The bright eyes, the smile masking the embarrassment, Anthony Lopes clearly contained his emotion when evoking a strong match in symbols for him, the Nantes-ol of this Sunday, January 26 (5:15 pm). “This is the first time that I have been going to face Lyon since I have made all my career at OL,” said the 34 -year -old Portuguese porter, in an interview with the Canal Football Club and broadcast last Sunday. “What is it going to do with me?” I will tell you at the moment t… ”
This moment is tomorrow for the native of Givors (Rhône), who arrived in 1999 at Olympique Lyonnais, at the age of 9 and who totaled 489 professional matches in the Gones jersey. The 5th best total in the history of the club, behind the legendary Yves Chauveau, Fleury Di Nallo, Grégory Coupet and Serge Chiesa.
“It is clearly the hardest sporting period of my sports life”
A love story that ended badly in the last six months, before the termination at the end of December of his contract and his signature at FC Nantes: “It was very hard personally because I had no competition, regrets Lopes. When the match was released, I didn't even stay. I was training and returned home.
This is clearly the hardest sporting period of my sports life. The goalkeeper launched in 2012 with Lyon had broken the silence and expressed his discomfort for the first time in an interview with The team in September. He regretted that no one at the club came to warn him of his downgrading, for the benefit of the Brazilian international goalkeeper Lucas Perri (27 years old) recruited in January 2024: “I knew that I was going to put myself in danger, rewinds the New Nantais. I wanted to create an electric shock within the management. Today I have moved on. Even if it was hard because it is my heart club. »»
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-He admits having had contacts with Liverpool in June but not to have wanted to leave at the time because it was a role of n ° 2: “But you make the proposal at the end of August, I think I change Opinion, ”he explains with the hindsight of these six months spent in the closet.
After three matches with the Canaries, Anthony Lopes has three draws and has not yet kept his inviolated cage. The last one was in Saint-Etienne, a sign of fate again for this Pure Lyonnais. FC Nantes also means something in his career since it was in front of this club that he made the most clean Sheets in Ligue 1.
A performance that Pierre Sage hopes not to see him reproduce in the opposite direction, this Sunday at Beaujoire: “It will necessarily do something to see him again,” said OL coach on Friday. “I always wish him the best … except for 95 minutes!” I hope he will have a good match, but not too much. »»
