Olympique de Marseille: a cosmopolitan club

Ligue 1 McDonald's is more diverse than ever this season, with 70 different nationalities (not including French players) represented across the 18 top-flight sides.

Marseille, as a club incarnate that diversity. As highlighted by Opta, OM had no French player in their starting XI for the first time since a game against Auxerre back in 2023. That is the only other time that this has occured, with Opta's records stretching back as far as the 1947/48 season.

It must be specified that the term 'French player' here is referring to the players' sporting nationalities. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, for example, was born in Laval, but represents Gabon at international level, whilst Amine Gouiri featured prominently at youth level for France, before ultimately opting to represent Algeria. Both started for OM as they beat Paris FC 5-2 at the Vélodrome on Saturday, with the former netting a brace on what was his second home debut for the club.

A strong English contingent

There was a diversity of nationalities represented at the Vélodrome. Argentina were represented by Geronimo Rulli and Leonardo Balerdi; Ulisses García represented Switzerland; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, despite having a French mother, plays his international football for Denmark; Timothy Weah, returning to Ligue 1 McDonald's following a spell at Juventus, plays for the USMNT; and Michael Murillo is the only Panaman player in the league.

There is now a strong English contingent in the squad, too. CJ Egan-Riley, Angel Gomes, and Mason Greenwood all started for Marseille. The latter two have been capped by England, whilst the former featured for the U21 side in their triumphant European Championship campaign over the summer. There was something of a trickle effect, with Egan-Riley revealing that conversations with the English contingent already at the club played a big part in his move to the Vélodrome.

OM's recruitment has been cosmopolitan, too, even if not all of their recruits are operational. Facundo Medina, signed from Lens, will add to the Argentinian contingent, whilst despite the departure of Luis Henrique over the summer, Brazil are still represented thanks to the signing of Igor Paixao from Feyenoord.

It is a multi-cultural club behind the scenes, too. In more recent years, Ligue 1 McDonald's clubs have more frequently looked abroad for their managers, but hiring in this position from overseas is engrained in Marseille's DNA. Marcelo Bielsa became a legend at the Vélodrome, for example.

And whilst Jacques Abardonado, still at the club, and Jean-Louis Gasset took charge of the club on an interim basis, Marseille's last seven permanent managers have not been French. The last was Rudi Garcia, who left in 2019.

Italian Roberto De Zerbi continues that tradition. Further up the hierarchy, there is also diversity with Spaniard Pablo Longoria in the president role and former Morocco international Medhi Benatia now the club's sporting director. Diversity permeates all levels of the high-flying French giants.

>> Marseille net five goals to register first Ligue 1 McDonald's win of the season