Where are the Lille players who sensationally won Ligue 1 in the 2020/21 season now?

In the aforementioned 2020/21 season, the players of OSC Lille achieved a sensational success. They won the French league and ended the winning streak of the dominant Paris Saint-Germain. They beat the club from the capital by a single point and enjoyed their fourth title ever. Where are the players from the winning campaign now?

The French team’s goal was then defended by Mike Maignan, who moved to AC Milan after that winning season. The Italian club paid just under fifteen and a half million euros for him at the time. Maignan also helped the Milan team to win the championship.

Of the seven defenders who contributed to the success, not a single one remained in Lille. Zeki Celik made his way to AS Roma for seven million euros in the summer transfer window. A third named player also left for the Italian Serie A. Tiago Djaló moved to Juventus for five million euros. Domagoj Bradaric headed to Salernitana for five million euros.

The most expensive item on the list was Sven Botman, who is at Newcastle in England from the summer of 2022, who bought him for 37 million euros. José Fonte, who led the Lille team with the captain’s armband on his arm, signed with Portuguese Braga when his contract expires in 2023. Reinildo Mandava left for the Spanish La Liga, specifically Atlético Madrid for three million euros. The last of the defenders is Jerémy Pied, who was released on the free agent market in the summer of 2022, where he is still listed.

Of the midfielders, two players remain in Lille, Yusuf Yazici, who, however, is a guest at Trabzonspor in Turkey, and Benjamin André. The creative midfielder Xeka became a free agent in the winter of 2022. He was picked up for free by Stade Rennais, but even there he didn’t fare too well and is now out of contract again.

Jonathan Ikoné complemented his former teammates in the Italian top flight when he moved to Fiorentina for fifteen and a half million. Renato Sanches tried to develop his career at rival Paris Saint-Germain but is now a guest at AS Roma in Italy. The last player from the midfield is Boubakary Soumaré, who left for the English Premier League, specifically Leicester, who paid twenty million euros for him. However, he is now a guest at Sevilla in Spain.

Of the strikers, only Jonathan David remains at the club. Lille’s most successful goal scorer this season, Burak Yilmaz, left in the summer of 2022 for Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands, where he retired after one year. Jonathan Bamba joined Celta Vigo as a free agent at the end of the 2022/23 season. Luiz Araújo signed for Atlanta United in the American MLS, from where he moved to his home town Flamengo, where he is now based.

Isaac Lihadji headed to England, specifically Sunderland, from where he transferred to Qatari side Al-Duhail SC. The last player on the list is Timothy Weah, who left for Italian side Juventus Turin in the summer transfer window, for which he paid eleven million euros.

Sources: Wikipedia, Transfermarkt