Adrien Rabiot has hit back at the reports and comments that suggested a lot of violence was involved in his disagreement with Jonathan Rowe at Marseille.
It was after Marseille’s opening game in the 2025-26 season that Rabiot and Rowe got into things in the locker room, following a 1-0 defeat against Stade Rennes. Players had to come between the two and things were, according to reports, rather chaotic at that moment.
Roberto De Zerbi, who is the manager of Marseille, even said it was like a ‘bar fight’ and that he had never seen something like that in his footballing career (via BBC). Rabiot, however, sees things very differently and made that clear in an interview.
Rabiot responds
Speaking to Telefoot (see the video below), Rabiot shared his side of the story and criticised the French side for not telling the truth. A lot of negative headlines were written about him in the aftermath, so one can definitely understand his frustration.
“I’m sad of course, because it shouldn’t have ended like that. It’s incomprehension that reigns, because the decision is incomprehensible to everyone. All the people I’ve spoken to, no one understood. And I didn’t understand myself.

“What bothered me is that they didn’t tell the truth about me. I’ve never been a violent person. People know me. Everyone can testify to that.
“I simply don’t want them to give a bad image of me, but that’s football life, life in general. We don’t always control everything,” he stated.
For Milan, the incident resulted in something good as they were able to convince Marseille to sell the midfielder. Indeed, Rabiot has been a key player for the Rossoneri so far, showcasing his quality and experience.
🎙️ Adrien Rabiot s’exprime sur son départ brutal de l’OM à la fin du mercato.
🎥 @telefoot_TF1 / @YassinNfaouipic.twitter.com/95mS4GL9tY
— 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐢 (@Vincent_1393) October 12, 2025