Lille 2006/2007 Away Shirt

LILLE OSC - AWAY SHIRT 2006/2007

Lille OSC are a French professional football club from the northern city of Lille, formed in 1944 from a merger of Olympique Lillois and SC Fives. Olympique Lillois were crowned the very first champions of French professional football in 1932/1933, and Lille's post-war side took the mantle on with a famous league-and-cup double in 1946. Nicknamed Les Dogues ("The Mastiffs"), they share a fierce rivalry with neighbours Lens in the Derby du Nord.

The 2006/2007 season, in which this sharp away shirt was worn, marked Les Dogues' seventh straight year in the top flight under long-serving manager Claude Puel. In the league it was a mid-table campaign - 10th in Ligue 1 on 50 points, with Lyon collecting a sixth consecutive French title - but Lille were flying the flag in the Champions League, and that was where the season truly came alive.

Drawn with AC Milan, Anderlecht and AEK Athens in Group H, Puel's side stunned the Italians 2-0 at the San Siro on the final matchday, Mathieu Bodmer setting up Peter Odemwingie and Kader Keïta to send Lille through as runners-up. The Round of 16 paired them with Manchester United, who edged the first leg 1-0 through a controversial Ryan Giggs free-kick taken before the wall had set, before Henrik Larsson sealed the tie at Old Trafford. Milan went on to lift the trophy.

Ivorian winger Kader Keïta finished as Lille's top league scorer with 9 goals across 36 appearances, while Nigerian forward Peter Odemwingie chipped in with 5 of his own - including that unforgettable strike at the San Siro. Midfielder Mathieu Bodmer ran the show in the engine room, with Puel earning wider praise for nursing a modest squad into the Champions League last 16.

Follow the club on X: @losclive.