Olympique Lyonnais were the powerhouse of French football in the 2000s, securing seven consecutive Ligue 1 titles between 2001 and 2008.
Since then, tremendous players have come and gone, but they haven’t managed to quite live up to that burst of success.
Could they have replicated it had they kept hold of their best players of more recent times?
GK: Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris captained France to two World Cup finals and a Euros final, winning the World Cup in 2018.
Before this, the now 38-year-old joined Lyon in 2008 at the end of their record breaking run of titles, making 199 appearances for the club before joining Tottenham in 2012.
LB: Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy joined Lyon in 2017 from Le Havre, making 79 appearances for Les Gones.
Lyon turned the €5m investment in Mendy into a €48m sale to Real Madrid, where the French left back has made 200 appearances for Los Blancos.
CB: Castello Lukeba
Castello Lukeba is still considered a young talent with plenty of potential to fulfill, having left Lyon to join RB Leipzig at 20-years-old back in 2023.
Lukeba is highly regarded as one of France’s brightest defensive prospects, as an all round talent and athletic defender.
CB: Pierre Kalulu
Pierre Kalulu began in Lyon’s academy, but never made a professional appearance for the club before his transfer to AC Milan.
The French defender made over 100 appearances for The Rossoneri, before moving on loan to Juventus last summer, which was made permanent in June.
RB: Malo Gusto
A product of Les Gones academy, Malo Gusto made 54 first team appearances for Lyon before being snapped up by Chelsea at 20-years-old.
The right-back has had two fruitful seasons at Stamford bridge, racking up 9 assists in 37 games under Mauricio Pochettino in 23/24.
CM: Corentin Tolisso
The only current player in this eleven, Tolisso began his career at Lyon before making the switch to Bavarian giants Bayern Munich in 2017.
 After 4 years in Germany, Tolisso returned to Lyon, and has been a consistent contributor in the heart of their midfield, having made over 270 appearances across both stints at the club.Â
CM: Bruno GuimarĂŁesÂ
Bruno Guimaraes was signed from Athletico Paranense in the January of 2020 for €20m, making 71 appearances for the club.
He was sold for double that to Newcastle two years later, where he’s made over 150 appearances for the Magpies, twice qualified for Champions League football and won the League Cup.
CM: Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta made 80 appearances for Lyon after joining from AC Milan for €23m in 2020, being sold to the Hammers for double that two years later. He remains a shining light in a poor West Ham side post David Moyes.
LW: Bradley Barcola
PSG star Bradley Barcola spent 13 years at Lyon between 2010-2023, before earning a high profile move to the French capital.
Barcola scored 21 goals and provided 18 assists last season as PSG completed the continental quadruple, winning their domestic treble and the Champions League for the first time.
ST: Karim Benzema
The 2022 Ballon D’or winner began at boyhood club Lyon, making 118 appearances for the club between 2004-2009 and hitting 56 goals.
He joined Real Madrid, and went on to make 648 appearances for The Galácticos, scoring 354 times. He is the all-time record French Champions League goalscorer and assist provider and the second-highest goalscorer in Real Madrid history.
RW: Rayan Cherki
Rayan Cherki had an immense 24/25 campaign, scoring 12 and providing 20 assists in all competitions.
Despite Lyon’s prospective relegation to Ligue 2 being overturned, Cherki made the move to Manchester City before the Club World Cup, having made 185 appearances for Lyon.
