French footballer Benoît Cheyrou (born 3 May 1981 in Suresnes) became famous among fans thanks to his brilliant performances for Auxerre and Marseille. With this football club, Cheyrou won a number of national trophies. He also distinguished himself playing for the French youth team.
Clubs in Benoit Cheyrou’s career
The club history of the future famous midfielder began in 1987. Young Benoit began his career at the Racing Club (Colombes) academy. An interesting fact is that his grandfather, father and older brother, Bruno Cheyrou, also played for this club. Benoit’s father and mother met thanks to this club. Ten years later, Benoit Cheyrou moved to the Lille academy.
He made his senior debut in 1999. Benoit played for Lille for five consecutive seasons, appearing in 100 league matches. The player’s performance impressed the coaching staff at Auxerre, and in the summer of 2004, Cheyrou joined the team, playing for the club for the next three seasons of his career and remaining a key player. In 2005, he won the French Cup.
In the summer of 2007, Benoit joined Marseille, and in the 2008-09 season, he was voted the best player by the fans, ahead of striker Mamadou Niang, who received 4,000 fewer votes. Also, for three consecutive years, starting with the 2007/08 season, Cheyrou was included in the Ligue 1 symbolic team.
In total, during his seven years with the Marseille team, the midfielder played in 219 national championship matches. During this period, he won the French championship, the French Super Cup (twice), and the French League Cup (three times).
He ended his career at Toronto FC in Canada, spending three years at the club. At the end of the 2017 season, he moved into coaching. He coaches children at a Canadian club.
Titles and achievements
Benoît Cheyrou was a top-class midfielder whose career was marked by numerous team trophies, both in his native France and in North America, as well as significant individual awards. His main successes came during his time with Olympique de Marseille.
Club trophies:
• French Cup winner (1): Auxerre: 2004-05.
• French champion (1): Marseille: 2009-10.
• French Super Cup winner (2): Marseille: 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12.
• French Super Cup winner (2): Marseille: 2010, 2011.
• Canadian Champion (2): Toronto: 2016, 2017.
National team:
• European Champion among players aged 18 and under (1): France U-18: 2000.
Individual:
• Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10.
• Marseille Player of the Year (fans’ vote): 2008-09.
Benoit Cheyrou’s career is that of a player who has left his mark on the clubs he has played for. He is part of the Lille generation of the early 2000s, alongside players such as Jean Makoun and Mathieu Debuchy.
Olympique Marseille helped the footballer become a living legend. Over eight seasons, he was a true master of midfield, winning the French championship in 2010 and three League Cups. Benoit’s vision of the game and reliability made him a favourite with Marseille fans.
Benoît Cheyrou — television expert
Having gained considerable experience as a television expert, the former midfielder also collaborates with Prime Video. The former Lille and Olympique Marseille player regularly provides Amazon subscribers with quality analysis of Ligue 1 matches, whether from the sidelines or the set.
Padel: Benoit Cheyrou’s new passion
For a player whose main quality has always been his game intelligence, padel was an obvious choice. Benoît Cheyrou is a very dedicated padel player. The former midfielder regularly participates in amateur tournaments, particularly in the south of France, and in events that bring together former football stars.
His ability to ‘read’ the game, anticipate and find the right areas is more than just physical strength. These qualities make Benoit an excellent padel player. His positioning skills, inherited from his role as a football midfielder, give him a significant advantage.
Ambassador of smart padel
The fact that a personality such as Cheyrou, who is now an authoritative consultant, plays padel has a positive impact on the image of the sport.
Benoît Cheyrou is the ideal ambassador, capable of proving that padel is not just a sport, but a highly strategic discipline. He demonstrates that intelligence is just as important in the game as physical qualities.
The path of the former football star shows that it is possible to live out your passion for sports competition even after your professional career has ended, in a sport that is both demanding and friendly.
Benoît Cheyrou, a former Ligue 1 football star, is now a tactician on the padel courts. He embodies an elegant and intelligent vision of the sport, both in football and in padel. His passion for the game is a logical continuation of his sporting career: a love of team strategy and beautiful technique. He is one of many ambassadors who, through their dedication, are making a significant contribution to padel becoming a sport that is recognised in all its aspects.
Sport Bet previously published a biography of German footballer Thomas Müller.
