Christophe Dugarry, the shock divorce

Landed last winter with the label of the most expensive player in the history of the club, Vitinha has more than ever become persona non grata at Olympique de Marseille. While the Olympian leaders dream of finding him a base in these last days of the winter transfer window, the public at the Vélodrome went wild against the Portuguese on Saturday during the clash against Monaco. The fault in particular is his incredible failure in the last moments of the match. A situation which is reminiscent of that experienced by Christophe Dugarry almost a quarter of a century ago…

Arriving at Olympique de Marseille in January 1998 after six very complicated months at FC Barcelona, ​​the Bordeaux player nevertheless experienced a particularly successful season in the wake of the world champion title won with the Blues with a Cup final at stake. of the UEFA and a title of champion of France lost to the wire against… Bordeaux. But weighed down by the surprise departure during the summer transfer window, OM experienced a crisis the following season of which the Ciel et Blanc had the secret. Consequence in particular of the humiliation experienced in Saint-Etienne with a 5-1 defeat which would provoke the immense anger of the Marseille public.

Legend even has it that to escape the ire of the Olympian supporters, Christophe Dugarry had to take refuge in the trunk of his car when leaving the Commanderie two days after the setback at Geoffroy-Guichard, while fights had taken place. exploded. The situation is such that a major laundry is decided in the winter transfer window. And unsurprisingly, the former Milanese is one of the first to leave OM. Marked by this violent behavior of Marseille supporters, the international striker decided to return to Bordeaux where “it is good to live and work”.

A few months before Euro 2000, Christophe Dugarry preferred to play it safe within a club that he knows perfectly and which did not hesitate to spend some 8 million euros to repatriate his former player. Despite the episode experienced in Marseille, the Bordeaux player will remain marked by the passion of the Olympian supporters. At the end of his career, he even tried to return to OM at all costs. “I had done everything at the end of my career to return there. I had Jean Fernandez on the phone, he told me he was coming back to me because he was interested, but he never called me back. I had hesitated for weeks and weeks to call Mr. (Robert) Louis-Dreyfus directly to tell him that I wanted to return to OM, even if it meant playing for free, he explained. I was at the end of my career and I simply wanted to relive the emotions of the Vélodrome stadium. But unfortunately, Jean Fernandez never called me back. »