Benzema is back in Lyon against a backdrop of nostalgia

Karim Benzema does not return to Lyon to put on the OL tunic again, to the chagrin of his supporters.

Tuesday, it is with the Blues that he will find an audience that he has not seen for almost ten long years during a Champions League match Lyon-Real Madrid.

Match where he had already gone to the side of the "Casa Blanca".

Benzema and the Lyon supporters, it is the story of a passionate love that time has not tarnished.

Symbol of a time when Lyon dominated Ligue 1 without sharing, the memories of the center-forward of the Blues still leave OL fans dreaming, some of whom are still hoping for the return of the prodigy son.

Symbol of Lyon excellence

For 5 seasons, Karim Benzema raised the crowds at Stade Gerland.

But Benzema and Lyon it's not just a matter of performance in the Rhone jersey, it is above all a story of a man and a city viscerally linked.

Lyonnais by birth, the center-forward of the Blues joined OL when he was eight years old, to finally leave the club at his 21 years old but already with a sense of accomplished duty.

With 4 championships, 1 Coupe de France and 2 Trophée des Champions, Benzema has won almost everything it was possible to win on the national scene with Lyon.

A victorious course crowned by the titles of top scorer and best player in the championship in 2008.

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The legend of Karim Benzema at Real Madrid

Even more than being one of the last French OL champions still active like Loïc Rémy, Fred or Ben Arfa, Benzema is above all the proudest symbol of Lyon training. For years, OL have accustomed us to bringing out great talents, but the disappointing careers of some offspring of the training center have helped to highlight even more what Benzema has achieved at Real Madrid. Faced with the repeated failures of Arsenal Lacazette, the roller coaster seasons of Tolisso despite his many titles with Bayern, or the career of Loïc Remy who has never reached the heights expected, Benzema carries this legacy of training from Lyon. A heritage that is sometimes called into question today. Each goal, each record of the number 9 of Real is perceived as a victory for OL.

A flame that does not weaken

If this love story does not run out of steam despite the years and the kilometers that separate the club and the player, it is above all because everyone is working to maintain this relationship.

The clip broadcast by Olympique Lyonnais on Twitter is further proof.

Although it has never set foot on the lawn of the Groupama Stadium, inaugurated in 2016, KB9 is "

".

As for Benzema, he did not hide his haste to find his audience.

“

”he told Telefoot on Sunday.

Benzema is also privileged relations with the great figures of the OL, in particular Jean-Michel Aulas and Bernard Lacombe whom he does not hesitate to describe as “

”.

“

”, he explained in the documentary“

”.

A role of big brother that the former best player in Ligue 1 has already begun to take on.

Evidenced by his praise for Houssem Aouar, when he had just started in the first team.

“

He had confided to RMC's microphone.

More recently, it is Ferland Mendy that he has taken under his wing. When he had just arrived at Real Madrid, Benzema proudly recalled his time at OL and spent a lot of time advising him on the pitch. So many signals and attentions that leave OL supporters dreaming of a return of the king. However with a contract extension until 2023 at Real Madrid which has just been formalized, the Gones will still have to be patient. They will nevertheless be able to take advantage of Benzema's class again this evening, on the lawn of Groupama Stadium facing Finland.