Montpellier HSC

Montpellier
Full nameMontpellier Hérault Sport Club
Nickname(s)La Paillade[1]
Short nameMHSC
Founded1919 (1919) (as Stade Olympique Montpelliérain)
GroundStade de la Mosson
Capacity32,900
OwnerGroupe Nicollin
PresidentLaurent Nicollin
Head coachZoumana Camara
LeagueLigue 2
2024–25Ligue 1, 18th of 18 (relegated)
Websitemhscfoot.com

Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (French: [mɔ̃pəlje eʁo spɔʁ klœb]; Occitan: Montpelhièr Erau Sport Club), commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitanie. The original club was founded in 1919, while the current incarnation was founded through a merger in 1974. Montpellier currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football and plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city. The first team is managed by Zoumana Camara.

Montpellier is owned by Laurent Nicollin, the son of the late Louis Nicollin, a French entrepreneur, who had been owner since 1974. The club have produced several famous players in its history, most notably Laurent Blanc, who has served as manager of the France national team. Blanc is also the club's all-time leading goalscorer. Eric Cantona, Roger Milla, Carlos Valderrama and Olivier Giroud are other players who have played in Montpellier's colours. In 2001, Montpellier introduced a women's team.

History

Montpellier was founded under the name Stade Olympique Montpelliérain (SOM) and played under the name for most of its existence.[2] In 1989, after playing under various names, the club changed its name to its current form. Montpellier is one of the founding members of the first division of French football.[3] Along with Marseille, Rennes and Nice, Montpellier is one of only a few clubs to have played in the inaugural 1932–33 season and is still playing in the first division.[3] The club won Ligue 1 for the first time in the 2011–12 season. Montpellier's other honours to date include winning the Coupe de France in 1929 and 1990, the Coupe de la Ligue in 1992, and the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1999.[4]

In the 2011–12 season, Montpellier won its first Ligue 1 title, finishing the season with 82 points, three points ahead of runners-up Paris Saint-Germain. On 20 May 2012, in a game marred by stoppages for crowd violence, John Utaka scored a brace to secure a 2–1 victory over Auxerre and win the Ligue 1 title for Montpellier. Olivier Giroud, who finished the season with 21 goals and 9 assists, was the league's top goal scorer. Despite being tied on goals with Paris Saint-Germain attacker Nenê, he was named the league's top scorer by the Ligue de Football Professionnel due to finishing with more goals in open play.[5][6]

On 26 April 2025, after 16 consecutive seasons in the top flight, Montpellier was relegated to Ligue 2.[7]

Players

Current squad

As of 8 July 2025[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  FRA Mathieu Michel
3 DF  MAR Naoufel El Hannach (on loan from Paris SG)
4 DF  MLI Boubakar Kouyaté
5 DF  MLI Modibo Sagnan
6 DF  FRA Christopher Jullien
7 FW  COD Nathanaël Mbuku (on loan from Augsburg)
10 MF  MAR Khalil Fayad
11 MF  FRA Téji Savanier
12 MF  FRA Jordan Ferri
13 MF  FRA Joris Chotard
14 FW  NGA Victor Orakpo (on loan from Nice)
15 DF  FRA Julien Laporte
17 DF  FRA Théo Sainte-Luce
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 FW  FRA Nicolas Pays
19 FW  FRA Yanis Issoufou
20 MF  MLI Birama Touré
21 DF  FRA Lucas Mincarelli
22 FW  FRA Axel Gueguin
23 DF  FRA Yaël Mouanga
24 FW  UAE Junior Ndiaye
27 DF  SUI Bećir Omeragić
29 DF  CMR Enzo Tchato
40 GK  FRA Benjamin Lecomte (captain)
44 MF  FRA Théo Chennahi
70 FW  FRA Tanguy Coulibaly
77 DF  MLI Falaye Sacko

Reserves

As of 31 December 2024[9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK  TAH Keahinui Heinis
GK  FRA Jules Peres
GK  SRB Viktor Džodić
GK  CMR Kevin Kandem Kamgaing
DF  FRA Milan Alès
DF  CMR Wilfried Ndollo Bille
DF  FRA Craig Mamilo
DF  FRA Mathis Robinand
DF  FRA Pladi N'Zinga-Pambani
DF  FRA Marouan Lahmidini
DF  FRA Yaël Mouanga
MF  FRA Théo Chennahi
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF  CMR Yvan Djemba-Mbappé
MF  SRB Stefan Džodić
MF  FRA Lucas Da Silva
MF  ALG Mohamed Zeghadi
FW  FRA Simon Cara
FW  FRA Axel Gueguin
FW  UAE Junior Ndiaye
FW  FRA Yanis Issoufou
FW  FRA Matisse Kapitza
FW  FRA Yannick Sidibé
FW  FRA Giani Carbone

Records

Most appearances

Rank Player Matches
1 Souleymane Camara 433
2 Pascal Baills 429
3 Bruno Carotti 377
4 Vitorino Hilton 354
5 Kader Ferhaoui 349

Top scorers

Rank Player Goals
1 Laurent Blanc 84
2 Souleymane Camara 76
3 Jean-Marc Valadier 70
4 Christophe Sanchez 50
5 Andy Delort 49

Management and staff

Club officials

Senior club staff[10]

  • President: Laurent Nicollin
  • Association chairman: Gilbert Varlot
  • Sporting Director: Bruno Carotti
  • Head of Youth: Francis De Taddeo

Coaching and medical staff[11]

  • Head coach: Zoumana Camara
  • Assistant head coach: Ghislain Printant
  • First-Team coach: Hilton
  • Goalkeeper coach: Robin Gasset
  • Fitness coach: Claude Duvergne
  • Scout: Adrien Bordeau

Coaching history

Honours

Domestic

Europe

Other

  • Division d'Honneur (Sud-Est)
    • Champions (3): 1928, 1932, 1976

U19

See also

References

  1. ^ "#273 – Montpellier HSC : la Paillade" (in French). Footnickname. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Montpellier HSC Club Profile: News, Data & Analysis". Football Team News. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Montpellier HSC Tryouts & Club Guide: History, Stadium, Players, and More!". FCScout.com. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  4. ^ "From Nîmes to Montpellier: Crossing the derby divide". www.ligue1.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Olivier Giroud couronné" (in French). Ligue de Football Professionnel. 20 May 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  6. ^ "When Montpellier Ruled France: A Look Back at the 2011/12 Ligue 1 Champions". breakingthelines.com. 21 January 2023. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Montpellier relegated to Ligue 2 after 16-year top-flight stint". Reuters. Archived from the original on 29 April 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Effectif et staff" [Squad and staff] (in French). Montpellier HSC. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  9. ^ "ÉQUIPE RÉSERVE 2024-2025" (in French). Montpellier HSC. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Organigramme" (in French). Montpellier HSC. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  11. ^ "Le Staff" (in French). Montpellier HSC. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  12. ^ "France – Trainers of First and Second Division Clubs on RSSSF". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  13. ^ The two DH titles won were achieved by the club's reserve team.