Robert Louis-Dreyfus Trophy

Lore & Background

The inaugural edition of the Robert Louis-Dreyfus Trophy was played on August 1, 2010, between hosts Marseille and Valencia CF, who had ended third in the 2009–10 La Liga season. A solitary goal from Hatem Ben Arfa saw Marseille triumph 1–0. The competition did not take place between 2011 and 2014 because of ongoing renovations to the Stade Vélodrome.

The second and final edition was played on August 1, 2015, a week before the 2015-16 Ligue 1 season began. Marseille hosted reigning Serie A champions and UEFA Champions League runners-up Juventus and won the match 2-0 thanks to goals by Romain Alessandrini and Abdelaziz Barrada. The tournament was discontinued after two editions.

Reader's Guide

The Robert Louis-Dreyfus Trophy was a short-lived summer exhibition tournament created by Olympique de Marseille to honor their former majority shareholder, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, who died in 2009. Though only two editions were played, the competition brought notable European opponents to Marseille: Valencia in 2010 and Juventus in 2015. Both matches ended in 1–0 and 2–0 victories for the hosts, respectively. The tournament's hiatus from 2011 to 2014 was due to renovations at the Stade Vélodrome, and after the 2015 edition it was not revived. While the trophy did not become a recurring fixture, it served as a commemorative gesture and a pre-season test for Marseille against high-caliber clubs. The goalscorers—Hatem Ben Arfa, Romain Alessandrini, and Abdelaziz Barrada—are recorded as the only players to score in the competition's history.

Did You Know?

• The trophy was named after Robert Louis-Dreyfus, a majority shareholder of Olympique de Marseille who died of leukemia on July 4, 2009.
• The inaugural edition in 2010 featured Marseille and Valencia CF, with a single goal by Hatem Ben Arfa deciding the match.
• The tournament was not held between 2011 and 2014 due to ongoing renovations to the Stade Vélodrome.