Mercado

The romance did not last long. However, this player turned down several club approaches with the sole aim of being able to commit to Olympique de Marseille. This was his third French club after two other experiences over ten years ago. During this time, he built a good reputation abroad, making him particularly sought after in the transfer market, notably by Olympique de Marseille in winter 2017.

«Corinthians had contacted me, but I decided to return to France and play for Marseille»

Now 44 years old and retired since 2018 after a lackluster stint at West Ham, Patrice Evra recently revealed in an interview that he had rejected advances from top Brazilian football clubs in order to say yes to OM. «Have you ever been close to negotiating a transfer to a Brazilian club at some point in your career? Yes, I had a few requests when I was playing for Juventus. I think Corinthians had contacted me, but I decided to return to France and play for Marseille.«

«I remember when LA Galaxy wanted to recruit me, but it never crossed my mind»

The former left-back of AS Monaco and OGC Nice notably, along with a successful spell in England and over two years at Juventus, Patrice Evra also stated that he did not respond favorably to the calls from the Major League Soccer and Los Angeles Galaxy to join Olympique de Marseille. «Have you ever considered joining the MLS later in your career? If not, why? I remember when the LA Galaxy wanted to recruit me, but it never crossed my mind. I returned to Marseille, then went to West Ham. I prefer European football. I like to travel, but for me, it wasn’t the right time to go to the United States. I didn’t want to play just for money or for fun, I still wanted to win trophies. I don’t blame players who go to the United States or Saudi Arabia. If they had offered me the same salary today, back when I was playing, I might have changed my mind.»«