André Bellon was a French footballer who played as a defender for FC Lyon in the mid-1910s.[1] He is best known for playing in the first-ever Coupe de France final in 1918, which Lyon lost.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | André Bellon | ||
| Place of birth | Lyon, France | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ?–1916 | CS Terreaux | ||
| 1916–1918 | FC Lyon | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editAndré Bellon was born in France to Philippe André Auguste Bellon (1849–1918), a native of Molines-en-Queyras, and Elisabeth Anne Marie Berge.[2] He had an older brother who was dead at birth in 1884,[3] while André was born either in the late 1880s or early 1890s. A relative of his, Louis Bellon (1908–1998), was an artist who went on to became a member of the Salon du Sud-Est (Salon of the South-East), one of the most prestigious arts organizations of Lyon where many important contemporary artists exhibited.[4]
Football career
editVery little is known about his life; Bellon was playing football for the Lyon-based CS Terreaux (founded in 1911) in the 1915–16 Coupe des Alliés, playing a fundamental role in helping the team win five games on its way to the final, including a 4–2 win over Olympique de Marseille in the quarter-finals. Ahead of the final, the French newspaper L'Auto described Bellon as "the best center-half that we have ever seen in Lyon, with remarkable dribbling, knows how to take advantage of all the opponent's mistakes, and an impeccable and far-sighted game distributor".[5] The final ended in a 1–7 loss to Stade Rennais, with L'Auto stating that Terreaux's best players were the David brothers and André Bellon.[6] In the following season, Bellon moved to another team from Lyon, FC Lyon, and also helped them reach the final of the Coupe des Alliés in 1916–17, and even though it ended in a 4–1 loss to CASG Paris, L'Auto highlighted the defensive performances of Bellon and Mortier.[7]
In the following season, in the second round replay of the 1917–18 Coupe de France against AS Lyonnaise on 18 November, Bellon scored an equalizer in terrible weather conditions to force another replay played a week later in which Lyon won 5–0.[8] In the quarterfinals, Lyon faced Stade Rennais on neutral ground in Paris on 3 February 1918, and he once again netted an equalizer in the second half in an eventual 2–1 win.[8] He thus contributed decisively in helping his side reach the 1918 Coupe de France final, the competition's first-ever final, which they lost 0–3 to Olympique Pantin.[9][10][11]
Honours
edit- Coupe de France:
- Runner-up: 1917–18
- Coupe des Alliés:
- Runner-up: 1916–17
References
edit- ^ a b "André Bellon - Stats and titles won". www.footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Décès: BELLON Philippe André Auguste" [Death: BELLON Philippe André Auguste]. agha.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Décès: BELLON Enfant mort" [Death: BELLON Dead child]. agha.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Louis Bellon (1908–1998)". www.fc-fineart.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Présentation de la finale du Coupe des Alliés" [Presentation of the Coupe des Alliés final]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 3 June 1916. p. 1. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ "Rennes bat Lyon" [Rennes defeats Lyon]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 5 June 1916. p. 1. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ "La Coupe des Alliés finale" [The Coupe des Alliés final]. gallica.bnf.fr (in French). L'Auto. 7 May 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Lyon 1918, sur la tombe du football méconnu" [Lyon 1918, on the grave of little-known football]. www.leliberolyon.fr (in French). 2 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "5 Mai 1918, première finale de la Coupe" [5 May 1918, first Cup final]. uscailly.footeo.com (in French). 5 May 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Saison 1917/1918 Coupe de France" [Season 1917/1918 French Cup] (in French). Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "France - Cup History - 1918". RSSSF. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2024.