Real Madrid star Karim Benzema hints he could retire at Lyon

Madrid, April 18: Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has hinted he could retire at Lyon but has no plans to return to his former club imminently.

Benzema made the switch from Lyon to Madrid in 2009 for a reported €35million and has scored 241 goals in 501 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos.

It has been heavily reported in recent months the 32-year-old agreed to extend his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu until June 2022, though there has been no official confirmation of the deal.

Benzema made his senior debut during Lyon's triumphant 2004-05 Ligue 1 campaign and played an increasingly significant role as they made history by winning the trophy seven times in succession.

He has no doubt he will be part of Lyon's future, whether it is as a player or in a backroom position.

"Coming back to Lyon? It is often said to me. People know how attached I am to Lyon," he said in an interview on the French club's official YouTube channel.

"Coming back to Lyon immediately is not possible because I am in the best club in the world and I have a lot of things to do. But [I could] come back to Lyon and retire, why not?

"Anyway, I will come back to Lyon, whether as a footballer or not."

Asked for the top three players he has competed alongside, Benzema said: "The best three I've played with? It's hard. There have been so many.

"In France, I enjoyed playing with Juninho [Pernambucano] and [Sylvain] Wiltord. But in Madrid, there were a lot of good players. Cristiano Ronaldo, [Sergio] Ramos…

"It's hard to choose. But I had the chance to play with very great players."