Juninho announces his departure from Olympique Lyonnais at the truce

The information is not surprising, but it still comes from him, rather than his club. Juninho, sports director of Olympique Lyonnais, confirmed to AFP that he would leave the club at the winter break on Wednesday, December 8, without waiting for the end of the season as he had envisaged three weeks ago. “It’s better so that the club is already preparing the sequel and I also need to stop“Said the former OL playmaker (46). Lyon player from 2001 to 2009, the Brazilian returned to his favorite club in the summer of 2019.

The departure of the idol of the people of Lyon had been expected for some time. Juninho announced it himself – surprising everyone both inside and outside the club – on November 17 on RMC. “I hope to finish the season well, and at the end, normally, it’s over”, he said in surprising timing, just four days before the shock against Olympique Marseille. “There is enormous mental fatigue. I don’t want to go over the limit. It is not a threat. I love the club, I have a lot of respect for the president but I have also given a lot to the club. I want to rest. In my head, it was for three seasons. “

The former attacking midfielder will have actually spent three seasons as sports director, depending on the director of football and Jean-Michel Aulas’ right-hand man, Vincent Ponsot. Juninho’s adventure has been punctuated by ups and downs. The choice of his compatriot Sylvinho as Bruno Genesio’s successor turned out to be a failure, thanked at the beginning of October 2019. His relations with the next coach, Rudi Garcia, were freezing before his last strong choice: that of ‘install the Dutchman Peter Bosz. The arrival of the jewel Lucas Paqueta was also his responsibility.

But in three seasons, Juninho will never have known the Champions League with a 7th place in 2019-2020 (season interrupted after 28 days because of Covid-19) then a 4th place the following season. Certainly the biggest black point of its passage. His post of OL sports director is now vacant while “Juni” could choose to pursue a career as a coach.