The return of the prodigal son…

By: Magnusson | October 20th, 2007

Jean-Pierre Papin is to marseille what Tom Cruise is to the Chuch of scientology….
O.K bad example but you get my drift. Jean-Pierre Papin is Marseille’s player of the century. He was a major builder of the Tapie dinasty. He’s been there for our most glorious moments (even if in the defining moment of that era, he was playing fior the other side).
He’s the symbol of a Marseille team that wins, and wins big anywhere and against anybody. The reminder of a time where we were considered European heavyweights. From 1986 to 1992, JPP was the best player in france and arguably the best player in the world, even getting the Ballon d’or in 1991 and the golden boot in France five times in a row (19 goals in 88, 22 in 89, 30 in 90, 23 in 91 and 27 in 92).
He’s our hero and will forever reside in our hearts. It makes no mistery that he’ll end up at some point in his career on the bench in Marseille. He even said it himself. This match will be the first time JPP coaches a team in Marseille, period. Let’s hope it is horrible experience for him.
He’ll have time to chat a little bit with players who have declared him to be their idol years ago(That would be Mister Djibril Cissé) and enjoy the reception the fans will surely reserve him.
Just to reminisce, here’s alittle video from the people at OMédiathèque who always come through if you want some nostalgia. These images bring tears to my eyes. Where did you go? indeed..

Siome other people for whom this match will be special are definitly Vedran Runje and Marseille youth team product Fabien Laurenti. If the marseille native didn’t play much when he was here, Vedran Runje was one o the idols of the Velodrome before Fabien barthez came back in 2004. And nearly three years after his last game with us, he’s pretty impatient to come back to the Michelet Boulevard.
Julien Sablé, one of the most notorious marseillais of the Ligue, who makes no mistery of his desire to play for us at some point in his career (that was supposed to be this summer but Saint-Etienne made sure that didn’t happen and Cheyrou became available) will have hundreds of family members and friends in the stands (litterally) as has been the case every time he played Marseille in the past. He’ll be one of he Lens players you can bet will have a great display.

To get back to tomorrow night’s game that will be refereed by the Police officer Stéphane Bré, it will be yet another one without Samir Nasri who still has ten days to go until his season really starts. I mean it’s a pity that after his lackluster season so far (plagued with two injuries and a virus in three months mind you) people are already saying that Hatem Benarfa stole his place when he played against Lithuania. I like Benarfa but if it comes down to those two for the 2008 Euro, there’s no way Samir’s not making the trip. This match will also be the first at home for new coach Eric Gerets wh has had some time now to know the team and give them a glimpse of his vision before having to face the Vélodrome. The last football match played in the satdium was more than a month ago whren Marseille beat besiktas in the Champions League. In the meantime, some rugby matches (let’s not get me tarted on last night’s second defeat of the XV de France to the Pumas) and international break happened.