The unexpected marseille move: adrien rabiot’s journey to om revealed
In the summer of 2024, after his contract with Juventus concluded, Adrien Rabiot took his time before securing a new club. To widespread astonishment, the French international, who honed his skills at PSG, ultimately committed to Olympique de Marseille. It has recently come to light that Rabiot had numerous other prestigious opportunities available to him, making his choice even more surprising.
Having previously spent five years with Juventus from 2019 to 2024, Adrien Rabiot, a product of the PSG academy, became a free agent. Despite attracting significant interest from several top European clubs offering more appealing projects, Rabiot opted for a move to OM, a destination that many observers found unexpected given the alternatives.
Ancelotti had eyes on him for Real Madrid
Beyond the fact that Adrien Rabiot began his professional journey at PSG, his decision to join OM caused further bewilderment because the Phocaean club was not participating in any European competition at the time. Nevertheless, the French international found himself swayed by Marseille‘s proposition, even though he had the chance to sign with Real Madrid. As Rabiot delivered a strong performance for the French national team during the World Cup, Spanish journalist José Félix Diaz from AS highlighted on X: « Rabiot was without a club on August 30, 2024. Ancelotti wanted to sign him ». Despite the clear interest from Carlo Ancelotti, then coach of Real Madrid, Adrien Rabiot ultimately did not head to the Spanish capital, instead making his way to OM.
« I just went for it »
At OM, it was Medhi Benatia who orchestrated Adrien Rabiot‘s arrival. The former sporting director for Marseille reflected on this significant acquisition, explaining: « When I brought Adrien in, the transfer window was closed, but we could use a joker. He was a free agent then, not having extended his contract with Juve. He had many options, but for various reasons, he hadn’t reached an agreement. I had followed the entire transfer period, where he might go, etc. And honestly, I just went for it. (…) When you know Adri, he’s a football enthusiast, a guy who gives everything. So when I called him, I thought, at worst he says no, I have nothing to lose. But if it works out… And then he called me back 24 hours later. I told him: “Adri, my friend, I gave you 48 hours, not 24. Are you sure you’ve thought it through?” He replied: “No, no, I’ve thought about it. I’ll give you my mother’s number, call her and you can start.” I said: “Don’t worry, I already have everything. I just want you to tell me if…” He said: “No, it’s good, for me, it’s how you talked about football. It’s good, I want to come.” ».