Marseille ready to take on Paris, Rabiot bares his teeth

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·9 August 2025

Marseille ready to take on Paris, Rabiot bares his teeth

Adrien Rabiot, 30 years old, midfielder for Olympique de Marseille, is making his ambitions for the coming season clear. In an interview with La Provence, he explicitly discusses OM’s desire to compete with Paris Saint-Germain and secure another qualification for the Champions League, while acknowledging the economic gap that separates the two clubs.

Rabiot: “We can achieve great things”

“We can achieve great things. The objective? It’s to have a great season, to qualify once again for the Champions League (…) Olympique de Marseille must be there every year. That objective is clear: to do our very best and to be able to compete with PSG.”

Rabiot: “I think we can already try to get as close to Paris as possible”

I think anything is possible with willpower, determination, and passion, he added. Of course, there is a gap between PSG’s colossal budget and that of OM, but in football, that’s not everything. I think we can already try to get as close to Paris as possible. I’m not going to make grand speeches or tell tall tales, but the objective, precisely, is to reduce the gap between them and us.”

For several decades now, Olympique de Marseille has regularly filled the press and media with its big ambitions before each season, loudly proclaiming goals of finishing on the podium and qualifying for the Champions League. Yet, the club’s history is full of examples where promises and speeches have been far from followed up on the pitch. Whether due to a lack of stability, poor results, or decisions by club officials who get carried away with recruiting or announcing “exemplary projects,” OM often struggles to keep its seasonal commitments, leaving supporters and observers wanting more.

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This repetitive cycle—of enthusiastic declarations and announcements of a “season of renewal”—contrasts with the sporting realities of the club which, despite a few flashes of brilliance and undeniable popular fervor, has not managed to embody a lasting rivalry with Paris Saint-Germain, lacking consistency and results. For Ligue 1, and even for PSG, the absence of a true long-term rival like Marseille harms the appeal and intensity of the championship. An OM living up to its words would not only benefit national competitiveness but would also enhance the prestige of clashes with Paris, restoring meaning to the myth of the “French Classique,” which has been too often one-sided in recent years.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.