Olympique de Marseille formalized the signing of Spanish coach Marcelino on Friday evening June 23. An experienced and respected technician in the Spanish league, the ex-Bilbao coach is ten days away from resuming training, set for July 3. Third in the last French championship, OM must play from August 8 or 9 a very important third preliminary round of the Champions League. Marcelino succeeds the Croatian Igor Tudor who will not have spent more than one season in a club sometimes nicknamed the “mange-coach”.
“The arrival of Marcelino is part of the desire to give continuity to the club’s project,” commented Javier Ribalta, OM’s general director of football. “His experience will also be a tremendous asset to build on the work undertaken last season,” he added in a statement.
“Along with all of my staff, we are convinced by the project. I know the responsibility that this mission represents and our commitment will be total, “said the new OM coach in the press release issued by the club, which does not specify the duration of the commitment.
“A bit of a rock and roll game”
Marcelino Garcia Toral had been free since June 2022 and his departure from Athletic Bilbao where he had spent eighteen mixed months. Passed by many La Liga clubs such as Sevilla, Villarreal, Valencia and Bilbao, Marcelino won the Spanish Cup in 2019 with Valencia CF. For the first time, he will train a team outside his native country.
With his arrival on the bench, OM now find themselves with a Spanish trio at their head, as Marcelino joins the club’s president, Pablo Longoria, and his right-hand man Javier Ribalta, two compatriots. Pablo Longoria had stressed on June 5 that he wanted a coach capable of installing “an offensive game, a little rock and roll”.
