Maxime Baila Lopez (Spanish: López, pronounced ; born 4 December 1997) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 side Marseille. He is an academy graduate of Marseille, having made his debut in August 2016, and has since made over 100 appearances for the club.
Born in Marseille, Maxime Lopez is a product of Olympique de Marseille's football academy, having joined in 2010 from F.C. Burel. During his time in the academy he represented the club at U-19 level in the UEFA Youth League. He signed his first professional contract with Marseille on 12 July 2014, and was handed his non-competitive debut by interim manager Franck Passi on the same date two years later in a friendly encounter with Lausanne Sport.
Lopez made his senior debut for Marseille on 21 August 2016, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute for Bouna Sarr in a 2–1 Ligue 1 away defeat to Guingamp and, just 18-minutes after entering the field of play, assisted Florian Thauvin for Marseille's only goal. His home debut at the Stade Vélodrome came on 16 October in Marseille's 1–0 Ligue 1 win over Metz. Later that month, on 30 October, he made his first start for Marseille in a 0–0 Ligue 1 home draw with Bordeaux. On 20 November, Lopez made 129 touches during Marseille's 1-0 Ligue 1 home win against Caen, which was the most ever by a Marseille player in a single match in recorded history. He then scored the first goal of his senior club career on 10 December, netting the opening goal in Marseille's 2–1 Ligue 1 away victory over Dijon. Lopez was later named Ligue 1 Player of the Month in recognition of his performances throughout the month of December. On 30 April 2017, he scored twice in a 5–1 Ligue 1 away win over Caen, thereby becoming the youngest Marseille player in 30 years to score a brace in Ligue 1. He ultimately made 35 appearances across all competitions and scored three times in his debut season with Marseille.