By: Jonathan Johnson 

Little over 12 months after leaving Olympique de Marseille and France for Russian outfit Dynamo Moscow, Mathieu Valbuena is back in Ligue 1 with Olympique Lyonnais after les Gones completed the signing of the 30-year-old on a three-year contract for €5 million on Tuesday.

The man known as "le Petit Velo" did not endure a bad time in Eastern Europe; enjoying a impressive 2014-15 season where he was one of Dynamo’s most influential players.

However, the Muscovite club’s ban from continental competition for the new season and a change in coach in July put Valbuena’s participation in the 2016 UEFA European Championship on home soil at risk.

Consequently, the Frenchman made the decision to return home to safeguard his chances of inclusion.

Back in Ligue 1, the diminutive creator will be able to keep himself in top condition ahead of the Euros and will not suffer from Russia’s lengthy three-month winter break. The move will also make him easier for les Bleus’ coach Didier Deschamps to keep an eye on in the build-up to the tournament.

Valbuena and Lyon is a good match. The thought of the former Marseille man linking up with fellow France internationals Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir at Stade Gerland is enough to make any football fan salivate.

The inventive OL No. 19 also possesses plenty of experience, notably in the Champions League, and it is the chance to play on this stage once again that Valbuena found so appealing when deciding to make the move.

"When I was little, I would put the Champions League music on at full blast,” the player revealed at his official presentation. "I have had the honour of participating in it, and the opportunity to play in it again was a significant argument. There were quite a few things to be sorted out, but in sporting terms, it was very important."

“I'm not unhappy to have come back to France, on the contrary,” he continued. “Lyon's project is a good one, and there is a great team with young talents who have proven themselves. That was a determining factor, just as the Champions League was -- everyone dreams of that.”

Valbuena’s continental experience will be a major plus for a young squad that is about to discover just how hard it is to compete on all fronts domestic and European. Few of the members of this current squad have experienced a sustained Champions League campaign.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas was delighted with the move and revealed that it is something that the seven-time French champions have been looking into for some time, also admitting that Valbuena’s experience was a key factor.

"I'm super-happy to welcome Mathieu to the club," the 66-year-old declared. "He's a very talented player, a competitor, an experienced campaigner and a down-to-earth fellow. The idea of bringing Mathieu to OL was sparked during the World Cup in Brazil. We’ve been following him throughout his career. This is huge plus for OL, and I'm convinced everything will go very well.”

Aulas and Lyon are understandably chuffed with their business, but Valbuena’s return to France is not just good news for OL. The return of the mini maestro is a major boost for Ligue 1 too after another summer of big name departures.

Marseille’s fire sale saw the likes of Andre-Pierre Gignac, Andre Ayew, Giannelli Imbula and Dimitri Payet leave le Championnat, with popular coach Marcelo Bielsa not far behind them.

Yohan Cabaye, Yannick Ferreira Carrasco, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Jordan Amavi and Jordan Veretout are just some of the other name to have departed the French top-flight this summer and Valbuena returning goes some way towards filling the hole left by those exciting talents.

Not everybody is happy to see Valbuena back in France though.

Marseille are currently enduring a terrible summer, having had the heart of their squad ripped out due to cost-cutting measures and then losing Bielsa after an opening day defeat to Stade Malherbe Caen.

Valbuena coming back to Ligue 1 and opting not to join OM on loan is another bitter blow for the southerners in a sad summer. It could even get worse if Nicolas N’Koulou completes his expected relocation from Stade Velodrome to Stade Gerland.

Marseille and their supporters will feel that this is deliberate antagonism coming from Aulas and Lyon and it is, in a way. However, Valbuena’s signing is about more than just rubbing their rivals’ noses in it.

The move was very much a necessary one considering the difficulties Hubert Fournier’s men face this season.

A clear indication of how deep the salt has sunk into OM wounds is the fact that the club are already considering bringing Valbuena’s previously retired No. 28 shirt out of retirement now that the player is back in France.

If that was not revenge enough, Marseille’s fans will not have long to wait to heckle their former hero in the flesh as Lyon will be at Stade Velodrome on Sunday September 20 for the fixture known as the Olympico.

The OL-OM rivalry has just added a new and tantalizing twist.