Rachid Ghezzal seals surprise return to Lyon

Rachid Ghezzal has made a surprise return to his boyhood club, Olympique Lyonnais. The Algerian winger signed a one-year deal with Lyon after completing a move on a free transfer.

 

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Ghezzal played for Lyon between 2012 and 2017 after coming through the club’s youth team. The 33-year-old winger left Turkish side Çaykur Rizespor at the end of the 2024/25 season, having bagged four goals and two assists. Ghezzal returned to Lyon after eight years away. He had left the Groupama Stadium on a free transfer to join AS Monaco in 2017.

Lyon failed to sign a recognizable striker before the end of the transfer window but Ghezzal is expected to be a reinforcement for the club. He played 118 times for Lyon and netted 19 goals during his previous spell. The former Algerian international won the Turkish Süper Lig during his time at Beşiktaş in 2021.

Born in France, Ghezzal represented Algeria internationally. He played for Les Fennecs between 2015 and 2022.

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