Karim Benzema has voiced his support for Jean-Michel Aulas, former president of Olympique Lyonnais, in his bid for mayor of Lyon. In a videoconference on LCI on Tuesday, the striker praised his former leader's qualities and experience. Aulas, leading in polls, could succeed outgoing mayor Grégory Doucet.
On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, Karim Benzema, currently playing for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, joined a videoconference on LCI in an emission dedicated to Jean-Michel Aulas. The former Olympique Lyonnais and Real Madrid striker, who knew Aulas from 1997 to 2009 at the training center and first team, offered unwavering support for his candidacy for mayor of Lyon.
'I think Jean-Michel Aulas has everything to succeed. Because he's someone people listen to, someone who knows where he's going and with a lot of experience. He showed it in football where Lyon was at the bottom and he took it to the top,' Benzema stated. He added: 'I think, in any case, I'm with him wholeheartedly, I think he has the capacity and this ambition to shake up the city. And to make Lyon become what it was before.'
Jean-Michel Aulas announced his candidacy on September 25, 2025. Former OL president for over 30 years, he is credited with a lead in polls for the municipal elections and could succeed Grégory Doucet, the outgoing ecologist mayor elected in 2020. Benzema's support, as the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner, represents significant backing for Aulas in a city historically tied to football.