Happy birthday, Fabien Barthez!

Olympique de Marseille wishes a happy birthday to Fabien Barthez, who turns 48 today. Born on June 28, 1971 in Lavelanet, Barthez was described, from his youth, as a phenomenon at his post. He then joined the Toulouse academy. He played his first match in the first division on September 21, 1991 at age 20. He imposed himself and his qualities impressed. Bernard Tapie, the president of Olympique de Marseille, then recruited him for 10 million Francs in 1992.

He played at OM for three seasons (1992-1995) and won the Champions League in 1993 and the French Second Division Championship in 1995. His distribution, his placement, his relaxation and his incredible reflexes quickly cemented him in the the hearts of the Olympen fans.

After Marseille, the world champion joined Monaco (1995-2000) then Manchester United (2000-2004) before returning to OM for two seasons, from 2004 to 2006. He won the Intertoto Cup in 2005 and failed to win the 2004 UEFA Cup and the 2006 Coupe de France with Marseille. Barthez then joined Nantes during the 2006-2007 season and officially ended his career in 2008.

Happy birthday to the legendary Olympien!