Éric Di Meco

Eric Di Meco is certainly one of the best full-backs in the history of the French team, he is also one of the greatest legends in the history of Olympique de Marseille.

431

Games

Goals

Assists

Trophies

1980/94 Olympique de Marseille (FRA) 268 matches, 16 goals

(French Championship: 216 matches, 10 goals)

(French D2: 15 matches, 3 goals)

(Coupe de France: 37 matches, 3 goals)

(European Champions Cup: 24 matches)

1986/87 AS Nancy-Lorraine (FRA) (Loan) 30 matches, 1 goal

(French Championship: 29 matches, 1 goal)

(Coupe de France: 1 match)

1987/88 FC Martigues (FRA) (Loan) 32 matches, 2 goals

(French D2 Championship: 31 matches, 2 goals)

(Coupe de France: 1 match)

1994/98 AS Monaco (FRA) 78 matches, 1 goal

(Championship de France: 65 matches, 1 goal)

(Coupe de France: 5 matches)

(Coupe de la ligue: 7 matches)

(Coupe de l'UEFA: 1 match)

With the National Team :

23 caps

(Friendly matches: 13 caps)

(World Cup qualification: 2 caps)

(Euro qualification: 7 caps)

(Euro: 1 cap)

1st cap: August 16, 1989 against Sweden (4-2)

Last cap: June 10, 1996 against Romania (1-0)

A': 1 cap

A very complicated start to a career

Eric Di Meco was born on September 7, 1963 in Avignon, France, a pure left-hander, he was originally a left winger or even a left midfielder, spotted very early, he joined the Olympique de Marseille squad in 1980 when he was only 17 years old. But he would not make his debut until January 1982 in the Coupe de France against FC Villefranche during a 4-1 victory for the Marseillais.

In a Marseille team that played in Ligue 2 during the 1982/83 season, Di Meco would play his first league match against Stade Français on October 24, 1982 and finally establish himself in the Marseille squad.

However, this was not enough and even if he played many matches with Marseille at the end of the 1982/83 season, we had to wait until the 1988/89 season to finally see a great Di Meco. The player having been on loan twice (once at AS Nancy-Lorraine and once at FC Martigues), it took a repositioning on the pitch made by Arsène Wenger when he was at Nancy to see a great evolution of the player.

Very powerful, the new left-back will impress with his technical qualities. During this famous 1988/89 season, the player definitely established himself in the Marseille squad when he was 25 years old.

An OM legend

His first reward for his development was undoubtedly his call-up to the French team by Michel Platini in 1989. Unfortunately, the player who was described as rough, often on the verge of a red card, did not allow him to establish himself in the French team despite still having 22 selections between 1989 and 1996.

It was in Marseille that he would write his legend, being part of this fantastic team of the early 1990s which first lost a Champions League final in 1991 before winning the trophy with the big ears in 1993.

At over 30 years old, Di Meco would then become one of the key players of "Mémé", who appreciated his physical commitment and his valuable experience at the top level. He was even given the captain's armband twice, notably during the famous Romania-France match in October 1995. But at Euro 1996, which he started as a starter, Di Meco was dethroned in the first round by his young understudy Bixente Lizarazu, which led him to announce his international retirement at the end of the tournament, with the satisfaction of having remained undefeated in the blue jersey throughout his 23 selections.

A brutal end to a career

In 1994, after Olympique de Marseille was administratively relegated following the match-fixing affair in Ligue 1, he decided to leave the club after 14 years of good and loyal service. Then aged 31, he left for Monaco.

Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that almost ended his career and he did not even take part in AS Monaco's title in 1997. Having recovered from his injury but lost to football, he made a final surprise appearance in 1998 to compensate for his accumulated absences. He finally retired in 1998, at the age of 34.