Adil Rami, Olympique Marseille's new defender
If you could sum up Adil Rami with a single word, it would be "perseverance." Quite simply, life has not always been easy for him. Especially at Fréjus. In Fréjus, he split his time between working for the city and playing football, as a youngster and then in the amateur league. Thanks to his steely nature, Adil never gave up on his dream during the period when he had to make so many sacrifices. He never gave up on the pitch, either. Jean Fernandez, then manager of Auxerre, wanted him for the Burgundy club, but ultimately it would be Claude Puel who would recognise his potential — and his strength of character — believing in him enough to persuade him to join Lille. That's where it all started...
Even though he had never had a traditional football apprenticeship, he was suddenly an international, playing at a high level. Over a ten-year career, Adil Rami has had over 400 top-tier matches in three different national leagues (France, Italy, and Spain), won a championship title, a Coupe de France, and the Europa League, as well as actively taking part in two international contests (Euro 2012 and Euro 2016).
His record speaks for itself.l A firm fixture wherever he goes, from Lille OSC to Sevilla via Milan, the French national side and Valencia, the gigantic central defender has never been sidelined. His variety of experience, particularly in Spain and Italy, have turned him into a tough, solid defender, and a more complete player than he was in Fréjus or Lille.
Adil Rami is also acknowledged as a consummate professional with high standards. With a smiling, pleasant nature, he is finally a man who is respected in the dressing rooms and for whom workload and a taste for sacrifice have never been a problem. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Adil Rami will be presented on Wednesday 19 July at the Robert Louis-Dreyfus Centre during a press conference in the presence of the President, Jacques-Henri Eyraud, and the Sporting Director, Andoni Zubizarreta. The press conference can be viewed life across all our media outlets.
