,331
Urban pop date	2007
Metro area km2	3306
Metro area date	2006
Metro area pop	1,757,180
Metro area pop date	2007
Intercom details	Urban Community of Lyon
Website	lyon.fr

Lyon (; , ; or anglicized as Lyons), is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais (singular and plural).

The city of Lyon has 480,660 inhabitants. Its urban region represents half of the Rhône-Alpes region population with 2.9 million inhabitants. Lyon is the capital of this region, as well as the capital of the smaller Rhône département.

Lyon has a long cultural influence on France and the world. The city is known for its historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lyon was historically known as an important area for the production and weaving of silk and in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy in France. It has a significant role in the history of cinema due to Auguste and Louis Lumière. The local professional football team, Olympique Lyonnais, has increased the profile of Lyon internationally through participation in European football championships.

Economically, Lyon is a major centre for banking and also the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. The city contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games, and in recent years has focussed on a growing local start-up sector. Lyon also hosts the international headquarters of Interpol, Euronews and International Agency for Research on Cancer. Lyon is ranked 2nd in France as an economic centre and convention centre on some measures. Lyon was in 2009 ranked 10th globally and 2nd in France for innovation.

History

:Main article for early history: Lugdunum :Main article for later history: History of Lyon

, founder of Lyon]] Lyon was founded on the Fourvière hill as a Roman colony in 43 BC by Munatius Plancus, a lieutenant of Caesar, on the site of a Gaulish hill-fort settlement called Lug[o]dunon, from the Celtic god Lugus ('Light', cognate with Old Irish Lugh, Modern Irish Lú) and dúnon (hill-fort). Lyon was first named Lugdunum meaning the "hill of lights" or "the hill of crows". Lug was equated by the Romans to Mercury.

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa recognized that Lugdunum's position on the natural highway from northern to south-eastern France made it a natural communications hub, and he made Lyon the starting point of the principal Roman roads throughout Gaul. It then became the capital of Gaul, partly thanks to its convenient location at the convergence of two navigable rivers, and quickly became the main city of Gaul. Two emperors were born in this city: Claudius and Caracalla. Today, the archbishop of Lyon is still referred to as "Primat des Gaules" and the city often referred to as the "capitale des Gaules".

The Christians in Lyon were persecuted for their religion under the reigns of the various Roman emperors, most notably Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus. Local saints from this period include saints such as Blandina (Blandine), Pothinus (Pothin) , and Epipodius (Épipode), among others.

The great Christian bishop of Lyon in the 2nd century was the Easterner Irenaeus.

Burgundian refugees from the destruction of Worms by Huns in 437 were resettled by the military commander of the west, Aëtius, at Lugdunum, which was formally the capital of the new Burgundian kingdom by 461.

In 843, by the Treaty of Verdun, Lyon, with the country beyond the Saône, went to Lothair I, and later became a part of the Kingdom of Arles. Lyon only came under French control in the 14th century.

Fernand Braudel remarked, Historians of Lyon are not sufficiently aware of the bi-polarity between Paris and Lyon, which is a constant structure in French development from the late Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution (Braudel 1984 p. 327). The fairs in Lyon, the invention of Italian merchants, made it the economic countinghouse of France in the late 15th century. When international banking moved to Genoa, then Amsterdam, Lyon simply became the banking centre of France; its new Bourse (treasury), built in 1749, still resembled a public bazaar where accounts were settled in the open air. During the Renaissance, the city developed with the silk trade, especially with Italy; the Italian influence on Lyon's architecture can still be seen.

Lyon was a scene of mass violence against Huguenots in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacres in 1572.

During the French Revolution, Lyon rose up against the National Convention and supported the Girondins. In 1793, the city was under siege for over two months, assaulted by the Revolutionary armies, before eventually surrendering. Several buildings were destroyed, especially around the Place Bellecour, and Jean-Marie Collot d'Herbois with Joseph Fouché administered the execution of more than 2,000 people. A decade later, Napoleon himself ordered the reconstruction of all the buildings demolished during this period.

Thanks to the silk trade, the city became an important industrial town during the 19th century but in 1831 and 1834, the silk workers of Lyon, known as canuts, staged two major uprisings. The 1831 uprising saw one of the first recorded uses of the black flag as an emblem of protest. The world's first funicular railway was built between Lyon and La Croix-Rousse in 1862.

Lyon was a centre for the occupying German forces and also a stronghold of resistance during World War II, and the city is now home to a resistance museum. (See also Klaus Barbie.) The traboules, or secret passages, through the houses enabled the local people to escape Gestapo raids.

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Geography

Lyon's geography is dominated by the Rhône and Saône rivers that converge to the south of the historic city centre forming a peninsula or "Presqu'île"; two large hills, one to the west and one to the north of the historic city centre; and a large plain which sprawls eastward from the historic city centre. The original medieval city (Vieux Lyon) was built on the west bank of the Saône river at the foot of the Fourvière hill, west of the Presqu'île. This area, along with portions of the Presqu'île and much of the Croix-Rousse is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

To the west is Fourvière, known as "the hill that prays", the location for the highly decorated basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, several convents, the palace of the Archbishop, the Tour métallique (a highly visible TV tower, replicating the last stage of the Eiffel Tower) and a funicular (a railway on a steep hill).

To the north is the Croix-Rousse, "the hill that works", traditionally home to many small silk workshops, an industry for which the city was once renowned.

Place Bellecour is located on the Presqu'île between the two rivers and is the third largest public square in France. The broad, pedestrian-only Rue de la République leads north from Place Bellecour. The 2^nd arrondissement has many of the finest old residential buildings in Lyon and the area is known for its concentration of old Lyonnaise Catholic families, particularly in the Ainay part of the arrondissement.

East of the Rhône from the Presqu'île is a large area of flat ground upon which sits much of modern Lyon and most of the city's population. Situated in this area is the urban centre of Part-Dieu which clusters the Tour Part-Dieu (affectionately nicknamed "The Pencil"), the Tour Oxygène, the Tour Swiss Life, a shopping centre, and one of Lyon's two major rail terminals, Lyon Part-Dieu.

North of this district is the relatively wealthy 6^th arrondissement, which is home to the Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of Europe's largest urban parks, the prestigious Lycée du Parc to the south of the park, and Interpol's world headquarters on the park's western edge. The park contains a free zoo that has recently been upgraded.

Climate

Lyon is classed as borderline Oceanic and Humid Subtropical (Koppen Cfb/Cfa). Winters are cooler than much of the rest of France due to its more inland position, but generally not cold, averaging in January. Summers are very warm, averaging in July. Precipitation is adequate year-round, at an average of , but the winter months are the driest.

Administration and arrondissements

Lyon is the capital of the Rhône-Alpes région, the préfecture of the Rhône département, and the capital of 14 cantons, covering 1 commune, and with a total population of 480,660.

The Urban Community of Lyon, also known as Grand Lyon is the intercommunal structure gathering the city and some of its suburbs. The Urban Community encompasses only the core of the metropolitan area of Lyon.

Like Paris and Marseille, Lyon is divided into a number of municipal arrondissements, each of which is identified by a number and has its own council and town hall. Five arrondissements were originally created in 1852, when three neighbouring communes (La Croix-Rousse, La Guillotière, and Vaise) were annexed by Lyon. Between 1867 and 1959, the 3^rd arrondissement (which originally covered the whole of the Left Bank of the Rhône) was split three times, creating a new arrondissement in each case. Then, in 1963, the commune of Saint-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe was annexed to Lyon's 5^th arrondissement. A year later, in 1964, the 5^th was split to create Lyon's 9^th – and, to date, final – arrondissement. Within each arrondissement, there are a number of recognisable quartiers or neighbourhoods:

1^st arrondissement : Slopes of La Croix-Rousse, Terreaux, Martinière/St-Vincent

2^nd arrondissement : Cordeliers, Bellecour, Ainay, Perrache, Confluent

3^rd arrondissement : Guillotière (north), Préfecture, Part-Dieu, Villette, Dauphiné/Sans Souci, Montchat, Grange Blanche (north), Monplaisir (north)

4^th arrondissement : Plateau de la Croix-Rousse, Serin

5^th arrondissement : Vieux Lyon (Saint-Paul, Saint-Jean, Saint-Georges), Saint-Just, Saint-Irénée, Fourvière, Point du Jour, Ménival, Battières, Champvert (south)

6^th arrondissement : Brotteaux, Bellecombe, Parc de la Tête d'Or, Cité Internationale

7^th arrondissement : Guillotière (south), Jean Macé, Gerland

8^th arrondissement : Monplaisir (south), Bachut, États-Unis, Grand Trou/Moulin à Vent, Grange Blanche (south), Laënnec, Mermoz, Monplaisir-la-Plaine

9^th arrondissement : Vaise, Duchère, Rochecardon, St-Rambert-l'Île-Barbe, Gorge de Loup, Observance, Champvert (north)

Geographically, Lyon's two main rivers, the Saône and the Rhône, divide the arrondissements into three groups:

To the west of the Saône, the 5^th arrondissement covers the old city (Vieux Lyon), Fourvière hill and the plateau beyond. The 9^th is immediately to the north, and stretches from Gorge de Loup, through Vaise to the neighbouring suburbs of Écully, Champagne-au-Mont-d'Or, Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or and Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or.

Between the two rivers, on the Presqu'île are the 2^nd, 1^st and 4^th arrondissements. The 2^nd includes most of the city centre, including Bellecour and Perrache railway station, and reaches as far as the confluence of the two rivers. The 1^st is directly to the north of the 2^nd and covers part of the city centre (including the Hôtel de Ville) and the slopes of La Croix-Rousse. To the north of the Boulevard is the 4^th arrondissement, which covers the Plateau of La Croix-Rousse, up to its boundary with the commune of Caluire-et-Cuire.

To the east of the Rhône, are the 3^rd, 6^th, 7^th and 8^th arrondissements.

Culture

Name	Historic Site of Lyons
Imagecaption	Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière on the hill.
State party
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Id	872
Region	Europe and North America
Year	1998
Link	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/872

Since the Middle Ages, the residents of the region, speak several dialects of Arpitan language. The Lyonnais dialect was partly replaced by the French language as the importance of the city grew. However, it is still alive and, in addition, some "frenchified" Franco-Provençal words can also be heard in the French of the Lyonnais, who call their little boys and girls "gones" and "fenottes" for example. Lyon was an early centre for printing books, and nurtured a circle of 16th century poets.

The Lumière brothers pioneered cinema in the town in 1895. The Musée Lumière, built as Auguste Lumiere's house, and a fascinating piece of architecture in its own right, holds many of their first inventions and other early cinematic and photographic artefacts.

December 8 each year is marked by the Festival of Lights (la Fête des lumières), a celebration of thanks to the Virgin Mary, who purportedly saved the city from a deadly plague in the Middle Ages. During the event, the local population places candles (lumignons) at their windows and the city of Lyon organizes impressive large-scale light shows onto the sides of important Lyonnais monuments, such as the medieval Cathédrale St-Jean.

The church of Saint Francis of Sales is famous for its large and unaltered Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ, attracting audiences from around the world.

The Opéra Nouvel (Nouvel Opera House) is the home of the Opéra National de Lyon. The original opera house was re-designed by the distinguished French architect, Jean Nouvel between 1985 and 1993 and is named after him.

Lyon is also the French capital of "trompe l'œil"-walls, a very ancient tradition. Many are to be seen everywhere around the city. This old tradition is now expending in a contemporary expression. See for example Guillaume Bottazzi art work.

The Brothers of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic congregation that operates schools in Europe and North America, was founded in Lyon in 1821.

The African Museum of Lyon is one of the oldest museums situated in Lyon.

The Museum of Resistance and Deportation looks at the various persons prominent in the Resistance movement in World War II. The building is strongly linked to Klaus Barbie. Lyon sees itself as the centre of the French resistance and many members were shot in Place Bellecour in the town centre. The exhibition is largely a series of mini-biographies of those involved.

The unusual project Lyon Dubai City, a reproduction of some districts of Lyon in Dubai, is a major point for the tourism in Lyon.

Lyon is a pilot city of the Council of Europe and the European Commission Intercultural cities programme.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Historic Site of Lyon was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. In their designation, UNESCO cited the "exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and strategic significance." The specific regions composing the Historic Site include the Roman district and Fourvière, the Renaissance district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district (slopes of Croix-Rousse), and the Presqu'île, which features architecture from the 12th century to modern times. Both Vieux Lyon and the slopes of Croix-Rousse are known for their narrow passageways (named traboules) that pass through buildings and link streets on either side. The first examples of traboules are thought to have been built in Lyon in the 4th century. The traboules allowed the inhabitants to get from their homes to the Saône river quickly and allowed the canuts on the Croix-Rousse hill to get quickly from their workshops to the textile merchants at the foot of the hill.

Gastronomy

For several centuries Lyon has been known as the French capital of gastronomy, due, in part, to the presence of many of France's finest chefs in the city and its surroundings (e.g. Paul Bocuse). This reputation also comes from the fact that two of France's best known wine-growing regions are located near Lyon: the Beaujolais to the North, and the Côtes du Rhône to the South. Beaujolais wine is very popular in Lyon and remains the most common table wine served with local dishes.

Lyon is the home of very typical and traditional restaurants serving local dishes, and local wines: the bouchons.

The city is famous for its morning snacks formerly had by its silk workers, the mâchons, made up of local charcuterie and usually accompanied by Beaujolais red wine. Traditional local dishes include Rosette lyonnaise and saucisson de Lyon (sausage), andouillette (a sausage of coarsely cut tripe), pistachio sausage, coq au vin, esox (pike) quenelle, gras double (tripe cooked with onions), salade lyonnaise (lettuce with bacon, croutons and a poached egg), marrons glacés, coussin de Lyon and cardoon au gratin.

Cervelle de canut (lit. silk worker's brains) is a cheese spread/dip, a Lyonnais speciality. The dish is a base of fromage blanc, seasoned with chopped herbs, shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

Economy

's world headquarters in Lyon]] The GDP of Lyon is 62 billion euro, and the city is the second richest city after Paris. Lyon and its region Rhône-Alpes represent one of the most important economies in Europe and, according to the Loughborough university, can be compared to Philadelphia, Mumbai or Athens concerning its international position. The city of Lyon is working in partnerships to more easily enable the establishment of new headquarters in the territory (ADERLY, Chambre du commerce et d'industrie, Grand Lyon...). According to the ECER-Banque Populaire, Lyon is the 14^th favorite city in the European Union concerning the creation of companies and investments. High-tech industries like biotechnology, software development, game design, and internet services are also growing. Other important sectors include medical research and technology, non-profit institutions, and universities. Lyon is home to some of the most dangerous viruses in the world (class 4) in the Jean Merieux laboratory of research, like Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, Hendra, and Lassa.

The city is the headquarters of many companies like Euronews, Lyon Airports, BioMérieux, Sanofi Pasteur, LCL S.A., Cegid Group, Boiron, Infogrames, Groupe SEB, LVL Medical, GL Events, Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, and intergovernmental agencies IARC, Interpol. The specialization of some sectors of activities have the consequence of creating several main business centers: La Part-Dieu, located in the 3rd arrondissement is the second biggest business quarter after La Défense in Paris with over of office space and services and more than 40,000 jobs. Cité Internationale, created by the architect Renzo Piano is located in the border of the Parc de la Tête d'Or in the 6th arrondissement. The worldwide headquarters of Interpol is located there. The district of Confluence, in the south of the historic centre, is a new pole of economical and cultural development.

Tourism provides a big boost to the Lyon economy with one billion euros in 2007 and 3.5 million hotel nights in 2006 provided by non-residents. Approximately 60% of tourists visit for business with the rest for leisure. In January 2009 Lyon ranked first in France for hostels business. The festivals most important for attracting tourists are the Fête des lumières, the Nuits de Fourvière every summer, the Biennale d'art contemporain and the Nuits Sonores.

Demographics

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Noteworthy sites

Antiquity

on the Fourvière hill]]

The Roman ruins on the hillside near the Fourviere Basilica with the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière, the Odeon of Lyon and the accompanying Gallo-Roman Museum.

Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls, roman ruins of an amphiteatre.

Middle Ages and Renaissance

Cathédrale Saint-Jean, medieval cathedral with architectural elements of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. It is the principal religious structure in the city and the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon.

Basilica of St-Martin-d'Ainay is one of the rare surviving Romanesque basilica-style churches in Lyon.

Église Saint-Paul, Romanesque (12 and 13th century) and Gothic (15-16th century) church.

Église Saint-Bonaventure, 14th- and 15th-century Gothic church.

Eglise Saint-Nizier, Gothic church from the 15th century. Its doorway was carved in the 16th century by Philibert Delorme.

Vieux Lyon (English: Old Lyon) area – Medieval and Renaissance quarter of the town, with cobbled streets, shops, and dining.

The many Renaissance hôtels particuliers of the Old Lyon quarter, such as the Hôtel de Bullioud, also built by Philibert Delorme.

17th and 18th century

Fountain at the place des Terreaux]]

City Hall on place des Terreaux, built by architects Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte.

Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon, fine arts museum housed in a former convent of the 17th century, including the Baroque chapelle Saint-Pierre.

Hôtel-Dieu de Lyon (17th and 18th century), historical hospital with a baroque chapel.

Temple du Change (17th and 18th century), former stock exchange of Lyon, Protestant temple since the 18th century.

Place Bellecour, one of the largest town squares in Europe.

Chapelle de la Trinité (1622), the first Baroque chapel built in Lyon, it was part of the former Ecole de la Trinité, now Collège-lycée Ampère.

Église Saint-Polycarpe (1665–1670), Classical church.

Église Saint-Just (16th to 18th century), Classical church.

Saint-Bruno des Chartreux (17th and 18th century), church, masterpiece of Baroque architecture.

Église Notre Dame Saint-Vincent (18th century), Neoclassical church.

19th century and modern city

Opéra National de Lyon (1831), renovated in 1993 by Jean Nouvel.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, large 19th century basilica on the top of Fourvière Hill.

Tour métallique de Fourvière (1894).

La Mouche Cattle Market and Abbatoir (1914, 1928), designed by Tony Garnier.

Sainte Marie de La Tourette monastery (1960) designed by Le Corbusier

Saint-Exupéry International Airport (formerly Satolas Airport, 1975), designed by Guillaume Gilbert.

Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry (1994) by Santiago Calatrava.

Palais des congrès de Lyon (1998), designed by Renzo Piano is a group of buildings for various functions.

Tour du Crédit Lyonnais

Tour Oxygène

Tour Incity

Museums

Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon (Fine Arts Museum), main museum of the city and one of the largest art galleries in France. Housed in the "Palais Saint Pierre", a former 17th century convent, it displays a major collection of paintings (Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Nicolas Poussin, Rubens, Rembrandt, Zurbaran, Canaletto, Delacroix, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Francis Bacon...), collections of sculptures, drawings and printings, decorative arts, roman and Greek antiquities, the second largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in France after that of the Louvre and a medal cabinet of 50 000 medals and coins.

Gallo-Roman Museum, it displays many valuable objects and artwoks found on the site of roman Lyon (Lugdunum) like the Circus Games Mosaic, Coligny calendar or the Taurobolic Altar.

African Museum of Lyon

Centre d'histoire de la résistance et de la déportation

Musée des Confluences, planned future museum of Sciences and anthropology.

La Sucrière, contemporary art center.

Musée des Tissus et des Arts Décoratifs, decorative arts museum.

Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon, contemporary art museum.

Musée Gadagne, museum of the history of Lyon housed in a historical building of the Vieux Lyon.

Parks and gardens

Parc de la Tête d'Or, (literally, Golden Head Park), in central Lyon is the largest urban park in France at 117 hectares. Located in the 6th arrondissement, it features a large lake on which boating takes place during the summer months. Due to the relatively small number of other parks in Lyon, it receives a huge number of visitors over summer, and is a frequent destination for joggers and cyclists. At the northern end of the park, there is a small zoo, with giraffes, elephants, tigers and other animals. There is also sporting equipment, such as a velodrome, boules court, mini-golf, horse riding, and even a miniature train.

Jardin botanique de Lyon (8 hectares), included in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, is a municipal botanical garden. It is open weekdays without charge. The garden was established in 1857 as a successor to earlier botanical gardens dating to 1796, and now describes itself as France's largest municipal botanical garden. Today it contains about 15,000 plants, including 3500 plants of temperate regions, 760 species of shrubs, a hundred species of wild roses, 750 varieties of historical roses, 200 varieties of peonies recognized by the Conservatoire Français des Collections Végétales Spécialisées, 1800 species of alpine plants, 50 varieties of water lilies, and 6,000 species in its greenhouses. The garden's greenhouses enclose a total of in area, and include a central pavilion for tropical plants including camellias over a hundred years old; a greenhouse-aquarium with Amazonian water lilies; a Dutch greenhouse containing carnivorous plants; small greenhouses with orchids; and small cold greenhouses with azaleas, cactus, and so forth.

Parc de Gerland, in the south of the city (80 hectares).

Parc des hauteurs, in Fourvières.

Parc de Miribel-Jonage, (300 hectares).

Parc de Lacroix-Laval, (115 hectares).

Parc de Parilly, (178 hectares).

Education

ECE Lyon (École de Commerce Européenne de Lyon)

Institut d'études politiques de Lyon

CPE Lyon

École Centrale de Lyon

ECAM Lyon (École Catholique d'Arts et Métiers de Lyon)

EM Lyon (École de Management de Lyon)

ENTPE (École Nationale des Travaux Publiques de l'État)

École des Beaux-Arts

École Normale Supérieure de Lyon

École Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines

Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (located in Villeurbanne)

ISTIL (Institut des Sciences et Techniques de l'Ingénieur de Lyon) (located in Villeurbanne)

ISARA (Institut Supérieur d'Agriculture Rhône Alpes)

Institution des Chartreux

Université Claude Bernard (Lyon I)

Université Lumière (Lyon II)

Université Jean Moulin (Lyon III)

IAE (Institut d'Administration des Entreprises de Lyon)

Catholic University of Lyon

ESDES Business School

IDRAC (International School of Management)

Wesford Graduate Business School

IFAG (Business Management School)

Le Lycée du Parc

La Martiniere Lyon

CEESO (Centre Européen d'Enseignement Supérieur de l'Ostéopathie)

There are some international private schools in Lyon, including:

Cité Scolaire Internationale de Lyon

Ombrosa

International School of Lyon

Montessori School of Lyon

Sport

Lyon is home to the Ligue 1 football team Olympique Lyonnais, commonly known as "Lyon" or "OL". The team has enjoyed unprecedented success recently, winning seven consecutive national titles and establishing themselves as France's premier football club. The team competes in the prestigious UEFA Champions League and currently plays at the Stade de Gerland, where the Danone Nations Cup is held every year. The team is set to move to a new stadium in Décines-Charpieu (in the eastern suburbs) in 2010, which will hold 61,556 people. Lyon also has a rugby union team, Lyon OU, currently playing in division 2, Rugby Pro D2. In addition, Lyon has a rugby league side: Lyon Villeurbanne Rhône XIII, or LVR XIII, play in the French rugby league championship. The club's current home ground is Stade Georges Lyvet in Villeurbanne. Lyon is also home to the Lyon Hockey Club, an ice hockey team that competes in France's national ice hockey league. Finally, Villeurbanne also has a renowned basketball team, ASVEL, who play at the Astroballe arena in Laurent Bonnevay.

Transportation

Saint-Exupéry International Airport, located east of Lyon, serves as a base for domestic and international flights. It is an important transport facility for the entire Rhône-Alpes region. Coach links connect the airport with the centre of Lyon and other towns in the area including Chambéry and Grenoble. With its in-house train station (Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry) the airport is also connected to the TGV network. The new Rhônexpress tram links the international airport with the business quarter of La Part Dieu in less than 30 minutes. The Lyon-Bron Airport is a smaller airport dedicated to General Aviation (both private and commercial). Having helipads, the facility hosts a Gendarmerie and a Sécurité Civile (civilian defence) Base.

Lyon has two major railway stations: Lyon Part-Dieu, which was built to accommodate the TGV and has become the principal railway station for extra-regional trains; and Lyon Perrache, which is an older station that now primarily serves regional rail services. In practice, many trains, including TGVs, serve both stations. Smaller railway stations include Gorge-de-Loup, Vaise, Vénissieux, Saint-Paul and Jean Macé. Lyon is connected to the north (Lille, Paris, Brussels, and in the future Amsterdam) and the south (Marseille, Montpellier, and in the future Barcelona, Turin) by the TGV. It was the first city to be connected to Paris by the TGV in 1981.

The City is at the heart of a dense road network and is located at the meeting point of several highways: A6 (to Paris), A7 (to Marseille), A42 (to Geneve), A43 (to Grenoble). The city is now bypassed by the A46. A double motorway tunnel passes under Fourvière, connecting the A6 and the A7 autoroutes, both forming the "Autoroute du Soleil". Prior to the construction of the bypass by the east, the tunnel was famous for its traffic jams, since traffic between northern and southern France, as well as from neighboring countries and local traffic all wanted to cross, Lyon being virtually the only low passage between the Alps and the Massif Central (extinct) volcano range. Lyon is served by the Eurolines intercity coach organisation. Its Lyon terminal is located at the city's Perrache railway station, which serves as an intermodal transportation hub that also includes tramways, local and regional trains and buses, the terminus of metro line A, the bicycle service Vélo'v, and taxis.

The TCL (for Transports en Commun Lyonnais), Lyon's public transit system, consisting of metro, buses and tramways, serves 62 communes of the Lyon agglomeration. The subway network has 4 lines ( ), 39 stations and runs with a frequency of up to a train every 2 minutes. The bus network consists of normal buses, trolleybuses and coaches for areas outside the centre. There are 4 tram lines ( ) since April 2009: T1 from Montrochet in the south to IUT-Feyssine in the north, Tram T2 from Perrache railway station in the southwest to Saint-Priest in the southeast, Tram T3 from Part-Dieu to Meyzieu, and Tram T4 from Mendès-France to Feyzin. There are also two funicular lines from Vieux Lyon to Saint-Just and Fourvière. Despite the existence of several systems and operators the ticketing is unified through a unique system. The REAL project intends on promoting and eventually increasing, the usage of public transport means by commuters. The public transit system is complemented by Vélo'v, a bicycle network providing a low cost and convenient bicycle hire service where bicycles can be hired and dropped off at any of 340 stations throughout the city. Borrowing a bicycle for less than 30 minutes is free.

Notable residents

Éric Abidal, footballer

Ludovic Assemoassa, footballer

Frederique Bangue, athlete

Claudius (10 BC - AD 54), roman emperor

Caracalla (188–217), roman emperor

Irenaeus (2nd century AD – 202), Bishop

André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836), physicist and mathematician

Raymond Barre, French politician

Azouz Begag

Karim Benzema,footballer

Paul Bocuse (born 1926), chef

Gérard Collomb

Clovis Cornillac

Natalie Dessay

Lionel Djebi-Zadi, footballer

Youri Djorkaeff, footballer

Helton Dos Reis, footballer

Liane Foly

Éric Guirado

Maurice Jarre

Jean Michel Jarre (son of Maurice Jarre, above)

Allan Kardec

Katsuni

Jérôme Kerviel

Alexandre Lacassagne

Edmond Locard

Auguste and Louis Lumière

André Manoukian

Jean-Baptiste Maunier

Jean Moulin

Wilfrid Nanou, footballer

Bruno N'Gotty, footballer

Emile Ntamack, rugby player

Abbé Pierre

Mickael Pote, footballer

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Jean-Baptiste Say

Bertrand Tavernier

Sylvie Testud

Movies in Lyon

1895: 14 vues Lumière filmées à Lyon entre 1895 et 1900 by Auguste and Louis Lumière

1929: The kiss, Le baiser by Jacques Feyder with Greta Garbo

1938: Le petit chose by Maurice Cloche with Arletty, Robert Lynen

1945: 120 rue de la Gare by Jacques Daniel-Norman with René Dary, Sophie Desmarets

1946: Un revenant by Christian-Jaque with Louis Jouvet, Gaby Morlay, François Périer, Marguerite Moreno, Ludmilla Tchérina

1949: La cage aux filles by Maurice Cloche with Danièle Delorme, Noël Roquevert

1950: Coeur sur mer by Jacques Daniel-Norman

1952: Les dents longues by Daniel Gélin with Daniel Gélin, Danièle Delorme, Louis de Funès

1953: Thérèse Raquin by Marcel Carné, with Simone Signoret, Raf Vallone, Jacques Duby

1956: Un condamné à mort s'est échappé by Robert Bresson

1956: Crime et châtiment by Georges Lampin with Jean Gabin, Robert Hossein, Marina Vlady, Bernard Blier, Gaby Morlay, Lino Ventura

1964: L'insoumis by Alain Cavalier with Alain Delon, Léa Massari

1966: Le Voyage du père by Denys de La Patellière with Fernandel, Lilli Palmer, Laurent Terzieff, Madeleine Robinson, Michel Auclair, Philippe Noiret

1969: La sirène du by François Truffaut with Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve

1969: L'Armée des ombres by Jean-Pierre Melville with Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel

1974: L'Horloger de Saint-Paul by Bertrand Tavernier with Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort

1975: Verdict by André Cayatte with Jean Gabin, Sophia Loren

1975: La chair de l'orchidée by Patrice Chéreau with Charlotte Rampling, Edwige Feuillère, Bruno Cremer, Simone Signoret, Alida Valli

1980: Une semaine de vacances by Bertrand Tavernier, with Nathalie Baye, Gérard Lanvin, Michel Galabru

1981: Le Voyage à Lyon by Claudia von Aleman

1982: Coup de foudre by Diane Kurys with Miou-Miou, Isabelle Huppert, Guy Marchand

1985: Parole de flic by José Pinheiro, with Alain Delon, Jacques Perrin

1993: Un crime by Jacques Deray, with Alain Delon

1994: Lucie Aubrac by Claude Berri with Carole Bouquet, Daniel Auteuil

1996: Les Voleurs by André Téchiné

1998: Le Gone du Chaâba by Christophe Ruggia, from the book by Azouz Begag

2000: Lyon police spéciale by Bertrand Arthuys

2000: Tout va bien, on s'en va by Claude Mouriéras

2000: Une affaire de goût by Bernard Rapp with Bernard Giraudeau

2002: Inventaire filmé des rues de la Croix-Rousse à Lyon by Gérard Courant

2002: Quand tu descendras du ciel by Éric Guirado

2003: Le Coût de la vie by Philippe Le Guay

2004: Vaada by Satish Kaushik, film by Bollywood

2005: Destination Fourvière by Gérard Courant

2007: Après Lui by Gaël Morel

2007: Détrompez-vous by Bruno Dega

2007: J'veux pas que tu t'en ailles by Bernard Jeanjean

2007: La fille coupée en deux by Claude Chabrol

2008: Les Liens du sang by Jacques Maillot

2009: The International by Tom Tykwer

2009: Je te mangerais by Sophie Laloy

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Lyon is twinned with: {| cellpadding="10" |- style="vertical-align:top;" | Sinop, Turkey Aleppo, Syria Birmingham, United Kingdom (since 1951) Curitiba in Brazil Dubai, UAE Guangzhou in China (since 1988) St. Louis in United States (since 1975) || || Frankfurt in Germany (since 1960) Leipzig in Germany (since 1981) Yokohama in Japan (since 1959) Łódź in Poland (since 1991) Yerevan in Armenia(since 1992) Milan in Italy (since 1966) Minsk in Belarus (since 1976) Montréal in Québec, Canada (since 1979) || || Gothenburg in Sweden Pécs in Hungary Yoshkar-Ola in Russia Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso

See also

Intercultural cities

Arrondissements of Lyon

History of Lyon

Lugdunum

List of the streets in Lyon

Grand Lyon

Rhône-Alpes

Gallia Lugdunensis

Lyon Dubai City

Réseau Express de l'Aire métropolitaine lyonnaise

Olympique Lyonnais

Urban Community of Lyon

Notes

References

External links

City of Lyon official website

Lyon public transport company, including maps and timetables

Official tourist office site

Grand Lyon website

Category:Communes of Rhône Category:Populated places on the Rhone

Playername	Jimmy Briand
Fullname	Jimmy Briand
Dateofbirth	August 02, 1985
Cityofbirth	Vitry-sur-Seine
Countryofbirth	France
Height
Currentclub	Lyon
Clubnumber	7
Position	Striker Winger
Youthyears1	1995–1998
Youthclubs1	US Ivry
Youthyears2	1998–2000
Youthclubs2	CSF Brétigny
Youthyears3	2000–2001
Youthclubs3	INF Clairefontaine
Youthyears4	2001–2003
Youthclubs4	Rennes
Years1	2002–2010
Clubs1	Rennes
Years2	2010–
Clubs2	Lyon
Caps1	169
Goals1	33
Caps2	19
Goals2	3
Nationalyears1	2004–2006
Nationalteam1	France U21
Nationalyears2	2008–
Nationalteam2	France
Nationalcaps1	22
Nationalgoals1	4
Nationalcaps2	3
Nationalgoals2	0
Pcupdate	14 June 2010
Ntupdate	14 June 2010

Jimmy Briand (French pronunciation: [dʒimi bʁiɑ̃]) (born 2 August 1985 in Vitry-sur-Seine) is a French football player who currently plays for Olympique Lyonnais in Ligue 1. He plays as a striker, but is also capable of playing on the wings. Briand is a former graduate of the famous Clairefontaine academy and is formerly a France youth international. He is also a member of the senior team making his debut on 11 October 2008 against Romania. On 14 June 2010, Briand joined Lyon on a four-year contract. Prior to joining the club, he had been the longest serving player that was currently playing for Rennes having joined the club in 2001.

Club career

Rennes

Briand began his career at US Ivry before joining CSF Brétigny. Following a stint there, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. Following his tenure there, Briand joined the youth academy of professional club Rennes

While in Rennes' youth system, Briand won the Coupe Gambardella in 2003. During the league season, he made his professional football debut, at the age of 17, in a match against Paris Saint-Germain coming on as a substitute playing 25 minutes. The match finished 0–0. Over the next two seasons, his play was limited only appearing in 16 league matches and scoring one goal, his first ever, against Montpellier in a 4–0 victory.

Briand finally broke into the first-team for the 2005–06 season appearing in 29 league matches and scoring 3 goals helping Rennes finish in 7^th place, just one spot out of Europe. Over the next two years, his play remained consistent primarily due to the player not sustaining injuries. Despite being linked to clubs outside France, Briand decided to stay with Rennes for the 2008–09 season. He performed well scoring a team-high eight goals in the league. On 26 March 2009, Briand ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while training with the French national team. The injury required six months of rest. Due to the injury, Briand made his debut with Rennes in the 2009–10 Ligue 1 season on 29 October in a league match against Monaco. He finished the season with 23 league appearances converting five goals.

Lyon

On 14 June 2010, Lyon president and chairman Jean-Michel Aulas announced that the club had signed Briand to a four-year contract effective 1 July. The transfer fee was priced at €6 million. He was assigned the number 7 shirt.

International career

Briand played on the under-21 team from 2004 to 2006 scoring 4 goals on 22 appearances. He was a member of the French squad that participated in the 2006 UEFA U-21 Championship helping France reach the semi-finals before losing to the Netherlands.

Briand received his first call-up to the senior side in May 2007 for France's Euro 2008 qualification matches against Ukraine and Georgia. He would not make his debut in those matches. On 11 October 2008, Briand made his international debut against Romania in a 2010 World Cup qualifying match that ended in a 2–2 draw.

Career statistics

References

External links

Jimmy Briand's profile, stats & pics

Filing card in L'Equipe

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:People from Vitry-sur-Seine Category:French people of Guadeloupean descent Category:People of Martiniquais descent Category:French footballers Category:France international footballers Category:France under-21 international footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:Stade Rennais F.C. players Category:INF Clairefontaine players Category:Ligue 1 players

Playername	Nemanja Vidić
Fullname	Nemanja Vidić
Dateofbirth	October 21, 1981
Cityofbirth	Titovo Užice
Countryofbirth	SFR Yugoslavia
Height
Position	Centre back
Currentclub	Manchester United
Clubnumber	15
Youthyears1	1989–1993 |youthclubs1 = Jedinstvo Užice
Youthyears2	1994–1996 |youthclubs2 = Sloboda Užice
Youthyears3	1996–2000 |youthclubs3 = Red Star Belgrade
Years1	2000–2004 |clubs1 = Red Star Belgrade |caps1 = 67 |goals1 = 12
Years2	2000–2001 |clubs2 = → Spartak Subotica (loan) |caps2 = 27 |goals2 = 6
Years3	2004–2006 |clubs3 = Spartak Moscow |caps3 = 39 |goals3 = 4
Years4	2006– |clubs4 = Manchester United |caps4 = 146 |goals4 = 12
Nationalyears1	2002– |nationalteam1 = Serbia |nationalcaps1 = 53 |nationalgoals1 = 2
Pcupdate	23:54, 4 January 2011 (UTC)
Ntupdate	19:03, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Nemanja Vidić (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Видић, ; born 21 October 1981 in Titovo Užice, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for the English Premier League club Manchester United and for the Serbian national team.

After establishing himself at Red Star Belgrade during the early 2000s, Vidić moved to Spartak Moscow in the summer of 2004. He further increased his reputation when he was part of the "Famous Four" Serbian national team defence that conceded just one goal during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign. He would later sign for Manchester United for around £7m in January 2006 before establishing a prominent defensive partnership with Rio Ferdinand the following season and earning a reputation for his no-nonsense defending.

He has collected a host of honours in his United career including 3 consecutive Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, the FIFA World Club Cup, three League Cup medals, as well as being included in three consecutive PFA Team of the Year sides from 2007 to 2009. In the 2008–09 season, he helped United to a record-breaking run of 14 consecutive clean sheets and was awarded the Barclays Player of the Season. He also collected both the club's Fans' and Players' Player of the Year awards. At the start of the 2010–11 season Vidić was selected as the new club captain of Manchester United.

Red Star and Spartak Moscow

Two and a half years later, before his 15th birthday, Red Star Belgrade signed Vidić to their youth system. He started his senior career on a season-long loan deal at Spartak Subotica in 2000. He moved back to Red Star Belgrade after the loan deal ended, playing regularly in the top-flight Yugoslav League with coach Zoran Filipović. He won the 2001–02 Yugoslav Cup with Red Star. Vidić quickly gained the captain's armband, and during his three years as captain, he scored 12 goals in 67 matches, and ended his Red Star Belgrade career on a high note by leading the club to a domestic double. He won the 2004 Serbia and Montenegro League and Serbia and Montenegro Cup trophies with Red Star Belgrade, and in July 2004, he joined Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow. The details of the transfer were not revealed although it was reported that Vidić became the most expensive defender in the history of the Russian Premier League.

Manchester United

After playing two seasons at Spartak Moscow, Vidić signed for Manchester United for a reported fee of around £7 million on 5 January 2006; two and a half years after Manchester United's reported interest in him. On this occasion Manchester beat out stiff competition for Vidić's signature as his transfer to ACF Fiorentina had already been agreed with the club's sporting director Pantaleo Corvino. Since Fiorentina had to wait in order to complete the signing due to not having any free non-EU spots on its roster at the moment, United stepped in and got Vidić in the meantime. He was assigned the number 15 shirt and on 25 January 2006 he made his debut for Manchester United as a substitute for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the dying minutes of a 2–1 win in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Blackburn Rovers. On 16 February 2006, Vidić won his first trophy with United, coming on in the 83rd minute for Wes Brown in the 2006 Carling Cup final win against Wigan Athletic.

During the 2006–07 Premier league season, Vidić formed a partnership with Rio Ferdinand in the centre of defence, which has since become one of the most prominent partnerships in English football, and has become an established first team player. In his first full season playing for Manchester United, he made 25 appearances in the Premier League and ended the season winning his first league medal.

Vidić scored his first ever goal for Manchester United on 14 October 2006 against Wigan Athletic; United won 3–1. He scored his second goal in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 4 November, his first goal at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium. He scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United against Benfica on 6 December in the group stages, a match which Manchester United won 3–1.

On 8 November 2007, Vidić signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at Manchester United until 2012. At the end of the 2007–08 season, he earned his second consecutive Premier League medal. He was also a part of the squad which won the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final versus Chelsea—his first European medal. During United's 2007–08 season, he made 32 league appearances and scored one goal.

During the 2008–09 season, Vidić has been a pivotal part of the United defence in the absence of a number of other defenders during various parts of the season. He started every match in the British Football League-record run of 14 consecutive clean sheets in Premier League matches. Towards the end of the 2008–09 season, Vidić was shortlisted for the PFA Player of the Year award, along with another four Manchester United players; he was considered the favourite to receive the accolade that was later awarded to his team-mate Ryan Giggs. Vidić was later named as the Manchester United fans' player of the year and players' player of the year, taking over from Cristiano Ronaldo, who won both awards in 2007–08.

Praised for his aggressive no-nonsense defensive style by Manutd.com by his Manchester United teammates, he is highly regarded for bravery. Because of this, he enjoys a cult status among United faithful and is often compared to former Manchester United defender Steve Bruce for having similar characteristics.

On 25 October 2009, Vidić was again sent off against Liverpool in a 2–0 defeat, marking the third consecutive game against their fiercest rivals in which he had been shown a red card. However, on 21 March 2010 he managed to play a full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win against Liverpool at Old Trafford and again on 19 September 2010 this time a 3–2 victory.

On 23 July 2010, it was reported that Vidić has extended his contract with Manchester United by agreeing to a new long-term contract, ending long-running speculation of a move to Real Madrid. The new four-year contract was signed on 20 August. Vidić scored his first goal of the season on 11 September away to Everton to put his side 2–1 up, the game ending with a dramatic finish with the final score 3–3. After captaining Manchester United for the first five matches of the 2010–11 season, Sir Alex Ferguson later confirmed that Vidić had taken over from Gary Neville as team captain on a permanent basis, while Neville would remain as club captain. On 30 October, Vidić scored his first home goal of the season in a 2–0 league win against Tottenham Hotspur, his goal was the 1000th to be scored at Old Trafford in the Premier League. On 13 November 2010 Vidić scored his third goal of the season in a 2–2 away draw against Aston Villa in the 85th minute to grab United a point from a 2–0 deficit.

International career

A Yugoslavian youth international, he made his senior debut on 12 October 2002 against Italy in UEFA Euro 2004 qualification. Vidić was part of the Serbian and Montenegrin national team's "Famous Four" defence, alongside Mladen Krstajić, Ivica Dragutinović and Goran Gavrančić, that conceded just one goal during the ten 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, setting a new record for the fewest goals conceded. Vidić played a major part in the last qualification game, against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia and Montenegro won 1–0 and secured qualification, despite Vidić picking up a red card five minutes before the end. and on 12 June 2006 he injured his left knee ligaments during training and he did not play any games at the 2006 World Cup. After the 2006 World Cup, Vidić went on to represent the national team, now independent as the Serbian national team. He was a regular during 2010 World Cup qualifying when fit and was instrumental as Serbia finished top of their group ahead of the likes of France and Romania with the best defensive record.

International goals

Statistics accurate as of match played 4 January 2011

Honours

Club

;Red Star Belgrade

Yugoslav Cup (1): 2002

Serbian Superliga (1): 2003–04

Serbia and Montenegro Cup (1): 2004

;Manchester United

Premier League (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09

League Cup (3): 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10

FA Community Shield (3): 2007, 2008, 2010

UEFA Champions League (1): 2007–08

FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual

Serbia's Overseas Player of the Year (3): 2005 (with Spartak Moscow), 2007, 2008 (with Manchester United)

Serbian Footballer of the Year (2): 2005 (with Spartak Moscow), 2008 (with Manchester United)

PFA Premier League Team of the Year (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 (with Manchester United)

Premier League Player of the Month (1): January 2009

Barclays Player of the Season: 2008–09

Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2008–09

FIFPro World XI (1): 2008–09

Individual honours

Vidić won Serbia's Overseas Player of the Year award for 2005, playing for Spartak Moscow, a poll of the captains of the 16 clubs in the Serbian Superliga that is organized annually (the first award was given in 1996) by daily newspaper Večernje Novosti. He was once again the recipient of the award for 2007 and 2008, this time playing for Manchester United. The executive committee of the Serbian Football Association named him Player of the year for 2005 and 2008. He was named in the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 PFA Premiership Team of the Season. In addition, he was shortlisted for the 2006–07, 2007–08 and 2008–09 UEFA European Club Defender of the Year and was also shortlisted for the 2006–07 and 2007–08 FIFPro World XI player award and also for the 2008 and 2009 Ballon d'Or award. Vidić was named Premier League Player of the Month for January 2009. He was also named Barclays Player of the Season for 2008–09.

Personal life

On 17 July 2006, Vidić married Ana Ivanović, an economics student at the University of Belgrade (no relation to the Serbian tennis star of the same name). Together, they have two sons named Luka and Stefan.

References

External links

Official website

Manchester United Official Player Statistics

Player profile on Serbian National Team page

Manchester United profile

UEFA profile

Category:Association football central defenders Category:Serbian footballers Category:Serbia and Montenegro international footballers Category:Serbia international footballers Category:Red Star Belgrade footballers Category:FC Spartak Moscow players Category:Premier League players Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:People from Užice Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Expatriate footballers in Russia Category:Russian Premier League players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players

Playername	Cristiano Ronaldo
Fullname	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Dateofbirth	February 05, 1985
Cityofbirth	Funchal, Madeira
Countryofbirth	Portugal
Height
Position	Winger/Forward
Currentclub	Real Madrid
Clubnumber	7
Youthyears1	1993–1995 |youthclubs1 = Andorinha
Youthyears2	1995–1997 |youthclubs2 = Nacional
Youthyears3	1997–2001 |youthclubs3 = Sporting CP
Years1	2001–2003 |clubs1 = Sporting CP |caps1 = 25 |goals1 = 3
Years2	2003–2009 |clubs2 = Manchester United |caps2 = 196 |goals2 = 84
Years3	2009– |clubs3 = Real Madrid |caps3 = 47 |goals3 = 48
Nationalyears1	2001–2002 |nationalteam1 = Portugal U17 |nationalcaps1 = 9 |nationalgoals1 = 6
Nationalyears2	2003 |nationalteam2 = Portugal U20 |nationalcaps2 = 5 |nationalgoals2 = 1
Nationalyears3	2002–2003 |nationalteam3 = Portugal U21 |nationalcaps3 = 6 |nationalgoals3 = 3
Nationalyears4	2004 |nationalteam4 = Portugal U23 |nationalcaps4 = 3 |nationalgoals4 = 1
Nationalyears5	2003– |nationalteam5 = Portugal |nationalcaps5 = 79 |nationalgoals5 = 25
Pcupdate	22:49, 3 January 2011 (UTC)
Ntupdate	22:38, 17 November 2010 (UTC)

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, (; born 5 February 1985), Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year. He scored that goal from 40 yards out, against Porto in a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match, while still playing for Manchester United.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, then moved to Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.

In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years. Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."

Early life

Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985 in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener. His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.

Club career

Early career

At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting CP

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, in Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team, all within one season. He scored two goals in his Sporting debut against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.

When he was 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.

He was first spotted by then-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16, but Liverpool declined to take him on because they decided he was too young and needed some time to develop his skills. However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.

Manchester United

2003–2006

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season. He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3-0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall

He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough. He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.

Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football in the 2005-06 season, scoring the third goal in Manchester United's 4-0 Football League Cup final victory over Wigan Athletic.

2006–2009

The 2006-2007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the 20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league title with Manchester United.

In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996. He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.

Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo, he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.

Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour. In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

celebrating a goal]] Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban. Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future. After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.

He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or, and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table. He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season. During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA. One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.

On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory. The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season. Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.

In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match, and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.

and rivals Liverpool.]] On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year. Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action. Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least another year.

Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July. He returned to action on 17 September in United's UEFA Champions League goalless group-stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung, and scored his first overall goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.

In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks. The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time. On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi. He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.

On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning. Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figo in 2001.

Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals. In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored. Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.

On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club. It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson. When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."

Real Madrid

2009–10 season

and city rivals Atlético Madrid.]] On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million, after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract. Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July, where he was handed the number 9 jersey. The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo di Stéfano. Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.

Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 4–2 LDU Quito. On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña. On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 5-2 away victory over Zürich, his first Champions League goals for Real. He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.

An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later. Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in their history.

2010–11 season

With the departure of Raúl during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 jersey. On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing Santander, the most goals he has ever scored in a single match. This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (3 La Liga, 1 Champions League, 2 international) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling eleven goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month. His final match of the year saw him score a hat-trick on a 8-0 trashing of Levante on the Copa del Rey.

Ronaldo began the 2011 with a very promising outlook, specially since Real Madrid acknowledge him to have broken many goalscoring records, prevously settled and held by classic players such as Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez or Alday. His year took-off by scoring two vital goals on a tight 3-2 victory over Getafe. He then consolidated his massive performance by scoring a hat-trick and assisting Kaká to score his first league goal after his return from injury, on a 4-2 victory over Villareal on January 9. One game away from the middle of the season, Ronaldo held very clear perspectives of breaking Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez's record of 38 League goals in a single season, since he was the league's top scorer with 22 goals, even above Lionel Messi.

International career

Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1–0 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003. He was called up for Euro 2004, scoring in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece and in a 2–1 semi-final win over the Netherlands. He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals. He also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

2006 World Cup

Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,

During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off. On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.

The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United, and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid. In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney. Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.

Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France, and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans. Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.

Post-World Cup

One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February 2007. This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."

Euro 2008

Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany. When Carlos Queiroz was named Portugal's new coach in July 2008, he appointed Ronaldo as team captain.

2010 World Cup

On 15 June 2010, in Portugal's opening 2010 FIFA World Cup match against Côte d'Ivoire, Ronaldo was tackled by right-back Guy Demel, which led to an argument and both being booked. The next day, Portugal contacted FIFA to suggest that Ronaldo's yellow card be rescinded since he was "pulled into" the confrontation after having already moved away from the spot where he was tackled, but the appeal was rejected.

Ronaldo failed to make an impact in the World Cup; after going scoreless in the qualifiers, his only goal came in Portugal's 7–0 group stage thrashing of North Korea on 21 June, which marked his first international goal in sixteen months. Portugal were ultimately eliminated by Spain in the round of sixteen.

International goals

Career statistics

Club

Statistics accurate as of match played 13 January 2011

Honours

Club

;Manchester United

Individual

Orders

Officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique

Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)

Personal life

Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, died of an alcoholism-related liver condition in September 2005 at age 52 when Ronaldo was 20. Ronaldo's mother and Manchester United coach have stated that he does not drink alcohol as a result, and he has received libel damages over a Daily Mirror article that reported him drinking heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an injury in July 2008.

Ronaldo's autobiography, titled Moments, was published in December 2007. Along with one of his sisters, Ronaldo opened a fashion boutique under the name "CR7" (his initials and shirt number). There are currently two CR7 store locations, both of which are in Portugal; one in Lisbon and the other in Madeira.

On 9 June 2010, Madame Tussauds London unveiled Ronaldo's waxwork as part of the build-up to the World Cup. Ronaldo joins fellow footballers Steven Gerrard, Pelé and David Beckham at the event's venue.

Ronaldo announced that he had become a father on 3 July 2010. His official Facebook and Twitter pages reference the birth of his son and request privacy. is in full custody of Ronaldo and under the care of his mother and sisters.

On August 2010, Ronaldo hit 10 million fans on Facebook and in doing so made history by becoming the first non-US personality ever to achieve that kind of success on the social networking site.

Since the start of 2010 he has been dating Russian model Irina Shayk.

Philanthropy

Television footage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami showed an 8 year old boy wearing a number 7 Portuguese football jersey who was stranded for 19 days after his family was killed. Following this, Ronaldo visited Aceh in Indonesia to raise funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

In support of the victims of the 2010 Madeira flood, Ronaldo is to play in a charity match in Madeira between the Portuguese Liga club Porto and players from Madeiran based Portuguese Liga clubs Marítimo and Nacional.

References

External links

Real Madrid official profile

2010 FIFA World Cup profile

ESPN Profile

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Portuguese footballers Category:Association football wingers Category:Portugal international footballers Category:Primeira Liga players Category:Sporting Clube de Portugal footballers Category:Premier League players Category:First Division/Premier League topscorers Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:UEFA Euro 2004 players Category:Olympic footballers of Portugal Category:Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:Madeiran footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:European Footballer of the Year winners Category:FIFA World Player of the Year winners Category:World Soccer Magazine World Player of the Year winners Category:Real Madrid C.F. players Category:La Liga footballers Category:Portuguese Roman Catholics Category:Portuguese expatriates in Spain Category:Expatriate footballers in Spain Category:Golden Globes (Portugal) winners Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players

Playername	Hatem Ben Arfa
Fullname	Hatem Ben Arfa
Dateofbirth	March 07, 1987
Cityofbirth	Clamart
Countryofbirth	France
Height
Position	Winger
Currentclub	Newcastle United
Clubnumber	37
Youthyears1	1994–1996
Youthyears2	1996–1998
Youthyears3	1998–1999
Youthyears4	1999–2002
Youthyears5	2002–2004
Youthclubs1	ASV Châtenay-Malabry
Youthclubs2	Montrouge CF 92
Youthclubs3	AC Boulogne-Billancourt
Youthclubs4	INF Clairefontaine
Youthclubs5	Lyon
Years1	2004–2008
Clubs1	Lyon
Caps1	64
Goals1	7
Years2	2008–2010
Clubs2	Marseille
Caps2	63
Goals2	9
Years3	2010
Clubs3	→ Newcastle United (loan)
Caps3	4
Goals3	1
Years4	2011–
Clubs4	Newcastle United
Caps4	0
Goals4	0
Nationalyears1	2002–2003
Nationalteam1	France U16
Nationalcaps1	10
Nationalgoals1	7
Nationalyears2	2003–2004
Nationalteam2	France U17
Nationalcaps2	17
Nationalgoals2	11
Nationalyears3	2005
Nationalteam3	France U18
Nationalcaps3	4
Nationalgoals3	0
Nationalyears4	2005–2006
Nationalteam4	France U19
Nationalcaps4	6
Nationalgoals4	1
Nationalyears5	2007
Nationalteam5	France U21
Nationalcaps5	4
Nationalgoals5	0
Nationalyears6	2007–
Nationalteam6	France
Nationalcaps6	8
Nationalgoals6	2
Club-update	13:30, 3 October 2010 (UTC)
Nationalteam-update	15 May 2010

Hatem Ben Arfa (; born on 7 March 1987) is a French football player of Tunisian descent who plays for English club Newcastle United in the Premier League. He plays as a winger, preferably on the left side, and an attacking midfielder. Ben Arfa has been described as "one of the best-rated talents in France", but has been criticized by the media and players alike for lacking discipline.

Ben Arfa started his career throughout various clubs in the Île-de-France region, having trained at AC Boulogne-Billancourt and Versailles. In 1999, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. Ben Arfa spent three years at the academy and, upon leaving, signed with Olympique Lyonnais, where he won four Ligue 1 titles. In his early career at Lyon, he played as a centre forward, but moved into a winger role during the 2007–08 season. In the summer of 2008, Ben Arfa signed with rivals Marseille for €11 million through a move which required the intervention of the Ligue de Football Professionnel. With Marseille, he won the 2009–10 league title, his fifth overall, as well as the Coupe de la Ligue in 2010. After two years at Marseille, Ben Arfa joined English club Newcastle United on loan for the 2010–11 season with a view to a permanent deal. In January 2011, the loan deal was made permanent.

Ben Arfa is a former French youth international and was a part of the team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship. He now plays for the senior team, scoring on his debut in a 5–0 win against the Faroe Islands on 13 October 2007.

Club career

Early career

Ben Arfa was born in Clamart, a southwestern suburb in Paris, to Kamel Ben Arfa, a former Tunisian international football player, and a French mother. His father discovered that his five-year old son had an interest in football and with guidance from a sports journalist and agent Michel Ouazin, Ben Arfa began his career as a football player. After two years at the club, he moved a few miles north to Montrouge CF 92. In 1998, Ben Arfa moved to sporting club AC Boulogne-Billancourt. The following year, he was selected to attend the Clairefontaine academy. While at Clairefontaine, Ben Arfa was the only underage player in his class, and was a part of A la Clairefontaine, a documentary series which chronicled the lives of the France's top young footballers during their time at the academy. During the series, an episode showed Ben Arfa getting into an argument with Abou Diaby. While training at Clairefontaine during the weekdays, Ben Arfa played for FC Versailles on the weekends. He was, along with fellow player Karim Benzema, promoted to the senior squad and assigned the number 34 shirt.

Ben Arfa made his professional debut on the opening match day of the 2004–05 season against Nice coming on as a substitute in the 68^th minute. Lyon won the match 1–0 with a goal from Giovane Elber a few minutes after Ben Arfa came on. After making a few substitute appearances, he made his first start on 11 September 2004 in a 2–1 victory over Rennes playing 56 minutes. Ben Arfa scored his first professional goal two months later on 10 November in a Coupe de la Ligue match against Lille, converting from the penalty spot in extra time to give Lyon a 2–1 lead, though Lille scored two late goals, beating Lyon 3–2. He made his UEFA Champions League debut in a group stage match against Manchester United coming on as a substitute for Sidney Govou.

The following season, Ben Arfa switched to the first team number 18 shirt, but his substitute-to-start ratio was still high with seven out of 12 appearances as a substitute. He also made his first Champions League start in a 2–1 victory over Norwegian club Rosenborg, providing the assist on the game winning goal scored by the Brazilian Fred in the last minutes of the match. Ben Arfa scored his first league goal during the 2006–07 season against Sedan just before half-time, which proved to be the winner as Lyon won the match 1–0.

After wingers Florent Malouda and Sylvain Wiltord left the club, incoming manager Alain Perrin preferred the more modern 4-3-3 formation and opted to move Ben Arfa to the left-wing role for the 2007–08 season. Ben Arfa quickly adapted to the position and scored his first goal in a 5–1 demolition of Metz on 15 September, though his performance was overshadowed by a Karim Benzema hat trick. Arguably his best performances in a Lyon shirt came in a period of 12 days, during which he played a league match on 28 October against Paris Saint-Germain and a Champions League game against German club VfB Stuttgart on 7 November. He scored two goals in each match with both results being in favor of Lyon. Following the season, he was named the league's Young Player of the Year.

Despite rumors of a rift between himself and Benzema, Ben Arfa signed a contract extension with Lyon in March 2008 until 2010. However, his career at Lyon reached an impasse after he got into a training session scuffle with veteran Sébastien Squillaci.

Olympique de Marseille

defender Matthieu Chalmé.]]

Despite reported interest from English clubs Everton, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Spanish club Real Madrid, rumors of a move to rivals Olympique de Marseille began to surface. On 28 June 2008, Lyon confirmed that a proposed transfer to Marseille had been canceled for the time being. However, Ben Arfa confirmed to the local La Provence newspaper on 29 June that he had signed for the southern coast club and would not return to Lyon for pre-season training the following day. La Provence later reported that Ben Arfa had in fact missed training in Lyon on 30 June, confirming his intentions.

Ben Arfa officially joined Marseille on 1 July 2008 for €11 million, with future incentives to be included later, after an agreement was reached between Marseille and Lyon in a meeting organized by the Ligue de Football Professionnel. As a result of the disagreement over the transfer, in December 2008, Ben Arfa told the local Lyon paper Le Progrès that his former team lacked class and was not a great team. Ben Arfa was presented to the media and had his first training session with the club the same day. He was given the number 20 shirt. On 16 July, Ben Arfa was involved in another training session bust-up, this time with stiker and France international Djibril Cissé. Cissé later joined English club Sunderland on loan.

Ben Arfa made his league debut on the opening day of the season in a 4–4 draw with Rennes. He scored his first goal for the Marseilles in that match. He continued in form scoring six times in his first 11 matches. However, his reputation for controversy continued to haunt him when he was involved in another dispute, this time with the Cameroon international Modeste M'bami during a warm up session ahead of the club's UEFA Champions League match against Liverpool. The two had to be separated by Ronald Zubar. Controversy arose again following Marseille's 4–2 loss to Le Classique rivals Paris-Saint Germain. He drew the ire of manager Eric Gerets after his refusal to leave the bench to warm up. Ben Arfa later said he was injured much to the chagrin of Gerets, but later apologized for the incident to the media and Gerets himself. Upon his return to the squad, Ben Arfa responded by scoring a goal and providing the assists on both the other goals in a 3–1 victory over Saint-Étienne.

title in 2010 with Mamadou Niang.]]

Ben Arfa switched to the number 10 shirt for the 2009–10 season and made his debut on the opening match day of the season in a 2–0 away victory over Grenoble appearing as a substitute in the 68^th minute. The following week, he earned his first start of the season against Lille and assisted the winning goal scored by Brandão.

Controversy surfaced again, however, when, on 8 October 2009, Ben Arfa was fined €10,000 by the club for missing a training session. Ben Arfa blamed the absence on airport delays as he was in Tunisia visiting family members during the international break. A month later, on 18 November, he got into a heated argument with manager Didier Deschamps during a training session, for which Ben Arfa later apologized. Under Deschamps in the first half of the season, Ben Arfa appeared in 15 of the club's 20 league matches and only played the full 90 minutes in two matches, a 2–1 defeat against Monaco and a 2–0 defeat to Auxerre.

Ben Arfa's play during the 2010 portion of the season earned praise from Deschamps and sporting director José Anigo. On 10 January 2010, Ben Arfa scored his first goal of the season against amateur club Trélissac in the Coupe de France. A month later, he was instrumental in Marseille's 5–1 victory over Valenciennes assisting on the opening goal scored by Lucho González. Later that month, Ben Arfa scored an away goal in the first leg of the club's UEFA Europa League tie against Danish club FC København. In the return leg in Marseille, Ben Arfa struck again, scoring the opening goal in the 43^rd minute. Marseille won the match 3–1 and the tie 6–2 on aggregate. On 27 February, he scored his first league goal of the season in a 3–0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. Ben Arfa's play in the month of February was validated when he was named the UNFP Player of the Month. Marseille won all four of the league matches the team contested with Ben Arfa starting all of them. On 7 April, Ben Arfa converted a penalty in a 3–0 win over Sochaux. The victory placed the club at the top of the table, and they remained there for the rest of the season and clinched the title on 5 May with a 3–1 win over Rennes. Ben Arfa appeared as a substitute in the match.

Departure to Newcastle United

On 22 July 2010, reports surfaced suggesting that English club Newcastle United were looking to sign Ben Arfa. After being questioned, Newcastle's manager Chris Hughton denied the reports. Five days later, Ben Arfa's agent declared that Newcastle were indeed interested in the player, along with German clubs Hoffenheim and Werder Bremen, Turkish club Galatasaray, and Italian club A.C. Milan. On 9 August, a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent was reportedly being negotiated between the two clubs. However, a loan-fee for the deal could not be reached with Newcastle offering £650,000; £350,000 short of what Marseille wanted. On 12 August, Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier announced that Ben Arfa would not be moving to Newcastle and even went as far as to say that an offer from the club had not even existed.

Similar to his actions in leaving Lyon, Ben Arfa responded to the statement by telling French newspaper L'Equipe that he would not be returning to La Commanderie, Marseille's training facility, and would not play with the team for the remainder of the season. He also stated that his relationship with Deschamps had turned sour and was beyond repair. Ben Arfa confirmed his intentions by traveling to Newcastle upon Tyne, without authorization, with hopes that Newcastle and Marseille would come to an agreement. After returning to Marseille, he missed several training sessions with his parent club and was, subsequently, left off the match day squad for two league matches against Valenciennes and Lorient. Ben Arfa's number 10 was later given to new signing André-Pierre Gignac, which signaled a transfer was imminent.

On 19 August, a proposed move to Werder Bremen failed to come to fruition after the club's sporting director Klaus Allofs declared that the club was not interested in Ben Arfa, despite reports of Werder Bremen offering Marseille a transfer fee of €8 million. On 27 August, Dassier confirmed that the club had reached an agreement on a loan fee with Newcastle for the transfer of Ben Arfa with personal terms being the only stumbling block in the deal. Marseille agreed to a £2 million loan fee with Newcastle set to pay the club another £5 million if Ben Arfa makes 25 club appearances this season.

Newcastle United

On 27 August 2010, Ben Arfa agreed to personal terms with Newcastle and, the following day, the club confirmed that it had signed Ben Arfa on a season-long loan. He received the number 37 shirt and made his debut on 11 September 2010, appearing as a substitute in a 2–0 defeat at home to Blackpool. He scored his first goal for Newcastle on his full debut on 18 September in the 1–0 victory against Everton. On 3 October, Ben Arfa suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg while playing in a league match against Manchester City. The injury came as a result of a tackle by opposing midfielder Nigel de Jong. On 5 January 2011, Marseille and Newcastle both confirmed on their websites that they had reached an agreement for the permanent transfer of Ben Arfa to Newcastle with the player agreeing to a four and a half year contract. The transfer fee was undisclosed.

International career

Ben Arfa has earned caps with all of France's youth teams. With the under-16 team, he made ten appearances scoring seven goals. Ben Arfa made his debut with the team at the 2003 edition of the Aegean Cup in Turkey. He scored his first goal in the tournament on 12 January in a 3–2 win over Belgium. The victory assured France a third-place finish. At the Montaigu Tournament, Ben Arfa scored a team-leading six goals. He scored two goals in the team's 8–0 win over Gabon in the opening match. In the following match, Ben Arfa scored the final goal in the team's 3–0 win over Russia and, in the final group stage match, bagged another double in a 3–1 victory over England. He capped the tournament by scoring a goal in the final against Italy, though France lost the match 5–1.

Ben Arfa made his debut with the under-17 team in the opening match of the season against Sweden converting a first-half hat-trick in a 5–2 victory. In the Tournio de Val-de-Marne, Ben Arfa scored two goals as France were crowned champions without conceding a goal. At the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, Ben Arfa, alongside teammates Samir Nasri, Benzema, and Jérémy Menez contributed to the team winning the competition. Ben Arfa appeared in all five matches and scored goals against Northern Ireland, Turkey and Portugal. In total with the under-17s, he made 17 appearances and scored a team-high 11 goals. Because of his increased playing time with Lyon, Ben Arfa missed a significant portion of playing time with the under-18 team. He made his debut on 15 March 2005, playing in a 3–3 draw with Germany. Ben Arfa appeared in the final three matches of the season for the team to bring his appearance total to four. He scored no goals.

The foursome of Ben Arfa, Nasri, Benzema, and Menez returned to international play together for under-19 duty. The four were joined by Issiar Dia, Blaise Matuidi, and Serge Gakpé with the objective of winning the 2006 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. In the first round of qualification for the tournament, Ben Arfa scored his lone goal in the opening match against Wales as France advanced through the round undefeated. Due to injury, Ben Arfa was absent from the final round of qualification for the tournament and, despite going undefeated in the round, France were eliminated after being beaten on points by Scotland. Ben Arfa only made one competitive appearance with the under-21 team, appearing in a 2009 UEFA Under-21 Championship qualification match against Romania.

Before representing France, Ben Arfa was eligible to represent Tunisia and was offered a place in the 2006 World Cup, held in Germany. He turned down this opportunity, preferring to continue his career with the French national team. Ben Arfa was called up to the senior team for the first time on 10 October 2007 by Raymond Domenech to replace the injured Louis Saha and played in the Euro 2008 qualifying matches against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania. This move stunned critics of Domenech as they expected striker David Trezeguet to get the call-up. Ben Arfa made his debut on 13 October when he came on for Franck Ribéry in the 64^th minute and scored the last goal in France's 6–0 victory over the Faroe Islands. Ben Arfa was, however, omitted from Domenech's final 23-man Euro 2008 squad on May 28.

Career statistics

Club

.

International

.

International goals

Honours

Club

; Lyon

Ligue 1 (4): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08

Coupe de France (1): 2007–08

Trophée des champions (2): 2005–06, 2006–07

; Marseille

Ligue 1 (1): 2009–10

Coupe de la Ligue (1): 2009–10

International

; France

UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship (1): 2004

Individual

UNFP Young Player of the Year (1): 2007–08

UNFP Player of the Month (1): February 2010

Notes

References

External links

Hatem Ben Arfa club profile at om.net

Hatem Ben Arfa Soccernet profile at espn.com

Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:People from Clamart Category:French footballers Category:France under-21 international footballers Category:Olympique Lyonnais players Category:Ligue 1 players Category:France international footballers Category:French people of Tunisian descent Category:French people of Arab descent Category:Olympique de Marseille players Category:INF Clairefontaine players Category:Newcastle United F.C. players Category:Premier League players