Adrien rabiot’s surprising olympique de marseille move revealed in spain
In the summer of 2024, after his contract with Juventus concluded, Adrien Rabiot took some time to secure his next club. To widespread astonishment, the French international, who began his career at Paris Saint-Germain, ultimately agreed to join Olympique de Marseille. However, it has recently come to light that Rabiot had numerous other prestigious options available to him, making his choice even more remarkable.
Having previously played for Juventus between 2019 and 2024, Rabiot was a highly sought-after free agent. Despite top European clubs reportedly vying for his signature with more ambitious projects, the former PSG academy product chose to return to French football with OM, a decision that raised many eyebrows across the continent.
Ancelotti had eyes on him for Real Madrid
Beyond his Paris Saint-Germain roots, Adrien Rabiot’s decision to sign with Olympique de Marseille was particularly surprising given that the Phocaean club was not competing in any European cups at the time. Nevertheless, the French international was swayed by Marseille, despite having the opportunity to join none other than Real Madrid. Indeed, during Rabiot’s strong performance at the World Cup with the French national team, a Spanish journalist highlighted on social media: « Rabiot had no team on August 30, 2024. Ancelotti wanted to sign him ». Despite Carlo Ancelotti’s clear interest in bringing him to the Spanish capital, Adrien Rabiot ultimately bypassed Real Madrid to head for OM instead.
« I just went for it boldly »
At Olympique de Marseille, it was Medhi Benatia who orchestrated Adrien Rabiot’s unexpected arrival. The former sporting director for the Marseillais club reflected on this significant coup, explaining the circumstances: « Adrien, when I brought him in, the transfer window was already closed, but we could make a joker transfer. Because he was a free agent at that moment; he hadn’t extended his contract with Juventus. He had many options, but for various reasons, he hadn’t reached an agreement anywhere. I had followed the entire transfer market, seeing where he might go, and honestly, I just went for it boldly. » Benatia continued, describing Rabiot’s passion for the game: « When you know Adri, he’s passionate about football, he’s a guy who gives everything. So, when I called him, I thought, at worst he says no, I have nothing to lose. But if it works… » And it did work. « He called me back 24 hours later. I said to him: “Adri, my man, I gave you 48 hours, not 24 hours. Are you sure you’ve thought it through?” He replied: “No, no, I’ve thought about it. I’ll give you my mother’s number, call her, and you can start.” I said: “Don’t worry, I already have everything. I just want you to tell me if…” He told me: “No, it’s good, for me, it’s how you spoke to me about football. It’s settled, I want to come.” »
