After helping Olympique de Marseille qualify for the Champions League, will Amine Harit be the one who will allow his club to reach the knockout stages? The attacking midfielder was one of the architects of OM’s first victory in C1 this season, with a goal and an assist in the victory against Sporting (4-1) last Tuesday. OM supporters hope to see him repeat the same performance this Wednesday (9 p.m.) in a return match almost as decisive as the first leg, for the continuation of the Marseillais in this C1.
Unthinkable for Igor Tudor, OM coach, still a few hours from the end of the last transfer window, since he simply did not know who Amine Harit was. “It’s true that he arrived late, and I’m sorry because I didn’t know him, honestly. But when I saw him in person on the field, I saw that he was a strong player. I’m happy he’s with us because he’s an important player,” admitted Igor Tudor, just over a month after Amine Harit’s last-minute arrival.
“The Man of the Last Moments”
The Moroccan international has become in Marseille “the man of the last moments”, as Pablo Longoria had presented him when he returned on the last day of the transfer window. During a “a little hectic summer”, spent with friends and family, while preparing for this new season, Amine Harit even refused two offers while waiting for a sign from Pablo Longoria.
“I knew what I wanted, I took the risk of waiting and sometimes it pays off. I took a risk yes and no, I had a discussion with the president before the end of last season, he knows that I only have one word. We said things to each other, and they were respected, “said the player on his return to Marseille.
The relationship with its president also seems to go beyond the sole framework of football. “The last conversation with Amine was one of the most satisfying moments in my leadership career. What we appreciate about Amine, beyond his qualities, is the person. Last season there were ups and downs. I want to emphasize how he worked day after day, without bad words. Finally the work paid off. He’s a positive person, very loved by the group, ”said Pablo Longoria, who we know for his art of story-telling, even if it means adding a little. But it is true that the OM president did not hesitate to ask his former coach, Jorge Sampaoli, to give him a chance last season, when Harit was in the cellar.
Payet’s successor?
The Moroccan international gives back the confidence of its president. To the point of being decisive in the Champions League and gradually taking the place of Dimitri Payet in the starting XI. Number ten also believed that the Moroccan was the most likely to succeed him in the Marseille game. “The words he may have had touched me, especially given his career and what he represents at OM. I feel ready to replace him but he hasn’t left yet. I’m here to learn from him, and if I have the chance to be like him in the next few years, that would be wonderful. I have a character, it’s important to be an OM player, but I’m not here to project myself over the next 10 years, ”he warned.
Faced with the progressive downgrading of Dimitri Payet and “a more direct game” advocated by Igor Tudor this season, Amine Harit clearly has the opportunity to show what he can do and to be “more decisive”, his objective. His good period also allowed him to find the Moroccan selection at the last two international meetings. Amine Harit has every chance of playing in the next World Cup, the second of his career, after missing the CAN 2019 and 2022. An improbable return of hype for a player once cataloged unmanageable for his extra-sporting escapades.