Émile DAHAN

Emile Dahan was an Algerian-born defender, who started his footballing journey, aged 10, with Club Athlétique et Liberté d'Oran. In the middle of the Second World War, he benefitted from the famous recruitment arm of Olympique de Marseille to join the South Coast team. Between 1942 and 1950, he would be a lynchpin in the Marseille team. He would make 205 appearances for the team, notably lifting the French Cup in 1943, and earning a Championship winner's medal in the French First Division in 1948. Having spent eight seasons with Marseille, he joined SO Montpellier in 1950, where he would spend two seasons playing in the Second Division. He subsequently moved on to play for Strasbourg, with whom he would achieve promotion to the First Division in 1953, after a promotion play-off victory against... Stade Rennais. Six months later, he would sign for Stade Rennais (in January 1954.) Right-Back by trade, he would established himself as first choice at the expense of Jacques Poulain, and made 17 appearances in a Rennes shirt. He decided thereafter to end his career as a professional footballer, at the end of the 1953/1954 season, and returned to his native Algeria, where he would spend a season with Saint-Eugène d'Alger. He would later return to France, and took on roles as Player/Manager with FC Gap, and then with Aiglons de Brive, before coaching Montargis and Vichy. Sadly he passed away very young, on 29th December 1961, aged just 40, in his beloved Marseille.