What place does OL hold in the history of young goalscorers ?

By pulling one back, though without preventing his side’s defeat at Lens last weekend, Khalis Merah became the 21st Olympique Lyonnais player under 20 to find the net in Ligue 1 McDonald’s.

STAT: This season, Ligue 1 McDonald’s has 6 goalscorers under 20, the 3rd-best total among the major leagues (La Liga 9, Serie A 7).

Cherki the youngest

The Gone achieved it on his 25th appearance in the top flight, at the age of 19 years and 227 days. That makes him the 16th youngest on the list, well behind his predecessor Rémi Himbert (2nd youngest), who opened his account the day after his 18th birthday, on March 1, 2026, in the Classique.

The current Lyon forward is only ahead of by one player in the club’s 21st-century history : Rayan Cherki.

At club level, Olympique Lyonnais is in the leading trio of top performers with this total of 21 goalscorers under 20. While Les Gones match Les Pitchouns (21), they remain behind Monaco’s youngsters (25).

Likewise in terms of total goals scored by its teenagers, Olympique Lyonnais now has 70 (3rd-best record). That is more than Toulouse (39), but not as many as AS Monaco, who sit comfortably at the top.

Benzema the most prolific

A position largely earned thanks to the past performances of Karim Benzema. The former Ballon d’Or winner shone early for his boyhood club. After his first goal in March 2006 against AC Ajaccio (18 years and 75 days), the French striker stepped up to build part of his title as the season’s top scorer in 2007/2008 (20), before his 20th birthday.