A return to where it all began, or almost. The Franco-Moroccan Mehdi Benatia should be alongside President Pablo Longoria for the trip of Olympique de Marseille to Strasbourg this Saturday (9 p.m.) for the 13th day of Ligue 1. He is back in Marseille, where he arrived Thursday morning to take on the role of sports advisor, seventeen years after leaving the training center without ever having established himself in the first team.
Originally from the Paris region, Mehdi Benatia signed up with the OM training center in 2003, “because he had family here”, remembers Robert Nazaretian, the boss of the training center who was delighted to bring “a great player and a good boy. Those we like to have at the center, in the continuity of Nasri and Flamini. » At the time, Mehdi Benatia, “quite strong”, played in midfield with “a big presence and a big technique”, “an easy player, who never gets ahead of himself”, lists his trainer.
Failure at OM, explosion in Italy
Despite these qualities and numerous training sessions with the first team, the coach at the time, José Anigo, did not choose him to play the match against PSG during the 2005-2006 season, when OM decided to send the Minots to the Parc des Princes to denounce the security conditions of Marseille supporters. “In all modesty, if anyone had to go, it was me first. But in the end, they sent guys who didn’t even play under 18. And they left me in the lurch, I was the only one not to make the trip,” Mehdi Benatia regretted years later, in the RMC Sport show, “Le Vestiaire.”
“I really wasn’t happy that he didn’t go,” recalls Robert Nazaretian, while Benatia did not play a single minute with the pro group between 2006 and 2008. He then decided to leave for Ligue 2, in Clermont, where he gradually established himself before being spotted by Udinese, in Serie A. He played nearly a hundred matches there, then was recruited by a certain Rudi Garcia on the side of AS Roma. His career exploded, he then joined Bayern Munich before returning to Italy to Juventus, where he met a certain Pablo Longoria, at the time in charge of recruitment.
“He managed to impose himself wherever he went”
“He was anything but pretentious, he was already a humble kid. And as soon as he had the opportunities, he took them and he managed to impose himself wherever he went. Even with the selection of Morocco, he is one of the pioneers and laid the foundations for the team that went to the semi-final of the last World Cup,” recalls Robert Nazaretian.
He was also a consultant for BeIN Sports during the last CAN and the last World Cup, always as relevant in his speeches as classy in his presentation. “Have you seen him neglected even once?” Some arrive with twisted shoes and pants. He has Italian class, it’s a whole,” emphasizes his trainer. At the time when he was at the training center, the boss actually showed Mehdi Benatia and Samir Nasri’s rooms “because it was always spotless, always square. And we didn’t hear him, he never caused a single problem. »
Inexperience and unclear role
His reconversion as an agent since his retirement in 2021, however, is not yet as glorious as his football career. It is also because of this activity, which he has ceased, that Mehdi Benatia will only be a consultant for OM, and not an employee. And although he has a certain network acquired during his various experiences in the biggest European clubs, he still remains quite inexperienced in this area. “For this position at OM, you need someone with experience. He has none. Experience as a manager, none, experience as an agent, he is just starting out,” retorts one of his detractors, who prefers to remain anonymous.
The transfer of Azzedine Ounahi, who has had a string of injuries rather than tenure since his arrival in Marseille last winter, does not speak in favor of OM’s new sports advisor. “Even if he doesn’t have all the codes, he knows how to rely on those who do. He is intelligent, a builder, he knows how to start from the bottom, and nothing has ever been acquired for him,” estimates Robert Nazaretian who sees his “little one” succeeding in his new role.
But for many, it is more Mehdi Benatia who needs OM, than OM who needs Mehdi Benatia. Its role with fuzzy contours, will it affect percentages depending on departures and arrivals, and its proximity to Moussa Sissoko, the players’ agent, asks. He should take care of the next transfer windows, such as the overhaul of OM’s recruitment unit, decimated in recent weeks with numerous departures to OL. But with Pablo Longoria who loves these areas, what latitude will he really have?