Chris Waddle has hailed the ‘amazing story’ of Brighton & Hove Albion as the Seagulls prepare to face his former club Marseille in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Waddle, affectionately known as ‘Magic Chris’ by Marseille fans, won three successive Ligue 1 titles at the Stade Velodrome and has been voted the club’s second greatest player of all time behind legendary striker Jean-Pierre Papin.
He also appeared in a European Cup final for a club that has grown used to playing in the continent’s elite competitions, but it has been the progress of the Albion which has caught his eye in recent seasons.
“I’ve been very impressed with Brighton these past five, six, seven years,” he said. “When my old Spurs teammate Chris Hughton went in, something started to happen, and it’s gone from strength to strength.
“The scouting system is second to none, the stadium is nice, and the team play some lovely football, which they have done for a number of years. Where they are now, playing in Europe, it’s a long way from the Goldstone and Withdean days, and that’s down to the club being very well run off the pitch. It’s an amazing story.”
Waddle will be absent from the Amex Stadium, due to the game falling on his 63rd birthday, but had he ventured south tonight, there’s no doubt the former winger would have been the centre of attention among a Marseille fanbase that still hold him in the highest regard.
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“I don’t go back as often as I should, but when I do, I still get that hero worship and it feels like I’ve never been away,” he added. “When I played for Marseille, I used to communicate with the fans a lot; even when I was on the pitch, I was having a laugh and a joke, and had a great rapport with them as a result.
“While it was pretty chaotic off the pitch, with everyone wanting a piece of you, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Marseille was a special time in my footballing life and it would just be nice for the fans to sample those great days again. For me, Marseille are a club that should always be in the Champions League and always competing for the French league title.”
To read much more from Chris, make sure you purchase our bumper 84-page souvenir edition matchday programme against Marseille, available at the stadium on the night or online at https://shop.brightonandhovealbion.com/gifts/souvenirs/programmes/