Top 5 players to have come out of Lyon ranks in recent times

#1 Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema during his Lyon days

The Frenchman started playing football at his local club, Bron Terraillon SC, as a child and caught the attention of Lyon, eventually joining the club’s academy after a trial. At the club, Benzeme’s rise was steady and he was even a ball boy during the senior team’s games. He first appeared for the Les Gones first-team in the 2004/05 season and even picked up an assist on his debut from the bench. The Frenchman struggled for game time in his first three seasons but continued to show promise on the field.

In the 2007/08 season, Benzema was handed the No. 10 shirt at Lyon and he proved himself to be worthy of the number, scoring 31 goals from 52 games in all competitions. He helped Lyon defend their Ligue 1 trophy and also won the Coupe de France with the club. The Frenchman ended the season as the Ligue 1 top-scorer and also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year. He struck 23 times in 47 appearances the following season and subsequently earned a move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. Since then, he has won every trophy possible with Los Blancos. He is in fine form once again this season, already finding the back of the net 15 times from 19 games in all competitions.

The Frenchman managed 66 goals from 148 appearances during his time with Lyon. He is easily one of the best players to have come out of the Ligue 1 side over the past few years.