Where Nice has been known as one of the most beautiful coastal cities of Europe for centuries, OGC Nice had been an unattractive club in France for a long time. But times are changing, a brand new stadium and foreign investments have turned them into serious contenders in the French Ligue 1. Sun, sea and football: Life can hardly be better than in Nice.
Waving palm trees, an azure blue sea, wide boulevards and a radiant sun. That's Nice, the city on the Côte d'Azur with international allure. Not a city where you immediately think about football, but OGC Nice is starting to become a more vital part of the city in south-eastern France. After four league titles in the 1950s, the Olympique Gymnaste Club Nice descended in the hierarchy, but in the last decade, they've found their way up back again. A new stadium was built and Le Gym managed to bring in some high-profile players, which resulted in a permanent place in the top half of the table. New owner INEOS invests a lot in young talent, hoping to join the French top teams now and forever.
The old Stade du Ray was much loved by the fanatic fans of Nice, but a new stadium had to be the catalyst for the club, struggling with poor attendance at the bottom of the table. The EURO 2016 gave the final push for the construction of Allianz Rivièra, on the edge of the city and twice as large as the former stadium with 35,000 seats. It's quite beautiful for a new stadium, especially in the evening, with its silver, transparent structure. The fanatics of Nice now stand at the Tribune Populaire Sud, and are known for being very loud.
Some stadiums are simply almost perfect and Stade du Ray was one of those. Aesthetically it may not have been so beautiful (a big, grey colossus as the main stand, surrounded by three uncovered pieces of concrete), but an evening in 'Lou Ray' was a real experience on its own. The fanatics high in the fences, running down the stands after a goal, the sirening stadium announcer, the deafening firecrackers. Behind the stands palm trees, behind the tribune Sud the man with his Nice flag, following the match from his balcony. It might have been demolished in 2014, but for Nice fans, this place in the north of the city will always be a special one. Where once the Stade du Ray was, is now the Parc du Ray.
As we said, the stadium has disappeared and has made way for a park. But one piece has remained. At the entrance of the park at Avenue Ernest Lairolle, there's still a part of the old stands of the Stade du Ray preserved, the southeast corner of the stadium, in loving memory of the place where OGC Nice played for over 80 years. On the junction with Avenue du Ray, you'll find a second reminder: A white-red-black building with the old club crest. It's the former ticket office.
The Place Massena is with its salmon pink buildings one of the most special squares in France, not far from the sea and Promenade des Anglais, the famous boulevard of the city. On the square itself, you'll find the fan store of OGC Nice where you can buy a match kit, a scarf or another souvenir of the club.
It's probably no surprise to you that in Nice, where French and Italian influences melt together, there are plenty of options for a good dinner. At the restaurant Lou Pantail for example, on the corner of Rue Caroline and Avenue Saint-Lambert. Almost on a daily base, you bump into football players here, with the pictures on the wall serving as evidence. Besides several OGC Nice heroes, you can find local boy Hugo Lloris, David Ginola or Raphaël Varane here when they are around. Sometimes, the manager of the restaurant even challenges them to a quick game of table football.
Near the old harbour, you can eat at Pizzeria Les Amoureux (Boulevard Stalingrad 46), a real Italian pizzeria which is run by a real Neapolitan. That he's a real Napoli tifoso becomes obvious because of the several scarves and old papers on the wall. In the restaurant L'Auberge des Quatre Chemins they serve a special 'Pizza Balotelli'. It marks a special place, because in this restaurant in the northwest of the city (Chemin du Peyron 1, Saint-Jeannet) Balotelli signed his contract for OGC Nice, in the presence of agent Mino Raiola, Nice manager Favre and chairman Rivière. The Pizza Balotelli comes with sun-dried tomatoes, capers and ricotta cheese and costs €10,50.
Not far from Nice, you have neighbour AS Monaco, but heading to the west you have some real classic football gems. A 30 minute-drive from Nice and you arrive in Cannes, world-famous for its yearly film festival. In the area of La Bocca lays the Stade Pierre de Coubertin of AS Cannes, where a certain Zinédine Zidane debuted as a professional player. Fun fact: The stadium has extendable floodlights, because of the runway of the nearby airport of Cannes.
In Antibes, which is located between Nice and Cannes, we go even further back in time. This coastal town was a host city for the World Cup of 1938. The Stade du Fort Carré still exists - albeit unrecognizably changed - on the Avenue du 11. Novembre. From the pitch, you have an amazing view over the bay of Nice.
Tickets for OGC Nice can be bought at the club's official website. For most games, you can still buy a ticket in the stadium on match day as well, but not when PSG, Marseille or Monaco are visiting the Allianz Rivièra.
When you approach Nice on Motorway A8 from the west, you can not miss the stadium in a flat, relatively undeveloped area. It's directly adjacent to exit 52, and there's plenty of parking space created over the last years. From the city center, you can also take the tram. With tram 2 from the city and a change to tram 3 at Grand Arénas, you can reach the stadium in 30 minutes. The train is an option as well: From Nice Ville station you take the train to Nice Saint-Augustin, where you can take a shuttle bus directly to the stadium.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
