Olympique de Marseille was founded, according to the most widely cited version, on 31 August 1899. On 31 August 2027 it turns 128. It is the first French team to lift the Champions League, and its fans never forget it.

A rugby man and a Greek name

The founder is considered to be René Dufaure de Montmirail, an all-round athlete whose main love was rugby. The club began as Football Club de Marseille and was a multi-sport club. In its early years rugby mattered more than football.

The exact date of birth is disputed. The club itself celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2024, but French Wikipedia, based on a historian's research, places the founding of Football Club de Marseille in August 1897. According to that version, the name Olympique was proposed in December 1899 and officially adopted in January 1900.

The word "Olympique" points to the Olympic movement, which had taken off after the 1896 Athens Games. It also recalls the Greeks of Phocaea, who founded Marseille about 25 centuries ago. They also gave the team its nickname, "Les Phocéens".

White and blue

According to French Wikipedia, the first kit was black with a mauve star. After the 1899 change the shirt became white, with black shorts. White and blue are the colours of the city's flag.

For decades the team wore a white shirt with blue shorts and socks. From 1986 it switched to an all-white kit, while blue socks returned in the 2012-13 season.

"Droit au but" and the star

The first badge was based on the founder's seal, with the letters O and M interlaced. Beneath it was the motto "Droit au but", "straight to the goal", born in the rugby era. According to one source, it was thought up by the founder's wife, Madeleine.

In 1935 came an art deco badge without the motto, and in 1986 the original design returned. In 1993 a golden star was added, while the current badge, with light blue O and M, has been in use since 2004.

Munich, 26 May 1993

At Munich's Olympic Stadium Marseille beat AC Milan 1-0, with a header from Basile Boli. It was the first Champions League under that name and the first European title for a French team. Ever since, fans have proudly said "À jamais les premiers", forever the first.

The captain was Didier Deschamps and Fabien Barthez was in goal. The joy was clouded by a match-fixing scandal, for which the team lost its 1993 league title and was banned from Europe in the 1993-94 season.

The Vélodrome and its legends

The Stade Vélodrome opened on 13 June 1937 with a 2-1 friendly win over Torino. After its renovation for Euro 2016 it holds about 67,000 spectators. Jean-Pierre Papin, Chris Waddle, Eric Cantona, Didier Drogba and Dimitri Payet all shone there.

The all-time top scorer is Sweden's Gunnar Andersson, with 194 goals. Marseille has nine league titles and ten French Cups. In the 2025-26 season it finished fifth in Ligue 1.

Celebrate with us

From a young athlete's seal to the night in Munich, Marseille always goes "straight to the goal". Happy 128th birthday!

See our Olympique de Marseille jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Stade Vélodrome during Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (2015) – Hombrey, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.