En Avant Guingamp

En Avant Guingamp (, ), commonly referred to as EA Guingamp, EAG, or simply Guingamp (), is a Breton association football club in the commune of Guingamp. The club was founded in 1912 and play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The club has appeared in the Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, for 13 seasons, and is known for its relative success given Guingamp's small population of only 7,000 people.
History.
Having been an amateur club for a long time, playing in the regional leagues, the club got promoted three times under the presidency of Noël Le Graët, who took over in 1972. In 1976, Guingamp reached the Third Division (now called Championnat National), and the next season they were promoted to the Second Division (now called Ligue 2), where they stayed until 1993. The club became fully professional in 1984, and in 1990 the Stade de Roudourou was opened, with Guingamp hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the inaugural match.
The club's first major honour was winning the Coupe de France in 2009, the second team in history not from Ligue 1 to win the competition. The team defeated Breton rivals Rennes 2–1 in the final. Also, in 2014, En Avant de Guingamp beat Stade Rennais F.C. 2–0 at the Stade de France. Aside from two years of Coupe de France triumph, the club's only other major feat was winning the 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
The club has played in the French top flight before, having gained promotion only three times: 1995, 2000 and 2013. Their longest stay in the top flight was between 2013 and 2019. Following the 2012–13 season, the club was relegated back to Ligue 2 at the conclusion of the 2018–19 season finishing in 20th place.
Aside from winning the Coupe de France, Guingamp is known for having served as a springboard for prominent players such as Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Fabrice Abriel, and Vincent Candela. Managers such as Guy Lacombe, Francis Smerecki, and Erick Mombaerts also used the club as springboards during the infancy of their coaching careers. Guingamp is presided over by Bertrand Desplat. The former president, Noël Le Graët, is president of the French Football Federation. The club has a women's team who play in the Division 1 Féminine, and a reserve team in the CFA2.
In the 2018–19 season, Guingamp reached the Coupe de la ligue final against RC Strasbourg. Guingamp lost the final losing 4–1 on penalties after the match ended goalless during 120 minutes of play.
On 12 May 2019, Guingamp were relegated to Ligue 2 ending a six-year stay in the top division after drawing 1–1 with rivals Stade Rennais F.C..
Stadium.
Guingamp plays its home matches at the Stade de Roudourou in the city. It is unusual for a commune of 7,280 inhabitants to have a professional football club, let alone one that plays in the first tier. Also the stadium has a capacity of 18,000 spectators, roughly 2.5 times the commune's population.
Players.
Notable players.
Below are the notable former players who have represented Guingamp in league and international competition since the club's foundation in 1912. To appear in the section below, a player must have played in at least 80 official matches for the club.
"For a complete list of Guingamp players, see "
European record.
1 Guingamp won the Final on away goals.