This Saturday will see the 103rd Cote d’Azur derby at Allianz Riviera, the 98th in the Ligue 1 championship (kick-off at 20:00). Before this clash on Matchday 28 of Ligue 1, join us to take a look back at 11 former Aiglons who have left their mark in the history of this special fixture.

THE GOALKEEPER

DAMIEN GRÉGORINI, MISTER CLEAN SHEET

During his experience with Nice, Damien Grégorini only lost once and kept four clean sheets in 8 matches against ASM.

A product of the Nice academy, the young goalkeeper debuted in Rouge et Noir in Ligue 2. After a spell with OM, he returned to Le Gym in 2002, as the team returned to the top flight. On the Côte d'Azur, the man from the most beautiful city in the world, returned to the starting line-up and played for four full seasons. Of Nice’s goalkeepers, only Dominique Baratelli has played more derby matches (ten).

Damien Gregorini in the derby: 8 matches, 5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss.

THE DEFENDERS

JEAN-PHILIPPE MATTIO, THE MOST CONSISTENT

With 12 derbies played, he is the third most-capped Aiglon in the history of this fixture and the second defender. The right-back played more than 300 matches for the club between 1984 and 1998. It was with his one and only professional club that Jean-Philippe Mattio stayed after he hung up his boots and he is currently a member of the recruiting department.

Jean-Philippe Mattio in the derby: 12 matches, 2 wins, 3 draws, 7 losses.

FRANCIS ISNARD, THE OMNIPRESENT

With a record 334 D1 matches with OGC Nice, Francis Isnard is the Aiglon with the most appearances against the near-neighbour (16, all in the league).

Emerging from the academy, he made his debut in 1963 and stayed until 1975 before ending his career at AS Cannes. On 30 January 1966, the defender played a key role in Nice's biggest ever win in the principality, a 3-0 victory at the Stade Louis II.

Francis Isnard in the derby: 16 matches, 5 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses.

JUAN ASCERY, THE SCORING DEFENDER

Although he never knew the joys of a derby win, Juan Ascery is the only defender from Nice to score two goals in the derby.

The Uruguayan finished runners-up twice in D1 and reached the Coupe de France final in 1978. After nine seasons with Nice, his first European experience, he joined Châteauroux. The central defender returning to the south-east in 1982, first with Cannes in D2 and then in Vallauris, at amateur level.

Juan Ascery in the derby: 8 games, 1 draw, 7 losses.

SAMMY TRAORÉ, MONSIEUR 75% 

75%. That's Sammy Traore's exceptional winning rate in the Cote d’Azur derby! The central defender, who arrived from Créteil in 2002, wore the Rouge et Noir jersey 130 times, including eight times against the archrivals, until 2006. The man who moved to PSG and then Auxerre after his time at Nice was captain of the team that won the Coupe de la Ligue semi-final in the principality in 2006 (0-1).

Sammy Traore in the derby: 8 matches, 6 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss.

THE MIDFIELDERS

OLIVIER ECHOUAFNI, LUCKY 13!

Behind Francis Isnard, he is the second most-capped Aiglon in the history of the Cote d’Azur derby (13). After starting his career at OM and then moving to Strasbourg and Rennes, the defensive midfielder has played most for Nice. In his seven years at the Gym, he played more than 200 matches in the L1 division and faced ASM on 13 occasions in all competitions.

Olivier Echouafni in the derby: 13 matches, 4 wins, 6 draws, 3 defeats. 

FLORENT BALMONT, AT THE HEART OF A BEAUTIFUL RUN

At OGC Nice between 2004 and 2008, Florent Balmont took part in 5 of Le Gym’s famous 8-match unbeaten run against ASM, between 2004 and 2007.
In Rouge et Noir, the current Dijon player crossed paths with the Monegasques 7 times, suffering only one defeat. At the heart of this beautiful run, the OL-academy graduate scored a goal at the Stade Léo-Lagrange in a 2-1 win under coach Gernot Rohr in February 2005.

Florent Balmont in the derby: 7 games, 4 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. 

EDERSON, THE DERBY WIZARD

It was in this particular fixture that Ederson Honorato Campos, 105 games with Le Gym and 19 goals, wrote his name into the legend of the club. Against the old enemy, the Wizard of the Ray scored two goals that remain fresh in the memory. In his first derby appearance, the Brazilian midfielder unleashed a marvellous strike from 45 metres out. The following season, in Monaco, he brought an entire stadium to its feet, just a few minutes before the end of the 2006 League Cup semi-final (0-1). The Parapua native sent a whole nation to the Stade de France.

Ederson in the derby: 6 matches, 3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss.

THE FORWARDS

VICTOR AGALI, FOR ETERNITY

He is the key player in the biggest turnaround in the history of the derby. On 2 October 2004, OGC Nice were trailing 3-0 on the hour mark against the recent Champions League finalist. The moment chosen by Victor Agali to make quite the entrance. In the space of just seven little minutes, from the 67th to the 74th, the Nigeria international slammed home a hat-trick and became the first Aiglon - and still the only one to date - to achieve such a performance in this fixture. In the 82nd minute, Marama Vahirua completed the 4-3 comeback win.

With Le Gym between 2004 and 2005, Agali played 30 D1 matches, scored 6 goals, and won both times against ASM.

Victor Agali in the derby: 2 matches, 2 wins.

MARIO BALOTELLI, OUT OF THE ORDINARY

The centre-forward is undoubtedly one of the main protagonists of modern derby history. His personal figures in this fixture are extraordinary: 4 matches, 6 goals, 3 braces! In 332 minutes played against ASM, the transalpine international scored a goal every 55 minutes!

"Super Mario" was a major contributor to two resounding successes. Two 4-0 wins, the first in 2016/17 against the future French champion and the second the following season to end Monaco’s run of 16 consecutive victories. His six goals propelled him to the top of the Rouge et Noir derby scoring charts, tied with Charly Loubet.

Mario Balotelli in the derby: 4 games, 3 wins, 1 loss.

LILIAN LASLANDES, THE GOLDSMITH

Although he never quite got the better of ASM in the derby, Lilian Laslandes left his mark on the fixture by scoring two goals, one of them an absolute cracker. On 1 December 2007, in added time, the striker took advantage of a Vincent Hognon nod down to scissor kick beyond Flavio Roma from the edge of the box. While the Monaco goalkeeper was heading for a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the league, the player who played for Le Gym between 2003 and 2004 and then between 2007 and 2008 ensured a 1-1 draw in the final seconds.

Lilian Laslandes in the derby: 5 matches, 3 draws and 2 defeats. 

THE COACH

JEAN SERAFIN, DERBY MAN

With Jean Snella (between 1971 and 1974), he was the coach with the best derby win rate (75%). The French technician ran Le Gym between 1982 and 1987 and offered them promotion to the top flight in 1985.

In D1, the former defender crossed paths with the Monegasques four times, winning three and losing just once. Above all, he led the club to victory away from home on 3 September 1985, ending a 14-year drought against Monaco.
Jean Sérafin in the derby: 4 matches, 3 wins, 1 defeat

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