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Happy birthday, Olympique de Marseille!

Olympique de Marseille, one of the most famed clubs in France, celebrates its 127th on Monday, 31st August.
L. ENTWISTLE
Published on 08/31/2026 at 08:30
3-minute read
The Marseille logo on the steps leading to the Vélodrome

Olympique de Marseille, one of the most famed clubs in France, celebrates its 127th on Monday, 31st August.

"Forever the first"

Only one French club has won more trophies than Marseille, their fierce rivals Paris Saint-Germain. OM have an incredible 29 trophies in their cabinet, one fewer than PSG, but there is one thing that they can say that their rivals, against whom they contest Le Classique, cannot.

"À jamais les premiers", is the OM slogan. That translates as "Forever the first", a reference to their Champions League triumph. Yes, Les Parisiens may now have two UCLs in their cabinet, but OM will be forever remembered as the first French side to win Europe's premier competition.

That win came back in 1993, in Munich, the scene of PSG's first triumph in the competition. It also came against a team from Milan, but not the blue and black of Internazionale. It was Basile Boli who got the only goal against AC Milan as they lifted the trophy; it remains the finest moment in the club's rich history.

There are plenty of other trophies inside Les Phocéens' cabinet, including nine Ligue 1 McDonald's titles. It was Didier Deschamps who guided the club to their most recent league triumph back in 2010, with their first coming all the way back in 1937. 

OM have also won the Coupe de France 10 times, although they have yet to win it in the 21st century, whilst they have also won the Coupe de la Ligue on three occasions, with those triumphs coming in consecutive seasons (2010, 2011, 2012).

Beyond their success, Marseille is a mythic club. The port city on the Mediterranean coast lives and breathes football, and that is evident whenever you set foot within the Vélodrome, a transcendental arena that brings the whole city together. It has become colloquially known as Le Volcan, a reference to the fervent atmosphere. 

Some of the greats of the French game have played for OM, including Ballon d'Or winner Jean-Pierre Papin, as well as World Cup winners Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc, and Deschamps. 

It is also a club with huge international appeal, evidenced both by its global fanbase, as well as the foreign players who have played for the club over the years. It was notably where Didier Drogba blossomed before going to Chelsea, whilst mercurial English talent Chris Waddle remains one of the greatest to pull on the white and blue of Les Phocéens. 

Happy Birthday, Olympique de Marseille!

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