Marseille's revival: the sleeping giant waking up in Ligue 1

Signs of life

French football's most tribal club has spent a decade lurching from crisis to crisis, but the noise coming from the Stade Vélodrome this season is different: it is the sound of a giant waking up.

A patient rebuild has finally given Marseille what they have lacked for years — a settled spine, a coherent identity and a coach whose football the city has fallen for.

The results have followed: a title challenge that has lasted deep into the season and the unmistakable sense that the league's old rivalry with Paris has found its heartbeat again.

• The club's best start to a season in a decade
• The Vélodrome's average attendance back among Europe's top ten
• A first genuine title challenge since the last title win

This city does not want a team that merely competes. It wants a team that dares.