Young Marseille fan dribbles length of pitch to score from ceremonial kick-off (VIDEO)

A young Marseille fan made the most of his moment in the spotlight before his team’s game at the weekend, using the ceremonial kick-off to dribble the length of the pitch and score a memorable goal in front of the home fans.

The youngster was given the honor of conducting the ceremonial kick-off – a tradition in the French Ligue 1 – ahead of the clash between Marseille and Rennes at the Stade Velodrome.

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Instead of simply passing the ball to the waiting Marseille players, he set off on a run toward the Rennes goal before calmly slotting past away ‘keeper Tomas Koubek.

The youngster then whipped his shirt off before launching into a classic knee-slide celebration, topped off with a fist-pump into the camera.

The crowd roared their approval as the youngster tucked the ball away, while the assembled line-ups for both teams stood bewildered at the show of scoring prowess.

The fan was later named as Yassin, who lost his father in a car crash 10 years ago. He had been a big Marseille fan, and Yassin's goal was in honor of his tragic death. 

Yassin may well have taken his cue from a display by an older Marseille supporter back in September.

Charity fundraiser Kamel Zaroual performed a similar stunt before the game against Toulouse, also running the length of the pitch before slotting home.    

The home team went on to draw Sunday’s game 2-2, coming from two goals down thanks to a second-half strike from Lucas Ocampos and an own goal from Ramy Bensebaini.

Lucas Ocampos scored Marseille's first goal in their 2-2 draw © Philippe Laurenson © Reuters

The result leaves Marseille in 11th in the Ligue 1 table on four points after three games played.