Today, Barcelona authoritatively dominates the landscape of European women's football, but until very recently, the Old Continent was governed by Olympique de Lyon. "There was already women's football before them," Lyon star Ada Hegerberg was in charge of remembering, who, like most of her team, is itchy to see the world surrendered to these new queens.
And it is that to speak of Olympique de Lyon is to speak of more than a decade of success. All the records of the competition are in their hands: no one has so many trophies (7), no other team has managed to win it five times in a row and they have played more finals than anyone else (Turin will be the tenth). They are the true queens of Europe, but their reign has been left without a throne.
Last year, PSG dropped the Lyonnais in the quarterfinals and, for the first time in a long time, they were left without a chance to fight for the title. The French monster proved that he was also human. This year they have been eliminated from the French Cup and have lost two games in the Champions League, the most surprising defeat being the one suffered precisely in Turin against Juventus last April. A result that Barça will try to emulate to be crowned European champion for the second consecutive year.
The two best teams on the continent will be measured, two projects that were pioneers in their countries and that were cooked over a slow fire. In 2004, Jean-Michel Aulas decided to absorb FC Lyon into the structure of Olympique de Lyon. This French businessman and millionaire was very clear from the beginning of the enormous possibilities offered by a solid women's team and, just like in the Barça board, he had the patience to wait for the results to arrive. In 2009 he signed his first professional contracts - the Barça section did not become professional until 2015 - and by then he already had three French Leagues in his showcases and had reached his first European final, although he lost that one on penalties against Turbine Potsdam .
Until last year's downturn came, he had won the League uninterruptedly 14 times and the Champions League in seven of the last ten editions.
Despite the fact that only two years have passed since the last title of the Lyonnais, women's football has changed so much that it is hardly recognized. This season attendance records have been broken in all countries and the visibility that the Champions League has had has multiplied. The social change, the media commitment, the attractive football displayed by Barça and its recognizable shield, have turned the Blaugrana team into a team admired throughout the world and that has achieved more impact by lifting a single Champions League, than the one that never won the Lyon in its golden decade. For this reason, the women of Lyon are now as dangerous as a wounded lion that fights with all its claws for the reconquest of Europe.
In a locker room accustomed to always winning, this emptiness has only fueled the thirst for victory. Now they can rise back to the top and reclaim their throne, and they're not going to miss the opportunity. “This year we have an extra motivation. We are all focused on winning back, we want to recover the trophy”, warned the veteran Lyon player Eugénie Le Sommer.
The historical champion and the current champion are measured. The team that marked an era and laid the foundations for women's football in Europe, against which they have taken it to another level. Will Lyon manage to recover its reign, or will Barça confirm the start of a new legacy?
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