Association Sportive de Saint-Etienne Loire (briefly called the Saint-Etienne AC and known by its nicknames "The Green" and "Saints") was founded in 1920. It is a professional football team from Saint-Etienne, a city in France. It is one of the most successful clubs in French football. Several Bulgarians played in the team - incl. Georgi Slavkov and Georgi Dimitrov. Other famous players who played for the team are Michel Platini, Patrick Batiston, Jacques Santini, Roger Mila, Titi Camara, Lubomir Moravchik, etc.

The Frenchman Rene Domingo has the most appearances for the team, having played 518 matches, wearing the Saint-Etienne shirt. The top goalscorer is Herve Revelli (who is one of the best goal scorers in the French football) with an exceptional 204 goals for the team.

AC Saint-Etienne holds the record for Ligue 1 titles - a total of 10 trophies won. Also a six-time French Cup (Coupe de France) winner. They have also won the League Cup as well as the French Super Cup (5 times).

The team acquired professional status in 1933 and began to play in the second division. For the first time they have played in the first division in the 1938/39 season. But due to the outbreak of World War II that was for a short period of time. After it was over, Saint-Etienne returned to the First Division. In the 1961/62 season it was relegated to Ligue 2, but managed to win his first French Cup in 1962, as well as return to Ligue 1 the following season.

In 1982, it was involved in a financial scandal that led to the arrest of the club president back then. Subsequently, Saint-Etienne significantly deteriorated. After new periods of success and failure, Saint-Etienne eventually continued to play in Ligue 1 and be part of the top Ligue 1 in France.

Coach: Puel Claude (France) Age: 59