Benjamin Pavard Credits Marseille‘s Revitalization to Sporting Director, Eyes Champions league return
MARSEILLE, FRANCE - Benjamin Pavard believes Olympique de Marseille is undergoing a significant transformation under teh leadership of sporting director Medhi Benatia, and is persistent to help restore the club to its former glory. The Bayern Munich and Inter Milan veteran, currently thriving in the south of France, attributes much of Marseille’s progress to Benatia’s comprehensive overhaul of the club’s infrastructure and player support systems.
Pavard’s arrival at Marseille has coincided with a period of optimism for a club historically triumphant but recently starved of silverware. Marseille last won a trophy thirteen years ago, with their most recent league championship coming a decade and a half prior - a drought Pavard is eager to end. “The Marseille I imagine is in the Champions League every year and also wins trophies,” he stated.
The defender emphasized the positive atmosphere and immediate comfort he found within the team, contrasting it with experiences at previous clubs. “I promptly felt agreeable in this team. And I think that is reflected in my performances, and also collectively, because we have good results. There is a very good atmosphere here,” Pavard told radio station Here Provence. He further alluded to a less welcoming habitat at former employers, stating, “I got to know big clubs…and it wasn’t necessarily like that there,” though he declined to name them.
Benatia’s impact extends beyond player recruitment, encompassing improvements in areas like nutrition, with the addition of dedicated cooks, and enhanced medical support through physiotherapists and doctors. “I found a club that has developed further as Medhi’s arrival,” Pavard explained. “I think he has done a very, very good job. I know that he doesn’t sleep. And if Marseille is where it is today, it is largely thanks to him, his conversations with the players. Everything he wants to implement…just everything.”
While a potential transfer to another club has been discussed, with talks reportedly postponed until the second half of the season due to salary expectations exceeding six million euros, Pavard remains focused on Marseille’s upward trajectory. He believes the club is demonstrably “growing” and poised for “great things.”
Alongside Pavard and Benatia, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, another former Bayern Munich player, strengthens the Marseille midfield, contributing to the club’s renewed ambition to compete at the highest level, including a return to the Champions League – a competition thay last tasted success in during the 1992/93 season.
