Fans hail Taye Taiwo on Marseille Hall of Fame induction

Football fans have taken to social media to celebrate former Super Eagles defender Taye Taiwo’s induction into Olympique Marseille’s prestigious Club of Legends, The PUNCH reports.

The 39-year-old, who made 271 appearances for the French club between 2005 and 2011, scoring 25 goals with 23 assists, joins an elite group of footballers including Samir Nasri, Lori Cana, Mamadou Niang, Fabrizio Ravaneli and Paulo Cezar in Marseille’s hall of fame.

“Naija Represented. Taye Taiwo is in the house tonight as the former Olympien and Super Eagle is inducted into the #OMLegends club,” Olympique Marseille wrote on their official X English account.

“What a fantastic honour for Taye Taiwo! His contributions to Marseille and the Super Eagles will always be remembered. Cheers to the legends!” @viralvideoxr wrote on X.

Another fan, Engineer Bunmi, posted, “Wow, congratulations to him,” while @hot_ice234 added, “Naija to the world.”

The left-back enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with Les Phoceens, helping the club win the Ligue 1 title, League Cup, and French Super Cup before departing for AC Milan in 2011.

Known for his powerful left foot and attacking prowess from defence, Taiwo quickly became a fan favourite at the Stade Velodrome, where his thunderous free-kicks and long-range strikes earned him cult status among the Marseille faithful.

Taiwo, who retired from football in 2019 and has been living in France since then, is one of only four Nigerians to have played for Marseille, alongside Wilson Oruma, Joseph Yobo and Victor Agali.

The defender also enjoyed an impressive international career, making 54 appearances for the Super Eagles between 2004 and 2011 and scoring five goals, establishing himself as one of Nigeria’s finest left-backs of his generation.

His induction into Marseille’s Club of Legends recognises not just his statistical contributions but also his role in helping the club secure their first Ligue 1 title in 18 years during the 2009/10 season.

After leaving Marseille, he went on to feature for European giants AC Milan and had a stint in the English Premier League with Queens Park Rangers before ending his career in 2019.

French fans also joined in celebrating the Nigerian’s induction, with @issylesmoulineaux writing “Magnifique” with a tearful emoji.

The honour comes as recognition of Taiwo’s enduring legacy at Marseille, where he remains one of the most successful African players to have worn the club’s famous white jersey.