‘I wanted to win the league’ – Jorge Sampaoli explains reason for Marseille departure

The former Olympique de Marseille manager Jorge Sampaoli has given a wide-ranging interview to L’Équipe , where he touched upon his sudden departure from a club that he had looked to transform. 

Sampoli arrived in a tumultuous situation midway through the 2020/21 season, pressure had been mounting on his predecessor André Villas-Boas, and the fans furious at poor results had stormed the training centre La Commanderie. 

“ La Commanderie burned down, a coach gone, and eleventh in the league ,” explained Sampaoli. However, his appointment marked the beginning of a dramatic turnaround, “ we took the next step, we qualified for the Europa league .” 

The next season, progress continued under the manager and they finished second in the league to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. However, Sampaoli was not satisfied playing second fiddle to his richer rivals, “ For me, the project from there had to be more ambitious. I wanted Marseille to win the league .” 

He continued, “ I didn’t want to be runners-up to PSG again… being second frustrates me, and maybe it was unattainable, but I wanted to aim higher. I wanted to win a European cup, and titles .”

The moment that Sampaoli considers to be the turning point for his time at the club was the appointment of Javier Ribalta as sporting director in June 2022. “ Marseille changed sporting directors, and then I understood that it would be very difficult, and that it was no longer the same project .”

Sampaoli left that summer, “ As I had a lot of affection and gratitude for the club, the president, and the owner too, I preferred to leave. I know myself, I’m obsessive and I would have been more frustrated than happy .” 

The key sticking point between the former manager and his