In a book with the explicit title “the 50 best OM players”, our colleague Fabrice Lamperti lists the legends who have left their mark on the Olympian club. With choices that will please… or not.
By definition, rankings are necessarily subjective. It depends on your memories, your view of the game, the surrounding context or even the image left by the protagonists… and so many other elements. In his book “the 50 best OM players” (Editions Scotty), Fabrice Lamperti, journalist at Provence and who has followed the adventures of the Marseille club (but also the Blues) for years, lends itself to an often perilous exercise. Which never gets anyone to agree. A work that will appeal to lovers of “Ohème”, but not only that.
With a preface by Mathieu Valbuena, who played for the club between 2006 and 2014, this book delves into OM’s past, through a gallery of portraits of… 48 players. Why not 50? The author wanted to highlight two notable personalities: Bernard Tapie, who no longer needs to be introduced after the 1993 coronation, the only Champions League won by a French club, and Raymond Goethals “iconoclastic coach”. No Pape Diouf or Marcel Leclerc, however.
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On the player side, choices were also made. No Alexis Sanchez, glorified by the younger generations of the Vélodrome or the Canebière. The same goes for other big names, absent from this ranking: Allofs, Bosquier, Buigues, Carnus, J. Djorkaeff, Francescoli, Ribéry… On the other hand, Thauvin, Ravanelli or even Valbuena and Lucho Gonzalez appear there.
« To choose is to give upexplains Fabrice Lamperti. The exercise necessarily involves an element of subjectivity. Some had to be left by the wayside. Unfairly, perhaps not. Cruelly, without a doubt. » Cleverly, the author lists the 48 best players in the history of OM… without ranking them from 1 to 48. The players are divided according to their position (goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, attackers) , starting in particular with Fabien Barthez who spent in Marseille between 1992-1995 then from 2004 to 2006, and ending with Mario Zatelli (1935-1938, then 1943-1944 and from 1945 to 1948).
As you read, you take pleasure in delving into the known and little-known legends of Olympique de Marseille, through portrait galleries filled with anecdotes, newspaper archives and tasty memories. All with the testimony of Mario Albano, a local journalistic figure for his decades of following the Marseille club. A well-felt work, which will please fans of OM, perhaps not those of Paris SG. But football lovers, of all generations, will find what they are looking for there. As you will have understood, our desire is not to reveal all of our colleague’s choices. You know what you have to do to find out the verdict…
The 50 best OM players, Editions Scotty (22 euros)
Edition Scotty
