Style of play, style of club, style of city? Sentimental education and mark of urban belonging through football in Marseille and elsewhere

A football team’s style of play, which would be analogous to that of the community it represents, is a largely imaginary category, but one that makes sense for many supporters. This stereotypical and long-term image can fade away or resurface depending on the vicissitudes of the club’s history. We evoke these ups and downs of the legend of the style of Olympique de Marseille and compare these inflections, in recent decades, with those of the teams of Nantes and Saint-Étienne.