Max Charbit


Max Nessim Charbit was a French footballer who played as a midfielder for Olympique de Marseille, Saint-Étienne, and Nice in the 1930s. He also played four matches for the French national team in 1934 and 1935.

Playing career

Club career

Born on 17 June 1908 in Sig, Algeria, Charbi began his career in the youth ranks of in 1918, aged 10, remaining at the club for nearly a decade, until 1927, when he joined Stade Marocain. In 1930, he went to, with whom he won the Moroccan football league in 1931. A few months later, in January 1932, he was signed by Olympique de Marseille.
Together with Emile Zermani, Vilmos Kohut, and the Conchy brothers, he was a member of the great OM team of the mid-1930s, which achieved a runner-up finish in the 1932–33 French Division 1 and reached back-to-back Coupe de France finals in 1934 and 1935, losing the former to Sète, but then captaining his side to a 3–0 win over Rennes in the latter. The following day, the journalists of the French newspaper L'Auto stated that "he stood out in the second half for his finesse", while the journalists of Match l'intran stated that he was "sure in his interventions and his passes", assisting Charles Roviglione for the opening goal.
Charbit stayed at OM for three years, from 1932 until 1935, scoring one goal in 86 official matches. He then joined Ligue 2 team Saint-Étienne, with whom he also played for four years, until 1939, playing a total of 152 league matches for both OM and Saint-Étienne. Following a six-year hiatus during World War II, he returned to football in 1945, joining EP Manosque, with whom he played for six years, until 1951, except for a brief stint at GSC Marseille in 1950.

International career

On 11 March 1934, the 25-year-old Charbit made his international debut for France in a friendly match against Switzerland at the Parc des Princes in Paris, which ended in a 1–0 loss. The following day, the journalists of the French newspaper L'Auto stated that he "marked Bossi well and served Aston well" and added that "he was the best in the first half, but less brilliant after the break". In total, he earned four international cap between 1934 and 1935.

Death

Charbit died in Manosque on 14 February 2001, at the age of 92.

Honours

;Stade Marocain
;Olympique de Marseille