Real Madrid must now pay out a substantial fee to Lyon following a clause inserted in the deal which took Karim Benzema to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009.
Los Blancos paid €35 million for the striker in what was a French-record transfer at the time, though the amount would total €41 million if certain performance-related objectives were met.
Now, 13 years on, as per L'Equipe, Real are paying Lyon a further €1 million (£870,000) after he claimed his first ever Ballon d'Or on Monday.
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That clause was agreed between the two clubs all those years ago and though it has taken until Benzema was 34 for him to scoop the gong, the Real skipper has come up clutch.
Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas was always confident that Benzema would win the coveted prize, following in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini.
"It’s a great source of pride and emotion, because Karim is a kid from OL," Aulas reflected on what the win means for his club.
"He is a child that we have seen grow up and that we have seen blossom. We have seen him succeed in almost everything he has undertaken. And for us, who not only hired him, but also signed his first contracts with us, we are proud.
"It’s a source of pride with a message, that of exemplarity, because having a youngster like Karim who only plays for two clubs in his entire career."
Lyon fans celebrated Benzema's triumph by going wild in the streets, while Zidane couldn't stop smiling after handing over the award to his former player.
Benzema became the 26th man to win the Ballon d'Or since its inception in 1956, leading Real to a La Liga and Champions League double by scoring 44 goals in 46 appearances.
His previous best Ballon d'Or ranking was when he finished fourth last year and he was the overwhelming favourite this time following a series of big-game performances.
Topics: Karim Benzema, Real Madrid, France, Lyon
Josh Lawless