In the 1993 UEFA Champions League final, Marseille faced AC Milan for the title, with the former securing a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from defender Basile Boli. In an interview with MilanNews, Boli looked back on that match and discussed related topics.
On his winning goal
“That goal may have changed my life, but it didn’t change my friendship with Paolo Maldini. Maldini is an incredible person, and we’re still best friends. However, that goal changed the history of French football because it was the first time a French club won the Champions League. Milan and Inter had won it multiple times (ten times combined), while Marseille only won once—but that victory changed our lives forever. Do I think about that goal every night? No, thank you (laughs).”
On Marseille being the underdogs
"Beating that Milan team was like beating Paris Saint-Germain today—they were one of the best teams in the world back then. Coached by Arrigo Sacchi, Milan had the Dutch trio of Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, and Frank Rijkaard, plus outstanding Italian players. It was an extraordinary team with superstars like Roberto Donadoni and Carlo Ancelotti."
On the match being van Basten’s last official game
"It’s a pity that I was the last one to tackle him. Back then, van Basten was Milan’s strongest player. Sigh... I should have avoided that tackle; I really didn’t expect what happened afterwards."
On what made van Basten unique
"Van Basten combined elegance, power, and intelligence. At the same time, he was fearless on the pitch! To be honest, in my opinion, van Basten was in a league of his own."
On claims that Marseille president Bernard Tapie fixed the match
"What we achieved was a myth, truly! Besides, it was Silvio Berlusconi who had a strong squad and was accused of cheating. It’s impossible to say the final was fixed because Berlusconi was far richer than Tapie..."
