1996–97 FC Nantes season

Nantes finished third in Division 1, thus qualifying for the UEFA Cup. At the end of the season, manager Jean-Claude Suaudeau, tired of his best players being sold in order to clear the club's debts, retired from football at the end of the season; he was replaced by the club's youth academy manager, Raynald Denoueix.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  FRA Dominique Casagrande — GK  FRA Mickaël Landreau — DF  FRA Eddy Capron — DF  FRA Bruno Carotti[notes 1] — DF  FRA Éric Decroix — DF  FRA Serge Le Dizet — DF  FRA Christophe Pignol — DF  FRA Nicolas Savinaud — MF  FRA Éric Carrière — MF  FRA Frédéric Da Rocha — MF  FRA Jean-Michel Ferri

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  FRA Jocelyn Gourvennec — MF  FRA Christophe Le Roux — MF  FRA Mehdi Leroy — MF  FRA Claude Makélélé — MF  FRA Olivier Monterrubio — FW  FRA Alioune Touré — FW  YUG Nenad Bjeković — FW  ARG Javier Mazzoni — FW  TUN Adel Sellimi — FW  CHA Japhet N'Doram

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  FRA Nicolas Gillet