Olympique de Marseille

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the women's team, see Olympique de Marseille (women).

Marseille
Full name Olympique de Marseille

Nickname(s) Les Phocéens (The Phocaeans)[1]

Les Olympiens (The Olympians)

Les Minots (The Boys from Marseille)[2]

Short name OM, Marseille

Founded 31 August 1899; 124 years ago

Ground Stade Vélodrome

Capacity 67,394[3]

Owner Frank McCourt (95%)

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (5%)[4]

President Pablo Longoria

Manager Jean-Louis Gasset

League Ligue 1

2022–23 Ligue 1, 3rd of 20

Website Club website

 Home colours Away colours Third colours

Current season

Active departments of
Olympique de Marseille

Football Football
(men's) (women's)

Olympique de Marseille (French pronunciation: [ɔlɛ̃pik də maʁsɛj], locally [olɛ̃ˈpikə də maχ

ˈsɛjə]; Occitan: Olimpic de Marselha, pronounced [ulimˈpi de maʀˈsejɔ]), also known simply
as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (IPA: [o.ɛm], locally [oˈɛmə]), is a French
professional football club based in Marseille that competes in Ligue 1, the top
flight of French football. Founded in 1899, the club has won nine league titles,
ten Coupe de France titles, three Coupe de la Ligue titles, three Trophée des
Champions titles, a national record of one UEFA Champions League and a joint
national record of one UEFA Intertoto Cup.[5] Additionally, Marseille has played in
three UEFA Europa League finals.[6] In 1993, coach Raymond Goethals led the team to
become the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League,
defeating Milan 1–0 in the final, the first under the UEFA Champions League branding
of the tournament. In 2010, Marseille won its first Ligue 1 title in 18 years under the
management of former club captain Didier Deschamps.[7]
Marseille's home ground is the 67,394-capacity Stade Vélodrome in the southern part of
the city, where they have played since 1937.[8] The club has a large fan-base, having
regularly averaged the highest attendance in French football. Marseille's average home
gate for the 2018–19 season was 50,361, the highest in Ligue 1.[9] The stadium
underwent renovation from 2011 to 2014, increasing its capacity to 67,000 ahead of
France's hosting of UEFA Euro 2016.
In 1997, Marseille was purchased by Franco-Swiss businessman Robert Louis-Dreyfus.
Following his death in 2009, his widow Margarita became the club's majority
shareholder in 2010. American businessman Frank McCourt bought 95% of the club's
stake in 2016, and appointed businessman Jacques-Henri Eyraud as the club president,
later replaced by Pablo Longoria in 2021.[10]
Marseille was placed twenty-eighth in the global ranking drawn up by the British
consultancy organisation Brand Finance in terms of brand power, where it was rated
with a credit rating AA ("very strong") with a score of 71.3 out of 100,[11] as well as
twenty-eighth in terms of brand value (€173 million)[12] and twenty-eighth by enterprise
value (€257.4 million as of 2024).[13]
History[edit]
See also: Olympique de Marseille seasons

OM founder, René Dufaure de Montmirail.

Olympique de Marseille was founded as an omnisport club in 1892 by René Dufaure de
Montmirail, a French sports official. Known as Sporting Club, US Phocéenne and
Football Club de Marseille in the first seven years after its foundation, the club adopted
the name Olympique de Marseille in 1899 in honour of the anniversary of Marseille's
founding by Greeks from Phocaea some 25 centuries earlier, with the name Olympique,
coming from ancient Olympic Games.[14]
At first, rugby union was the most important team sport of the club, the motto Droit au
but coming from rugby. Affiliated with the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports
Athlétiques (USFSA) since 1898, it was only in 1902, thanks to English and German
people (according to André Gascard), that football began to be played by Olympique de
Marseille. Richer and better organised than other football teams of Marseille (Sporting,
Stade, Phocéenne), Olympique de Marseille, then playing at the Stade de l'Huveaune,
took the leadership in the city. In 1904, Olympique de Marseille won the
first Championnat du Littoral, involving opposing teams from Marseille and its suburbs,
and took part in the final rounds of the 11th French championship. At that time, the
word "football" applied to rugby, and people used the word "Association" (which would
be soccer in North America) for football.

The team of 1911.

During the 1920s, Olympique de Marseille became an important team in France,
winning the Coupe de France in 1924, 1926 and 1927. The team won the French
championship in 1929, defeating Club français. The Coupe de France in 1924 was the
club's first major title, won against FC Sète, a side that dominated French football at the
time. In the '20s, numerous French internationals, such as Jules Dewaquez, Jean Boyer
or Joseph Alcazar, played for Marseille.[15] In 1930, Marseille lost against Sète, which
would be the winner, in the semi-final round. In 1931, the team became champion of the
South-East, with victories against rivals such as Sète. In the Coupe de France, l'OM lost
in five matches to Club français, winning the second match that was cancelled due to
the disqualification of Marseille striker Vernicke. Even though the 1931–32 season was
less successful, Marseille easily entered the professional ranks, becoming a member of
the union of professional clubs in 1932. On 13 January 1932 at 9:15 pm, at the
Brasserie des Sports, Mr. Dard, Mr. Bison, Dr. Rollenstein, Mr. Etchepare, Mr. Leblanc,
Mr. Mille, Mr. Anfosso, Mr. Sabatier, Mr. Seze, Mr. Bazat, Mr. Molteroj and Mr. Pollack
elected the following committee: Honorary presidents: Paul Le Cesne et Fernand
Bouisson President: M. Dard Vice-Presidents: Mr. Leblanc, Mr. Bison, Mr. Etchepare,
Dr. Rollenstein et Mr. Anfosso general secretary: Mr. Possel-Daydier Treasurer: Mr
Bison (assisted by Mr Ribel).
For the first championship, Division 1 was divided into two pools. Marseille finished
second in the first, behind Lille. For its first match of the championship, Marseille
defeated the future champion, Lille. In 1937, Marseille won its first professional French
championship thanks to goal difference (+30 for Marseille, +17 for Sochaux). The arrival
of Vasconcellos made the defence stronger, whereas former goalkeeper Laurent Di
Lorto shone with Sochaux and France. In the meantime, Marseille won the Coupe de
France in 1935 and 1938 but failed a double success in 1934, due to FC Sète. In
1938, Larbi Benbarek signed with Marseille and became "the black pearl" for the
team. World War II would cut his career short. The 1942–43 season was full of records:
100 goals in 30 matches, including 20 in one match (20–2 against Avignon), in which
Aznar scored nine goals, including the first eight (Marseille was leading 8–0), playing
only 70 minutes. Aznar scored 45 goals in 30 matches, plus 11 in cup games, for a
record of 56 goals in 38 matches. With the minots (young players) of the moment
(Scotti, Robin, Dard, Pironti), Marseille won the cup in two matches
against Bordeaux (4–0). In 1948, thanks to a draw against Sochaux, Marseille became
the champions of France. The two last victories at the Stade Vélodrome against
Roubaix (6–0) and Metz (6–3) were important, as Aznar and Robin's returned in spring.
In 1952, Marseille were about to be relegated, but Gunnar Andersson saved his team,
finishing as top scorer with 31 goals. The team won (5–3) on aggregate
against Valenciennes. The same year, Marseille lost at the Stade
Vélodrome against Saint-Étienne 10–3, but Liberati was injured. In 1953, Gunnar
Andersson would take the record of goals scored in one season with 35. Andersson
also became the all-time top scorer of Olympique de Marseille during his time there with
194 goals. A record he still holds (2023). Marseille was runner-up in the Coupe de
France (Nice won 2–1) in 1954 and won the Coupe Charles Drago in 1957. Marseille
were struggling at the time and were relegated for the first time in 1959. From 1959 to
1965, the team played in the second division, except during the 1962–63 season,
finishing 20th out of 20 in the first division. In 1965, Marcel Leclerc became president.
1965–1986: Leclerc era and crisis[edit]

Brazilian 1970 World Cup winner Jairzinho joined OM in

1974.
The first period of Olympique de Marseille's domination of the French League started in
the early 1970s under Marcel Leclerc's presidency (1965–1972). His ambition allowed
Marseille to return to the First division in 1965–66. They went on to win the Coupe de
France in 1969 as well as the First division in 1971 with a record of 44 goals by Josip
Skoblar, helped by Roger Magnusson. The arrival of Georges Carnus and Bernard
Bosquier from Saint-Étienne helped them to win the Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France
in 1972. Marseille played in the European Cup in 1971–72 and 1972–73, but were
knocked-out by Ajax of Johan Cruyff and Juventus, respectively. However, success was
not to last. Marcel Leclerc was forced to leave the club on 19 July 1972. The President
was a stubborn man, and he threatened the league to withdraw his professional team
from Ligue 1 because the federation refused to accept three foreign players per team
(Leclerc wanted to acquire the Hungarian star Zoltán Varga but he had already the
maximum number of two foreigners in his team). Marseille decided, instead of following
Leclerc against the league, to fire him.[16] Then followed an era of crisis, with Marseille
only winning a Coupe de France in 1976 and being relegated to the second division,
where they played with a bunch of young local players: the Minots who allowed the
team to return to First division in 1984. Éric Di Meco, future French international, was
one of them.
1986–1996: Tapie era, Champions League win, bribery scandal, and
decline[edit]
Main article: French football bribery scandal
On 12 April 1986, Bernard Tapie became president, thanks to Marseille mayor Gaston
Defferre, and promptly built the greatest team seen in France up to that point. His first
signings were Karl-Heinz Forster and Alain Giresse, who were bought after the 1986
FIFA World Cup. Tapie signed a large number of highly regarded players over the next
six years in his pursuit of the European Cup, such as Jean-Pierre Papin, Abedi
Pele, Klaus Allofs, Eric Cantona, Chris Waddle, Enzo Francescoli, Manuel
Amoros, Carlos Mozer, Jean Tigana, Didier Deschamps, Dragan Stojković, Basile
Boli, Marcel Desailly, Rudi Völler, and Alen Bokšić as well as appointing high-profile
coaches like Franz Beckenbauer, Gérard Gili and Raymond Goethals. Between 1989
and 1992, Olympique de Marseille won four league titles in a row and the French Cup.
The team also reached the Champions Cup final for the first time in 1991, losing on
penalties to Red Star Belgrade. The highlight of the club's history is winning the new
format Champions League in 1993. Basile Boli scored the only goal against
Italy's Milan in the final held in Munich's Olympic Stadium. That triumph was the first
time ever for a French club and it made Didier Deschamps and Fabien Barthez the
youngest captain and goalkeeper, respectively, to capture the title.
This triumph, however, was followed by a decade of decline. In 1994, due to financial
irregularities and a match-fixing scandal involving then-president Bernard Tapie, they
suffered enforced relegation to the second division, where Marseille stayed for two
years before returning to the First division. Moreover, they lost their 1992–93 Division 1
title and the right to play in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, the 1993 European
Super Cup and the 1993 Intercontinental Cup. This scandal, called l'affaire VA-OM (VA
for Union Sportive Valenciennes-Anzin and OM for Olympique de Marseille), was
exposed by Valenciennes, whose players Jacques Glassmann,[17] Jorge
Burruchaga[18] and Christophe Robert[18] were contacted by Marseille player Jean-
Jacques Eydelie[19] to let OM win and, more importantly, not to injure any OM player
ahead of the UEFA Champions League final.
1996–2009: Return to success[edit]
 OM won six titles with Didier Deschamps as manager
between 2009 and 2011.
Marseille returned to the top flight in 1996 with backing from Adidas's CEO Robert
Louis-Dreyfus. He chose Rolland Courbis as coach, signed Fabrizio Ravanelli, Laurent
Blanc and Andreas Köpke, and Marseille finished eleventh for his return. For the 1998–
99 season, the team celebrated their centenary and built a team of stars: Robert
Pires, Florian Maurice and Christophe Dugarry, culminating in a second-place finish in
the French championship, behind Bordeaux and an appearance in the UEFA Cup Final
in 1999, losing to Parma. Courbis left the team in November 1999 after a poor start to
the season.
The closest Marseille got to another trophy was when they reached the UEFA Cup Final
in 2004, impressively beating Dnipro, Internazionale, Liverpool and Newcastle
United along the way. But they were beaten in the final by newly crowned Spanish
champions Valencia and once again fans were forced to continue waiting for the next
trophy to come along. In 2005, Marseille succeeded in winning the Intertoto Cup,
beating the likes of Lazio and Deportivo de La Coruña in doing so, and earning another
shot at the UEFA Cup.
 Didier Drogba played for OM in the 2003–2004 season,
scoring 32 goals.
In January 2007, there was negotiation between Louis-Dreyfus and Jack Kachkar, a
Canadian doctor and businessman (CEO of pharmaceutical company Inyx), about
selling the club. As Jack Kachkar took too much time to buy the team, Louis-Dreyfus
decided on 22 March 2007 not to sell to the Canadian businessman.[20] Another close
call to glory was in the Coupe de France final against Sochaux in May 2007. However,
they lost on penalties after a 2–2 draw after extra time, to the disappointment of
everyone linked with the club, but they soon wiped all that disappointment away by
qualifying for the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League group stage after securing second
place with one game to spare.
In the Champions League, Marseille became the first French team to win
at Anfield when they beat 2007 runners-up Liverpool 1–0, and the team took six out of
six points from their opening two games. They only drew one more match, and in a
winner-takes-all final group game they lost 4–0 to Liverpool, who became the
first English team to win at the Stade Vélodrome. Marseille, coming third in
the Champions League Group A, then joined the UEFA Cup.[21] Marseille finished
the 2008–09 season with a second-place finish in Ligue 1, following a tight race with
Bordeaux for the title. This earned them direct entry into the group stages of the UEFA
Champions League, their third consecutive season in the competition. Marseille won
the 2010 Coupe de la Ligue Final beating Bordeaux 3–1 at the Stade de France in
March 2010. This was their first major title since their Champions League triumph 17
years earlier. Two months later, Marseille won their first league championship for 18
years with two games to spare after beating Rennes 3–1.[22][23] Marseille defeated
rivals Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on penalties to win the 2010 Trophée des
Champions at Stade 7 Novembre in Rades, Tunisia, before the season began. Marseille
then became the first team to win back-to-back Coupe de la Ligue successes when they
won the 2011 edition by beating Montpellier 1–0 on 23 April. Before that, they qualified
for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since their historic
success, but lost 2–1 at Old Trafford to Manchester United and also set a Champions
League record by thrashing Žilina 7–0 in what was the biggest away win in the
competition's history. In 2011, Marseille lost the Ligue 1 championship title but qualified
for the UEFA Champions League for the fifth time in a row, a club record. On 27 July
2011, Marseille won the 2011 Trophée des Champions title by beating Lille 5–4
at Stade de Tanger in Morocco. The result was significant as OM were 3–1 down with
five minutes to go, only to embark on a remarkable comeback which saw 5 goals scored
in the last five minutes with André Ayew scoring a hat-trick.
2009–2014: Deschamps, Baup, Anigo[edit]
The club struggled in the 2011–12 season, going to the bottom of the Ligue 1 table after
six matches. Nevertheless, Marseille rebounded, winning 3–0 against Borussia
Dortmund in the Champions League, as well as a 3–0 success over rivals PSG in
November of that year. Marseille ended 2011 with a good sequence, also qualifying for
the knockout stages of the Champions League for the second season running.
In February 2012, Marseille embarked on 13 games without victory,[24] but rallied to
qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since winning the
competition in 1993. Despite an indifferent club form, OM lost to eventual
finalists Bayern Munich, and slumped to an overall tenth-place finish in Ligue 1.
However, the club retained the Coupe de la Ligue for the third year running,
beating Lyon 1–0 in the Final.
In the summer of 2012, Deschamps resigned, and later took on the France job. Elie
Baup took over, leading the club to a surprising second-place finish in the 2012–13
season despite selling multiple key players, including Loïc Rémy, César
Azpilicueta and Stéphane Mbia. Marseille returned to the Champions League, spending
close to €40 million on the likes of Dimitri Payet, Florian Thauvin and Giannelli Imbula.
The club were top of the table at the end of August 2013, but OM proceeded to lose all
six games in Europe, suffering the ignominy of becoming the first French team, and the
biggest European team to date, to have picked up zero points in a Champions League
group stage.
Baup was sacked on 7 December 2013, following the 1–0 defeat to Nantes at Stade
Velodrome. He was replaced on an interim basis by José Anigo. In Anigo's brief tenure,
OM went out of the two cups, and struggled, leading to continued protests and jeers by
fans. The club finished sixth in the 2014 season, missing out on an important European
competition place for the first time in ten years. Anigo left the club soon after, taking on
an ambassadorial/scouting role in North Africa, his first post outside of the city for more
than four decades.
2014–2015: Bielsa era and stagnation[edit]
 Dimitri Payet is the leader of the OM Champions
project of Frank McCourt.
Marseille announced on 2 May 2014 an agreement with Marcelo Bielsa, who took the
managerial hotseat. Bielsa was the club's first Argentine coach and the first coach to
lead the team into the renovated Velodrome, which opened in August with a fixture
against Montpellier. In Bielsa's first season in charge, the club led the league table for
seven months but finished fourth and thus qualified for the UEFA Europa League. June
2015 saw three key players leave the club—André-Pierre Gignac and André Ayew left
the club for Tigres and Swansea City, respectively, after their contracts expired,
while Dimitri Payet left to join West Ham United for a €15 million transfer fee.
After a solid pre-season, which included a 2–0 win over Juventus in the Robert Louis-
Dreyfus Trophy and the signature of nine players, Bielsa resigned from his post, just
minutes after the first Ligue 1 game of the 2015–16 season against Caen. Marseille lost
the game 1–0, and Bielsa shocked the footballing world with his unexpected decision,
citing a lack of trust with the club's management, who he said had reneged on a
previously agreed contract extension. Bielsa's departure reportedly left his players in a
state of shock, many of whom learnt the news via social media in the dressing room.
On 19 August 2015, Míchel was announced as Marseille's new coach.[25] He endured a
frustrating season, with OM failing to win a home game in Ligue 1 for more than six
months. Following a number of poor performances, Míchel was sacked in April by club
owner Margarita Louis Dreyfus, citing poor conduct as the team's coach. The sacking
came on the eve of the club's Coupe de France semi-final fixture. As in 2015, Passi was
installed as the caretaker coach. Under his direction, Marseille reached the Coupe de
France final for the first time in nine years, losing out 4–2 to rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
OM would finish the league season in 13th, the club's worst league finish in 15 years.
In the summer of 2016, Marseille once more sold off a number of key players to meet
financial obligations and to clear its wage bill ahead of an impending takeover. Steve
Mandanda, the club's long-serving captain ended eight years at the club and moved
to Crystal Palace, Nicolas N'Koulou moved to Lyon, while striker Michy Batshuayi was
sold to Chelsea for a club record €40 million.
2016–present: New ownership and revival[edit]
Marseille began the 2016–17 Ligue 1 season with interim manager Franck Passi at the
helm. On 29 August 2016, it was announced that American businessman Frank
McCourt had agreed to buy the club from Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.[10] The purchase deal
was completed for a reported price tag of €45 million on 17 October 2016.[26] Within the
next few days, McCourt appointed Jacques-Henri Eyraud as the club's president, Rudi
Garcia as the manager of the club's first team and Andoni Zubizarreta as director of
sport.[27]
On 3 May 2018, Marseille reached the final of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League after
eliminating Red Bull Salzburg in the semi-finals 3–2 on aggregate, 14 years after its last
final in a European competition in 2004 against Valencia. However, they lost the
final to Atlético Madrid.[28]
In the 2019–20 Ligue 1 season, Andre Villas-Boas became head coach. Marseille
finished second after the season was ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic,
thus qualifying for the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2013–
14.[29]

Former football scout Pablo Longoria went from sporting

director to President in February 2021.
In February 2021, after this string of losses, conflict with players, and lack of support
from sporting director Pablo Longoria and President Jacques-Henri Eyraud, head
coach Andre Villas-Boas offered to resign, three days after a violent riot by protesting
Marseille fans at the team training grounds had forced postponement of a league match
with Rennes. Marseille sacked Villas-Boas, and replaced the coach with
Argentine Jorge Sampaoli. The club also appointed Pablo Longoria to be the team's
new president, replacing Jacques-Henri Eyraud, as Eyraud had also been a target of
the ire of Marseille fans.[30]
In January 2022, Marseille player Pape Gueye was banned from playing for 4 months
by FIFA, while Marseille were given a ban on making transfers in both the summer 2022
and January 2023 transfer windows, and forced to pay €2.5 million to Watford. This
came after the English club brought litigation against Marseille over the transfer of
Gueye, who had originally signed a contract with Watford, but after finding out his agent
had lied to him about the salary on offer, broke the contract and signed with Marseille.
Marseille appealed FIFA's decision.[31] In the 2021–22 Ligue 1 season, Marseille finished
in second place, securing Champions League football for the first time since 2020. In
the final matchday, they were helped by Lens's equalizing goal in the final moments of a
2–2 draw with Monaco.[32]
Le Classique[edit]
Main article: Le Classique

PSG-OM in 2007.
Le Classique is a football match that is contested between Paris Saint-Germain and
Olympique de Marseille. The term Classique is modelled on El Clásico, contested
between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Akin to all the game's major rivalries, the
antipathy between PSG and Marseille extends outside the pitch. The French clásico has
a historical, cultural and social importance that makes it more than just a football game,
pitching capital against province, and the traditional wealth and high culture of Paris
against the industrial and cosmopolitan traditions of Marseille. However, this rivalry
appears only in the 1990s, where it is promoted by the respective owners of PSG -
Canal+, the TV channel which broadcast the Ligue 1 football matches - and Olympique
de Marseile - Bernard Tapie, also owner of the sports company Adidas -, for obvious
marketing reasons. It is sometimes seen as 'the favourite son' of French football against
its enfants terribles.[33][34] With PSG being located in the north in the French capital and
Marseille located along the Mediterranean coast, the rivalry is often referred to as "the
North versus the South". PSG and Marseille are the only two French clubs to have won
major European trophies, PSG having won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1996 and
Marseille won the UEFA Champions League in 1993, and they were the two dominant
forces before the emergence of Lyon at the beginning of the 21st century. However,
despite their recent ups and downs, PSG and Marseille remain fierce rivals, giving this
match a special atmosphere.[33][35] "Le Classique" is also known as "Le Classico".[36]
Stadium[edit]
Main article: Stade Vélodrome
 Stade Vélodrome in 2015 against PSG,
the tifo was deployed during the players entrance.
From 1904 to 1937, Marseille played at the Stade de l'Huveaune, a stadium owned by
the club, in contrast to its current stadium. L'Huveaune, once named Stade Fernand
Buisson in honour of a former rugby player of the club who became a member of
the French National Assembly, was renovated at the beginning of the twenties, thanks
to supporter's financial help. It had a capacity of 15,000. In 1937, l'OM moved into the
much larger Stade Vélodrome after compelling the city of Marseille to lower its rent. The
club made use of the Stade de l'Huveaune again during the renovation of the
Vélodrome for Euro 1984, during the 1982/83 season. The Vélodrome again underwent
redevelopment in time for the 1998 World Cup and was transformed into an immense
ground composed of two Curva ends (Virage Nord and Virage Sud – North Curve and
South Curve) which house the supporters groups as well as the main stand, Jean
Bouin, and the imposing Ganay stand. In a third renovation, in preparation for Euro
2016, the municipality covered the stands with a roof, and increased its capacity to
67,000 to host the Euro 2016 games.
Before the start of each home game the song "Jump" by Van Halen is heard. When a
goal is scored by Marseille in their home matches the song "Come with Me" by Puff
Daddy is played.
Kits and crest[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olympique de Marseille kits.

Marseille's traditional kit colours were white shirts and shorts with blue socks until 1986.
Since 1986, Marseille have played with white shirts, white shorts and white socks, and
the blue color became lighter due to Adidas marketing but in 2012–2013, the club
returned to its original kit, wearing blue socks.
Club founder René Dufaure de Montmirail drew inspiration from his personal seal, which
featured interlaced letters "D" and "M", to create the club's first badge. The club's
motto, "Droit au but", dates from the days when the club's main sport was rugby, under
the name "Football Club de Marseille". The original badge featured an ornate
letter "M" superimposed over an "O", with the club motto draped across the glyph. The
logo persisted for three decades, until 1935, when an art deco shield was adopted, with
a simple "M" encased within the "O". In 1972, OM redesigned its logo, this time
preferring a complex "M" letterform. In 1986, the club re-adopted its first badge; the logo
evolved slightly over the next few decades, gaining a star in 1993 to commemorate the
club's UEFA Champions League trophy. To commemorate the club's 100th anniversary
in 1999, a variant featuring a golden "O" and a turquoise "M" was used; a similar 110th
anniversary logo was used during the 2009–10 season. The most recent form was
revealed on 17 February 2004; the "O" and "M" are rendered as a single unit in
turquoise without shading or borders, and the logo is capped by the golden star
representing the victory in the Champions League and sits above. The club's
motto Droit Au But (French for "Straight to the Goal") also rendered in gold appears
under the badge.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors[edit]

Years Supplier Sponsor

1969–1971 none

1971–1972 BUT !
Le Coq
Sportif
1972–1973 Le Toro

1973–1974
Michel Axel
1974–1976 Adidas

1976–1977 Centre Barneoud

1977–1980 Mas d'Auge

1980–1981 Zoo de Marseille

1981–1982 Faure

1982–1983 Euromarché
1983–1986 RMC

1986–1988 Maison Bouygues

1988–1989 Alain Afflelou

1989–1992 Panasonic

1992–1994
Eurest
1994–1995 Reebok

1995–1996 Mizuno Speedy

1996–1997 Adidas Parmalat

1997–2001 Ericsson

2001–2003 Khalifa Airways

2003–2008 Neuf Telecom

2008–2010 Direct Énergie

2010–2012 Betclic

2012–2017 Intersport

2017–2018 Orange
 2018–2019

2019–2022 Uber Eats

Puma
2022–2023 Cazoo

2023– CMA CGM

Supporters[edit]

OM fans in 2007.
Virage Nord De Peretti[edit]
The atmosphere in the Stade Vélodrome is created by the dominance of OM's own
supporters who are located in the Curva style ends behind both goals. The North Curve
is home to the Marseille Trop Puissant, Fanatics, and Dodger's supporters associations
who buy up the tickets at the start of each season and sell them on to their members.
[37]
The Virage Nord is next to the away enclosure, which is protected by high fences. In
2002, the Virage Nord was officially given the name of Patrice de Peretti (1972–2000),
the late founder and leader of the supporters group Marseille Trop Puissant (MTP). [38] In
2010, the third kit of OM was a tribute to MTP, with the red, yellow and green colours of
Africa, symbols of this left-wing curva. In 2018, owner Frank McCourt and
president Jacques-Henri Eyraud decided to exclude the Yankee Nord due to a number
of delictuous activities, especially concerning tickets ; they therefore forbid them to sell
the said tickets, and the association is no longer officially recognized by the club.[39]
Virage Sud Chevalier Roze[edit]
The virage is named after Nicolas Roze, a noble who distinguished himself in particular
by creating a hospital in Marseille during the Great Plague of Marseille in 1720.[40] As
with the Virage Nord, the South Curve is controlled by supporter's associations with the
Commando Ultra '84, the first group of ultra supporters in France created in August
1984, and the South Winners dominating the central section and Club Central des
Supporters filling the remaining sections of the stand.[41] The 2007/08 third shirt of OM
was a tribute to South Winners fans whose colours are orange, as they are traditionally
left wing fans.
AEK Athens, Livorno and St. Pauli[edit]

AEK fans (Original 21) lifting an OM fans (Commando

Ultra '84) banner.
There is a strong relationship between AEK Athens, Livorno, FC St. Pauli and Marseille.
[42]
Marseille fans often lift banners and create choreography in support of the fellow
teams.
Players[edit]
First-team squad[edit]
As of 1 February 2024[43]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-
FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player No

Pos. Nation Player
.

Simon
1 GK CMR
Ngapandouetnbu Geoffrey
19 MF CAF Kondogbia (3rd
captain)
3 DF FRA Quentin Merlin

Joaquín Correa (on

20 FW ARG loan from Inter
Samuel Gigot (vice-
4 DF FRA Milan)
captain)

Valentin
5 DF ARG Leonardo Balerdi 21 MF FRA
Rongier (captain)

6 DF SUI Ulisses Garcia 22 MF SEN Pape Gueye

7 DF FRA Jonathan Clauss 23 FW SEN Ismaïla Sarr

 8 MF MAR Azzedine Ounahi

Pierre-Emerick 27 MF FRA Jordan Veretout

10 FW GAB
Aubameyang

29 FW SEN Iliman Ndiaye

11 MF MAR Amine Harit

34 MF MAR Bilal Nadir

14 FW CMR Faris Moumbagna

36 GK ESP Rubén Blanco

16 GK ESP Pau López

37 MF ENG Emran Soglo

Jean Onana (on
17 MF CMR
loan from Beşiktaş)
44 FW BRA Luis Henrique
Bamo Meïté (on
18 DF CIV
loan from Lorient)
62 DF PAN Amir Murillo

99 DF COD Chancel Mbemba

Marseille B and Youth Sector[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-
FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player No

Pos. Nation Player
.

31 DF FRA Leo Jousselin

39 MF COM Raimane Daou

32 DF SUI Roggerio Nyakossi

41 FW FRA Sofiane Sidi Ali

33 MF FRA Stéphane Sparagna

42 FW FRA Keyliane Abdallah

38 FW CIV Ange Lago

77 MF BEL Noam Mayoka-Tika
Out on loan[edit]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-
FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player No. Pos. Nation Player

Jordan Amavi (on loan Salim Ben

— DF FRA to Brest until 30 June Seghir (on loan
2024) — FW FRA to Neuchâtel
Xamax until 30
June 2024)
Pol Lirola (on loan
— DF ESP to Frosinone until 30
June 2024) Konrad de la
Fuente (on loan
— FW USA
to Eibar until 30
Matteo Guendouzi (on June 2024)
— MF FRA loan to Lazio until 30
June 2024)
Vitinha (on loan
— FW POR to Genoa until 30
François Mughe (on June 2024)
loan
— MF CMR
to Dunkerque until 30
June 2024)

Player of the season[edit]

Season Name Nationality Position Notes Ref

Vedran Goalkeepe
2001–02 Croatia [44]

Runje r

Daniel Van Also named in the UNFP Team of the

2002–03 Belgium Defender [44]

Buyten Season.

Also won the UNFP Player of the

Didier Ivory
2003–04 Forward Year award and was named in [44]

Drogba Coast
the UNFP Team of the Season.
Season Name Nationality Position Notes Ref

Also named in the UNFP Team of the

2004–05 Habib Beye Senegal Defender [44]

Season.

Also won UNFP Young Player of the

Franck
2005–06 France Winger Year and was named in the UNFP [44]

Ribéry
Team of the Season.

Also won UNFP Young Player of the

2006–07 Samir Nasri France Midfielder Year and was named in the UNFP [44]

Team of the Season.

Also won UNFP Goalkeeper of the

Steve Goalkeepe
2007–08 France Year award and was named in [44]

Mandanda r
the UNFP Team of the Season.

Benoît Also named in the UNFP Team of the

2008–09 France Midfielder [44]

Cheyrou Season.

Mamadou Also named in the UNFP Team of the

2009–10 Senegal Forward [44]

Niang Season.

2010–11 André Ayew Ghana Forward [44]

Nicolas Also named in the UNFP Team of the

2011–12 Cameroon Defender [44]

Nkoulou Season.

Mathieu Also named in the UNFP Team of the

2012–13 France Forward [44]

Valbuena Season.

André-Pierre
2013–14 France Forward [44]

Gignac

[44]
2014–15 Dimitri Payet France Midfielder Also named in the UNFP Team of the
 Season Name Nationality Position Notes Ref

Season.

Also won UNFP Goalkeeper of the

Steve Goalkeepe
2015–16 France Year award and was named in [44]

Mandanda r
the UNFP Team of the Season.

Florian
2016–17 France Winger [45]

Thauvin

Florian
2017–18 France Winger [46]

Thauvin

2018–19 Hiroki Sakai Japan Defender [47]

Steve Goalkeepe
2019–20 France [48]

Mandanda r

Boubacar
2020–21 France Midfielder [49]

Kamara

Also named for the UNFP Player of

2021–22 Dimitri Payet France Midfielder the Year award and in the UNFP [50]

Team of the Season.

Alexis
2022–23 Chile Forward [51]

Sánchez

Club officials[edit]
See also: List of Olympique de Marseille managers and presidents
Board of directors[edit] Current technical staff[edit]
Role Name Role Name
Frank McCourt (95%) Manager Jean-Louis Gasset
Owners
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus (5%) Assistant manager Ghislain Printant
President Pablo Longoria Jacques Abardonado
Paul Aldridge Jon Pascua
Board of directors Goalkeeping coaches
Jacques-Henri Eyraud Alexandre Salvat
Sporting Director Medhi Benatia Quentin Neboud
Video Analysts
Technical Director Marco Otero Paul Chevaleyre
Head Performance Analyst Matthieu Bouchépillon Nicolas Girard
Head of Youth Development Yann Daniélou Fitness coaches Marius Lancet
Technical Advisor Gilles Marambaud
Jean-Pierre Papin
Chief Doctor Abdou Sbihi
Loan Manager Felipe Saad
 Last updated: 23 November 2023 Doctor Mathias Giustiniani
 Source: [52] Osteopath Gilles Davin
Podiatrist Jean-Luc Guer
Maxime Matton
Pierre Vespignani
Physiotherapists Stéphane Ré
Yannick Dyduch
Youssef Rahou
Nutritionist Muriel Espinosa
 Last updated: 5 November 2023
 Source: [53]

Honours[edit]
Marseille have won the French national championship nine times; with nine Ligue 1
titles they are behind only Saint-Étienne, who have ten, and Paris Saint-Germain,
who have eleven. However, the first championship won by Marseille was in 1929,
before the professional era of French football.[54] Marseille also have the second best
record in the Coupe de France, with ten titles.[55] Marseille have achieved two
championship and cup "Doubles", in 1972 and 1989.[56] They are the only French
club to win the UEFA Champions League, doing so in 1993.[57]
Domestic competitions[edit]
 Marseille players celebrate winning the Coupe de la

Ligue in 2010 Marseille lifting the Trophée des

Champions in 2011

 Ligue 1[a]
o Winners (9): 1936–37, 1947–48, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1988–89, 1989–
90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 2009–10[5]
o Runners-up (13): 1937–38, 1938–39, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1986–87, 1993–
94, 1998–99, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2019–20, 2021–22[5]
 Ligue 2
o Winners (1): 1994–95[5]
o Runners-up (2): 1965–66, 1995–96[5]
 Coupe de France
o Winners (10): 1923–24, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1942–
43, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1988–89[5]
o Runners-up (9): 1933–34, 1939–40, 1953–54, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1990–91,
2005–06, 2006–07, 2015–16[5]
 Coupe de la Ligue
o Winners (3): 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12[5]
 Trophée des Champions[b]
o Winners (3): 1971, 2010, 2011[5]
o Runners-up (3): 1969, 1972, 2020[5]
 Coupe Charles Drago
o Winners (1): 1957[58]
International competitions[edit]
Further information: Olympique de Marseille in European football

 European Cup / UEFA Champions League

o Winners (1): 1992–93[5]
o Runners-up (1): 1990–91[5]
 UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League
 o Runners-up (3): 1998–99, 2003–04, 2017–18[6]
 UEFA Intertoto Cup
o Winners (1): 2005[59]