This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams. This blog was one of them. It was my Russia All-Time Team here. His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014. His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017. His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014. He also copied many many of my blog entries.
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| 1993 Champions' League winner |
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
Olympique de Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain
Olympique Lyonnais, AS Monaco, Nantes
Saint-Étienne, Girondins de Bordeaux.
South France
Players born in the Overeseas Department and former French Colonies
French Black Players
French Algerian
French Players Capped by Other National Teams
France at USA 1994
This is my selection of a 25-member all-time team for the club. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.
Founded in 1899, the club play in Ligue 1 and have spent most of their history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions ten times (nine times in Ligue 1) and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In 1993, coach Raymond Goethals led the team to become the first and only French club to win the UEFA Champions League. In 1994, Marseille were relegated because of a bribery scandal, losing their domestic trophy, but not the Champions League title. In 2010, Marseille became French champions again under the stewardship of former club captain Didier Deschamps.
Marseille's home ground is the 67,000-capacity Stade Vélodrome in the southern part of the city, where they have played since 1937. The club has a large fan-base, having regularly averaged the highest attendance in French football. Marseille's average home gate for the 2008–09 season was 52,276, the highest in Ligue 1.
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| Ligue Champion 2009-2010 |
Team
GK: Fabien Barthez (France)
Fabien Barthez is France's most decorated goalkeeper. He had 87 caps for "Les Bleus" between 1994 and 2006. He won the World Cup in 1998 at home and then, the European Championship two years later. Barthez is France's most capped player in the FIFA World Cup, with 17 appearances at the finals. For domestic club football, he also played with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United and Nantes. He also won Champions League medal with Marseille in 1993.
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| Fabien Barthez |
Jean-Paul Escale arrived in Marseille at the age of 7. He was the starting goalkeeper for OM for eight consecutive years, from 1963 to 1971. For 42 years he remained the record holder among goalkeepers for the number of matches played with Olympique de Marseille, with a total of 332 matches played. This record was beaten by Steve Mandanda inDecember 2013. He is considered one of the best French goalkeepers at the time, but was uncapped.
GK: Steve Mandanda (France)
Mandanda made his league début for Le Havre in August 2005. He joined Marseille in 2008. He had played over 300 games for them since 2008. He spent a season with Crytal Palace. For the natinal team, he was mainly a backup keeper. At the time of writing, he has 26 caps. He served as the third keeper at the WC Finals in 2010, 2014 and 2018, where France won the World Cup in 2018. He has three brothers who are also professional goalkeepers.
Amoros is widely considered to be France's greatest fullback. He was a part of the Golden Generation of the 1980's. He played 82 times for France. He played in the European Championships Finals of 1984 and 1992, winning the 1984 version. He also played in the World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986. He won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993, but also losing the one in 1991. He also played for Monaco and Lyons.
CB: Carlos Mozer (Brazil)
Carlos Mozer started his career with Flamengo in 1980. In Europe, he played for Benfica on two different spells and went to play with Marseille in between them. With Marseille, he reached the 1990-1991 European Cup Final. He later played in Japan at the end of his career. He was capped 32 times between 1983 and 1994. He went to the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy with Brazil. An injury kept him away from the 1994 team.
CB: Karl-Heinz Forster (Germany)
With West Germany, Forster earned 81 caps between 1978 and 1988. He won the European Championship in 1980, and came 2nd at the World Cup in both 1982 and 1986. He was regarded one of the best defenders in the 1980's. He played with VFB Stuttgart and Marseille. With Stuttgart, he won a Bundesliga in the 1983–84 season. He won two league titles in France. His brother Bernd also played for West Germany and VfBStuttgart.
CB: Marius Tresor (France)
Marius Tresor was one of France's greatest defenders. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. He had 65 caps between 1971 and 1983. He was the French captain before Michele Platini's arrival. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1978 and 1982. In 1982, he scored one of the extra time goal against West Germany at the semifinal. For his club career, he also played for AC Ajaccio, Olympique de Marseille and Girondins de Bordeaux.
CB: Basile Boli (France)
For club football, Basile Boli played for Auxerre, Marseille, Rangers (Scotland), Monaco and Urawa Reds (Japan). He was a member of Bernard Tapie's Marseille that won the 1993 European Cup, the first ever for a French club. He scored the only goal at the Final against AC Milan. He left the club in 1994. For France, he won 45 caps between 1986 and 1993. He went to the European Championship of 1992 hosted by Sweden. He was born in Ivory Coast.
GK: Steve Mandanda (France)
Mandanda made his league début for Le Havre in August 2005. He joined Marseille in 2008. He had played over 300 games for them since 2008. He spent a season with Crytal Palace. For the natinal team, he was mainly a backup keeper. At the time of writing, he has 26 caps. He served as the third keeper at the WC Finals in 2010, 2014 and 2018, where France won the World Cup in 2018. He has three brothers who are also professional goalkeepers.
RB: Jocelyn Angloma (France)
Angloma was a member of the great Marseille team of the early 1990's. He won the European Cup in 1993. He later played for Valencia and reached the Champions' League Final twice. He was capped 37 times for France. He was a member of the French team at Euro 1992 and 1996. In 2006, Angloma came out of retirement to play for his native région, Guadeloupe, and help them qualify for the 2007 Caribbean Nations Cup.
RB/LB: Manuel Amoros (France)Angloma was a member of the great Marseille team of the early 1990's. He won the European Cup in 1993. He later played for Valencia and reached the Champions' League Final twice. He was capped 37 times for France. He was a member of the French team at Euro 1992 and 1996. In 2006, Angloma came out of retirement to play for his native région, Guadeloupe, and help them qualify for the 2007 Caribbean Nations Cup.
Amoros is widely considered to be France's greatest fullback. He was a part of the Golden Generation of the 1980's. He played 82 times for France. He played in the European Championships Finals of 1984 and 1992, winning the 1984 version. He also played in the World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986. He won the Champions League with Marseille in 1993, but also losing the one in 1991. He also played for Monaco and Lyons.
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| Manuel Amoros |
Carlos Mozer started his career with Flamengo in 1980. In Europe, he played for Benfica on two different spells and went to play with Marseille in between them. With Marseille, he reached the 1990-1991 European Cup Final. He later played in Japan at the end of his career. He was capped 32 times between 1983 and 1994. He went to the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy with Brazil. An injury kept him away from the 1994 team.
CB: Karl-Heinz Forster (Germany)
With West Germany, Forster earned 81 caps between 1978 and 1988. He won the European Championship in 1980, and came 2nd at the World Cup in both 1982 and 1986. He was regarded one of the best defenders in the 1980's. He played with VFB Stuttgart and Marseille. With Stuttgart, he won a Bundesliga in the 1983–84 season. He won two league titles in France. His brother Bernd also played for West Germany and VfBStuttgart.
CB: Marius Tresor (France)
Marius Tresor was one of France's greatest defenders. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. He had 65 caps between 1971 and 1983. He was the French captain before Michele Platini's arrival. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1978 and 1982. In 1982, he scored one of the extra time goal against West Germany at the semifinal. For his club career, he also played for AC Ajaccio, Olympique de Marseille and Girondins de Bordeaux.
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| Marius Trezor |
For club football, Basile Boli played for Auxerre, Marseille, Rangers (Scotland), Monaco and Urawa Reds (Japan). He was a member of Bernard Tapie's Marseille that won the 1993 European Cup, the first ever for a French club. He scored the only goal at the Final against AC Milan. He left the club in 1994. For France, he won 45 caps between 1986 and 1993. He went to the European Championship of 1992 hosted by Sweden. He was born in Ivory Coast.
LB: Éric Di Meco (France)
During his career, Di Meco played mostly for Olympique de Marseille. He had loan spells at AS Nancy and FC Martigues befoe he returned in 1988. , going on to amass a further 153 Ligue 1 games in an eventual four-in-a-row run of domestic leagues. After Marseille's relegation at the end of the 1993–94 season, Di Meco joined AS Monaco FC. He was capped 24 times.
LB: François Bracci (France)
Bracci played two stints for Olympique de Marseille. The first one was between 1971 and 1979. Then, between 1983 and 1985, he played for them again. He also played Strasbourg and Bordeaux between the two stints. Later in his career, he played for Rouen and AS Beziers. For France, he was capped 18 times between 1972 and 1982. He went to the 1978 World Cup Finals.
Sauzee played represented France for 39 times between 1988 and 1993, scoring nine goals, and captaining the team several times. He achieved great success at club level during the same period, winning the 1993 Champions League and three league titles with Marseille. Later in his career he played Scottish club Hibernian, whom Sauzée subsequently managed for a short period.
DM: Didier Deschamps (France)
Didier Deschamps was only the second player in history to captain his team to lift the three big trophies: the Champions League trophy, the World Cup trophy and the European Championship trophy. He started his career with Nantes in 1985. The prime of his career was spent with Marseille (1989 to 1994) and Juventus (1994 to 1999), where he won a Champions League for both club. He earned 103 caps between 1989 and 2000, and was the captain of 1998 World Cup winning team for France.
RW: Roger Magnusson (Sweden)
Roger Magnusson played for the Sweden national football team and for various clubs in Europe, including a short spell at Juventus FC. His most successful years were at Olympique de Marseille, where he formed a duo with striker Josip Skoblar winning the Ligue 1 in 1971 and 1972 and the Coupe de France in 1972. In the 1972 Coupe de France Final, he delivered two assists. Capped 14 times.
LW: Chris Waddle (England)
Waddle mainly played with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspurs, Olympique Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday. He won the 1987 FA Cup with Tottenham Hotspurs. Then, in 1989, he joined Olympique Marseille for 4.5 million pound, which was then the third highest transfer fees. He went to Sheffield Wednesday in 1992, where he reached both FA Cup and League Cup Final. He was voted FWA Player of the Year for that season. He went to the WC Finals in 1986 and 1990.
CM: Joseph Bonnel (France)
Bonnel played with Montpellier HSC and Valenciennes FC before going to Marseille in 1967. He played there until 1973. He was the centerpiece of the club that won the Coupe de France in 1969, the league championship in 1971 and finally a double Cup-League Championship in 1972. He was capped 25 times between 1962 and 1969. He went to the World Cup 1966. He scored 3 goals during the 1966 season.
AM: Roger Scotti (France)
Roger Scotti played 452 matches for Olympique de Marseille from 1942 to 1958. He held the all-time appearance record for the club before breaking by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. He was capped twice. The first match was against Belgium in 1950. Six years later, he made his second cap in a match against Hungary. His son also played for Marseille.
AM/SS: Abedi Pele (Ghana)
Abedi Pele was one of the greatest African player ever. He was best remembered for his career with Marseille, where he won the first ever Champions' League title for a French club. He was African Player of the Year for three straight years between 1991 and 1993. He was voted 3rd as the African Player of the Century. He had 77 caps for Ghana. He was a member of the team that won African Cup of Nations in 1982. He was at one point the country's all-time top scorer.
AM: Larbi Benbarek (France)
Larbi Benbarek was born and raised in Morocco in the period when the country was under the French rule. He was the first Black player to reach stardom in Europe, earning the nick name "Black Pearl". He made his name with Stade Francasis Paris. In 1948, he moved to Atletico Madrid, where he reached the height of his career and won two La Liga title. He is considered one of the greatest ever French player. He was capped 19 times between 1938 and 1954.
FW: Josip Skoblar (Yugoslavia)
With OFK Beograd, Skoblar won the Yugoslav Cup in 1962 and 1966. He played for Hannover 96 before moving to Olympique de Marseille. He was three time top goalscorer in Ligue 1 (1971–73), winning the European Golden Boot in 1971 with 44 goals. He won the French league title in 1971, and French league/cup "Double" in 1972. OM fans refer to him as "the Dalmatian Eagle", or "Monsieur Goal" (Mister Goal). He was capped 32 times. He went to the 1962 World Cup Finals.
FW: Emmanuel Aznar (France)
With Marseille, Aznar won the Coupe de France in 1938 and as captain in 1943, and the French championship in 1937 and 1948. In 1942, he set an unofficial record by scoring 9 goals in one match against Avignon Foot 84, and is the only player to have scored nine goals in one match in French football history. That season he became the league's top scorer with 45 goals in 30 league matches and a total of 56 goals in 38 matches. Due to the War, he only represented France in a sickle match.
ST: Mamadou Niang (Senegal)
ST: Gunnar Andersson (Sweden/France)
He started his career in Sweden, before playing for Danish side Kjøbenhavns Boldklub before being transferred to Olympique de Marseille in 1950. With l'OM he was also Division 1 top goalscorer in 1951–1952 and 1952–1953 and runner-up in the Coupe de France 1953–1954. He was their all-time leading scorer. He also played for other French teams such as FC Girondins de Bordeaux and AS Aix.
ST: Jean Pierre Papin (France)
-- Most of the lists put Pascal Olmeta, Andreas Köpke, Joseph-Antoine Bell and Jean-Paul Escale right behind Barthez and Mandanda. Escale held the record for most matches played by a goalkeeper at Olympique de Marseille for 42 years with 332 games, until Mandanda surpassed it in December 2013. He narrowly edged out Olmeta who won many trophies over here, but did not play in the Champions' League winning season in 1993.
-- Frank Ribery only spent a short time with the club. I also came across a right winger named Jules Dewaquez who was a top player in the 1920's. I also considered Didier Six. Jairzinho's signing was a significant to the club because he was a World Cup winner. However, his career was only remembered for his controversial departure after less than two seasons.
DM: Didier Deschamps (France)
Didier Deschamps was only the second player in history to captain his team to lift the three big trophies: the Champions League trophy, the World Cup trophy and the European Championship trophy. He started his career with Nantes in 1985. The prime of his career was spent with Marseille (1989 to 1994) and Juventus (1994 to 1999), where he won a Champions League for both club. He earned 103 caps between 1989 and 2000, and was the captain of 1998 World Cup winning team for France.
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| Didier Deschamps |
Roger Magnusson played for the Sweden national football team and for various clubs in Europe, including a short spell at Juventus FC. His most successful years were at Olympique de Marseille, where he formed a duo with striker Josip Skoblar winning the Ligue 1 in 1971 and 1972 and the Coupe de France in 1972. In the 1972 Coupe de France Final, he delivered two assists. Capped 14 times.
LW: Chris Waddle (England)
Waddle mainly played with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspurs, Olympique Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday. He won the 1987 FA Cup with Tottenham Hotspurs. Then, in 1989, he joined Olympique Marseille for 4.5 million pound, which was then the third highest transfer fees. He went to Sheffield Wednesday in 1992, where he reached both FA Cup and League Cup Final. He was voted FWA Player of the Year for that season. He went to the WC Finals in 1986 and 1990.
CM: Joseph Bonnel (France)
Bonnel played with Montpellier HSC and Valenciennes FC before going to Marseille in 1967. He played there until 1973. He was the centerpiece of the club that won the Coupe de France in 1969, the league championship in 1971 and finally a double Cup-League Championship in 1972. He was capped 25 times between 1962 and 1969. He went to the World Cup 1966. He scored 3 goals during the 1966 season.
AM: Roger Scotti (France)
Roger Scotti played 452 matches for Olympique de Marseille from 1942 to 1958. He held the all-time appearance record for the club before breaking by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. He was capped twice. The first match was against Belgium in 1950. Six years later, he made his second cap in a match against Hungary. His son also played for Marseille.
AM/SS: Abedi Pele (Ghana)
Abedi Pele was one of the greatest African player ever. He was best remembered for his career with Marseille, where he won the first ever Champions' League title for a French club. He was African Player of the Year for three straight years between 1991 and 1993. He was voted 3rd as the African Player of the Century. He had 77 caps for Ghana. He was a member of the team that won African Cup of Nations in 1982. He was at one point the country's all-time top scorer.
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| Abedi Pele |
Larbi Benbarek was born and raised in Morocco in the period when the country was under the French rule. He was the first Black player to reach stardom in Europe, earning the nick name "Black Pearl". He made his name with Stade Francasis Paris. In 1948, he moved to Atletico Madrid, where he reached the height of his career and won two La Liga title. He is considered one of the greatest ever French player. He was capped 19 times between 1938 and 1954.
FW: Josip Skoblar (Yugoslavia)
With OFK Beograd, Skoblar won the Yugoslav Cup in 1962 and 1966. He played for Hannover 96 before moving to Olympique de Marseille. He was three time top goalscorer in Ligue 1 (1971–73), winning the European Golden Boot in 1971 with 44 goals. He won the French league title in 1971, and French league/cup "Double" in 1972. OM fans refer to him as "the Dalmatian Eagle", or "Monsieur Goal" (Mister Goal). He was capped 32 times. He went to the 1962 World Cup Finals.
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| Josip Skoblar |
With Marseille, Aznar won the Coupe de France in 1938 and as captain in 1943, and the French championship in 1937 and 1948. In 1942, he set an unofficial record by scoring 9 goals in one match against Avignon Foot 84, and is the only player to have scored nine goals in one match in French football history. That season he became the league's top scorer with 45 goals in 30 league matches and a total of 56 goals in 38 matches. Due to the War, he only represented France in a sickle match.
ST: Mamadou Niang (Senegal)
Mamadou Niang played for Troyes, Metz and Strasbourg before joining Marseille in 2005. He quickly became a hero at the club. He was the league's top scorer in the 2009-2010 season. He made the Team of the Season twice in France. Later, he played in Turkey and UAE at the end of his career. He has represented Senegal at international level, participating in the 2004, 2006, and 2008 African Cup of Nations. He had 59 caps for Senegal between 2002 and 2012.
ST: Jean Boyer (France)
Boyer spent 12 seasons at Marseilles between 192 and 1935). He scored 170 goals in 181 matches. He remains the fourth best scorer in the history of the club. He also played for CASG Paris, VGA Médoc and Choisy-le-Roi. He was capped 15 times for France between 1920 and 1929 while scoring 7 goals. He played in the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games.
ST: Gunnar Andersson (Sweden/France)
He started his career in Sweden, before playing for Danish side Kjøbenhavns Boldklub before being transferred to Olympique de Marseille in 1950. With l'OM he was also Division 1 top goalscorer in 1951–1952 and 1952–1953 and runner-up in the Coupe de France 1953–1954. He was their all-time leading scorer. He also played for other French teams such as FC Girondins de Bordeaux and AS Aix.
ST: Jean Pierre Papin (France)
Jean Pierre Papin is the Ballon d'Or winner in 1991. He was a member of the great Olympique de Marseille team of the 1990's that won four Lique in a row, but left the season before they lifted their first ever European Cup. He later played for AC Milan, FC Bayern Munich, Bordeaux, Guingamp, JS Saint-Pierroise and US Cap-Ferret. Papin also played 54 times for the French national team. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1986 and the European Championship in 1992.
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| Jean Pierre Papin |
Honorable Mention
Jaguaré (Brazil), Pascal Olmeta (France), Andreas Köpke (Germany), Joseph-Antoine Bell (Cameroon), Jaguare de Besveconne Vasconcellos (Brazil), Cédric Carrasso (France), Vedran Runje (Croatia), Bernard Casoni (France), Bernard Bosquier (France), Jules Zvunka (France), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Laurent Blanc (France), Roland Gransart (France), Souleymane Diawara (Senegal), Gunnar Johansson (Sweden), Daniel Van Buyten (Beglium), Maurice Gransart (France), Habib Beye (Senegal), Marcel Desailly (France), Lorik Cana (Alberia), Jean-Charles De Bono (France), Lucho Gonzalez (Argentina), Dragan Stojkovic (Yugoslavia), Phillipe Vercruysse (France), Alain Giresse (France), Jean Bastien (France), Samir Nasri (France), Mathieu Valbuena (France), Georges Dard (France), Jean Boyer (France), Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay), Didier Six (France), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Lorik Cana (Albania), Peter Luccin (France), Joseph Yegba May (Cameroon), Franck Ribéry (France), Alen Boksic (Croatia), Gunnar Andersson (Sweden), Klaus Allofs (Germany), Rudi Völler (Germany), Djibril Cisse (France), Dimitri Payet (Uruguay), Fabrizio Ravanelli (Italy), Mario Zatelli (France), Jean Robin (France), Jean Boyer (France), Emmanuel Aznar (France), Vilmos Kohut (Hungary).
Squad Explanation
-- The original team was created in November 2016. I redid this in April 2025.
-- In 2019, Olympique de Marseille commemorated its 120th anniversary by conducting a fan poll to select the club's all-time best XI from a pool of 55 former players. The final lineup consisted of Fabien Barthez, Habib Beye, Basile Boli, Carlos Mozer, Eric Di Meco, Didier Deschamps, Franck Sauzée, Chris Waddle, Enzo Francescoli, Jean-Pierre Papin and Didier Drogba.
-- I also found this Best XI, listed as "the 110th Anniversary Dream Team", but I did not know where this team came from. The lineup was followed: Fabien Barthez, Manuel Amoros, Basile Boli, Carlos Mozer, Eric Di Meco, Didier Deschamps, Joseph Bonnel, Dragan Stojkovic, Chris Waddle, Jean-Pierre Papin and Josip Skoblar.
-- 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). Josip Skoblar and Roger Magnusson were the star players while Joseph Bonnel served as the "water carrier" for the team. After Leclerc, Marseille fell apart until Bernard Tapie bought the club, but I still selected Eric Di Meco, Marius Trésor and François Bracci. Di Meco would also play for Tapie.
-- The team was based upon the Bernard Tapie era. The side was the greatest club side in French club football's history. I selected the following players who played under Tapie: Didier Deschamps, Fabien Barthez, Jocelyn Angloma, Karl-Heinz Forster, Chris Waddle, Jean-Pierre Papin, Manuel Amoros, Carlos Mozer, Basile Boli, Abedi Pele and Eric Di Meco. Twelve members of this team came from that generation, but not all of them were on the European Cup winning team. Tapie's bribery scandal did not affect my opinion of the club. The players in that era dominated French football as well as putting French club football on the map of Europe. At the time of writing, they were the only French club that won the European Cup.
-- After Bernard Tapie's departure, Marseilles only won a single Ligue 1 title. Mamadou Niang won the Trophée du Meilleur Buteur that season.
-- However, they reached the UEFA Cup final in 1999 and 2004, and the Europa League final in 2018. Although they did not win any of these finals, it was still regarded as a significant achievement, especially considering that French clubs had only secured two continental trophies at the time of writing. Fabien Barthez featured in the 2004 final, while Steve Mandanda was the only player from the 2018 squad selected for this team.
-- Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Dragan Stojkovic, Enzo Francescoli, Alen Boksic, Didier Drogba and Franck Ribery were sometimes listed among the greatest ever players for this club, but they all spent a short period of time for this club.
Goalkeepers
-- Although Fabien Barthez only played for a brief period, he is regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in their history. He is the most renowned goalkeeper to have ever represented the team, having received an overwhelming 94% of the votes in the official fan poll conducted by I'OM. Joseph-Antoine Bell received 3% of the votes, while Jean-Paul Escale received the remaining 1%. However, Steve Mandanda was consistently ranked second on almost all lists, with Barthez reigning as the top choice. Therefore, I ranked Barthez as number 1 and Mandanda as number 2. Mandanda has rightfully earned this recognition through his years of dedicated service and commitment. He holds the all-time record for the most appearances for the club.
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| Steve Mandanda |
-- Meanwhile, Georges Carnus, Laurent Di Lorto, Cédric Carrasso and Vedran Runje were also considered. In Brazil, Jaguare de Besveconne Vasconcellos is also considered to be the person who popularised the use of gloves by goalkeepers. He played in Marseille in the 1930's.
Defenders
-- Marius Trésor was regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, and as one of France's greatest ever defenders. The "So foot" magazine in France named him as the 13th greatest footballer ever on the French league. Karl-Heinz Forster and Carlos Mozer solidified the defence in early years of Marsellies under Bernard Tapie paving for the club to become great. In fact, Forster was Tapie's first ever foreign signing after he took over. Basile Boli scored the winning goal the 1993 European Cup Final, but he was not selected for that goal alone. He had done more for the club than that goal.
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| Basile Boli |
-- Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, and Jules Zvunka were strong contenders just behind the four selected. In fact, Zvunka deserves inclusion — although he didn't play during the club's most glamorous era, his contributions were significant, whereas the others helped bring major honors to Marseille. I ultimately did not select Blanc, as he spent only two seasons with the club. The same applies to Marcel Desailly, who, despite playing a key role as a central defender in the team that won the Champions League, only spent a single season at OM. Several others received honorable mentions, including Bernard Casoni, Roland Gransart, Souleymane Diawara, and Gunnar Johansson. Notably, Roland Gransart's father, Maurice Gransart, also played for the club — both were one-club men, symbolizing deep loyalty to Marseille. Gunnar Johansson played alongside Gunnar Andersson during the 1950s, forming a memorable duo of the era. Daniel Van Buyten's name was also considered during the selection process.
-- Manuel Amoros who played both sides of the fullback position was one of the club's greatest defenders. However, he did not play much in the 1992-1993 season when Marseilles won the Champions' League. Nevertheless, he was an undisputed selection for the club. The more recent fans seemed to love Habib Beye, but I went for Jocelyn Angloma from the 1993 team. He was more famous internatinally.
-- Eric Di Meco earned 69% of the votes from Marseilles' 120th Anniversary poll for being the greatest leftback for OM. François Bracci was one of the players with the most appearances for the club. At the time of writing, he was fourth. Taye Taiwo and Gabriel Heinze were the other great leftbacks for the club. Taiwo named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year three times, but I went for the older Bracci. Other people might consider him over Bracci.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- Didier Deschamps captained Marseilles as they lifted the Champions League trophy in 1993. He was an disputed selection for this team. For his backup, I took Franck Sauzée who was voted into their 120 Anniversary All-Time Best XI.
-- Joseph Bonnel was also voted into their 110th Anniversary Dream Team. He was known as the "lung" of the club during his time with OM.
-- Abedi Pele is one of the greatest African players ever. He is also one of the club's greatest players. Larbi Benbarek became the first star player from Africa while playing here. He held an important historical role. He opened the door for African players in Europe.
-- At one point, Roger Scotti played 452 matches for Olympique de Marseilles from 1942 to 1958. He held the all-time appearance record for the club before goalkeeper Steve Mandanda broke it.
-- Dragan Stojkovic was a big name signing when he joi8ned the club, but his career here was affected by injuries. He was playing for Marseilles in the 1992 European Cup when they faced Red Star Belgrade in the Final. He famously refused to take one of the penalties in the shootout. He was on Marseille's 1993 European Cup winning team a year later, but his role was very limited.
-- I briefly considered Mathieu Valbuena and Samir Nasri for the final spot. Valbuena spent many seasons at the club and once held the third-highest number of appearances in its history. Nasri, a product of the club’s academy, was an influential player during his time. However, neither reached the legendary status of Abedi Pele or Larbi Benbarek. On the other hand, Roger Scotti, who was once the club’s all-time appearance leader, also deserved strongrt consideration.
-- I also nearly took Jean Bastien who played over 200 games for the club and was a former captain.
-- Zinedine Zidane, although he never played for the club, was a lifelong fan. Growing up, he idolized Enzo Francescoli, inspired by his performances at Marseille. However, I chose not to include Francescoli in this team, as he spent only a single season with the club.
-- On the right, Roger Magnusson was nicknamed le Garrincha suédois (The Swedish Garrincha) in Marseille. He was one of the club's greatest ever players. He formed a formidable attacking duo with Josip Skoblar. Chris Waddle was voted second best OM player of the century behind Jean Pierre Papin for the club's century anniversary in 1998. He was also honored with a place in Marseille's all-time Best XI for both the club’s 110th and 125th anniversary Dream Teams. He was an attack midfielder and left winger.
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| Roger Magnusson |
Forwards
-- Jean Pierre Papin left the season before Marseilles won their European Cup in 1993. He played for AC Milan on the Final that day. He finally won a European Cup/Champions' League a year later, but he was not even in the squad for the Final. His career in AC Milan was affected by the foreign quote rule back in the 1990's. His career in Milan, however, does not affect his selection here. He won the Ballon d'or in 1991 when he was playing here. He is the only player to win this award while playing for a French club.
-- Josip Skoblar (Yugoslavia) also had a great scoring rate with the club. He scored 100 goals in his first 100 games. In total, he scored 175 goals for OM. He was an undisputed selection.
-- Didier Drogba was included in one of Olympique de Marseille's official All-Time Selections, despite spending just a single season with the club. Alen Bokšić played one season more than Drogba and played a key role in helping Marseille win the Champions League. Both are frequently mentioned among the club’s greatest players. However, I gave preference to those who had long, sustained careers at the club, so I included Drogba and Bokšić only as honorable mentions.
-- Mamadou Niang was considered one of their greatest players for this club. In the 120th Anniversary poll, he finished third for the forward position behind Papin and Drogba. I took him over Drogba because spent 5 seasons with the club.
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| Mamadou Niang |
-- Gunnar Andersson is Olympique de Marseille’s all-time leading scorer. He played during a difficult period in the club’s history and was instrumental in keeping them in the top flight, often carrying the team almost single-handedly. Despite his remarkable achievements at Marseille, he remains a largely forgotten figure outside the city. This is partly because he had limited opportunities at the international level—Sweden refused to select professional players during his prime years. He was an uncapped player. Nonetheless, his legacy at Marseille is undeniable.
-- Vilmos "Willy" Kohut played for OM between 1933 and 1939. In his last season, he served as a player-coach. Instead of him, I took Jean Boyer as my last forward. He was the first player from OM capped by the French national team. He spent 12 seasons over here scoring 170 goals in 181 matches played in all competitions. He remains the fourth best scorer in the history of Olympique de Marseille behind Gunnar Andersson (194), Jean-Pierre Papin (182) and Josip Skoblar (176). He was the first star of the club.
Formation
