Habib Beye: The story behind Marseille's new coach

A photo featuring Habib Beye remains in Marseille's press conference room. It would be fitting that when walking out to his first press conference as OM manager that the former defender gave a little nod to the image on his left.

From 2003 to 2007 Beye represented Marseille as a defender and club captain. He now returns in 2026 as the coach who follows in the footsteps of Roberto De Zerbi, with the clear objective of steering OM back to a podium finish and making the most out of a golden opportunity to win the Coupe de France.

"I've built up myself over time, I gained my first experience in the third division. I don't have anything to prove to anyone. I'm here because I've worked hard," Beye said, adding that he was ready to take on the pressure in the Provence region.

The former Olympique de Marseille, Newcastle, and Aston Villa defender is well-known in France as one of the best co-commentators and tactical analysts on television. Following his retirement from the professional game, he became a regular for the French TV audience covering the biggest matches and those UEFA Champions League nights under the lights. But it wasn't enough.

Rising at red Star

In 2021 Beye joined the coaching staff of a historic club in the suburbs of Paris, Red Star FC, who were fighting to stay up in France's third division. The club were struggling at the bottom end of the table, and had up until then been fighting for a return to Ligue 2 BKT since relegation in the 2018-2019 season. When manager Vincent Bordot was sacked, it was Beye who stepped into the spotlight with the five-time Coupe de France winners.

The priority for Beye in his first half-season at the club was to stay in the division: Red Star managed to pull off an 11th-placed finish in the Championnat National, despite a difficult context. Beye signed a two-year contract extension after he kept the club up in the league, and finished his coaching qualifications.

Working with Pierre Sage

The following season would see Beye implement his style of play based on possession, explosivity, and endurance. He would of course have a little help from his assistant coach Pierre Sage, who would go on to become the driving force behind RC Lens' title charge this season.

“I’m really influenced by positional play,” Beye said in a podcast appearance in 2024. “I was helped with that a lot by Pierre Sage – I needed someone who had mastered that approach so I could put in place my methodology.”

It would be the beginnings of a promotion charge that saw L'Étoile Rouge go head to head until the end of the season with four other clubs. On the last day of the season, Red Star missed out on promotion to Ligue 2 BKT by a matter of two points. The following season Beye and Red Star were more determined than ever to reach the second division.

Les Audoniens this time managed to go on and win the league with style, putting Habib Beye and his team back on the map in French football. But Beye wouldn't go on to manage in Ligue 2 BKT with Red Star, opting to leave the club and find an opportunity to manage in Ligue 1 McDonald's.

The Stade Rennais experience

Beye then finally got that first opportunity in the top flight when he became manager of Stade Rennais after a difficult spell for Jorge Sampaoli at the club. With the Breton side sitting in 16th, he managed to finish with Les Rouge et Noir in a respectable 12th spot. There, Beye would have to be more pragmatic than innovative, in order to steady the ship.

"When I took over Rennes, they were 16th in Ligue 1. Innovation was secondary; we had to be pragmatic. Rennes were 6th when we left, so there was progress," said Beye on his progress at Rennes and the changing style of play,

This season would be complicated for Beye, who managed to turn around a desperate situation earlier in the year with his job on the line. Yet a recent dip in form and a Coupe de France elimination to (none other than) Marseille saw him the depart the Breton side in the last week.

What to expect from Beye at OM?

Beye has only officially been at Marseille for 24 hours, and has a crunch away trip to Stade Brestois to prepare for in a short period of time. There is a sense of urgency, and the former OM defender is under pressure to quickly get his club back into a position to qualify for the Champions League next season. Yet long-term, Beye still holds of vision of how he wants his side to play.

“I think that when you have these kinds of players with the kind of quality that they have, we need to strive to be a team that is vertical and dominant,” said Habib Beye in response to a question from Ligue1.com a his press conference on Thursday.

“There has been good work done before [by Roberto De Zerbi] yet it had both positive and negative fluctuations.”

“I’m not here to judge it. But what is sure is that the football has to reflect what this city is and reflects what the stadium generates. The supporters are lovers of OM, lovers of football. We need to understand the identity of the club, its values, and what the club and the city exudes. Maybe I have a head start in that respect.”

Beye understands the context of his arrival at the club, but there is little time to dwell on nostalgia and the past - there is immediate business to take care of on Friday evening. Perhaps it is best illustrated by his quote from former Marseille president Papa Diouf:

"I remember Pape Diouf, whom I considered my spiritual father. He always told me, ‘When the fire burns in Marseille, sometimes you have to let it burn because it will go out on its own.’ This club brings you immense emotions, but from time to time you have to be able to stay cool, calm, and collected. I'm a fairly calm person. At times, I can be explosive in training or on the pitch. But that's linked to the emotions you experience with your team."