Swede Gunnar Andersson conquered the public in the 1950s but another Scandinavian arrrived on the Canebière 10 years later. Roger Magnusson. During time with OM, Magnusson , un inoubliable buteurdazzled thanks to his talent. An Olympien for six seasons (1968-1974), the Swede left an indelible mark in the history of the club and his many exploits are still told today.
Born in Montéras, Sweden on 20 March, 1945, Magnusson began his career in Blomstemata, the local team. He was then recruited by Swedish club Atvidabergs. He went to Brazil for a training course in Flamengo. The leaders of Juventus spotted him, buy him and loan it to FC Cologne because of the regulation of foreign players in Italy. He remained for a season in Germany then returned to the "Old Lady".
JULY 12 1970
He then played only European Cup matches and Marcel Leclerc recruited him on loan in the 1968 off-season. He definitively joined OM on 12 July 1970 for 200 million lire, or 630,000 francs, while Juventus received an offer from Feyenoord, but the right winger felt good on the Canebière.
The Swede then demonstrated all his talent to OM. He played his first league game with OM on 3 September 1968 against Bordeaux at the Stade Vélodrome (3-3). A very technical and excellent dribbler, Magnusson was immediately adopted by the Marseille fans. He was even named best foreign player of first division in 1969. When played on the right side, the attacker was capable of exploits with disconcerting ease, eliminating his opponents one after the other. The ball hung on his feet and passed from one shoe to another with a speed that completely destabilized the opponent.
THE BLOND ANGEL
Nicknamed "the blond angel", he is one of the artisans of the victory in the 1969 Coupe de France, then his association with Josip Skoblar worked wonders and allowed OM to win the championship in 1971 and the double Championship in 1972. Magnusson's magical crosses allowed Skoblar to score 44 league goals in the 1970-1971 season. The Swedish international (14 caps, 3 goals) stood out especially in the final of the Coupe de France in 1972 against SEC Bastia (2-1). OM scored the two goals to win.
A favorite in the Vélodrome stadium, Roger Magnusson scored 23 goals in 157 games in Blue and White. The arrival of Salif Keïta pushed the Swede to the bench, complicating his situation at OM. Roger was now a substitute because OM could not field more than two foreigners on the team. Magnusson soon left the south of France in 1974 and joined the Red Star. He finished his career in Sweden where he moved successively to Helsingborgs and Landskrona boIS.
