By his own admission, Laurent Spinosi, the former goalkeeper coach at Olympique de Marseille, was behind the departure of Fabien Barthez. And this despite the friendship between the two men.
Arriving from Toulouse in the summer of 1992, Fabien Barthez had a dream first season at Olympique de Marseille despite the presence of Pascal Olmeta. After the fracture in the latter’s fibula, the native of Lavelanet will definitively impose himself and allow the Ciel et Blanc to win the Champions League against the Milan of Marco van Basten and others. And despite the descent to D2 due to the VA-OM affair, the young goalkeeper will stay two years on the lower level before slamming the door to join Monaco.
His story with OM was not over, however, and in the winter of 2003, when he became persona non grata at Manchester United, it was the Marseille club that reached out to him and brought him back. After a sensational debut, the sequel was nevertheless less flamboyant and Fabien Barthez was left free in the summer of 2006, the managers choosing to promote Cédric Carrasso. A separation which Laurent Spinosi, the former goalkeeper coach at Marseille, returned to.
“It was more the Fabien I had known in 94”
“Fabien (Barthez) was a phenomenon, we know that anyway, even if in the end it was more the Fabien that I had known in 94. Afterwards, we knew ‘Carrasse, who we had at the training center, which we brought back, and at one point, we said either we extend Fabien, or we continue with ‘Carrasse’, he told the Football Club de Marseille website. And there I had a discussion with Pape (Diouf) and I said we have to launch ‘Carrasse’. He tells me so we’re not getting Fabien to re-sign? »
“I said, you ask me my opinion, I tell you it’s time for ‘Carrasse’. And there you have it, you have friendship, but also you are asked to make a decision, he continued. I took my decision. It was one of the strongest decisions I had to make and I had a blast with ‘Carrasse’. » OM’s decision regarding him probably did not surprise Fabien Barthez. The latter had in fact prepared to give up his place to Christophe Carrasso, as the latter recently recounted.
