For decades, Marseille fans could taunt Paris Saint-Germain with a simple phrase: 'À jamais les premiers' – forever the first. It referred to their 1993 Champions League triumph, making them France's only European champions. That changed this year when PSG won the Champions League, prompting President Emmanuel Macron, a known Marseille supporter, to congratulate them with the words: 'You put Paris on the roof of Europe.'
The two victories, both in Munich against Milanese opponents, share little else. Marseille's win was later tainted by a domestic match-fixing scandal, while PSG's came amid a lack of competition in Ligue 1. Former Marseille president Bernard Tapie once argued that being 'bored alone at the top' spurred the creation of Le Classique in the early 1990s, as his side dominated the league.
Tapie supported PSG's rise under Canal+ ownership, believing it would benefit everyone. The rivalry grew along simple lines: north vs south, capital vs province. PSG won their first league title in 1994 and added European silverware in 1996, challenging Marseille's hegemony. But the balance has since tilted dramatically.
Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi has dismissed the fixture as a true classique, citing the gulf in resources. 'In 23 matches, there are 19 wins for Paris, three draws and one win for Marseille,' he said. That solitary victory came over five years ago, with Florian Thauvin scoring the only goal. Since 2020, PSG have spent over €1bn on players, while Marseille have spent €485m.
De Zerbi highlighted the disparity in quality: 'When you compare Nuno Mendes, perhaps the best left-back in the world, to Emerson, or Ousmane Dembélé, a Ballon d'Or favourite, to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, now 36, the gap is clear.' For now, the rivalry is more about old records than recent results.
