OM loses Joseph Yegba Maya, fifth-best goalscorer in club history

Joseph Yegba Maya, one of the first great goalscorers in Olympique de Marseille’s history, died on October 4, 2024, at the age of 82. The Stade Vélodrome paid tribute to him on Sunday during the reception of Le Havre in Ligue 1, with a minute’s applause observed by supporters present.

Arriving in France at age 16 in 1960 to work as a mechanic for the SNCF, Yegba Maya was then playing as an amateur for Gallia Chutes-Lavie, a club from the Phocaean district of the same name. Spotted by OM during a reserve match, he joined the professional club in 1962 and quickly established himself as the reference striker for the Marseille side during the 1960s.

In eight seasons wearing the OM shirt, “Zé” scored 113 goals in 236 matches, actively participating in the beginning of the Marcel Leclerc era. His most notable achievement remains the 1966 Coupe de France: against Girondins de Bordeaux, he scored the second goal in a victory that gave OM their sixth title in the competition’s history, in a team then led by Jean Djorkaeff. Transferred in 1970 as part of an exchange with Daniel Leclercq — future manager of RC Lens, French champions in 1998 — he missed the French championship titles of 1971 and 1972.

His individual record at the club places him fifth among OM’s greatest goalscorers in Division 1 history, behind Gunnar Andersson, Josip Skoblar, Jean-Pierre Papin and Emmanuel Aznar.

On the international stage, Yegba Maya earned 25 caps and 10 goals with Cameroon. He was part of the Indomitable Lions at the 1972 Coupe d’Afrique des Nations, where the Cameroonian side finished third. “The role of a centre-forward is not to play to entertain the crowd,” he told L’Équipe in 1973. “The centre-forward as I conceive it disarticulates a defence and moves constantly. You shouldn’t see him often, but when you notice him, he makes an impact!”