The former French international, who scored the only goal in Marseille's victory over AC Milan in the 1993 European Champion Clubs' Cup final, set off at 8:20am (0620 GMT) just beneath the famous golden statue of the "Good Mother", which watches over France's second-largest city.
"It makes the heart beat and it's fantastic," said Boli.
"It's the Olympic flame, it's the symbol of sport, of living together, of everything we can hope for in the world."
There will be a strong football element to the first of 78 days of the torch relay with Ivory Coast great Didier Drogba also among the torch bearers in the southern port city on Thursday.
The torch will also visit the Stade Velodrome, home of Marseille's team which will host 10 matches during the men's and women's Olympic football competitions.
It is just the start of a 12,000-kilometre (7,500-mile) torch relay across France and its far-flung overseas territories before the opening ceremony in Paris on July 26.
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