Legends
Corentin Tolisso: Lyon's veteran midfielder reborn
A star-crossed time away
A pure product of Lyon's academy, Tolisso made his debut in the 2013/14 season, emerging, along with Jordan Ferri, Alexandre Lacazette and Anthony Lopes, as a quartet of homegrown players who would keep the team afloat and consistently in Europe despite their financial limitations. His versatility and workrate quickly made him a fan favorite, as he delivered strong performances playing everywhere from right back to defensive midfield.
Strong in the air and a willing runner, he eventually settled as a central midfielder. With a good eye for goal, his final season with the club, 2016/17, would even see him find the net an impressive 14 times, along with seven assists. Having been capped for France at the end of that season, after being linked with Napoli, he would eventually join Bayern Munich. While with the German side, he would win every trophy on offer, as well as the 2018 World Cup, but injuries and the form of Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich often saw him on the fringes of the team. In the summer of 2022, though, he returned to Lyon on a free transfer, arriving at the same time as fellow academy graduate Lacazette.
⚽️ 🆚 Montpellier
⚽️ 🆚 Reims
⚽️ 🆚 Marseille
⚽️ 🆚 Ludogorets
4 goals in the last 4 matches for @CorentinTolisso 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zG4E36Bb7r— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) February 16, 2025
Full confidence from Fonseca
To say that his first two seasons back with his boyhood club were somewhat underwhelming would be a disappointment. Nagging injuries, as well as competition from the likes of Maxence Caqueret and fellow arrival Johann Lepenant saw him play only 55 matches in Ligue 1 McDonald's across that spell, scoring just three goals. This season, though, Tolisso is back to full fitness and has even frequently been named captain of the side when Lacazette is absent through injury.
Playing regularly in an advanced central role in new manager Paulo Fonseca's 4-2-3-1, he has scored in each of his side's last five matches, bringing his total to the season to seven, including five in Ligue 1 McDonald's. With a third of the season to go, he is just three goals short of his career best in France's top flight, and a return to the senior national team has even been mooted. Speaking last month, former Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas said as much, saying, "Didier Deschamps does what he wants, and he does it very well, but on what we see in midfield, (Corentin) deserves a place."
It's a sentiment with which Lacazette agrees wholeheartedly, speaking of his fellow returnee and the work he's put in to working to avoid the injuries which blighted his time in Munich. "I've been very happy because since we've come back, he's been working in the training room every day to avoid injuries and get back to his level. Now, the hard work he's done over the last two years is beginning to pay off."
With a return to the Europa League looming and the team still in the mix for the top four in Ligue 1 McDonald's, Tolisso's path, Tolisso's strong play has been vital, and the ebullience of Aulas on his level may come to pay dividends -- all Lyon eyes will surely be watching Deschamps' impending squad announcement closely.
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