125 years: A legendary evening

Posted by

OM.fr

Yesterday

Olympique de Marseille celebrated its 125th anniversary on Friday evening at the Orange Vélodrome with a match bringing together the club's former stars.

The Orange Vélodrome was decked out in all its finery to celebrate 125 years of Olympique de Marseille. Nearly 100 former players from the club were in attendance for an exceptional evening.

Before the match, Marseille fans were honoured with a screening of several clips showcasing their best tifos from recent seasons at the Orange Vélodrome.

The players were then presented to the crowd, generation by generation.

1969-1972: Josip Skoblar, Christian Delachet and Jean-Louis Hodoul
1976: Robert Buigues, Roland Gransart, Albert Emon and Gérard Migeon
Les Minots from 1979 to 1984: Jean-Charles De Bono, Jean-Yves Francini, Michel Flos, François Lapinta and Thierry Chancel.
1989-1992: Jean-Pierre Papin, Bruno Germain, Frédéric Meyrieu, Daniel Xuereb, Bernard Pardo, Dragan Stojkovic, Jean Tigana and Gérard Gili.
1993: Bernard Casoni, Jocelyn Angloma, Eric Di Meco, Jean-Marc Ferreri, Marcel Desailly, Pascal Olmeta.
1994-1996: Jean-Christophe Marquet, Marcel Dib, Marc Libbra, Olivier Echouafni, Ludovic Asuar, Laurent Spinosi and Bernard Ferrer.
1999: Robert Pirès, William Gallas, Stéphane Porato, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Cyril Domoraud, Pierre Issa and Martial Robin.
2004: Didier Drogba, Johnny Ecker, Benjamin Gavanon, Fabien Laurenti and Daniel Van Buyten.
2005: Taye, Taiwo, Laurent Batlles, Mamadou Niang and Salomon Olembe.
2010-2012: Laurent Bonnart, Benoît Cheyrou, Loïc Remy, Brandao, Rudy Riou and Stéphane Mbia.
2018: Bouna Sarr and Rolando.

Once the warm-up was over, a large family photo was taken on the pitch at the Orange Vélodrome, bringing together all the former players, mixing generations, trophies and, above all, memories for all the fans aged 7 to 77!

As the players entered the pitch, the crowd cheered and the atmosphere was electric.

The match was underway! The first shot was taken by Benoît Cheyrou, but it was off target. The crowd went wild every time Didier Drogba touched the ball. Mamadou Niang tried his luck from distance, but he too failed to hit the target. The fans held their breath for Taye Taiwo's first shot. The Nigerian has lost none of his left-footed power, but once again, the ball misses the target. The Olympian Legends are not to be outdone, but their goal is disallowed for offside. Joey Barton is warmly applauded when he comes on after 27 minutes of play.

The fans rose to their feet when Bafétimbi Gomis opened the scoring for the Olympian Legends with a fine strike with his right foot. But the Marseille Legends' equaliser left the crowd speechless. Sonny Anderson's long-range shot flew into the opposite corner of the net. It was a goal of the highest class.

The half-time entertainment delighted the spectators at the Orange Vélodrome, with a freestyle show and a musical fireworks display in a stadium plunged into darkness.

After the break, the Marseille Legends took the lead through Sonny Anderson. The Brazilian took full advantage of the opportunity to score his second goal of the match and celebrate the club's 125th anniversary. The ‘blue’ team extended their lead with a goal from Portuguese player Gil Rui Barros. But a few minutes later, Brazilian Brandao reduced the deficit with a goal from Vitorino Hilton, making it a 100% do Brasil goal.

Pascal Olmeta, interviewed on the giant screens, was greeted with applause after congratulating the spectators: ‘There's no better crowd, you're the best,’ said the 1993 European champion with a big smile that spoke volumes about the goalkeeper's enjoyment.

On the pitch, Marc Libbra brought the two teams level. The score remained unchanged for the rest of the match. At the final whistle, the crowd was on its feet, applauding the players who had put on a great show and scored some fine goals. The evening brought back so many memories for the spectators, young and old, who filled the stands of the Marseille stadium.

The Orange Vélodrome and OM enjoyed a wonderful anniversary evening.

Roll on the 130th anniversary!