Le Classique

The term "Le Classique" is modelled after El Clásico, contested between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Spanish press borrowed the term Clásico from South America, where most countries use it to label the biggest rivalries in the continent, such as the Superclásico between Boca Juniors and River Plate, and the Uruguayan Clásico between Nacional and Peñarol.[1] The fixture is also known as "Le Classico", "Classico", "Derby de France", "PSG/OM", "OM/PSG", "French clásico" or "Clásico".[1][2][3]

Paris Saint-Germain were only founded in 1970 and during that decade they were not at the same level as Olympique de Marseille, traditionally a giant of the French game. Formed in 1899, Marseille have been competing for trophies for most of their history and, for the first 87 years at least, were more concerned about games against Saint-Étienne or Girondins de Bordeaux than trips to the capital.[4] Today, the clash is considered France's biggest rivalry as well as one of the greatest in club football.[2][5] The duo are French football's most successful clubs as well as the only two French sides to lift a major European trophy.[6][7][8] They were also the undisputed top teams before the irruption of Olympique Lyonnais at the start of the 2000s.[2] Nevertheless, they still are the two most popular French clubs in the country and abroad, ahead of Lyon.[3][9][10] Both teams usually top the attendance lists every campaign as well.[3]

Like all major rivalries, it has a historical, cultural and social importance that makes it more than just a football match. People in France see it as a battle between the two largest cities in France: Paris against Marseille, capital against province, north against south, the hub of political power against the working class and the aristocracy's club against the people's club.[2][3][11] Ironically, though, PSG were born as a fan-owned team, while l'OM were founded by an aristocrat.[12][13] In short, the seeds of the fiercest French rivalry yet were always there, but they only began to grow from 1986 onwards.[4] That year, PSG clinched their maiden championship and French businessman Bernard Tapie bought Marseille. Tapie proceeded to invest huge amounts of money in star signings such as Chris Waddle, Abedi Pelé, Jean-Pierre Papin, Rudi Völler, Basile Boli, Enzo Francescoli, Eric Cantona, Didier Deschamps and Marcel Desailly.[2][4][11]

The clash increased in importance and ferocity when they went head to head for the 1988–89 title, during which PSG president Francis Borelli accused Tapie and l'OM of fixing matches.[3][14][15] Between 1989 and 1992, the southerners won four successive Ligue 1 championships.[11][15] They also finished runners-up in the 1990–91 European Cup before claiming the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League.[11] Marseille fans have never let their PSG counterparts forget this triumph with the chant "A jamais les premiers" (Forever First).[2] All these successes, however, were also tainted by match-fixing allegations from title rivals PSG and Monaco, but also other clubs, adding further fuel to the rivalry.[14][16][17][18]

Despite proving to be tough competitors, PSG were still no match for Marseille.[11] This was the case until 1991 and the arrival of new owners Canal+, the biggest pay television station in France.[2][11] The main reason behind the buyout was to revive interest in a Ligue 1 completely dominated by Marseille as well as lure more subscribers by assembling a team that could beat them.[19] With Bordeaux a fading force, Bernard Tapie needed a new domestic rival to make the championship attractive again.[15][19] So, Tapie encouraged Canal+ to help him promote the enmity between the two clubs to a confrontational level, and the rivalry was born.[3][15] Backed by their own rich owner, PSG began to flex muscles in the transfer market with Tapie's Marseille, recruiting top talent like David Ginola, Youri Djorkaeff, George Weah and Raí.[2][11] The league was now a two-horse race and the duo battled each other for the title in the early 1990s.[11]

PSG fans against Marseille in September 2006.

Between 1989 and 1998, PSG and l'OM picked up five league titles, four Coupe de France, two Coupe de la Ligue, a UEFA Champions League, a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and reached two other European finals.[4] Many experts argue that those Marseille (1989–1994) and PSG (1993–1998) sides were two of the greatest teams in the history of French football.[20][21] The hype heightened tensions between supporters as well, and reports of fan violence became more frequent in the 1990s.[4] Since then, the fixture has been marred with injuries and arrests.[3]

The rivalry reached new heights during the 1992–93 French Division 1 campaign. PSG lost the title decider against Marseille and finished second.[2][20] Shortly after, however, Tapie and Marseille were found guilty of match-fixing in what became known as the French football bribery scandal.[11][21] The French Football Federation stripped l'OM of their title and offered it to second-placed PSG, who refused it because club owners Canal+ thought that claiming the trophy would anger their subscribers back in Marseille.[20][22] As a result, the 1992–93 title remains unattributed. Canal+ even refused letting the Parisian club participate in next year's Champions League after UEFA excluded Marseille from the competition. Third-placed Monaco took the spot instead.[22]

l'OM were then forcibly relegated to Ligue 2 in 1994 for lacking the necessary funds to continue among the elite.[11][23] With Marseille out of the picture, PSG would went on to claim nine trophies during that decade. Most notably, they won their second league title in 1994 and their crowning glory, the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, becoming only the second French team to win a major European title (after l'OM), and the last one to date.[6][24]

Marseille and their fans have since accused the Parisian political elite of plotting against them to crown PSG as the kings of French football.[25][26] This feeling of injustice stems from the political dimension to the rivalry, which has been described by FIFA as pitting "the chosen ones of French football (the politically-favored PSG) against its enfants terribles (the unruly l'OM)."[2] PSG have been indeed favored a few times. Club president Daniel Hechter was found guilty of running a ticketing scheme in 1977 and his replacement, Francis Borelli, incurred serious debts and financial irregularities in 1991. Unlike their arch-rivals, PSG were not relegated in either case; instead, they were bought by Canal+ with the specific goal of dethroning l'OM.[20] And, exactly two decades later, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, a well-known supporter of PSG, which was then struggling financially, facilitated the club's purchase by Qatar Sports Investments.[27]

Although Marseille quickly bounced back into the top flight in 1996 after two seasons in Ligue 2, their new owner was not so keen to spend like Bernard Tapie.[11] Likewise, PSG owners Canal+ slowly began to reduce their investment in the transfer market.[11] Nonetheless, the rivalry remained just as intense.[4] Marseille only lost twice to their northern rivals between September 1990 and February 2000, before Paris became the dominant force in the 2000s, during which they produced a spectacular run of eight consecutive wins between 2002 and 2004.[28] The balance briefly shifted again in favor of Marseille during the late 2000s and early 2010s, with the Olympians ending their 18-year wait and being crowned French champions in 2010.[29]

Le Classique then turned into a one-sided affair with the arrival of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) as PSG owners in 2011. In fact, l'OM recorded their last victory in November of that year.[30] The Parisians, for their part, have won 17 out of the 20 matches played after that. The other three were draws. Despite this, Marseille has occasionally threatened PSG's hegemony over French football in the 2010s, without success.[28] Since the buyout, PSG have monopolized the national titles, becoming the most successful French club in history.[7][12]

Now with the money to compete with the best clubs in Europe, many great players have been part of PSG's all star-lineup that Ligue 1 had not seen since the early 1990s Marseille squads, including the world's two most expensive players, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, as well as Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Edinson Cavani.[3][31] Marseille, in turn, have struggled to keep up and they have been trophy-less since the 2012 French League Cup.[30][32] In 2016, l’OM new owner Frank McCourt pledged to spend €200m over the next four years to allow the team to compete with PSG.[30][33] The Parisian side, however, splashed that sum on Neymar alone in 2017.[11]

• 12 December 1971 (Olympique de Marseille 4–2 Paris Saint-Germain): The inaugural meeting between them took place at Stade Vélodrome, just a little over a year after PSG were formed. The Parisians were fighting to maintain the category in their first season in the top flight, while the Olympians were aiming for their second consecutive title. So, logically, the match ended in a comprehensive win for a Marseille side inspired by the strike duo of Roger Magnusson and Josip Skoblar, the latter of which scored a brace.[2][14]

• 9 May 1975 (Olympique de Marseille 2–2 Paris Saint-Germain): PSG visited Stade Vélodrome as massive underdogs in the 1975 French Cup quarterfinals. Indeed, goals from Georges Bereta and Jairzinho had given Marseille a comfortable 2–0 lead in the second half until, out of the blue, François M'Pelé scored twice and revived PSG's hopes of qualification.[34]

• 13 May 1975 (Paris Saint-Germain 2–0 Olympique de Marseille): In the second leg, the Parisians registered their first victory ever against the southerners and qualified for the French Cup semifinals with goals from Louis Floch and Jacques Laposte. The match saw Marseille's Brazilian stars Paulo Cézar and Jairzinho lose their nerves and physically assault the referee.[28][34] They never played for Marseille again.[34]

• 8 January 1978 (Paris Saint-Germain 5–1 Olympique de Marseille): The capital club recorded its largest victory over the Phocaeans by thrashing them at Parc des Princes with a François M'Pelé brace, strikes from François Brisson and Mustapha Dahleb, and an own goal from OM's Marius Trésor. Sarr Boubacar scored the consolation goal for Marseille. The Parisian players dedicated the win to their president Daniel Hechter, who had been removed from office two days before due to a corruption scandal.[35]

• 7 April 1979 (Paris Saint-Germain 4–3 Olympique de Marseille): PSG won a spectacular goal-fest over Marseille thanks to Carlos Bianchi's late screamer. Bernard Bureau, Mustapha Dahleb and Armando Bianchi also scored for Paris, while Marc Berdoll (twice) and Robert Buigues were on target for l'OM. This game holds the record for most goals in a clásico.[35][36]

OM fans during the 2006 Coupe de France Final.

• 28 November 1986 (Olympique de Marseille 4–0 Paris Saint-Germain): Bernard Tapie bought l'OM shortly after PSG's first league title in 1986.[11] The southern club immediately recorded its largest win over Paris in November at Stade Vélodrome, with future French legend Jean-Pierre Papin scoring the last goal against the defending league champions.[14]

• 21 May 1988 (Olympique de Marseille 1–2 Paris Saint-Germain): the capital club clinched a hard-fought win away to l'OM thanks to Safet Sušić's opener and a late goal from Gabriel Calderón. This victory proved to be vital in keeping PSG's Ligue 1 status at the end of the 1987–88 season. The match, however, is best remembered for a play involving Parisian defender Michel Bibard and Marseille striker Jean-Pierre Papin. The latter broke in alone and headed for the goal when Bibard imitated the referee's whistle. Unaware of the deception, Papin stopped his course and gave the ball to the goalkeeper. But Papin soon realized what had really happened and a heated argument between both players ensued, almost ending in a general brawl.[37][38]

• 5 May 1989 (Olympique de Marseille 1–0 Paris Saint-Germain): The 1988–89 title decider at the Vélodrome was the match that set the tone for the years that followed.[2][15] Before the game, PSG president Francis Borelli accused his l'OM counterpart Bernard Tapie of fixing matches.[14] Played out amid an electric atmosphere, the championship looked to be heading to Paris with the score tied at 0–0 and only a few seconds remaining.[2] But a 25-yard shot from Franck Sauzée surprised PSG goalkeeper Joël Bats and sealed Marseille's first title in 17 years.[15][39]

• 18 December 1992 (Paris Saint-Germain 0–1 Olympique de Marseille): The duo finally became sworn enemies after this particularly brutal match at Parc des Princes, which earned itself the nickname "The Butchery of 1992."[15] It was on this day that the French clásico was born. PSG coach Artur Jorge announced his side would crush their arch-rivals, while Parisian player David Ginola promised war upon l'OM. Bernard Tapie seized the opportunity to motivate his players and stuck the newspaper articles with PSG's provocations in the dressing room.[2][19] Marseille would not disappoint him, walking away with the victory thanks to a strike from Alen Bokšić in what was an extremely violent match with more than 50 fouls.[19][35]

• 29 May 1993 (Olympique de Marseille 3–1 Paris Saint-Germain): Only three days after winning the 1992–93 UEFA Champions League, league leaders Marseille welcomed closest challengers PSG in a match that would determine the title.[39] l'OM quickly fell behind, only to hit back with three goals, including one of the fixture's best goals: a team effort finished by an 18-yard header from Basile Boli.[2] Soon after, however, Marseille were stripped of the 1993 championship due to match-fixing, and were subsequently demoted to Ligue 2 in 1994.[11][14]

• 8 November 1997 (Paris Saint-Germain 1–2 Olympique de Marseille): Despite their fall from grace, l'OM only lost twice in the 1990s as the rivalry became more and more heated.[4][28] Recently back to Ligue 1, they claimed one of the fixture's most infamous wins. With the scored tied, PSG's Éric Rabésandratana apparently tripped Marseille's Fabrizio Ravanelli inside the area. Laurent Blanc converted the highly controversial penalty to give l'OM the victory in Paris. To this day, PSG fans accuse Ravanelli of a clear act of simulation.[14]

• 4 May 1999 (Paris Saint-Germain 2–1 Olympique de Marseille): Ligue 1 leaders Marseille took the lead, but late goals from Marco Simone and Bruno Rodriguez gave their title hopes a huge blow.[35] It was PSG's first league win over their rivals since April 1990.[28] l'OM were now behind Bordeaux, who played PSG in the final matchday. Amid a Parc des Princes demanding their team to lose, Bordeaux won with a late goal and were crowned champions, much to the joy of PSG supporters.[14] To this day, OM fans believe PSG let Bordeaux win.[14][35]

PSG fans during the 2006 Coupe de France Final.

• 15 February 2000 (Olympique de Marseille 4–1 Paris Saint-Germain): A mid-table Marseille side thumped podium hopefuls Paris at Stade Vélodrome in a pretty heated match. The referee showed no less than eight yellow cards as well as two straight red cards to former PSG teammates Laurent Leroy and Jérôme Leroy, now at l'OM. Laurent reacted to a tough tackle from Jérôme by kicking him. They continued to trade blows and the fight soon escalated into a general brawl. Both of them were then sent off.[39][40]

• 26 October 2002 (Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 Olympique de Marseille): The Parisians were now in command of Le Classique and this match launched a series of eight consecutive wins against Marseille which lasted until November 2004.[11][28] Ronaldinho was the star of the show, guiding his team to a crushing victory with a fabulous brace at Parc des Princes.[14]

• 9 March 2003 (Olympique de Marseille 0–3 Paris Saint-Germain): Ronaldinho was back at it again during PSG's visit to Marseille.[39] The Brazilian playmaker scored once as his team breezed to another three-goal margin win, their first at Stade Vélodrome since May 1988. It was also PSG's biggest away victory in the south up until that point.[28][14]

• 25 April 2004 (Paris Saint-Germain 2–1 Olympique de Marseille): In a match largely dominated by the home side, Pauleta's star performance was the highlight of the evening. The Portuguese striker scored twice to hand PSG the victory and his first of the game is one of the rivalry's finest goals: a precise lob from an impossible angle to trump Marseille goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.[41]

• 7 November 2004 (Paris Saint-Germain 2–1 Olympique de Marseille): The return of Frédéric Déhu and Fabrice Fiorèse to Paris took the spotlight off the match. Both players had left the French capital to join Marseille in the summer of 2004, and they received an exceptionally hostile welcome from PSG supporters.[42][43] After only twenty minutes of play, PSG defender Sylvain Armand was sent off for a violent tackle on Fiorèse.[43] Riot police even had to shield Fiorèse every time he would take a corner to protect him from the objects raining down from the stands.[44] Despite being one man down for most of the game, PSG still managed to win.[43]

• 10 November 2004 (Olympique de Marseille 2–3 Paris Saint-Germain): Three days later, Bernard Mendy's late strike sealed PSG's incredible comeback from a two-goal deficit in the League Cup at Stade Vélodrome. This was their eighth and final consecutive victory, a run known by PSG fans as "The Great Eight."[28]

• 16 October 2005 (Olympique de Marseille 1–0 Paris Saint-Germain): Former PSG fan favorite Lorik Cana, who had signed directly from the capital side a few months earlier, scored the only goal of a really close game at Stade Vélodrome.[39][45] It was Marseille's first win over their hated rivals since April 2002.[28]

• 5 March 2006 (Paris Saint-Germain 0–0 Olympique de Marseille): The growing tensions between supporters resulted in less places at Parc des Princes for the visiting fans. In protest, Marseille president Pape Diouf sent the club's reserve team from the French fourth division. The latter managed a goalless draw and were received as champions in the south.[14][35]

PSG pipped l'OM to the 2006 and 2016 French Cup titles.

• 29 April 2006 (Olympique de Marseille 1–2 Paris Saint-Germain): Both teams met in the 2006 Coupe de France Final at Stade de France. Marseille had the opportunity to win their first trophy since 1993, but league strugglers PSG denied them the title.[14] Bonaventure Kalou scored early on for PSG and Vikash Dhorasoo then doubled the lead with an amazing 25-yard shot.[2][28] Toifilou Maoulida pulled one back, but l'OM could not find an equalizer and Paris were crowned champions.[28][14]

• 26 October 2008 (Olympique de Marseille 2–4 Paris Saint-Germain): Driven by a brace from Guillaume Hoarau and a great second-half performance, the Parisians scored four goals at Stade Vélodrome for the first time ever. This win set them on the course for the league title and prevented Marseille from taking the lead at the top of the table.[39]

• 15 March 2009 (Paris Saint-Germain 1–3 Olympique de Marseille): Following the surprise defeat of league leaders Olympique Lyonnais, a win would give Paris the top spot. With the score tied at 1–1 in a close affair, Zoumana Camara's straight red card in the second half gave the advantage to the Phocaeans, who rapidly scored twice and killed PSG's title hopes.[46]

• 20 November 2009 (Olympique de Marseille 1–0 Paris Saint-Germain): Originally scheduled to be played in October, the mach was postponed after three Parisian players were diagnosed with H1N1 flu.[47] The game finally took place in November and former idol Gabriel Heinze crucified Paris by scoring the game's only goal at Stade Vélodrome.[28][42]

• 28 February 2010 (Paris Saint-Germain 0–3 Olympique de Marseille): The Olympians recorded their biggest win ever at Parc des Princes against a mediocre PSG side that finished in 13th place.[28][14] Marseille would went on to win the Ligue 1 title, which ended their 17-year trophy drought.[14]

• 27 November 2011 (Olympique de Marseille 3–0 Paris Saint-Germain): PSG had just been bought by Qatar Sports Investments and the first big-money Parisian stars walked into Stade Vélodrome for the inaugural Derby de France of the Qatari era. The capital club arrived as league leaders but returned home having lost the lead and being outclassed by a largely superior Marseille side. This is l'OM's last victory over Paris to date.[39]

• 7 October 2012 (Olympique de Marseille 2–2 Paris Saint-Germain): Main contenders for the 2013 league title, the two sides first clashed at Stade Vélodrome. OM striker André-Pierre Gignac opened the scoring but, within two minutes, Zlatan Ibrahimović equalized with a spectacular volleyed back-heel from a corner and then gave Paris the lead with a powerful free-kick past Steve Mandanda from 25 yards. Gignac, however, ensured parity with his second of the night as Marseille remained three points clear of PSG at the top of Ligue 1.[39][48]

• 24 February 2013 (Paris Saint-Germain 2–0 Olympique de Marseille): In the return match, Carlo Ancelotti's men came out on top in a very tight title decider at Parc des Princes. Despite an early own goal from defender Nicolas N'Koulou, the Olympians dominated and had the best chances throughout. PSG goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, however, made several superb saves to preserve his team's advantage until Zlatan Ibrahimović secured the win over their Ligue 1 title rivals in added time.[49]

OM tifo against PSG at Stade Vélodrome in April 2015.

• 5 April 2015 (Olympique de Marseille 2–3 Paris Saint-Germain): League leaders PSG visited the south two points ahead of Marseille for the 2015 title decider. André-Pierre Gignac scored twice in between Blaise Matuidi's stunning curled shot but, in the space of three minutes, Paris turned things around early in the second half with a lucky goal from Marquinhos and an own goal from Jérémy Morel. PSG would claim the title at the end of the season.[39][50]

• 21 May 2016 (Olympique de Marseille 2–4 Paris Saint-Germain): Both sides met in the 2016 Coupe de France Final at Stade de France. PSG needed a win to complete a second successive domestic treble, while l'OM were looking to salvage a mediocre season. Playing his last game for the club, Zlatan Ibrahimović scored twice and assisted another as PSG took home the trophy in front of a record 80,000 spectators.[51] This was PSG's tenth and final victory in a row.[28]

• 26 February 2017 (Olympique de Marseille 1–5 Paris Saint-Germain): PSG equalled its biggest win in the fixture, as well as recording their biggest away victory yet, by crushing their bitter rivals at Stade Vélodrome with goals from Marquinhos, Edinson Cavani, Lucas Moura, Julian Draxler and Blaise Matuidi.[30][39]

• 22 October 2017 (Olympique de Marseille 2–2 Paris Saint-Germain): Luiz Gustavo opened the scoring for Marseille with a 30-yard shot before Neymar equalized. The locals regained the lead through Florian Thauvin, and were seconds away from their first win since November 2011, before Edinson Cavani's stunning last-gasp free-kick silenced the whole stadium.[28][52]

• 27 October 2019 (Paris Saint-Germain 4–0 Olympique de Marseille): PSG then returned to winning ways with five consecutive victories. This run included a record 4–0 walkover, courtesy of doubles from Kylian Mbappé and Mauro Icardi, which equalled their two 5–1 wins in January 1978 and February 2017.[28][53]