Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 7y

Young Boys' Guillaume Hoarau: I turned down Lyon move for my music

Young Boys striker Guillaume Hoarau has revealed he rejected a January switch to Lyon because playing in Switzerland means he can also focus on his music.

In search of additional firepower to support leading scorer Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon coach Bruno Genesio phoned Hoarau 48 hours before the end of the winter transfer window.

Though he admitted he was tempted to move back to France, former Paris Saint-Germain player Hoarau, who has already sung live on French TV, told Blick a transfer to Lyon would have meant less time to devote to his other passion in life: music.

"Bruno Genesio called me -- he asked me if I wanted to join his team as a second striker or number one forward 'B.' I said to myself, 'It's Lyon, each year they're in the Champions League.' The idea of being back-up to Alexandre Lacazette was not a bad one," the 32-year-old, who on Monday was named Switzerland's Player of the Year for 2016, said.

"But at my age, it's different. It wasn't an easy choice to stay in Berne and turn down Lyon, believe me. It was more a choice for my head than my body. I'm completely happy here. I can also do other things, such as concentrating on music. Those sorts of parameters count too."

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