41-year-old Spaniard Javier Ribalta was appointed director of football for Olympique de Marseille this weekend.
He knows Pablo Longoria very well, having already worked with him in Italy, notably at Juventus Turin.
Javier Ribalta went to several big European clubs such as Milan, Juve, Manchester United or Zenit Saint Petersburg, where he found young players with high potential, but also more experienced players.
Pablo Longoria continues to weave his web within Olympique de Marseille.
A little over a year after being appointed to the presidency, with the success that we know since OM will return to the Champions League, Pablo Longoria is working this summer on the restructuring of the club.
He appointed Javier Ribalta as director of football this weekend, a position he held before succeeding Jacques-Henri Eyraud.
And it's anything but a surprise, as the two Spaniards look alike, know each other and appreciate each other, beyond being of the same generation.
“He knows Longoria from before Juventus, when they met in Italy.
At Juve, he worked under Fabio Paratici who appreciated him very much, as Longoria appreciates him.
He's a good choice for Marseille, it's work, skill, network, seriousness, I think it's a real added value for Marseille and a man of confidence for Longoria.
And we know that in this environment you have to work with people in whom you have absolute confidence ”, confides to
20 Minutes
the agent Yvan Le Mée, who knew Javier Ribalta during the signing of Mario Lemina in Turin.
The reformed Pablo Longoria-Javier Ribalta “tandem”
At the time of Juventus, Javier Ribalta made several nice moves, such as the free signing of Paul Pogba from Manchester United, that of Dani Alves from Barça, or that of Kingsley Coman, at the end of his contract with the center of PSG training.
Before working with Pablo Longoria.
“During his time at Juventus Turin, from 2015 to 2017, Javier was able to team up with Pablo Longoria by forming a duo combining modernity, methodology and experience in the field of recruitment.
Reunited again [with him], this time at the direction of the Marseille club, the Spanish leader will be responsible for overseeing the entire sports policy of the club, ”explains OM in a press release.
The two Spaniards also share the same journey, with a start at the bottom of the ladder, before being quickly propelled into professional clubs and spinning in Italy.
Javier Ribalta tells Marca that he observed all the matches played in Catalonia every weekend, which allowed him at 27 to become sporting director of a Segunda B club, Unio Esportiva MiApuesta Castelldefels.
It was in this position that he befriended Mauro Pederzoli, Liverpool's scouting manager between 2007 and 2008, based in Catalonia.
As the CleenSheet site tells, the Italian hired Javier Ribalta the following summer, in 2008, as a Torino scout.
It was the start of a meteoric rise to the biggest European clubs.
Young people to develop and experienced players
“He worked for several prestigious clubs such as AC Milan, Manchester United and Juventus Turin.
He recently held the position of sports director at Zenit St. Petersburg then technical director at Parma Calcio 1913 until June, ”recalls OM.
With fluctuating success.
His move to Juve is a success, that to Manchester United much less.
But Javier Ribalta knows how to bounce back quickly and goes to Zenit, which regains the title of Russian champion shortly after his arrival.
“He is able to do as at Zenit and work on experienced players, but he knows how to find young talents, he has worked a lot with young people to develop.
In Parma, he pointed to Ange-Yoan Bonny from Châteauroux, they signed him with FIFA compensation.
Everything he told us in terms of playing time, they respected it.
Parma is not nothing, but they made him play fifteen games this season when the player is only 18 years old.
It allowed him to return to the France U19 team.
They did a very good job with him, I was happy to have worked with them, ”underlines the agent.
“It will relieve Longoria”
What arouse the interest of several clubs, Tottenham would have also strongly probed after his departure from Parma, but it was finally in Marseille that he signed.
“He is someone who is in high demand.
He is a humble person, who does not take himself for another.
A worker, someone organized, who has a good feeling about football and about the choices.
He speaks four languages and has traveled to several countries.
He won't have any acclimatization problems in Marseille, even if we know that in Marseille, it's special.
Marseille takes skill and it will relieve Longoria.
He has a good connection with players abroad, in Italy, Spain or South America, because of what the boy has already accomplished in his professional world, ”said Yvan Le Mée.
Olympique de Marseille also announced the promotion of David Frioo, "present at OM since 2020 as technical director", and now "appointed sports director", responsible for ensuring "the relationship between management and the group professional as well as the management of the scouting teams”.
Training, the other summer project of President Pablo Longoria.
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