Despite the international break, the Stade Vélodrome was the scene of a big party this Wednesday.
As part of the “
match of legends
”, more than 437,250 euros were collected for the benefit of Unicef and the Didier Drogba Foundation for educational projects in Côte d'Ivoire.
A gala meeting which brought together beautiful people attests to the presence of Fabrizio Ravanelli, Basile Boli, Teddy Riner, Arsène Wenger, Didier Drogba or even the rapper Jul.
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A renowned cast
This match pitted OM Legends, coached by Jean-Pierre Papin, the club's illustrious attack, against Arsène Wenger's Unicef team.
OM Legends, made up of Samir Nasri, Djibril Cissé, Benoît Paire and Didier Drogba, the former idol of the Vélodrome, won 7-4 against the Unicef team.
Despite the participation of Esteban Cambiasso, Eric Abidal, Louis Saha or Gaizka Mendieta, Arsène Wenger's proteges did not resist Didier Drogba's teammates, and lost 7-4.
Didier Drogba, like at home
The Ivorian international, former idol of the Vélodrome, was in all the good moves of his team. The former Chelsea player found his way to the net on the hour mark after hampering Eric Abidal on the restart. A goal that allowed him to honor his fetish celebration. In the process, the winner of the Champions League in 2012 flaunted all his scoring panoply by scoring two more goals. Achievements that capsized the Vélodrome as during its visit in 2003-2004. “
It is not easy to bring together so many personalities, to have such diversity for such a great cause. It is close to my heart because education is important, in Africa as elsewhere. It is a prerequisite for development,
”explained Drogba.
Memorable gestures, a thought for Tapie
The 30,000 spectators present were able to see that the Marseille rapper Jul, author of a dribble behind the supporting leg "
à la Drogba
" in front of Eric Abidal, was not clumsy with the ball in his foot, like the F1 driver Pierre Gasly, or that Teddy Riner could be a threat in the penalty area or on the mat.
Benoît Cheyrou, consultant on Amazon Prime Video, and former midfielder of the Marseille club, made the gesture of the evening, by scoring a sumptuous goal, on a perfectly mastered dive.
To end the evening in style, Toifilou Maoulida scored his team's last goal.
The OM U-19 coach took the opportunity to bring out his famous strip, to pay tribute to Bernard Tapie: “
forever Marseillais, rest in peace Boss
”.