Darryl Bakola: Marseille's midfield sensation by the numbers
A surprise starter in OM's 2-1 win against Newcastle on Wednesday night, young Marseille midfielder Darryl Bakola more than delivered, providing an assist. Here's a look at his impressive performance by the numbers ahead of his club taking on Toulouse FC this evening in Ligue 1 McDonald's.
62
By playing 62 minutes against Newcastle, Darryl Bakola nearly tripled his total professional playing time. He had previously accumulated just 36 minutes across 7 appearances (5 Ligue 1 McDonald's matches and 2 last season).
3
Darryl Bakola became the third youngest French player to provide an assist in the Champions League. He is only surpassed by Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi (17 years and 119 days) and Paris Saint-Germain's Warren Zaire-Emery (17 years and 210 days).
5
Against Newcastle, the young Marseille player also became the fifth youngest French player directly involved in a Champions League goal. Just a few days shy of his age, Karim Benzema scored a goal in December 2005, but Darryl Bakola surpassed a certain Kylian Mbappé!
3
On Wednesday evening, Darryl Bakola became the third youngest OM player to start a Champions League match. Ahead of Bakola, at 17 years and 360 days, are Jean-Christophe Marquet in October 1991 against Union Luxembourg (17 years and 158 days) and André Ayew in late 2007 against Porto (17 years and 324 days).
An assist in his first #UCL match + first OM start 😮💨
Remember the name: Darryl Bakola ✨💙 pic.twitter.com/naETgA5akS— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 25, 2025
4
In OM's long history, Darryl Bakola is the fourth youngest player to have played in Ligue 1 McDonald's. He made his debut against Le Havre AC in January 2025 at 17 years and 36 days. The all-time record holder is Bilal Boutobba, who played in December 2014 at just 16 years and 107 days.
93
Before joining OM in the summer of 2023, Darryl Bakola played for Red Star in Seine-Saint-Denis. This native of Clichy (92) honed his skills in the Paris region, having previously played for Asnières and Racing Club de France (also in 92). He spent his last two seasons at Red Star in Saint-Ouen, a town bordering Clichy, before joining OM's youth academy.
20
Since last June, Darryl Bakola has been a French U20 international. Having been with the French U17 team, he is playing up an age group. He could have participated in the U20 World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals a few weeks ago, but OM opted to keep the young midfielder.
1
With Marseille's U19 team, Darryl Bakola won the 2024 Coupe Gambardella. A starter throughout the tournament, notably scoring in the quarter-final against Rennes (2-1), he unfortunately missed the final because, like some of his teammates, he was playing in the U17 European Championship with the French national team.
2027
Darryl Bakola signed his first professional contract in September 2024, at just 16 years old. This contract ties him to Olympique de Marseille until June 2027.
13
It is said that he had trials at 13 different clubs before joining the Olympique de Marseille youth academy.
