Marseille's prolific forward and Ballon d'Or winner in 1991 whose volleys and acrobatic strikes became his trademark.
Jean-Pierre Papin was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1963 and began at Valenciennes (1984–86) and Club Brugge (1986–88) before Marseille (1988–1992). He won 4 consecutive Ligue 1 titles and reached the Champions League final in 1991 (lost to Red Star Belgrade on penalties) and 1993 (Marseille won, but later stripped). AC Milan paid a world record fee for a forward — £10 million — in 1992 but two seasons were disrupted by injury. Bayern Munich (1994–96) and Bordeaux (1996–98) followed. He earned 54 France caps scoring 30 goals. He won the Ballon d'Or in 1991 and the European Golden Boot twice (1988, 1989). His top speed of 29.7 km/h was adequate but his volleying technique — particularly his acrobatic strikes from acute angles, known as "Papinades" — was uniquely dangerous. He scored 346 career goals and 112 assists in 768 appearances. He was the top scorer in the French First Division 5 consecutive seasons from 1988 to 1992. His 30 goals in the 1990–91 Ligue 1 season remained a record for two decades.
Champions League 1993 finalist (Marseille)
Career Honours
- Champions League 1993 finalist (Marseille)
- Ligue 1 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992 (Marseille)
- Bundesliga 1994 (Bayern)
- European Golden Boot 1988, 1989
- Ballon d'Or 1991