Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA, via Shutterstock
For the select few privileged enough to hear it, the pitch is irresistible. Whenever Olympique Lyonnais Fémenin identifies someone it believes can burnish its already glittering roster, its offer is simple: Would you like to be part of the best group of players anyone, anywhere, can put together?
More often than not, a sales pitch is unnecessary. Usually, simply being chosen is compliment enough; such is Lyon’s reputation, its imprimatur of excellence, that the invitation is automatically accepted.
“The first time I played against them, I remember thinking this was next level,” said Lucy Bronze, the England defender who joined Lyon in 2017.