A local boy, a hard worker, and almost unheard of before the 2004/05 season, Stéphane Dumont is a player who symbolised Lille's unlikely title challenge in 2005.

Born in a small village just 20km from Lille, Dumont’s father first introduced him to blue and red colours of Lille Olympique Sporting Club at a tender age. “My dad has been a Lille supporter since he was just a kid and he quickly passed it on to me and often took me to the stadium to see games… I have a lot of fond memories of that time.”

At just 10 years of age Dumont was already living the dream after being selected to join the club and try his luck through the youth system, where he would later be crowned Under-15 French champion.

After captaining the Lille reserve team for an entire season, it was Coach Claude Puel who offered Dumont his first professional contract at the start of the 2003/04 season, and it wasn’t long before Dumont was in the thick if the action. “It was September and we were playing Monaco,” he recalls. “I came on with 10 minutes to go, replacing Mathieu Bodmer. It was fantastic. There I was against Ludovic Giuly and Fernando Morientes… an exceptional experience.”

However, Lille’s poor results coupled with fierce competition for just three traditional midfield spots in Puel’s system, saw Dumont make just six appearances in Ligue 1 in 2003/04.

The start of the 2004/05 season saw the departure of Benoït Cheyrou to Auxerre and Puel decided that Dumont was the man to fill those shoes. “I will never forget Claude Puel and the confidence he’s shown in me,” he said.

Dumont’s never-say-die attitude - a prerequisite for his post of defensive midfielder - would endear him to any side’s supporters, but currently in his 12th season with Les Dogues, it’s the the youngster’s ‘local boy done good’ image that sums up Lille’s current side: the pride of the region.

“I guess you could say I have a ‘special’ relationship with the fans,” he said. “I’m a local boy playing for the local team, so they know who I am. I’m always running into fans, before training or around town and we talk about all sorts of things. They’re happy that I’m one of them and they give me loads of encouragement.”