Alexandre Lacazette has rediscovered his scoring touch since returning to France, but the striker attracted unwanted attention for another reason over the weekend, giving a bizarre interview where his voice was compared to that of Mickey Mouse.
The former Arsenal striker returned to former club Lyon over the summer, and has scored four times in his first seven games back in Ligue 1. He has already matched his Premier League tally from last season, when he played nearly 1,800 minutes in the competition.
Lacazette got another 90-minute run-out on Saturday as Lyon went down to a 2-1 defeat away to Monaco. After the game, though, fans were taken aback by his strangely high voice.
"Lacazette giving us all his best Mickey Mouse impression," wrote one fan on social media, after watching the clip on Prime Video Sport France. "No way that's his actual voice," said another.
The striker has taken the captain's armband since returning to Lyon, for whom he scored 100 league goals in his first stint. Lyon won four of their first five games, but have dropped out of the top four after defeats against Lorient and Monaco.
Benoit Badiashile put the hosts in front at Stade Louis II on Sunday, with Guillermo Maripan doubling Monaco's lead. Karl Toko Ekambi pulled a goal back, but it was too little, too late for Lyon.
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As well as rediscovering his own form in front of goal in France, Lacazette has helped convince former Arsenal teammate Folarin Balogun to give Ligue 1 a chance. Balogun, who made his Gunners debut last season, has outscored the Frenchman since joining Reims on loan.
"[Lacazette is] a great player," Balogun said during an interview with Amazon Prime Video Sport. "When he was at Arsenal he would always help me progress and improve, teaching me techniques and giving me advice.
"I remember speaking to Lacazette and he kept on telling me: you need to go to Ligue 1, you will do well here. Maybe he should become my agent as well because he has a great knowledge of football!"
"I've spent my whole career in London so when I came here I knew it was going to be different, I didn't know the language and I'm still trying to learn – but for me, it's important to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. This is the reason I’m here and hopefully this decision will be good for me and pay off."
Balogun was back in action on Sunday as well, with Reims travelling to face Toulouse. The hosts were coming off three successive defeats, but Zakaria Aboukhlal won them the game, with Reims' Alexis Flips sent off.
