The derby between Olympique Lyonnais and AS Saint-Étienne at the end of the eleventh day of Ligue 1 is fast approaching. A very important match after two absences due to the relegation of ASSE to Ligue 2. If the balance of power has become unbalanced this year, with a serious injury on the ASSE side before the derby, it is not remains one of the hottest matches of the year.
On this occasion, many former players from both teams spoke in the media to discuss this exceptional rivalry between the two cities. This was particularly the case of a certain Bafétimbi Gomis who has the particularity of having played in both formations.
A legend of the OL-ASSE derby
Trained at ASSE, the French striker played more than 160 matches for the Greens before leaving Forez for the Rhône and the sworn enemy in 2009 for a check for 13 million euros. In total, the Black Panther boasts an extraordinary record for both teams with nearly 150 goals and 40 assists combined for both teams.
So, he knows the mentality of the two teams very well and even more so that of a derby. This is why he spoke for Ouest-France this Sunday to talk about his experience and this rivalry in Ligue 1. But the 39-year-old striker also took the opportunity to reveal a crazy anecdote about a potential return to the Greens.
Bafétimbi Gomis could have made his return to ASSE
“A return to ASSE? The club tried in 2012 or 2013 and after my time in Saudi Arabia (2018-2022)” explained Bafétimbi Gomis first. “Unfortunately, I would have liked and I think I could have saved them from this relegation to Ligue 2” he believes, he who has still not officially retired. Nevertheless, he evokes the reasons which pushed him to decline the Saint-Etienne proposal.
“In all humility, I couldn't see myself entering a stadium where my children were going to hear all kinds of bird names,” he explains. Thus, a return of Gomis to France is not on the agenda, he who explained having been approached by Stade Rennais a few years ago.
Supporter of En Avant de Guingamp, the best of the Breton clubs, I prefer to meet Yannis Salibur, Cristophe Kerbrat or Jeremy Sorbon rather than Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Sergio Ramos.
