For almost eleven years Karim Benzema left his hometown. But the Real Madrid forward remains deeply committed to Olympique Lyonnais, his training club. And he doesn’t miss any great Gones game. “KB Nueve” therefore had to sit in front of his TV, this Sunday evening, to follow the derby on the Saint-Etienne lawn. Before the shock, the 33-year-old striker even posted a message of encouragement to the Memphis Depay partners. “Lyonnais, tonight you can make a whole city proud and happy, we are all behind you,” Benzema wrote on social media.
With a particular word for Tino Kadewere, holder of Geoffroy-Guichard: “Tino, continue to make your dreams come true”. A nod echoing the words of the Zimbabwean forward, who expressed his admiration for Benzema in the Sunday Newspaper. “I got to know OL by following all of his matches, he explained. On the screen, I focused entirely on him (…) I comment on everything he posts (on Instagram) but he doesn’t ‘never reacted. One day, I hope. “
“Benzema is one of the main reasons for my signing in Lyon”
When he arrived last summer from Le Havre, Kadewere had already praised the club’s center-forward merengue. “I thought of Karim Benzema. He’s one of my favorite players, he confided during his presentation to the press. I often watched him when I was younger, I follow him on social networks to see how he lives, trains. To be honest, that’s one of the big reasons I signed for Lyon. My career is on the right track but I don’t have to rest. I’m at a big club , one of the best in the world but, if I keep going, why not go even higher? You never know, one day, I might be like Benzema (laughs) “.
While waiting to sign one day at Real, Kadewere still shone for this second derby against “Sainté”. Well placed in the box, the 25-year-old opened the scoring with an opportunistic goal (16th). Before offering a double (68th). What “make his dreams come true”, as Benzema suggested to him. A reference to the last match between OL and ASSE, on November 8, 2020 at Groupama Stadium. That night, Kadwere offered victory to Les Gones (2-1). With a double that looks like a revelation: “It’s crazy, but I had a dream two days ago. I scored two goals in this derby. I don’t know, but I hope it will come true “, he had entrusted to Téléfoot, during an interview recorded a few days earlier.