Chris Waddle arrived in Marseille in July 1989 after a £4.5 million move from Tottenham Hotspur. It was a British and French Transfer record and the third highest transfer fee ever at the time. Only Ruud Gullit (6M PSV Eindhoven to AC Milan) and Diego Maradona (6.9M Barcelona to Napoli) were more expensive. Flamboyant Club President Bernard Tapie came across Waddle when watching a Tottenham game with a view to buying striker Paul Walsh. Walsh was quickly dismissed as a potential signing with Tapie much more attracted to Waddle's attacking flair. The hot Mediterranean City was perhaps not the obvious destination for a fair skinned Geordie who'd played all his Club Football in the UK. He was already an established England International with experience of playing in different Countries but performing in 30 degree heat with players who didn't speak the same language proved to be a challenge. A struggle to settle and a sub standard of fitness compared to his teammates made for an inauspicious start in Provence.
In an interview with allfootballapp.com he recalled his early days in the Phoenician City "I was off the pace, I'd done no pre-season. My first day was running in 95 degree heat. At the end I'm lying there my face bright red." This is corroborated by Goalkeeper Gaetan Huard in Alexandre Fievee's book "In the Changing Room of L'OM - The Tapie Years" - "He arrived as white as Laundry and after two days of training he was red like Roast Beef". His debut came at Lyon where he came on as a second half substitute in a 4-1 win but he struggled to make an impact. It was also clear that Centre Forward was not his best position. Conversations with Manager Gerard Gili led the Englishman to be given more freedom on the pitch. In England Waddle was often deployed on the right wing cutting in on his favoured left foot. In France he would often start on the right of a front three but was given a license to roam which he relished. The turning point came after moving to his own home in Aix En Provence with his family and in the same week scoring an audacious goal in Paris. At 0-0 Waddle received a ball in the area, chested it down, lifted it over the oncoming Joel Bats and backheeled into an empty net. It was a fantastic piece of individual, spontaneous skill but equally significant because it came at PSG, L'OMs fierce rivals. and because Bats was France's, renowned International Keeper. Marseille won the game 2-1 and Chris Waddle never looked back.
Within a team of stars featuring Tigana, Francescoli and Papin and emerging talents like Abedi Pele and Phillipe Vercruysse it was Waddle that was the most entertaining. He became a showman with an end product. The body swerve that turned defenders inside out, the step overs, feints and ball control were matched by vision, defence splitting through balls and quality crosses. His quality is highlighted by a statement from his England team mate Gary Lineker who was disappointed that Waddle had left Spurs just as he was joining "I knew him to be a great crosser of the ball as well as having the ability to read my runs. When I heard he was not going to be there for me, all I could think was, what a choker. There goes fifteen goals a season." Lineker would do just fine at Tottenham but Jean-Pierre Papin would be the Striker to benefit from Waddle's creativity. The Englishman briefly lived with Papin and his family and the duo's on field relationship quickly blossomed. Papin, the best French goalscorer of a generation, was already a fan favourite scoring regularly in his three seasons preceding Waddle's arrival. The Partnership with Waddle took Papin's goalscoring to different levels. In the seasons prior, JPP always hit double figures but his three seasons with Waddle saw him score 38, 36 and 38 goals respectively. It wasn't always direct assists but Waddle's vision made his new team create more chances and Papin profited.
To say that Chris Waddle was adored by the Marseille public is an understatement. Ballboys and youth team players sported the Mullet haircut, speeding fines and parking tickets were waived away and he was christened "Magic" by supporters. Although he never mastered the Language his laid back countenance, easy smile and simple "Hello" that accompanied his handshakes and waves endeared him to all Marseillais. Obviously happy and confident in his new environment he became the joker of the team often engaging with fans during games with silly faces, bunny ears or signing autographs during breaks in play.
His laid back demeanour translated to the pitch yet the performances were of the highest quality. In an interview with Ouest France ex Marseille defender Bernard Casoni specified this point "He played as he behaved. He was an unpredictable clown both on and off the field. He handled the ball with humour. But understand, there was always efficiency behind it." A major attraction for Waddle moving to Marseille was European football. English Clubs were still banned from European Competition in the aftermath of the Heysel disaster. Waddle's first season saw OM progress to the semi finals where a blatant handball goal put them out of the Competition. The real sickener was that the French side should have been out of site from the first leg but squandered so many chances. They took a 2-1 lead to Portugal and when Vata scored with his hand the away goal was enough to knock the French Champions out.
Marseille had established themselves as part of Europe's elite and would perform even better in the season to come. After finishing the 89/90 season with a French League winners medal, the first major trophy of his career, Chris Waddle went in to his second season with L'OM shining brighter than ever. Another League Campaign was conquered with fast flowing, attacking football. Waddle excelled during this time with his dribbling and beating of players, mesmerising crowds all over France. French TV even made a programme about his Dribbling skills, showing him practice one on one with a defender.
It seemed like he wasn't worried about losing the ball. Possibly because of the quality of the midfield and strength of defence behind him. He played with a freedom that was exciting to watch whilst putting opponents under pressure. Perhaps his finest hour came in the quarter finals of the European Cup against AC Milan. Milan at this time were European Champions and looking to win the trophy for the third successive season. They boasted an unbelievable squad including the Dutch trio of Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard and the very best Italian players like Baresi, Maldini and Ancelotti. Trailing 1-0 in the first leg at the San Siro, Waddle received the ball from Abedi Pele and played a ball in to Papin that cut directly through the best back four in world football. France's number nine scored. This goal more than any other showed the understanding between the two and announced L'OM as serious contenders for the competition.
In the second leg Waddle received some tough challenges from the Italians, particularly Maldini from whom he received a knock to the back of the head. Waddle was dazed and wouldn't remember what was to come. After receiving a headed knock down from Papin just inside the area Waddle smashed a right foot volley past Sebastiano Rossi.
The England International nearly scored again after running the length of the pitch in to the area but just pushed the ball too far and saw it go out of play. The volley was enough to see L'OM through to the semis and remains an iconic moment for Marseille fans. Waddle later relayed the experience in Alexandre Fievee's account of the match "I was seeing double and had a terrible headache, I played on instinct. There are moments in the game that I can't even remember!" Marseille would easily progress to the final in Bari that season but couldn't break down Red Star Belgrade's defensive tactics and lost on penalties. Marseille's number 8 refused to take a penalty given his miss from the spot for England v Germany at the World Cup the previous summer. He watched from the bench in dismay as the European dream shattered.
The third and final season for Provence's favourite Geordie started frustratingly. Defensive tactics from new Manager Tomislav Ivic took the sparkle out of what had been such a fast attacking team. Rumours abounded that certain players weren't impressed and Waddle and Papin in particular didn't enjoy the more Physical type of training the Yougoslav trainer employed. The European Campaign ended early against Sparta Prague. However the departure of Ivic and the return of previous coach Raymond Goethals reintroduced L'OMs attacking identity and Waddle was once again let off his leash.
The attacking football continued and Les Marseillais looked to be storming towards a domestic double. The League was wrapped up in Waddle's last appearance at the Stade Velodrome with a 2-0 win over Cannes. Unfortunately the double would never materialise due to The Furiani Stadium disaster in Corsica. Minutes before kick off at Bastia in the French Cup semi final, with Waddle and his team mates preparing for the match, a temporary stand collapsed killing 18 people and injuring thousands more. The Players agreed unanimously that the match should not be replayed so the Coupe De France was understandably suspended that year. The season was finished in the most tragic circumstances and Waddle never had his chance to say goodbye to the supporters. The Englishman's French adventure was finished as Tapie looked to rebuild the team. Waddle would return to England with Sheffield Wednesday where he'd become the Sports Writers Player of the Year and reach two domestic Cup finals. Without doubt however his three seasons at Olympique De Marseille were his best.
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