PelĂ© once said of him: “If I am the king of football, then Larbi Ben Barek is the god”. Just Fontaine confirmed this by saying: “PelĂ© remains the greatest for me, but he was the first idol because TV existed. Which was not the case for Ben Barek, whose genius could therefore not be known, seen by all”. The legend of Larbi Benbarek remains little-known, but he was the very first star of the French championship and the Blues, before the advent of Raymond Kopa, Ballon d’Or in 1958.
Born in Casablanca, in Morocco then under protectorate of France, Larbi Ben Mbarek, a carpenter at the age of 14, revealed himself in clubs in his country before shining during a friendly match between the Moroccan selection and the France B team. OM rolled out the red carpet for him and the striker became the new star of the French championship, before being called up to the Blues. A match in Italy, where the Naples public booed the two black players of France, dedicated Larbi Benbarek, who obtained the nickname “Black Pearl” during a poll carried out by the newspaper The Autothe ancestor of The Team.
A record for the French team for “the Black Pearl”
Larbi Benbarek’s career ended twice, which never allowed him to become a legend. The Casablanca returned to his country during the Second World War, blazing with the US Marocaine, before returning to France to admire his talent with the Stade français. He then left the Blues by flying to AtlĂ©tico de Madrid, where he would become the star of the Colchoneros from 1948 to 1953, for two Spanish championship titles, under the orders of Helenio Herrera, an Argentinian-French-Moroccan coach who would then popularize the catenaccio at Inter.
Larbi Benbarek returned to OM in 1953, where he was welcomed as a hero, and French supporters demanded his return to the selection. At 37 years old, “The Black Pearl” will therefore honor one last tricolor cape against West Germany, becoming the French international with the longest longevity (fifteen years and ten months). A retired footballer, he became a coach and managed the Atlas Lions twice, before disappearing from circulation. He died in solitude and indifference on September 16, 1992, at the age of 78. It was 34 years ago.
