The Profile
Chris's story, told with respect to the facts.
Chris Waddle is one of only a handful of British players in the last fifty years to have made a proper, successful career in a foreign top-flight league, and Marseille in the late 1980s and early 1990s was about as top-flight as European football got. Three league titles, a European Cup final, and a reputation for the kind of dribbling that made crowds stand up before he had even got to the edge of the box.
For England, he is most remembered for the penalty that missed in the 1990 World Cup semi-final, but that is the wrong memory. The right memory is the 50-yard runs against Belgium in the round of 16, the early pass against Cameroon, the goal at Marseille against Real Madrid. The penalty is a footnote to a career that should be celebrated on its own terms.
Post-retirement, he managed non-league football at Burnley for a short spell and then moved into broadcasting, primarily for BBC Radio Five Live, where his summarising is some of the most thoughtful in the British game. He pauses before he speaks. He talks about technique in a way that only someone who had technique of his order can. He is, without ever trying to be, one of the most listenable voices in football media.
“At Marseille, the fans would chant your name before you had done anything. You had to be good, because they had already decided you were.”
Career highlights
- Three Ligue 1 titles with Olympique Marseille
- European Cup finalist 1991 with Marseille
- 62 England caps, 6 goals
- FWA Footballer of the Year, 1993
- Second place, Ballon d'Or, 1989
- BBC Radio Five Live football analyst
First hand
Chris Waddle at Steam
Chris spoke at Steam in November 2025 and the Marseille stories alone justified the ticket. He also turned out to be one of the most understated and funny speakers we have ever had.