'I was assaulted' - Ex-Premier League star sends message after being attacked at airport before international duty

The 29-year-old confirmed rumours that had already been doing the rounds on social media that he was involved in a violent altercation while at Marignane airport, otherwise known as Marseille Provence Airport, the major hub serving south west France.

RMC reported that the assailant was a man who initially asked Aguerd for a selfie, and was then arrested after proceeding to attack, "attempting to slap", the 2022 World Cup star.

To clarify online speculation, Aguerd took to social media to confirm reports of an assault taking place, but stressed that he wasn’t injured or hurt during the unsavoury episode.

"I want to reassure everyone following the information that has been circulating for the past few hours. I was indeed assaulted at Marignane airport while waiting for my flight to join the Moroccan national team," he posted.

"Fortunately, it was more of a scare than anything else, and everything was quickly resolved thanks to the intervention of security personnel and law enforcement. Everything is now in the hands of the police. I'm doing well, and I'm now focused on what matters most to me: playing for OM and representing my country with pride. Let's always be calm and respectful. Life goes on."

After impressing for Rennes in Ligue 1 and representing the French club in both the Champions League and Conference League across two seasons, Aguerd joined West Ham in the summer of 2022. His £30 million ($40.5m) price tag made him the club’s fourth most expensive recruit at that point in their history. And while injury disrupted his early period in east London, it looked like sound business when the defender played a huge role in Morocco reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

But failure to nail down a regular starting place prompted a loan to Real Sociedad for the 2024-25 season, followed by an eventual permanent sale to Marseille at the very end of the summer transfer window last month. For £20m ($27m), it was a sizeable financial hit.

Since joining Marseille, Aguerd has played every minute across four Ligue 1 fixtures so far. OM have won each of them, including a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, and have conceded just a single goal. They are among several clubs to have made a bright start to the 2025-26 season in an attempt to dethrone PSG and break their stranglehold on French football.

Until last season, Marseille were the only French side to have lifted the Champions League trophy – doing so in 1993. But success has been harder to come by over the last 30 years, winning a single domestic league title, in 2009/10, since conquering Europe.