Lyon's square-jawed 'keeper Grégory Coupet has a commanding presence in his team's dressing room. Coupet was praised in April 2005 for starting a petition in support of Coach Paul Le Guen, who had not signed an extension to his Lyon contract which was due to expire in June 2005. "It's rare to see that kind of thing these days, but I think it's fantastic," commented Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas.

The longest-serving member of the Lyon squad in 2004-05, Coupet is a leader both on and off the pitch, even if he does not wear the captain's armband. It is often said that goalkeepers have to be slightly crazy to succeed, but Coupet is a model of level-headed dependability - a trait he puts down to his young family.

"I'm fairly fulfilled now. The moment I became a father, I started to grow up and put everything in perspective," he said in April 2005. No doubt it also helped that his own father stood between the sticks for Hazebrouck in Ligue 2 before him.

'Greg' learnt the ropes from his Dad before joining Saint-Etienne as a 17-year-old in 1990. He made his first-team debut against Angers in 1994, but two seasons later Les Verts dropped out of the top flight, and he left for arch-rivals Lyon halfway through the 1996-97 campaign. "It was a difficult spell for the club and I needed to bounce back to continue my progression," he recalls.

The Lyon fans were not so understanding, particularly since Coupet was being asked to fill the shoes of departed legend Pascal Olmeta. Aulas accused the newcomer of "not being decisive enough" and rumours circulated that he was on his way out without having ever won over the doubters.

A string of outstanding performances soon changed that, not least his man-of-the-match heroics against Blackburn Rovers in the UEFA Cup in 1998-99. And his reputation as one of the best 'keepers in Europe has been growing in line with Lyon's emergence as one of the strongest clubs on the continent. Coupet himself thinks much of the credit for that belongs to Lyon goalkeeping Coach and Euro ‘84 winner Joël Bats.

"He was always a reference for me. I liked his simplicity, his humility and above all his efficiency," Coupet says. "Now I'm lucky enough to work with him, and I profit from his experience a little more every day."