Maurice Gallay

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Maurice Gallay

| image = Maurice Gallay 1930 Stade Buffalo.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Gallay in 1930

| full_name =

| birth_name = Marius Gallay

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1902|12|25|df=y}}

| birth_place = Les Eaux-Vives, Geneva, Switzerland

| death_date = {{death date and age|1982|08|15|1902|12|25|df=y}}

| death_place = Marseille, France

| height =

| position = Forward

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 1921–1922 | clubs1 = FC Genève | caps1 = | goals1 =

| years2 = 1922–1923 | clubs2 = Servette | caps2 = | goals2 =

| years3 = 1923–1924 | clubs3 = Lyon OU | caps3 = | goals3 =

| years4 = 1924–1925 | clubs4 = Sète | caps4 = | goals4 =

| years5 = 1925–1934 | clubs5 = Olympique de Marseille | caps5 = | goals5 =

| nationalyears1 = 1926–1929

| nationalteam1 = France

| nationalcaps1 = 13

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| medaltemplates =

}}

Marius Gallay, better known as Maurice Gallay (25 December 1902 – 15 August 1982), was a French footballer who played as a defender for Olympique de Marseille and the French national team in the 1920s.

Club career

Born on 25 December 1902 in Les Eaux-Vives, Geneva, Gallay began his football career in the early 1920s, at his hometown clubs FC Genève and Servette, with whom he played until 1923, when he was signed by Lyon OU, and later by Sète, where he quickly stood out from the rest, so he was then signed by Olympique de Marseille in 1925, aged 23.{{cite web |url=https://www.fff.fr/equipe-nationale/joueur/6715-gallay-maurice/fiche.html |title=Maurice Gallay |language=fr |website=www.fff.fr |access-date=24 March 2025 }}{{cite web |url=https://om1899.com/joueurs.php?id=471 |title=Maurice Gallay |language=fr |website=om1899.com |access-date=24 March 2025 }}

File:L'Olympique de Marseille en mars 1926.jpg

Together with Ernest Clère, Jean Boyer, and Jules Dewaquez, Gallay was a member of the OM team coached by Victor Gibson that won back-to-back Coupe de France titles in 1926 and 1927. He started in both finals, beating Valentigney 4–1 in the former and scoring a goal in the latter to help his side to a 3–0 win over Quevilly.{{cite web |url=https://www.pari-et-gagne.com/equipe/equipe-marseille.html |title=Grandes Equipes del Olympique Marseille |trans-title=Great teams of Olympique Marseille |language=fr |website=www.pari-et-gagne.com |access-date=3 March 2025}}{{cite web |url=http://www.om4ever.com/CoupeFrance/1920/Coupe1925-1926.html |title=Saison 1925-1926 OM Vainqueur |trans-title=1925-1926 Season OM Winner |language=fr |website=www.om4ever.com |access-date=24 March 2025}}{{cite web |url=http://www.om4ever.com/CoupeFrance/1920/Coupe1926-1927.html |title=Saison 1926-1927 OM Vainqueur |trans-title=1926-1927 Season OM Winner |language=fr |website=www.om4ever.com |access-date=24 March 2025}} In the semifinals of the 1926 edition, Gallay helped OM keep a clean-sheet in a 5–0 victory over Stade Français, with the local press praising his "easy pace, bold dribbling attempts, and athletic build".{{cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k97881899/f208.image.r=gallay.zoom |title=L'Olympique de Marseille bat le Stade Français a Lyon et s'avère de nouveau grand favori de la Coupe de France |trans-title=Olympique de Marseille beat Stade Français in Lyon and once again become big favourites for the Coupe de France |language=fr |website=gallica.bnf.fr |publisher=Le Miroir des sports |page=208 |date=31 March 1926 |access-date=24 March 2025}}

Gallay also helped OM win the 1929 French Amateur Championship, beating Club Français 3–2 in the final on 28 April, partly thanks to his "formidable and successful work", providing a lot of good passes and support to the attacking line.{{cite web |url=http://www.om4ever.com/LeMatch/29OMClubFrancais.htm |title=Avril 1929, Finale du Championnat de France OM - Club Français 3 à 2 |trans-title=April 1929, French Championship Final OM - Club Français 3 to 2 |language=fr |website=www.om4ever.com |access-date=24 March 2025}} He remained loyal to OM for nine years, from 1925 to 1934, scoring 4 goals in 111 official matches. After leaving OM, Gallay played four seasons at Crédit Lyonnais Marseille, where he retired in 1938, at the age of 36.

International career

On 11 April 1926, the 23-year-old Gallay made his international debut for France in a friendly match against Belgium in Paris, helping his side to a 4–3 victory.{{cite web |url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=6477 |title=Maurice Gallay, international footballer |website=eu-football.info |access-date=24 March 2025 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/44182/Maurice_Gallay.html |title=Maurice Gallay (Player) |website=www.national-football-teams.com |access-date=24 March 2025 }} He scored his first (and only) goal for France in his third international appearance on 13 June 1926, a friendly against Yugoslavia, in which he also assisted to help his side to a 4–1 win; the following day, the journalists of the French newspaper L'Auto (the future L'Équipe) stated that he was "the best French left winger".{{cite web |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4684092x/f4.item.r=gallay.zoom |title=La France a battu hier la Yougoslavie |trans-title=France beat Yugoslavia yesterday |language=es |website=gallica.bnf.fr |publisher=L'Auto |page=4 |date=14 June 1926 |access-date=24 March 2025 }} After that, he earned a further 10 caps until 1929 for a total of 13.