Juninho, Benzema… Who are the five most famous players in the history of Olympique Lyon?

Famous footballers have kicked for Olympique Lyon throughout the club’s seventy-one year history. Since the club’s foundation in 1950, Lyon has won the league title seven times, thanks to players from this top five, among others. So who is among the five most famous Lyon players of all time?

Michael Essien

The Ghanaian midfielder may have spent just two seasons at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais before heading to Chelsea in London in 2005, but his performances ensured that his name made a great name for himself across footballing Europe. He helped to win two league titles and was even named Ligue 1 Player of the Season in his second season in the east of France.

Edmilson and Mahamadou Diarra formed the midfield line with him and together they formed the best midfield trio in the French competition. He was one of the best midfielders in the world in his time and was the prototype of the English term “box to box midfielder”, i.e. a player who covers the pitch from the boundary of one whitewash to the other.

Florent Malouda

The winger from France, like his colleague Essien, joined Les Gones in 2003 after arriving from Guingamp. Almost immediately, the tireless footballer began to be one of the mainstays and stars of Lyon’s then-buoyant line-up. His performances on the left flank of the attacking formation got him into the national team and also earned him the award for the best player of the league season in 2007.

No matter how hard you tried, his physical readiness could not be surpassed. Malouda, in the vernacular, soaped the line with no sign of exhaustion. With his teammates, he celebrated four Ligue 1 championships and helped stretch a five-year winning streak in France’s top competition. After four years at Lyon, he answered the lure of the Premier League and joined Chelsea.

Hugo Lloris

The Nice-raised goalkeeper moved to Lyon in 2008 after resisting tempting offers from AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. He was recruited as a replacement for Gregory Coupet but soon made his predecessor almost forgettable. With the Lyon emblem on his chest, he defended their shrine for four years before reinforcing the aforementioned Tottenham London.

In his first two seasons he was named Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper, but unfortunately for Lloris, it was in 2008 that Lyon’s reign in France ended after seven years. The big success, on the other hand, was a gallop through the Champions League in the 2009/10 season, when they reached the semi-finals of the millionaire competition.

Karim Benzema

Perhaps the greatest pride of Lyon’s football academy. Benzema came through the youth system and grew up in the colours of Olympique Lyon. He joined the A-team in the 2004/05 season and has made his presence known more and more since then.

He took a step towards star status across the league three years later when he netted 31 goals at the tip of the attack, earning him not only a place in Ligue 1’s ideal eleven, but also its best player of the past season award.

After signing a new improved contract that made him one of France’s highest earning footballers, he shone at Lyon for just a year before nodding to an irresistible offer from Real Madrid, where he transferred in 2009.

Juninho

The Brazilian speedster is known for his footballing prowess when it comes to playing standard situations. Incidentally, he still holds the record for the most goals scored from direct kicks (75). He was one of the first to use the so-called “knuckle ball”, a type of kick where the ball flies without rotation, which makes it float in the air and can change direction several times, coming down very quickly and nimbly.

However, he had several types of execution of standards up his sleeve. It’s definitely worth looking at some of his goals. He transferred to Lyon from Brazilian Vasco da Gama in 2001 and became one of the main faces of the highly successful Lyon Sevens. He scored a total of 100 goals for Les Gones. He is arguably the best player ever to defend Lyon’s colours.

Sources: Transfermarkt, 90min