The Brazilian Juninho, who sowed confusion in mid-November by announcing that he wanted to leave his post of sports director for Lyon at the end of the season, confirmed on Wednesday that he would leave the club this winter, in January, to leave OL " prepare for the rest ”.
Less than a month after having surprised OL employees and executives with his announcement, the icon of greater Lyon, seven-time champion of France (2002 to 2008), has acted out the inevitable, namely his early departure from his favorite club. , where he will leave a mixed image as a leader.
"It's better, so that the club is already preparing the next step and I also need to stop," he said, confirming information from the dailies L'Équipe and Le Progrès. Juninho, 46, former OL playmaker (2001-2009) when the Rhone club dominated French football, returned to Lyon in 2019 as sports director, with the blessing of President Jean-Michel Aulas and to the cheers supporters.
In Lyon, the former idol of Gerland did not only make friends, as evidenced by his passing of arms last May with ex-trainer Rudi Garcia.
When leaving the club, the latter had settled accounts with the Brazilian, accusing him of wanting to interfere in his sporting choices.
“My way of being bothered Rudi.
He is really cold, he has no feeling, ”retorted the former playmaker, perceived on the contrary as being more instinctive and on edge.
"Mental fatigue"
The role of leader seemed to weigh on him, as he had explained on November 17 on RMC when announcing to everyone's surprise his upcoming departure from the club. “In my head, it was for three seasons,” he said. “For a lot of people, sports director, you don't do much. But there is enormous mental fatigue (…). I want to rest a little, “continued Juninho, who thinks of becoming a coach, a position he cannot occupy in Europe, for lack of required diplomas. After two and a half years with "Juni" as sporting director, this early departure seems logical: it seemed difficult for OL to prepare for next season with a manager on the start.
And the record of Juninho, who originally should have been associated with coach Bruno Genesio, who left in June 2019, is for the time being mixed. Successes, such as the recruitments of Bruno Guimaraes and Lucas Paqueta for a total of 40 million euros, with big failures, also like the engagement of his compatriots Thiago Mendes for 25 million euros or of Henrique, Jean Lucas or Camilo. Because ten years after leaving OL as a player, Juninho, a beginner in this role, seemed to lack a relay in Europe and naturally turned to Brazil to recruit, including to choose his first coach, Sylvinho, sacked as of October 2019.
Since the departure of Genesio, Lyon no longer qualified for the Champions League, an essential objective to achieve this season to revive the finances of the club, which announced a historic loss of 107 million euros for the 2020 financial year. -2021.
