The broken fate of Saliou Lassissi

Flashback. For the fans under twenty years old, the name of Saliou Lassissi can cause some circumspection, before understanding his story. A player with a golden future in front of him, until a nasty injury caused him to disappear from the surface of the footballing world. Lassissi, the story of an Ivorian international with a true talent, huge charisma and outspokenness, who always defended his personal interest, even if it meant jeopardising his professional career. A look at a neglected (…)

William Stanger : “A true feeling of invincibility”

Interview. A Gambardella Cup winner in 2003, William Stanger had a peculiar career since then, with a notable spell in Scotland, at Glasgow Rangers. He looks back at his footballer’s journey for Stade Rennais Online.

News of the Former Rennes Players

Doubles for four former Rennes striker, Landry Chauvin on the Ligue 2 podium, Damien Le Tallec on his way back, thirteenth goal for Sébastien Le Toux with sights on a MVP title, Frédéric Piquionne on top form… Overview of a very prolific week for the former Rennes players.

Twelve former Rennes players without a club

Two weeks before the end of the summer transfer window, twelve former Stade Rennais players remain unemployed, and live in uncertainty towards the future of their professional career. All those free players have got one common goal: Find a new challenge.

Jean-Luc Ribar

Trained in AS Saint-Étienne, Jean-Luc Ribar becomes professional when « Les Verts » suffers from the consequences of the « black cashbox » case. However, the relegation of ASSE in second division is for him the occasion to obtain more play time. He become quickly a pillar of the team in midfield and contributes to the accession in D1. In 1987, he finally leaves Saint- Étienne for Lille, but his adventure is quite short, since one year later, he moves for Brittany and signs for Quimper, (…)

André Amitrano

Goalkeepers' trainer, former goalkeeper himself, André Amitrano has joined Stade Rennais in November 2007, to replace Christophe Lollichon gone to Chelsea. Amitrano who met Pierre Dréossi when he was playing for AS Cannes has made all his career on the Côte d'Azur with only a break in Guingamp where he followed Alain Ravera. When he arrived for the second time in Britanny, he took in charge of the goalkeepers of Rennes' professional team. In June 2009, he followed Guy Lacombe to Monaco.

Papakouli Diop

Papakouli Diop, 20 year-old young Senegalese, arrived in Brittany in 2004 after playing a few years in his native country. Endowed with strong athletic potential and technical skills, Diop made Landry Chauvin and his reserve team happy during a few years before joining the professional squad in 2006. After his debut with the first team during the first round of Ligue 1, Papakouli is finally sent out on loan to Tours FC, in Ligue 2, to gain more top level playtime. Not really used at the (…)

Larry Adeduji

Laszlo Bölöni

Although Laszlo Bölöni has accomplished most of his career as a player in Romania (he even won a Champion’s league with Steaua Bucharest), it is in France that he spent most of his coach career (first for Nancy, then for Stade Rennais). Before joining the “Red & Blacks”, he was in charge of the Romanian national team (2000). One year later, he became the head coach of Sporting Portugal with which he was champion and winner of the national cup in the same year (2002). As the head coach (…)

Landry Chauvin

Former player for AS Vitré, Landry Chauvin has been the coach for Stade Rennais reserve team for a long period of time. He had the best players of Rennes’ academy under his command, loads of them becoming professional later. Appointed assistant-coach of the professional team in June 2007, he has chosen to leave the club in December the same year, after the appointment of Guy Lacombe as the head coach of the first team.

Étienne Didot

After doing his first professional steps in the era of Christian Gourcuff, the Paimpolais became quickly a key player in Rennes’ midfield. U23 French International player and symbol of Brittany identity for the club, Étienne Didot grew to be an essential player in the squad, becoming the team captain after Olivier Monterrubio’s transfer to Lens. After rumours of transfer during the 2007 summer, Étienne Didot finally prolonged his contract by two more years. The Costarmoricain had to bear a (…)

Bernard Lama

Born in Guyana, Bernard Lama turned professional in Lille. A Very agile goalkeeper, he took his time before standing out with the professionals, but he finally came to light with Paris Saint-Germain. He then becomes the goalkeeper of “Les Bleus” and won many titles with the national team, especially the titles of World and European champion. In summer 2000, as he was nearing the end of his career, he was recruited by Stade Rennes, where he was reunited with his former team mate Paul Le (…)

Gabriel Loeschbor

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 (…)

Cédric Bardon

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

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

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 (…)

Stéphane Grégoire

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

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 (…)

Goran Pandurović

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 (…)

Jean Grumellon

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

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

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 (…)

Toifilou Maoulida

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 (…)

Makhtar N’Diaye

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 (…)

Allan Johnston

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 (…)

Jean-Luc Arribart

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 (…)

Frédéric Adam

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 (…)

Michel Audrain

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 (…)

Stéphane Mbia

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.

Christian Bassila

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. (…)