Fabien Barthez: From World Cup winner to inspiring tiny village side Luzenac (population: 650) to the French second tier



Your local team has just been promoted to the second division. Big deal. But when you only have 649 people to share the experience with, it's a much bigger deal.

Residents of French village side Luzenac Ariege Pyrenees had that privelege at the weekend, after seeing their side promoted to Ligue 2 for the first time ever.

An amazing achievement for any side, but for an area with a population you could fit into the Stade de France in Paris 125 times, this is a true fairytale story. You heard right, a village with 650 inhabitants is just another promotion away from being in one of the top five divisions in Europe.



VIDEO Scroll down to watch Fabien Barthez driving a Ferrari



Fairytale: Luzenac are now the smallest ever club to compete in the second tier of French football Represent: World Cup winner Fabien Barthez (right) was named honorary president in 2012 My garden shed: Luzenac's tiny original ground, Stade Paul Fédou, before being forced to move

The man guiding the fairytale is France legend and the club's honorary president Fabien Barthez, who was born 30km away in Lavelanet.

Outback: Luzenac is a tiny village located in the Midi-Pyrenees region of southern France

The former Manchester United goalkeeper joined the club in 2012 as honorary president, but the biggest development came a year before.

In the summer of 2011, Jerome Ducros, owner of real estate firm JD Promotion, bought the club seeking to open it up to the football lovers of Ariege in the Midi-Pyrenees region.

The French minnows have experienced a swift rise in recent years, and are now the smallest ever club to compete in the second tier.

Formerly named US Luzenac, they gained promotion to the fifth division in 2000, the fourth in 2005 and the third (Championnat National) in 2009. On Sunday, with a 1-0 win over Boulogne, they made history under manager Christophe Pelissier.

The win came at the Stade de Courbet in Foix, 20 miles from Luzenac, their home after the French Federation forced them to leave their tiny, one-stand home Stade de Paul Fedou in the summer.

It did them no harm, and with the help of Cameroon striker Ande N'doh, top scorer in the division with 21 goals, they gained automatic promotion.

Next season they could play the likes of Nantes and Lens, with an average of around 17,000 each. French World Cup winner Barthez is looking on at a hobby that is reaping huge rewards.

In his heart: World Cup winner and former Manchester United goalkeeper Barthez was born 30km away

Surroundings: Luzenac is set in the Ariege valley, with Barthez born in nearby Lavelanet

Setting: Luzenac were forced to move from their tiny one-stand ground to a stadium in Foix (above)

Barthez made it his duty to pick the new signings, and he did so with pinpoint accuracy. He attracted Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 outcasts desperate for a new adventure who would find it hard saying no to a World Cup winner.

Now, the club feed football cravings from all over the area, with an average attendance of around 1,200.

Their next step is to consolidate themselves in the second tier and look up to neighbours Toulouse, the biggest side in the region.

This is Melchester Rovers on a new scale. If you wanted a football fairytale with less plastic than the happenings at AS Monaco, and if you needed an excuse to keep one eye on Ligue 2 next season, this is it.

Recruit: Cameroon striker Ande N'doh is top scorer in the division with 21 goals

Picturesque: The team are situated in the beautiful surroundings of the Ariege area of the Midi-Pyrenees