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An Argentinian defender, Gabriel Loeschbor started his career with Rosario Central in 1997. After a short period with the famous Racing where he wins the opening tournament of the Argentinian championship, he was recruited by Stade Rennais in 2002 and travelled to Europe. His time in brittany would prove catastrophic. Loeschbor appeared extremely slow during his first games. During the fourth game, on july 24th 2002 against Marseille he was sent off in what would be his last game with the (…)
Trained at Olympique lyonnais, Cédric Bardon discovered Division 1 there at 18. He gradually became a regular player in the first squad but never proved a great striker. In 1998 he joined Stade Rennais where he remained for three seasons. He managed two correct seasons initially, but suffered of the comparison with the outstanding Shabani Nonda, whom he regularly supported in attack. He spent most of the 2000-2001 season on the substitute's bench, after which he left the club and continued (…)
Laurent Pokou is one of the best, maybe even the best player who ever played for Stade Rennes. He started his career in his country, Ivory Coast, with ASEC Abidjan and then USFRAN Bouaké. Back to ASEC, he built up a national reputation by winning many titles, and an international reputation with the “Elephants”. The Best scorer of the 1968 and 1970 ACNs, he scored fourteen goals during these two editions, a record that stood for nearly forty years. In 1972, he took part to a « Mini World Cup (…)
François Omam-Biyik is considered as one the best Cameroonian football players ever. After his professional start with Canon de Yaoundé, he came to France and Stade Lavallois in 1987. He managed three good seasons there, before realising an outstanding 1990 World Cup, where he scored the first goal against Argentina. Recruited by Stade Rennes before the competition, he made an excellent start by scoring the two victorious goals against PSG, including a lovely header (2-1). Excellent in the (…)
Fervently courted by the Stade Rennais, Mevlüt Erding signed for Rennes in January 2012, closing months of an interminable saga. Born in Jura from a Turkish family, he joined the FC Sochaux Academy at thirteen. With the club from Franché-Comte, he made his Ligue 1 debut at the age of eighteen and scored his first goal five minutes after coming off the bench. In 2007-2008, he revealed himself completely, becoming a regular starter and scoring eleven goals in the league. After a second season (…)
Stéphane Grégoire is an atypical player. After years playing for Thouars, his place of birth, he became professional at 29 when he signed for Stade Rennais. Unexpectedly, the midfielder became an important part in both the starting elevens of Guy David, and Paul Le Guen the following season. Unmovable for three seasons, and having become the captain of Stade Rennais, his playing time was reduced during his last two seasons with Rennes. In 2002, he left the club to spend another two years (…)
Marcel Aubour is one of the best goalkeepers in France’s football history. After becoming professional in Lyon at the beginning of the 1960’s, he played his first matches in Division 1 there in 1962, before being called with the French national team in 1964. With « les Bleus », he played in the 1966 World Cup, under the management of former Rennais Henri Guérin. During this year 1966, he left Lyon – where he won his first title, the 1964 French Cup – for Nice, returning to his region of (…)
Every year, the transfer market comes with its usual lot of rumours, a large mix of news and rubbish. Seeking the best way to get you updated on all rumours, while always publishing quality information about Rennes’ transfer market, Stade Rennais Online has launched a “Transfer Latest Ticker”, relaying information from various media. Warning: some rumours have to be taken with a pinch of salt…
In 1995, as Stade Rennes was looking for a new goalkeeper for its professional team in order to replace Pascal Rousseau and to make up for the failed experiment with Gilles Rousset, the club chose an experienced goalkeeper, Goran Pandurović, who already had a ten years career behind him in Yugoslavian championship, where he won two national titles with Partizan Belgrade. Yugoslavian international, Pandurović played in Rennes for two seasons, before leaving his place to young keeper Tony (…)
During his youth, Jean Grumellon intended himself for the sea, instead of football. A student at the naval and mechanical school of Lorient, he only debuted in football in 1937, at the age of fourteen, at his home in Saint-Servan. During the war, Grumellon took to the sea with friends. Escaping from the Vichy government, he travelled the Atlantic Ocean and joined the free French army in order to serve his country. In 1945, Grumellon returned home and took up football again. He was quickly (…)
Gary Smith turned professional in Falkirk, in the Scottish second division. howeverm, he discovered the high level with Aberdeen, where he won a League Cup in 1995. In 1996, he joined Stade Rennes, who also recruited his compatriot Allan Johnston. Smith played around fifteen matches in central defence during the season, but didn’t really manage to stand out ahead of François Denis and Corneliu Papură. He then returned to Aberdeen, where he spent three seasons, before playing during seven (…)
Tony Heurtebis is one of the rare goalkeepers trained by the club to have managed a successful professional career. After two seasons in the shadow of Pandurović, he was promoted to the first goalkeeper position during the 1997-1998 season. But the club’s performances weren’t good during this period, and Heurtebis faced the competition of Christophe Revault the following year. Relegated to the number 2 position, he was loaned and later definitely transferred to Troyes, where he became a (…)
Born Mayotte, Toifilou Maoulida was trained in the south of France, in Istres and later in Montpellier. He began his professional career with the MHSC, where he scored his first goals in Division 1. In January 2002, Stade Rennais was looking for a forward and transferred him, at a time whenre many players from Montpellier joined Brittany. Despites his goods statistics in the Languedoc-Roussillon, Maoulida had difficulties to blossom in Rennes. During the 2002-2003 season he scored eight (…)
Trained at Stade Rennes’ Academy, Makhtar N'Diaye was quickly considered as one of the most promising young players at the club. His technical skills convinced Paul Le Guen to give him his first start with the first team at only 17. Unfortunately, the promising player would never really confirm at the highest level. In four seasons, he only started around forty matches as a midfielder. Insufficient for Stade Rennes, which loaned N’Diaye to Sedan for one year, but this experience did not (…)
In summer 1996, Stade Rennes recruited two Scottish players. The forward Allan Johnston arrived from Heart of Midlothian, where he had started his professional career. Johnston, as his team-mate and fellow national Smith, leaved the club one year later. In the meantime, he played around twenty matches and scored two goals. He joined Sunderland in 1997, where he stood out and managed to join the Scottish selection a few months later. During seven years, he passed through many clubs of the (…)
Born in Rennes, Jean-Luc Arribart went up the ranks at Stade Rennais all the way up to the first team. During his training, he also won the Gambardella Cup in 1973, one and a half year before the start of his professional career. Versatile, he then evolved equally at midfield or in defence, before settling at the position of centre back. Standing out in first team, Arribart becomes one of the main sports values of a club in the midst of economic turmoil. In 1978, to balance its budget, the (…)
Born in Lorient but trained in Brest, Frédéric Adam had a ringside seat when the the courts ordered for the club from Finistère’s assets to be liquidated in December 1991. However this event offered him the opportunity to start with the first team in division three. Recruited as a professional trainee by Stade Rennes in 1993, Adam would take part in five games during the season 1993-1994, taking part in the promotion to Division One. Free agent in 1995, he joined Chateauroux where he (…)
Born in Rennes, it took a long time to Michel Audrain escaped before he joined the Stade Rennais. After debuting at the Cercle Paul-Bert Guinguené, he joined the SCO Angers at 17, where he made his professional debuts one year later. Convincing, he was recruited by the Girondins de Bordeaux of Aimé Jacquet in 1982. In Aquitaine, he gained two France champion titles, before being transferred to Marseille. Following a one year loan to Laval, he joined the Stade rennais in 1987. Audrain got (…)
Versatile, able to play as a midfielder a centre-back or a right back, Stéphane Mbia become a major player in Rennes during the 2007-2008 season; With great physical qualities, the Cameroon international doesn't hesitate to help in attack whens needed and always remains solid in the one-on-ones. Six years after his arrival in Brittany he was transferred to Olympique de Marseille in July 2009 for a transfer fee of 12 million euros.
Trained at Olympique Lyonnais, Christian Bassila began his Ligue 1 career in 1996, aged 19. Three years later, he was transferred to Stade Rennais and tried to make his way in the Breton midfield. His first season was made with ups and downs, even though he started 21 games. Stade Rennais loaned him in England during the following two years, then again in Strasbourg. The Alsatian club transferred him definitely in 2002. Over there Bassila definitely turned into a first-squad Ligue 1 player. (…)
A simple amateur player, Michel Le Milinaire made a name for himself as a coach. At the head of Stade Lavallois during almost 25 years, he led the club from Division 2 to the UEFA Cup. With him, the “Tangos” had their best years, even if the last ones were played back in D2. In October 1992, he was finally pushed towards the exit and briefly held a position of technical director. A few months later, Stade Rennes invited him to replace Didier Nothaux. Le Milinaire brought his science of (…)
The Brother of professional tennis player Nicolas Escudé, Julien Escudé followed the way taken by his father Paul, a former professional player of Girondins de Bordeaux. After his beginnings with the teams of Olympique Lyonnais's academy, he finished his training with AS Cannes, where he started his career in D2 during the 1998-1999 season. A year later, while Bordeaux was looking to recruit him it's finally Stade Rennais who managed to sign him. After a time of adjustement, Escudé quickly (…)
A Moroccan International, Houssaine Anafal arrived at Stade rennais in 1974. In attack, he played alongside players such as Laurent Pokou or Philippe Redon, but his first season in Brittany ended with a relegation to D2, and only three goals scored. Moving back to the midfield in 1975-1976, he realised a much better season, and contributed widely to the immediate return to the top flight. But Anafal suffers from homesickness, and wants to return to Morocco. In October, 1976, his contract (…)
Summer 2000. Blinded by its dreams of glory, Stade Rennes gambled over 20 million euros on a young Brazilian forward, portrayed as the new Ronaldo, and blew up its own record for recruitment. This player was Severino Lucas, who then played for Atletico Paranaense and theU21 Brazil selection. Just arrived, Lucas quickly appeared as a disappointment and had a lot of difficulties to assume his heavy price tag. He had the level of a decent Division 1 player, but certainly not the ability to be (…)
Player of duty, Philippe Delaye was trained in Montpellier, where he began his career in Division 1; After seven seasons at La Pallaide, Stade Rennais recruited him in 2000. In Brittany, his career was made of ups and downs. He was effective during the first season but the second was punctuated by several injuries. A popular figure with the Rennes fans, he was finally transferred to Bastia after three and a half seasons in Rennes, after failing to convince Laszlo Bölöni to rely on him. He (…)
A striker with an angelic face but “tough” against the defences, Marco Grassi arrived at Stade Rennes in August 1994. From his first match, his love story with the red and black club started with a first goal and a victory against Bordeaux. Skilful in front of the goals, he scored 15 goals in the league for his first season and mainly contributed to the club’s success in avoiding relegation to Division 2. Handicapped by few physical problems, his second season was not as good, even though (…)
Born in Vannes and trained at Stade Rennais, Gaël Danic started with the first squad during the 2000-2001 season. Launched by Paul Le Guen, he failed to confirm in the following year under Christian Gourcuff's management. Loaned to En Avant de Guingamp, in Ligue 2, he still didn’t manage to make his way in the first team. Therefore, Stade Rennais didn't extend his contract and let him go at the term of his contract. ItDanic would finally show his ability with Grenoble, in Ligue 2. Since (…)
A Midfielder born in Saint-Sulpice-la-Forêt and trained at the club, Yoann Bigné started his career with the professional squad during the 1996-1997 season. Touted the “new Didier Deschamps”, Bigné quickly made his way within the squad under Guy David's management, and then under Paul Le Guen. But the great prospect would never fully confirm his ability, and he would progressively lose playing time with increased competition on his position. After being left out during a last season with (…)
A versatile forward, able to play at centre or on a wing, Abdoulaye Sané joined Stade Rennes in July 2011 after completing a trial a few months earlier. Born in Senegal, he started his career with the AS Douanes, a club from Dakar competing in the country’s first division. Having signed a three-year contract, he will have to prove his ability with the reserve before hoping to make the leap to the professional squad.
Trained at Paris Saint-Germain, Chris Mavinga left the French capital very early to wear the prestigious red shirt of Liverpool, aged only 18. Within an overcrowded staff, the young defender (able to play at centre or on the left) only played with the Reserve, but his caps with the French youth national teams allowed him to shine. In 2010, he won the U19 Euro alongside Abdoulaye Diallo. Loaned to Genk for the second half of the 2010-2011 season, Mavinga eventually found his place in the (…)