Corentin Tolisso is having an excellent season with Lyon. However, the 2018 world champion remains excluded from Didier Deschamps’ list to face Ukraine and Azerbaijan this month. The coach justifies this choice by the need to “ giving playing time to young people who have less experience.” But this explanation hides a more disturbing reality.
No Lyonnais summoned for three years
The observation is implacable: it has been three years since any player currently at Lyon has been called up to the Blues. On the other hand, former Lyonnais who have gone elsewhere regularly receive summons. Bradley Barcola (PSG), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City) are on the lists. Even Pierre Kalulu, who passed through the Lyon training center before Milan and Juventus, was called up for the first time in May 2025.
The message is clear: once they leave Lyon, these players get their chance. Once they stay, they disappear from radar. Tolisso perfectly embodies this paradox. At 31 years old, with 28 caps and a world title, he should be a credible option, especially with the packages of Tchouameni and Rabiot in November. However, Deschamps prefers Koné, Camavinga, Zaire-Emery or Olise.
Corentin Tolisso, 2018 world champion, shines in Lyon. However, coach Didier Deschamps keeps him away from the Blues, preferring players from Lyon. A blatant injustice.
A double penalty for Tolisso
The Lyon community is suffering injustice on several levels. First, his injuries at Bayern slowed down his international career after 2018. Then, his return to Lyon in 2022 seems to have definitively sidelined him. Meanwhile, players less experienced than him are increasing their selections simply because they play in more prestigious clubs or better regarded by the French staff.
Deschamps himself recognizes that Tolisso “ is one of the preselected ” And ” may be called”. Four years after his last cape, the world champion is still waiting. This systematic absence, even in the case of massive packages, reveals differentiated treatment depending on the club to which they belong.
A pattern that questions
Competition exists, of course. But it does not justify the total absence of Lyon players over several years. Historically, PSG, OM and the major European clubs benefit from favorable treatment. Lyon, despite its results, remains a gray area.
As long as Tolisso wears the Lyon jersey, he will remain in this impasse: preselected on paper, never called up in reality. An implicit policy that the figures confirm, even if the official discourse denies it.
