Marius Trésor

Marius Trésor
Trésor with France in 1974
Personal information
Full name Marius Paul Trésor
Date of birth (1950-01-15) 15 January 1950
Place of birth Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe, France
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position Defender
Youth career
1958–1969 Juventus de Sainte-Anne
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1969–1972 Ajaccio 92 (1)
1972–1980 Marseille 253 (8)
1980–1984 Bordeaux 93 (3)
Total 438 (12)
International career
1971–1983 France 65 (4)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Marius Paul Trésor (French pronunciation: [maʁjys pɔl tʁezɔʁ]; born 15 January 1950) is a French former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation.

Early life and education

Marius Paul Trésor[2] was born on 15 January 1950 in Courcelles, municipality of Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe.[1] His father, named Solange Geneviève, was a foreman in the large neighboring sugar cane plantation. His mother Laetitia Trésor was a seasonal worker, employed to collect and assemble the already cut cane: she raised the little Marius alone.[3] Marius Paul, a rebellious child, hated studies, but, obeying his mother’s injunctions, he obtained his middle school certificate or "brevet". He always liked to tinker, and wished then to work as an electrician.

Between 12 and 13 years old, he began to participate in middle-distance races, et oftenly, he wins on 1500 or 2000 meters.[4] His first training club was Juventus Sainte Anne.[5] He learned the art of tackling at 15 years old, by analyzing, like an electrical diagram, the photographs of Charles Alfred and Kaelbel published in the magazine Miroir Sprint.[6] At 16 years old, this longiligne athlete ran the 250 meters in 29 seconds.[7] Besides football on the field or on the beach, he also began the practice of cycling and tried athletics. At 17 years old, he patiently observed the soccer ball teaching courses of a Guadeloupian father who has returned from metropolitan France, for his son.[8]

The economic situation of his West Indian island seemed blocked to him: there were no good jobs, and leaving Guadeloupe was the only way out. He planned to advance his military service, so a recruit in the French army, he would not depend on his mother’s work.[9] Which did not prevent him, by ideal of justice at 17 years old, from joining the Communist Party of Guadeloupe, which showed a willingness to participate in the struggle for civil rights and economic emancipation of black Americans[10]

At 19 years old, the proposal of a club of Ajaccio, initially refused in secret by the leaders of its training club, offers him a plane ticket to the island of beauty.

Career

Trésor's professional career began with the French club Ajaccio in 1969: a young forward and champion of Guadeloupe in 1968–69 with Juventus Sainte Anne, he made his debut as a substitute in the 69th minute of the match Valenciennes–Ajaccio on 23 November 1969, replacing Tomei.[11] Eight weeks later, his coach Alberto Muro decided to make the best use of this athletic mass in central defense.[12] He then played for Marseille from 1972 before signing with Bordeaux in 1980.[13] With Marseille Trésor won the 1975–76 Coupe de France against Lyon (score 2–0), and with Bordeaux he obtained the 1983–84 French Division 1 title. Having recovered poorly from injuries, he stopped his career at the end of 1984.

At the end of 1971, Trésor was surprised to receive a first call-up to the France national team led by Georges Boulogne. He participated in the internship in Saint-Malo and immediately obtained his first selection on 4 December 1971, during the match between Bulgaria and France, lost 2–1 in Sofia at the Vasil Levski Stadium.[14] For the France national team, Trésor, essential central defender and moreover captain since 1976, after the withdrawal of Jean Michel Larqué, played in the World Cup in 1978 and 1982. He obtained 65 international caps, scoring four goals.

Recognition

Trésor is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, and as one of France's greatest ever defenders.[15][16][17]

He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.[18]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League
Division Apps Goals
Ajaccio 1969–70 Division 1 12 0
1970–71 33 0
1971–72 38 1
1972–73 9 0
Total 92 1
Marseille 1972–73 Division 1 24 1
1973–74 38 0
1974–75 37 1
1975–76 38 1
1976–77 22 1
1977–78 35 4
1978–79 25 0
1979–80 34 0
Total 253 8
Bordeaux 1980–81 Division 1 25 0
1981–82 37 2
1982–83 19 0
1983–84 12 1
Total 93 3
Career total 438 12

International goals

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Trésor goal.[19]
List of international goals scored by Marius Trésor
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 October 1974 Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen, Germany  West Germany 1–2 1–2 Friendly
2 30 June 1977 Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  Brazil 2–2 2–2 Friendly
3 7 October 1978 Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg  Luxembourg 2–0 3–1 Euro 1980 qualification
4 8 July 1982 Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville, Spain  West Germany 2–1 3–3 (4–5 on penalties) 1982 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Marseille

Bordeaux

Individual

Orders

Quotations

On the necessary rigor in defense and existence of space for creativity and freedom left to the attack, in soccer ball[27] :

  • The defender’s responsibility is greater than that of the attacker. The slightest mistake is not forgiven, especially during the final minutes of the match. It follows that the attack, on the other hand, more free and creative remains better favored than defense.

On soccer team solidarity and his victory in the French Cup with OM in 1976

  • If we won the cup in 1976, it’s because of the excellent atmosphere that prevailed in the team. We really formed a supportive and unwavering band among players[28]

Marius Trésor's analysis and intelligence of game available in two sports, rugby and Association football, which come from the same origin.[29]

  • The rugby game is developed around a large number of static phases. These call for precise combinations that it is up to the field captain to command. On the other hand, soccerball sport is much more moving or fluid, more elusive. The strategic influence of the captain in rugby is exerted in a concrete way, linked to the nature of this sport, which brings another collective dimension. The aggressiveness of the players marks rugby, insofar as this necessary common activity is channeled and not provoked (...) Soccerball favors more the excess of individualism than rugby. It is rare that the players of a soccerball team are in unison on a goal to achieve

To denounce ordinary racism and other stupid differentiation

  • I am pleased that a great player scores a thousand goals in his career: But, whether he is black or white, yellow or red (...), it’s all the same.[30]

On the anticipated shortness of a sports career, associated with a professional conscience.

  • On a choisi un métier qui dure une quinzaine d'année (We chose a profession that lasts about fifteen years)[31].

On his love of snow and winter resort sports :

  • I would have liked there to be snow in Guadeloupe, my beloved island of birth.[32]

Discography

Kindly harassed by two music producers in the mid-70s, Marius Trésor, then an OM player and known for being occasionally a singer with a beautiful voice, finally recorded an album or disc 45 rpm in 1978 entitled Sacré Marius / Dans la vie faut rigoler, containing the following listening tracks : Sacré Marius (Sacred Marius), Parle-moi (Talk To Me), Maracana, Mon tout petit (My Little One), Droit au but (Straight to the Goal), Dans la vie faut rigoler (In Life You Have to Laugh), Le rire à Marius (The Laughter of Marius), Le reggae du soleil (Reggae Of The Sun), Tous les enfants du monde (All The Children Of The World), Avec la tête et les pieds (With The Head And The Feet).[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "Marius Trésor". L'Équipe (in French). Paris. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur" [National Order of the Legion of Honour]. Official Journal of the French Republic (in French) (88): 1131. 12 April 1984. ISSN 0373-0425.
    Access via first download link at foot of summary page: "Décret du 10 avril 1984 portant nomination a titre exceptionnel a l'ordre national de la legion d'honneur" [Decree of 10 April 1984 appointing on an exceptional basis to the National Order of the Legion of Honour]. Légifrance (in French). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  3. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 16. Marius later claimed to have never seen his father at his maternal home.
  4. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 54
  5. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, Tresor digest, p. 124.
  6. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 65.
  7. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 58. This fact explains his prompt transition from "cadet" to "senior" team.
  8. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 65.
  9. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 51.
  10. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 51.
  11. ^ The final score between Valenciennes and Ajaccio is 2–1. Gérard Ernault, ibidem, Tresor digest, p. 124.
  12. ^ In 1969, at nineteen years old, the forward Marius measured 1,82 m for 72 kg. The subsequent muscle development makes him take on a sprinting physiognomy. In 1972, during a training in Saint-Malo, a standing start without starting blocks, he swallowed 60 meters in 6.9 seconds. In 1978, his form weight now approached 78 kg. Gérard Ernault, ibidem, p. 58.
  13. ^ "Fédération Française de Football". fff.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  14. ^ Gérard Ernault, ibidem, page 25, paragraph "La vie en bleu" (Life In Blue), page 73-83 - in particular p. 75- and final score cited Tresor digest, p. 124. Photography p. 74 with the French captain Djorkaïeff
  15. ^ Y tresor el mejor "libero" [And Tresor the best "libero"], web: Goles Mundial, June 1978, Issue #1538, 1978, retrieved 13 March 2023
  16. ^ Tom Hancock (27 November 2023). "The best defenders of the 80s". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  17. ^ "The Top Ranked Soccer Defenders of the 1970s". ainsworthsports.com. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  18. ^ "FIFA names top 100 players". Oceania Football Confederation. 5 March 2004. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  19. ^ Football PLAYER: Marius Trésor
  20. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, Tresor digest, p. 124. Marseille beats Lyon two to nought (2-0). The victorious Olympic Marseille team in 4/3/3 : Gérard Migeon (goalkeeper) / Lemée, Zvunka, Trésor, Bracci / Buigues, Fernandez, Nogues then Martinez / Boubacar, Yazalde, Bereta.
  21. ^ L'Album des Girondins 1936-2006, edition Sud-Ouest, 2006, Année 1984.
  22. ^ "Ballon d'argent" de Football Magazine in 1972 and 1973. This "silver ball" or "Ballon d'argent" rewards the best French footballer of the year. Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, Tresor digest, p. 124.
  23. ^ "Sport 1977". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Sport 1978". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  25. ^ ""Onze Mondial" Awards". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Eric Batty's World XI's – The Eighties and Nineties". Beyond The Last Man. 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  27. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, chapter "Libération d'un libero" p. 60-72. In particular, p. 60-61, p. 67 and 71.
  28. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 93.
  29. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, Proposals of Marius Trésor to be found on page 109.
  30. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 44-45.
  31. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 37.
  32. ^ Gérard Ernault, TRESOR, opus cited, p. 23.
  33. ^ Disque 45 tours "Sacré Marius", 1978. Songs composed by Daniel Savastano et Gérard Tempesti.

Bibliography

  • Gérard Ernault, TRESOR sans peur et sans reproche, collection "Médailles d'or" (Gold medals) directed by Edouard Seidler, Calmann-Lévy, 1976, 125 pages. ISBN 2-7021-0162-3 (Libero Marius Trésor without fear and reproach)
  • Marius Trésor with Denis Granjou, Au-delà de mes rêves (Autobiographie), City Editions, Clamecy, 2021, 238 pages. ISBN 9782824618746 (Memoirs of Marius Trésor, entitled Beyond my dreams)

Videography

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