When Nayef Aguerd signed for Olympique de Marseille at the beginning of September, nobody expected him to be wearing the captain’s armband just a few weeks later.

The Moroccan international arrived from West Ham in a €23 million transfer, brought in by Roberto De Zerbi to strengthen a defence that lacked leadership and composure.

Fast forward to late October and Aguerd was already at the heart of the Vélodrome project — both literally and symbolically. With Leonardo Balerdi, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all missing from the starting lineup, De Zerbi turned to his new centre-back to lead the team out for an important Ligue 1 match against Lens.

Captain for a night but not satisfied

Against Lens, Aguerd was again solid at the back, even as OM lost 2–1. The symbolism of him captaining Marseille so soon after arriving wasn’t lost on everyone but for Aguerd it meant nothing in the wake of defeat.

“I try to give something extra, to help the team. The coach chose me. It’s a shame about the match. I don’t care about being captain, I just wanted to win tonight,” he said afterwards, visibly annoyed.

Aguerd’s impact has been immediate at Marseille. Calm on the ball, vocal in organising the back line and precise in his distribution, he’s already a key man in De Zerbi’s high-possession game. His 93,8% pass completion rate and aerial dominance makes him one of Marseille’s most consistent players since he arrived.

Just a few weeks earlier he had made headlines by scoring the winner in Marseille’s 1–0 win over Paris Saint-Germain, ending a 14-year wait for a home win over their biggest rivals. That night his leadership was already written all over the performance even without the armband.