A page will turn at OM. Il fenomeno is leaving. Steve Mandanda leaves Marseille for Rennes where he is expected this Wednesday already according to the newspaper l’Equipe. The end of a long story between the goalkeeper and the Marseille club: 613 matches played with the OM shirt but only 20 last season. It is undoubtedly for this reason that Steve Mandanda decided to pack his bags for Brittany and the Rennes club: a complicated 2021/2022 season where he was often dismissed by Jorge Sampaoli in favor of Pau Lopez. And it is the same pattern that draws for the coming season. OM President Pablo Longoria confirmed this at a press conference on Tuesday.
The model will be the same as last season, ie two good goalkeepers in competition with each other (Lopez and Mandanda). What we wanted was to speak clearly to everyone -Pablo Longoria
Steve Mandanda has two years left on his contract with OM, who will now have to negotiate with Rennes. On social networks the departure of the emblematic goalkeeper caused a lot of reaction. Steve Mandanda, 37, 2018 world champion who has known almost only OM as a club with the exception of his training in Le Havre and a small breakaway at Crystal Palace (2016-2017), also hopes to be part of the group for the World Cup in Qatar.
Mandanda and OM
Steve Mandanda is undoubtedly OM’s historic player, of which he was captain from 2010 to 2016 and since the summer of 2019. With OM he won Ligue 1 in 2010 as well as two Champions Trophies in 2010 and 2011 and three League Cups in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He was also elected best goalkeeper in Ligue 1 on 5 occasions in 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
International since 2008, he reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 with the French team and then the final of Euro 2016 before winning the 2018 World Cup. He holds the record for the number of matches played with the OM: 613 in total.