Mathieu Valbuena (OM player from 2006 to 2014): “I’m stunned, I’m in my bed, I can’t sleep. I learned Monday evening that he was sick, I called José (Anigo) and others like Muso (physiotherapist Alain Soultanian), Christophe (Doctor Baudot), Jean Charles (from Bono)… It’s very difficult. The President that he was … a great man, with a big heart. He always had bananas, always smiles. He was a messer, in the emotional, but we were also hypnotized by his speech, he had a lot of charisma.
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“The best president in OM’s recent history”
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The first time I saw him was in his office, when I signed my professional contract, in 2006. He had an incredible presence. He had shoulders. For me, he is the best president in OM’s recent history. When he left in 2009, he left the club in very good condition. At the Commandery, he was close to the players, the employees. He knew how to get his messages across, to be sharp. He put his three or four cell phones on the table in the locker room, walked in, and we listened to him. It allowed us to transcend ourselves. After matches, when he was not happy, he put us back on the right track.
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I know that Marseille will get up this Wednesday morning and cry Pape Diouf. He loved OM. He knew football, every nook and cranny of the club. And internally, at the club, some were still dreaming of his return in recent weeks. He embodied OM. “
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