In the wake of Karim Benzema’s move to Saudi Arabia, Téléfoot spoke to former Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas about his former striker – the finest talent to come from the now-famed academy that he built up during his 36-year presidency.
Aulas notably highlighted the former French international’s decision to present his Ballon d’Or trophy to the Lyon fans at the club’s stadium last year:
“That’s when you see that he’s a great player, and a great man. Karim’s a kind person – that was clear from the fact he came back to his roots, to come present his Ballon d’Or to that crowd that idolises him. It’s amazing.”
Benzema played for five years in Les Gones‘ first team, scoring 66 goals in all competitions and winning the Ligue 1 title four times before his move to Real Madrid. In 14 seasons in the Spanish capital, won the Champions League five times and scored 354 goals, placing him second in the club’s all-time scoring charts.
The 35-year-old found the net 31 times in his final season, before accepting a lucrative contract offer to join Al-Ittihad, as part of the Saudi league’s high-spending offensive to draft in some of football’s biggest names of the past decade.
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