Discover the complete history of OM, from 1899 to the 2000's...
1899. The legend is born. The round ball bounces into Marseille. Early in the 20th century, French football was dominated by the Parisian clubs but OM was to be the first club to take up the challenge of the capital clubs. In 1924 OM the moment came when OM upset FC Cette, 3-2 in the final of the Coupe de France.
Marseille’s first national title quickly paved the way for others to follow and the Olympians added the 1926 and 1927 Cup crowns. The host of French internationals that filled the OM ranks were unstoppable. The likes of Alcazar, Allé, Crut, Devaquez, Gallay and Jean Boyer were the match of any team going around and in 1929 OM was crowned French league champion for the first time.
In 1932, the club moved into the modern era. Professionalism. The French Cup returned to the famous Canebière in 1935 (3-0 v. Rennes), and the league crown came hot on its heels (1937) before a record fifth Coupe de France, in 1938, confirmed that OM was the strongest team in the land. That status was confirmed with Cup number six in 1943 (4-0 v. Bordeaux).
Aside from the league title in 1948, the years following World War II were not happy ones for OM – despite the Black Pearl, Larbi Ben Barek and despite the one and only Gunnar Andersson and his 169 goals in the famous white shirt.
The sky blues and white had seen better days and at the end of the 1958-59 campaign, the side was relegated to the French second division. The 60s were marked a new low point in the club’s history, as its famous public turned its back on their club – a paltry 434 spectators turned out at the Stade Velodrome on April 23 1965 for the visit of Forbach.
The arrival of Marcel Leclerc at the head of the club marked the turning point: an imposing President, a (little) bit of money, but above all, an unwavering determination to succeed. The signings of Josip Skoblar and Roger Magnusson pulled OM out of the doldrums and the coaching of Mario Zatelli did the rest. In 1969, Marseille was back at the summit of the French game and no less than 150,000 were on hand to welcome the players that defeated Bordeaux in the final of the Coupe de France.
The league title in 1971… the double in 1972… the European Golden Boot for Skoblar (44 league goals)… Ajax Amsterdam had a new rival. OM covered itself in glory and titillated the fans and neutral supporters alike, by being the only side capable of rivalling AS Saint-Etienne.
The league title in 1971… the double in 1972… the European Golden Boot for Skoblar (44 league goals)… Ajax Amsterdam had a new rival. OM covered itself in glory and titillated the fans and neutral supporters alike, by being the only side capable of rivalling AS Saint-Etienne.
With ever-growing debts, OM survived by a whisker and, luckily, ended up in the hands of the “Minots”. The club’s youth saved OM from extinction and even saw them return to the top flight briefly in 1984.
A new age then dawned upon OM, with the arrival of Bernard Tapie two years later. Between 1989 and 1993, Olympique de Marseille crushed any that stood in its path. Papin…Waddle…Pelé…Francescoli…Stojkovic… The artists of the time wore white! And the supporters dreamed on. Domination was total: five consecutive league titles* and a Coupe de France. Marseille left the crumbs for the chasing pack as it fixed its gaze on Europe.
The disappointment of the European Cup final in Bari against Red Star Belgrade (after defeating AC Milan in the quarter-finals) only further fuelled the fires. On May 26, 1993, Basile Boli’s header offered France its first (and only) Champions League crown, as OM defeated the great AC Milan, 1-0.
That was 15 years ago. The club survived its relegation to Division 2, after the VA-OM affair. A runners-up place to Bordeaux in the league in 1999… two UEFA Cup finals, in 1999 (v. Parma in Moscow) and in 2004 (v. Valencia in Gothenburg)… and two Coupe de France finals, against Paris in 2006 and Sochaux in 2007… there have been plenty of highs. And on March 27, 2010, OM won its first title since 1993 with the League Cup, before the Title on Mai 5 and then two others League Cup in 2011 and in 2012. The legend lives on…
* 1993 title is suspended by FFF
