By Olympique de Marseille’s sporting director Medhi Benatia has praised the U18s for reaching the final of the Coupe Gambardella in a victory over Stade de Reims.
The U18s tournament has been a priority for Marseille over the past few seasons with the club reaching their second-ever final in 2017 which they lost to Montpellier HSC. However, the recent focus on the academy system has finally begun to pay dividends for the club.
This saw Gaël Lafont (17) and Raimane Daou (19) make their first team debuts for Marseille in the Europa League quarter-final against Benfica. They were admittedly inclusions influenced by an injury crisis, but their performances showed that they were at least ready to step in when necessary.
Bilal Nadir (20) looked to be blazing the trail for the Marseille academy earlier in the season as he was slowly eased into the first team before suffering an ACL tear that ended his campaign in his third start for the club.
Benatia speaking to La Provence explained the meaning behind the final, “It’s huge because it proves the work that’s been done behind it. We have often repeated that for the president it is something very important. We also see it reflected in the first team, this year, quite a few players have given us great services, and that will continue.”
