The French football team Olympique Lyonnais, also known as Lyon, is headquartered in Lyon. It participates in Ligue 1, the best football division in France. In 1950, the club was established. In 2002, it captured its first title in Ligue 1. After that, it began a national record-breaking run of seven straight victories. In addition, Lyon has three Ligue 2 titles and five Coupes de France victories. The team has made seventeen appearances in the UEFA Champions League. Find the list of The Top 10 Lyon Players of All Time below.
The Top 10 Lyon Players of All Time
Karim Benzema
The birthdate of Karim Benzema is December 19, 1987. He is a French football player who competes in La Liga with Real Madrid. He also participates in international play for France. Among the top forward players of his generation is him. Benzema is a prolific and imaginative forward well-known for his ability to finish and set plays. He currently shares the second-most goals scored in Real Madrid history. With Olympique Lyonnais, Benzema started his senior playing career in 2005.
He was crucial to the team’s three Ligue 1 championship victories. In 2008, he won his first Coupe de France and four league titles, ending as the league’s top goalscorer. He was also voted League Player of the Year and Team Player of the Year. In 2009, Benzema was the focus of a French record-breaking football move. He signed a €35 million contract with Real Madrid, setting a record. He starts off our list of the Top 10 Lyon Players of All Time.
Bafetimbi Gomis
The birthdate of Bafetimbi Gomis is August 6, 1985. He is a striker for the French national team in football. Prior to making his club debut in 2004, Gomis was a young player for Saint-Etienne. In 2009, he paid €13 million to join Lyon. During his five seasons with Stade Gerland, Gomis participated in 244 games and scored 95 goals. In 2012, he was instrumental in the Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions victories. In 2014, he signed a free transfer to play Premier League football with Swansea City. He signed a loan with Galatasaray following a stint in France with Marseille. Gomis made 12 appearances and scored three goals for the French national team between 2008 and 2013. He was a player for the 2008 UEFA Euro team.
Sidney Govou
July 27, 1979, is Sidney Govou’s birthday. Former French football player, he most recently competed in the Championnat de France Amateur 2 for Limonest. Govou was primarily employed as a winger, however, he also played as a striker. In addition, he shares the record for most Ligue 1 titles won—seven. At the age of seventeen, he enrolled in Lyon’s youth school in 1996.
Up until 2010, Govou stayed faithful to his first team. He worked at the Stade Gerland for his whole career. In 2000–01, Govou made his debut in Ligue 1. He assisted Lyon in placing second, trailing only FC Nantes, the winners, by four points. Because of his exceptional efforts for the team, Govou won the title of Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year in 2001.
Kim Kallstrom
The day of Kim Kallstrom’s birth is August 24, 1982. He was a midfielder for the Swedish national team in the past. His playing prowess and free kicks won him fame. Kallstrom started his career with a number of Swedish teams, including Djurgarden, where he won two Allsvenskan titles in a row. After that, he relocated to France and began representing Lyon and Rennes. Kallstrom joined Spartak Moscow in 2012 after winning multiple local awards with Lyon. He was on loan at Arsenal for the second part of the 2013–14 campaign. He won the FA Cup in 2013–14 there.
2015 saw Kallstrom depart from Spartak and join Grasshoppers. He participated in 49 games there before joining Djurgradens IF to end his career. Between his debut in 2001 and his retirement in 2016, he amassed 131 caps for Sweden. Kallstrom rose to become the fourth-most-capped player in the history of the nation. In addition to participating in the FIFA World Cup in 2006, he played in four European Championships (Euro 2004, Euro 2008, Euro 2012, and Euro 2016).
Florent Malouda
June 13, 1980, was Florent Malouda’s birthday. He is a French football coach and former player. He played left wing for Lyon and Chelsea for the majority of his career. In addition, he won the UEFA Champions League in 2012 and four straight Ligue 1 championships. Malouda played 80 times for France between 2004 and 2012, including two World Cups and two European Championships. He was a part of the French team that won the 2006 World Cup. In 2017, Malouda participated in a game for his native French Guiana.
Malouda made his Ligue 2 senior debut at the age of sixteen and played in fifty-seven games for Chateauroux. Malouda was later signed by Guingamp, the top-level team. Malouda’s performances caught Lyon’s notice, a French club. In 2002–03, after winning their second straight title, they made the decision to sign Malouda. Malouda took charge of Lyon’s left flank and created strong connections with each of the team’s strikers. He was called up to the France national team due to his Lyon achievements.
Nabil Fekir
The birthdate of Nabil Fekir is July 18, 1993. He is a forward for Real Betis in La Liga and a native of France. He also represents France as a player. Upon his graduation from Lyon’s academy in July 2013, he was elevated to the senior team. Fekir won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award and made his way into the starting lineup in his second season. With 69 goals in 192 appearances, he rose to the position of team captain in 2017 for Les Gones. Fekir played for the side that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup and made his debut for France in March 2015.
Fekir made his debut with the Lyon team on July 30, 2013. He began competing for Lyon’s first squad on August 28, 2013. Three days later, he made his Ligue 1 debut, participating throughout the full game. On April 27, 2014, Fekir scored his first goal for the first team of Lyon. Additionally, he assisted Bakary Kone and Alexandre Lacazette on one goal apiece. In his debut season (2013–14), Fekir made 17 appearances in all competitions for Lyon’s first squad, tallying one goal.
Gregory Coupet
The date of Gregory Coupet’s birth is December 31, 1972. He was formerly a goalkeeper in French football. Throughout his career, he played for Saint-Etienne, Lyon, Atletico Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain. In addition, he was a member of the French team. In addition, he shares the record with seven Ligue 1 titles won. Coupet started his club career at Club Olympique Le Puy, the club in his hometown. In 1994, he relocated to Saint-Etienne. On March 26, 1994, he debuted in Ligue 1. In January 1997, after three seasons, he relocated to Lyon. Since 2002, Lyon has dominated Le Championnat every time. They are also the UEFA Champions League’s regular fixtures.
For the first time, in 2005, Coupet was placed in the top ten votes for the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper Award. In 2004 and 2005, he was also awarded the title of Ligue 1 Keeper of the Year twice. On July 18, 2008, Coupet was sold to Atletico Madrid for €1.5 million plus a €250,000 incentive. 2009 saw him relocate to Paris Saint-Germain, where he played out his career until retiring in 2011.
Hugo Lloris
The birthdate of Hugo Lloris is December 26, 1986. He is a goalkeeper for the French national team. He is the captain of both the France squad and Tottenham Hotspur, a team in the Premier League. Three times, Lloris has been selected as the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year. He began his career with his hometown club OGC Nice. He made his debut as a teenager in October 2005. After three seasons at the club, Lloris moved to seven-time Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyonnais.
Lloris has competed at the under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels for his nation. He competed for the under-19 squad that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship prior to making his senior debut. In November 2008, Lloris made his senior debut against Uruguay. He aided France’s 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. In addition, the media gave him acclaim for his performance against the Irish Republic. In 2010, he took the helm of the national team for the first time.
Juninho Pernambucano
On January 30, 1975, Juninho Pernambucano was born. He is a retired Brazilian football player. In addition, he most recently worked for the French team Olympique Lyonnais as their sporting director. Dead-ball expert Juninho is renowned for his bending free kicks. He was well-known for his knuckleball skills. The record for the most goals scored from free kicks is held by Juninho. 1993 saw Juninho start his career with the Brazilian team Sport do Recife. Two years later, he joined Vasco da Gama. In more than 100 games, he emerged victorious six times.
In 2001, Juninho became a member of Olympique Lyonnais of Ligue 1. Over the following eight years, he won seven league championships in a row. In addition, he has 100 goals in 343 games. In order to play for Al-Gharafa in Qatar and the New York Red Bulls in the US, he departed Lyon in 2009. He made 40 appearances for Brazil, scoring six goals. Juninho participated in the 2001 Copa America as a player for Brazil. He participated in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup winning squad. After the 2006 World Cup, he decided to retire from playing football for his country. He just misses out on the top spot of the Top 10 Lyon Players of All Time.
Alexandre Lacazette
On May 28, 1991, Alexandre Lacazette was born. He is a forward in the Premier League for Arsenal, representing his native France. On July 1, 2022, Lacazette will sign with Lyon, a team in Ligue 1. In addition to being a striker, he has also filled the roles of wide forward, offensive midfielder, and backup striker. 2010 saw Lacazette begin his Lyon career. He started off as a wide forward. Lacazette later switched to become a striker for the 2014–15 campaign. He emerged as the leading striker in Ligue 1 and was named Player of the Year. In addition, he agreed to a contract with Arsenal in 2017 that could have cost as much as £47.5 million.
After representing his nation at all youth levels, he began playing for the France squad in 2013. The key figure in France’s triumph at the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was him. He also scored the game-winning goal in the championship match versus Spain. He has participated in sixteen national team games and netted three goals helping on the list of The Top 10 Lyon Players of All Time.
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