OM celebrated its 125th anniversary with its former glories in a gala match

"I didn't touch it!" During the first half of this gala match, the entire Vélodrome laughed heartily when Brandao shouted his famous maxim into the speaker's microphone, the phrase that earned him entry into the pantheon one evening during the Coupe de la Ligue final (OM's 3-1 victory over Bordeaux on March 27, 2010). Such is the long history of OM, between its great episodes, its trophies won by the dozen, its stars, but also, its little anecdotes, its madness and its professional players.

On Friday, Brandao also scored the second goal for his team, "the Olympian legends", and he reminded us that he was not just a gimmick. "I'm not in great condition, I'm going to play with experience" , he promised us before the match, before including himself in the immense blue and white legacy: "I deserved this, I worked hard, I scored very important goals. After my arrival in 2009 (from Shakhtar Donetsk), I won six titles with OM. It's great that OM hasn't forgotten me." Let Brandao make no mistake, the Marseille public has an incredible memory, they like to rehash great stories and great men, to the point that the current president Pablo Longoria sometimes finds that his club lives a little in the past, or let's say in nostalgia. This, coupled with local demands and excessiveness, forces every team in the current situation to produce grandiloquent results. Or to strip themselves down to the bare bones, at the very least.

The two 1993 Champions League winners with OM, Bernard Casoni (left) and Marcel Desailly, enter the Vélodrome pitch on Friday for the club's 125th anniversary celebrations. (A. Dimou / Icon Sport/Icon Sport)

"I defended the jersey, it's a blessing, a privilege, I played in a small OM unlike some here ," confides Bafétimbi Gomis, who opened the scoring for "the Olympian legends." But, for a child from the region, it was important to put OM back in Europe. I would like to thank my teammates from this season (2016-2017), as captain at the time." With twenty goals in the Marseille jersey in L1, Gomis is just one ahead of the Vélodrome darling, Didier Drogba. They played together in the first half, and Drogba did his little dribble, behind the leg, which had the Marseille public in a trance, a night of exploits against Newcastle.

"I've been a Marseille supporter since I was ten or eleven years old. I haven't loved other clubs with the same intensity in my career. Marseille first and the others later!"

"It's the greatest memory! " proclaims the Ivorian striker. "That stadium, one evening in May 2004, the UEFA Cup semi-final (2-0), that fusion between the supporters, the players, the importance of the match... On those two inspirations, I let myself be carried away by the supporters, I still get goosebumps when I talk to you about it." He only stayed one season, he left his mark for eternity. "I gave everything here ," he breathes. "They gave it back to me in the most beautiful way. I've been an OM supporter since I was 10 or 11 years old, I don't love other clubs in my career with the same intensity. Marseille first and the others later! » He took to the Vélodrome pitch for a charity event in October 2021 to support UNICEF, and again last spring with the Olympic flame, but for him, it's still "a dream to come back."

On Friday night, the form of the legends, or those like them, was disparate, some had creaky joints, others had thickened silhouettes. Vitorino Hilton and Daniel Van Buyten formed the hinge of the "Marseille legends" and, honestly, it seemed more reliable and toned than some central defenses in Ligue 1 this season. Jean-Christophe Marquet fell on his backside on the turf, following an opposing feint, "Pixie" Stojkovic attempted at 60 years old Five moves and mammoth crosses, Rui Barros scored a goal from a mouse hole, the Portuguese is still as small and as tall. Sonny Anderson alternated a winning shot from 30 meters and a trick shot from a meter from the goal, Marc Libbra scored his first goal at the Vélodrome at 52 years old (just kidding!), for the "Marseille legends" and closed the score (3-3).

Croatian Josip Skoblar, twice French champion with OM (1971 and 1972), was also present in an all-white outfit. (A. Boichard/Presse Sports)

Samir Nasri, Franck Ribéry, and Jean-Pierre Papin weren't there, after all, but there were some veterans from Munich 1993 (Casoni, Angloma, Desailly, the fiery Olmeta) and the 2010 French champions (Taiwo, Mbia, Hilton, Niang, Kaboré, Cheyrou, Brandao), as well as old father Gerets on the bench, just like at home. Marcel Desailly, with his astonishing voice and sardonic laugh, summed up the panel: "That's a lot of players, with some big matches under his belt! The important thing is that the public enjoyed themselves for so many years; we're a bit of a public utility." And Charles Kaboré concluded, shyly: "I can only be grateful for the life that OM has given me."