Le Classique
PSG vs. OM at the Parc des Princes in 2007.
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| Other names | Le Classico Derby de France French clásico |
|---|---|
| Locale | France, Europe |
| Teams |
Paris Saint-Germain Olympique de Marseille |
| First meeting | OM 4–2 PSG (1971) |
| Stadiums |
Parc des Princes (PSG) Stade Vélodrome (OM) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 91 (official matches) |
| Most wins | PSG (38) |
| Most player appearances | Steve Mandanda (22) |
| Top scorer | Zlatan Ibrahimović (11) |
| Largest victory | PSG 5–1 OM (1978) OM 1–5 PSG (2017) |
Le Classique (French pronunciation: [lə klasik], The Classic), also known as Le Classico,Derby de France, or French clásico, is a football match contested between French clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille. PSG vs. OM is considered France's biggest rivalry, and one of the greatest in club football. At the very least, it is France's most violent. Important security measures are taken to prevent confrontations between the fans, but violent episodes still often occur when the duo meet.
PSG and l'OM remain, along with Saint-Étienne, the only French clubs with a big history pre-millennium. The duo are the only two French clubs to have won European trophies and were the dominant forces in the land prior to the emergence of Olympique Lyonnais at the start of the millennium. They are also the two most popular clubs in France, and the most followed French clubs outside the country. Both teams are at or near the top of the attendance lists every year as well.
Like all the game's major rivalries, PSG vs. OM extends beyond the pitch. The fixture has a historical, cultural and social importance that makes it more than just a football match. It involves the two largest cities in France: the upper class in Paris against the working class in Marseille, capital against province and north against south.
While the southerners have been around for over a century now, the Parisians only came into being in 1970 and in their early meetings there was little indication the two would become arch-rivals. All that would change during the mid-1980s, when PSG won its first titles and really became a big team from the capital.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the arrival of Bernard Tapie president of l'OM and television station Canal + as owners of PSG, the two sides bought some of the best players available and battled each other for the Ligue 1 title during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Marseille signed Chris Waddle, Jean-Pierre Papin, Rudi Völler, Basile Boli and Enzo Francescoli, while Paris responded with David Ginola, Youri Djorkaeff, George Weah and Raí.
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