GREEN SHOOTS

Less than two years ago, Saint-Etienne were at real risk of relegation to the semi-professional third tier - unthinkable for a club who were the finest in France throughout the 1960s and '70s. Now Les Verts are back in the big time following last term's Ligue 2 play-off success. Oh, and they're also billionaires...

- Tom Williams

Seconds after the final whistle is blown in the play-off final, the south-east corner of Metz’s Stade Saint-Symphorien is awash with green euphoria. As Saint-Etienne’s players and coaching staff flood towards 850 joyous supporters, the nerve-gnawing tension of their long promotion push breaks at last. Chisel-jawed defender Leo Petrot kneels on the pitch, raises both arms into the air and lets out a guttural victory roar. Captain Anthony Briançon gazes towards the jubilant, flare-toting fans and shakes his head in disbelief. Amid the throng, anorak-clad coach Olivier Dall’Oglio animatedly claps his hands and tells his players, “You’ve done it, guys, you’ve done it!”

Then there are whoops and roars, hugs and high fives, wide-eyed grins and triumphantly-clenched fists. Several players are wiping away tears. “I feel like weeping,” says homegrown midfielder Dylan Chambost in a pitchside interview. “It’s magnificent. It’s incredible.”

After five years of hardship, featuring two arduous seasons in the second tier, one of French football’s grandest names is back in the big time.

There is raw emotion on the airwaves, too. Jean-Michel Larqué, emblematic captain of Les Verts’ great side of the mid-1970s, has been commentating on the game for RMC Sport, and when Saint-Etienne’s promotion is confirmed the occasion overwhelms him. “Oh, it’s beautiful, it’s beautiful,” he says through heavy sobs, emotion contorting his voice into a high-pitched whisper. “I didn’t believe we could do it. Oh, thank you!”