Habib Beye returns to OM, emotions parked for Brest bow | OneFootball

Habib Beye returns as Marseille head coach, set for his first match and intent on focusing on the present.

According to L'Équipe, the 48-year-old has had only 24 hours of training to prepare. Brest awaits on Friday at 20:45.

He spent 2003 to 2007 as a combative defender, captaining for one season. At his unveiling he spoke of pride, yet stressed living in the moment and suppressing emotion, adding that OM demands feeling and embodying the city.

Former team-mate Garry Bocaly said Beye immersed himself quickly in the city and Vélodrome, adding it seemed he once held a PSG registration in 1997-1998. He believes Beye’s claim that his heart is in Marseille, recalling him as part of a standout 2000s side.

That team reached the 2004 UEFA Cup final, losing 0-2 to Valencia. Laurent Batlles remembered the pressure and said Beye mixed a warrior’s edge with off-field simplicity, and learned that effort is never faulted in Marseille.

Batlles noted Beye’s influence grew when Albert Emon arrived in summer 2006, and he was made captain. Friendships were forged at Le César in Plan-de-Cuques, and he bonded with Pape Diouf through shared Senegalese roots.

Benoît Pedretti recalled Beye’s eagerness to guide newcomers and his lively, Vélodrome-fuelled character, traits he now aims to pass to his squad first.

Source: L'Équipe