The chance of the calendar struck again this Sunday. Indeed, while the clash between PSG and OL was already shaping up to be explosive given the local context, the return of Bradley Barcola to his land added even more spice. Arrived in the capital during the last hours of the transfer window after only six successful months with the Rhodaniens, his departure had the effect of a stab in the back with many supporters. Forcing the Lyon board to find him a replacement in a hurry, the versatile 21-year-old striker did not leave in the best conditions according to several supporters even if the 45 million euros (excluding bonuses) negotiated for its sale seems to be a godsend for the management of Les Gones.
The fans did not spare him
Inevitably, four days after his departure, the pill had still not passed among OL fans who were waiting for their former darling on a firm footing this Sunday. But while the kid from the Buers knew he was going to be greeted coldly, he surely did not expect such a bluster from his former supporters. As soon as he went out with his teammates to warm up before the match, the new number 29 of the Ile-de-France club was targeted by abusive chants against him. Indeed, the term “sal…” accompanied each of his shots in his old stadium which is now hostile to him.
A banner was then brandished and was unequivocal: Bradley Barcola, Castello Lukeba and to a lesser extent Malo Gusto, are now considered traitors in Lyon: “leave the club during the storm, you are shits.And as he started the game on the bench, a semblance of calm before the storm took place as his former teammates were corrected by his new team. In the second half, the new Parisian recruit went to warm up under the hearty whistles of Groupama Stadium. Even at the end of the meeting, Barcola received a stray bullet during the poignant speech of the Capo du Virage Nord who did not hesitate to tax again with sal… the young players who have left the ship in recent months.
Defended by Mbappé in Paris, torpedoed by Cucci in Lyon
But the hatred took on another dimension as soon as the pure product of the Lyon team came into play fifteen minutes from the end of the match. Whistled as soon as he set foot in the green rectangle, each touch of the ball made was accompanied by whistles and insults of all kinds. After this evening surely hard to cash in on the emotional level, the person concerned did not split any comment. Yet others lent their support. This is particularly the case of Kylian Mbappé. The former Monegasque tackled Groupama Stadium and dubbed his young teammate on his Instagram story saying that Barcola was now “one of us“.
On the other side, there is no praise for the native of Villeurbanne. Targeted by the supporters of his heart club, the international Espoirs was violently charged by his former interim executive president Santiago Cucci in the mixed zone at the end of the meeting: “The fans are right. Our project is built on the training center, and when we leave the training center, it is not to stay two years in the club. We stay four or five years, we are proud of the jersey, and after that, we will have a European career… The club comes first. We sold him but it’s because he wanted to leave and that’s why I say that the club is above everything. We are here to play with desire for OL, that’s the project.New prince of Paris, Barcola will have to get used to the idea that he is now persona non grata on his land.
