Crystal Palace's new manager Pierre Sage has taken an unconventional but fascinating route to the pinnacle of the game, right the way through to lifting major honours in France and moving to the Premier League; here are just a handful of his biggest career moments, captured through the lens...
Sage's football story began in the small French town of Belley, where he joined local amateur side CS Belley at the age of six.
He would spend almost two decades at the club as both a player and coach, beginning his coaching education while still in his teens before later taking on a technical management role with fellow French amateur outfit Oyonnax Plastics Vallée.
While many future managers build their reputations on professional playing careers, Sage took a different path. Determined to deepen his understanding of football, he dedicated himself to studying the game and developing as a coach.
After obtaining his UEFA Pro Licence, Sage worked across a variety of technical, scouting and coaching roles within the lower leagues of French football.
Spells with clubs including Châteauroux, Bourg-Péronnas, Chambéry, Sedan and Lyon-Duchère allowed him to develop expertise across every level of the game.
In 2019, Sage joined Olympique Lyonnais. His responsibilities included working with the U16 and U17 age groups, delivering coach education programmes and helping shape the club's renowned academy methodology across the U8-U20 development pathway.
His growing reputation earned him a move to then-third tier French side Red Star FC, where he gained further experience as an assistant coach before later returning to Lyon in a senior academy leadership role.
By June 2023, Sage had been appointed Academy Director at Lyon. Just five months later, however, an unexpected opportunity arrived when he was asked to take charge of the first team on an interim basis following the departure of Fabio Grosso.
What followed was one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent Ligue 1 history. With Lyon rooted to the foot of the table, Sage transformed the club's fortunes, guiding them to a sixth-place finish and a place in the Coupe de France Final.
From relegation candidates to European qualification contenders in a matter of months, Lyon became one of European football's biggest stories of the 2023/24 season.
That next chapter began in June 2025 when Sage was appointed head coach of RC Lens, replacing Will Still at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
His impact was immediate, with Les Sang et Or mounting a sustained challenge at the top of Ligue 1 and leading the division for six weeks during the campaign.
Although Lens ultimately finished six points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain, Sage guided the club to the first Coupe de France triumph in their history, defeating OGC Nice 3-1 in the final to secure a landmark piece of silverware.
The campaign proved a memorable one for both club and coach.
Alongside domestic silverware, Sage's achievements were recognised by his peers as he was named Ligue 1 Manager of the Year ahead of PSG's Enrique and Lille's Paulo Fonseca.
What next in the brilliant story of Pierre Sage? We're about to find out...
