Exactly 25 years ago, Marseille became the first French side in history to win the European Cup, when Basile Boli’s header defeated Milan at the Olympiastadion in Munich. Only Monaco have reached the final since the 1993 triumph, despite the vast amount of riches spent by Paris Saint-Germain in recent years.
That achievement was a bittersweet moment for the club, as they were embroiled in the domestic match fixing scandal. President Bernard Tapie was found guilty of fixing a game between his team and Valenciennes, as they were subsequently stripped of the league title.
This had no bearing on their Champions League success, but naturally the l’affaire VA-OM was a dark period in their past. They were then relegated to the second division in 1994 for financial irregularities.
The club returned to the top flight two years later and did win the league title again in 2010 under the ownership of Robert Louis-Dreyfus. From 2007 to 2013, they not only won the Championship, but finished runners-up on four occasions and won the Coupe de la Ligue three times.
Marseille were purchased by American businessman Frank McCourt in 2016 and there’s now renewed optimism for the future. They immediately appointed former Barcelona Director of Football Andoni Zubizarreta and Rudi Garcia as coach.
The change in playing personnel has been vast, with only Lucas Ocampos, Rolando and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa from the first choice XI at the club when the new era began, and they were all signed just one year earlier. However, they managed to retain experience and the identity of the past by re-signing Steve Mandanda, Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin.
Payet had enjoyed a sublime spell in the Premier League with West Ham United and although he hasn’t been that consistent this season, he has produced in important matches. Jordan Amavi was in the Championship with Aston Villa and he had already replaced Patrice Evra as the starting left-back long before the former Manchester United defender aimed a stray karate kick towards a fan.
Thauvin has had the most remarkable impact after an ill-fated six months at Newcastle United. The winger has 25 goals and 13 assists in all-competitions this term and is certainly worth four times the £10 million fee that they paid for him 16 months ago.
2⃣2⃣ Goals
1⃣0⃣ Assists
3⃣4⃣ Games
@FlorianThauvin 🔥🔥🔥
#UELfinal
Ligue 1 clubs haven’t been particularly successful in European competition in comparison to the other major leagues, with even Portugal and the Netherlands performing better. This year's Europa League final at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon is just the fifth time that a French club has reached the last two of the tournament, although it is Marseille’s third appearance.
Their last was in 2004, when they lost to Rafael Benitez’s Valencia. Forward Valère Germain watched the team as a supporter in Gothenburg and will be hoping to be given the opportunity to lead the line ahead of Clinton N’Jie and Kostas Mitroglou on this occasion.
Marseille would love nothing better than to win in the home of Lyon, with the clubs embroiled in a bitter feud in recent years. Fans have been told to stay clear of the city centre and as Marseille are more than aware, off-field events are crucial to how this match will be remembered.
