During this summer break, Stade Rennais Online invite you to discover or re-discover the career in “Rouge et Noir” of a former Stade Rennais player: Breton striker Pierre-Yves André.
Pierre-Yves André didn’t go through the traditional journey of a professional player. It was Jean Prouff, one of the most iconic figures of Breton football, who first detected the pace of the young player from the Cotes d’Armor, at a time where he had abandoned his dreams of playing football at professional level and played in DSR (Regional league) at US Lannion: “I wanted to follow the footsteps of my big brother and become a sports teacher. The recruiters from the Academies had not spotted me, and it’s normal, I wasn’t good enough. I had never really tried to improve. To me, football was only about having a laugh with friends”
After an unconvincing trial in Nantes, Stade Rennes proposed him to join the club for a training camp in May 1993. André gave it a go and scored three of the four goals of his team during detection friendly. The leap forward was very close: “I was in touch with Nantes, Saint Brieuc and Rennes. But the club that was based nearby where I lived never showed any interest in me (i.e.:Guingamp).There was only a slight contact through Philippe Le Meur, who knew Yvon Schmitt. I found it a bit harsh but it doesn’t disturb me that much. It would simply have made it easier for my family, as they wouldn’t have needed to drive 300 kilometres in order to come and see me play”, the young Rennes striker joked at the time.
In June 1993, he left the US Lannion, his only club that far, to join the bigger regional neighbour led by Michel le Milinaire, the “druid” from Kergrist-Moëlou. His technique with his left-foot, his long and terrific dribbling ability and his great heading ability would accelerate the evolution of his career. Indeed, Pierre-Yves played his first professional game against Valenciennes in D2, on August 7th 1993. A few weeks later (September 21st), he scored his first professional goal in Saint-Brieuc (2-2), in his department of birth, as a symbol. Then, in April 1994, he signed his first three-year professional contract and experienced soon after the joys of a promotion to Division 1. During the 1993-1994 season, “Pierrot” ended up playing 25 league games and scoring five goals.
Therefore, it is during the 1994-1995 season that Pierre-Yves André discovered the D1, during a first match day in Saint- Étienne (1-1). Carried by his astonishing progression, he was soon rewarded with a first France U21 call-up, for a game against the Czech Republic in Royan. In 15 months, the player had jumped from the Regional divisions of Brittany to the French U21 national team via the French top flight. Gifted with a pace above average, Pierre-Yves André proved a nightmare for the oppositions’ defences. His swiftness, allowing him to exploit any counter-attack to the fullest, helped towards his club’s very good early season. The former Lannion man impressed and succeeded in everything he tried. And the attacking trio composed of Grassi, Wiltord and André managed wonders for SRFC’s return to the top flight.
Soon, André scored his first goal in D1 during the tenth game week, despite a defeat against the FC Metz (1-2). Able to play equally as well on a wing or as a centre forward, the Breton striker made the most of a deflected shot by Jocelyn Gourvennec to open his tally in the first division. Regularly called with the French U21, Pierre-Yves André immediately found his place in the first division, in a coherent team, playing without complex and showing great qualities of courage
His complementarity with Marco Grassi was obvious: “With Marco, it’s nicer. He brought a solid basis upfront. He takes space and he is a true anchor man. My role is to revolve around him. We have a good understanding. We don’t need to talk, everything clicks together automatically, even though our complementarity in Sochaux (i.e.: During the fifth game week, SRFC won 3-1) was mainly reflected by individual actions. He has the same understanding with Samuel Michel and Sylvain Wiltord ». Michel le Millinaire trusted him implicitly, and his natural ability made the rest. The thundering Rennes winger often distanced his closest opponent by five or ten meters, and did his best to finish his solitary raids in the most adequate way. Pierre-Yves André finally played thirty-three games and scored five goals for his first season in the French elite.
For his second season at the highest level of French football, he showed his goal scoring ability as soon as the second game week, during a Rennes victory against AS Cannes (3-2), before doing it again a few game weeks later at the Parc des Princes (1-1). Pierre-Yves André was a man of wide spaces with no equivalent in terms of speed. During the fifteenth game week, he earned the club a short but precious victory through a header against Nice (1-0). In Lyon a few weeks later, André scored a goal of anthology, and probably one of the bests, if not the most beautiful in his professional career: a lobbed pass by Jean-Pierre Cyprien landed on Jean-Luc Sassus, who pushed the ball in desperation towards the Lannionais. With his back to the goal, the Rennes striker, ten meters away from Pascal Olmeta’s goal, placed a reversed left-footed volley as pure as it was limpid, straight in to the goal’s top corner. A spectacular and highly efficient gesture, which even managed to amaze the Gerland supporters (2-2).
The following week, Pierre-Yves André scored yet another goal against Lens (2-1). In January 1994, the big lad off less than twenty years thought he was dreaming when he discovered, alongside his Rennes team-mate Sylvain Wiltord, the hushed charms of Clairefontaine for a first France U21 gathering. Just one season in second division had made him a regular at the France headquarters.
Numerous travels completed his apprenticeship, from Poland to Germany, via Slovakia or Israël. At the end of the 1995-1996 season, the main objective of Pierre-Yves André was to play in the Atlanta Olympic Games with the French U21 team in order to …”See Carl Lewis ! My first memory of the Olympic games was him, in 1984 in Los Angeles. I had seen him on TV. I could already picture myself in the stadium with my camera… The dream would be even crazier if I could get on the track next to him”, he said with eyes full of hopes. Unfortunately for him, a nasty groin injury shattered his childhood dream. Yet, André had managed his best season to date with the red and black shirt on, scoring six times in thirty six league games.
During the following season, Pierre-Yves André may have managed his best ever game with the Breton side, during a sublime victory against the Olympique de Marseille (4-2) on the twenty-third game week. In that game, the former Lanionnais was twirling across the pitch, scored once and launched Stéphane Guivarc’h for a phenomenal hat-trick. The season proved particularly difficult for Rennes however. Yves Colleu didn’t manage to get the best out of his squad. However, Pierre-Yves André was still attracting a lot of interest. Bordeaux, and particularly Paris Saint-Germain – who designed him as one of their priority targets – wanted to signed the Breton striker. But André still owed a year of contract to the SRFC, and his statistics were pretty average with twenty nine games for only one goal.
« I’ve been in Rennes since four and a half years now. I never thought I would turn professional when I played for Lannion in the DSR. I wanted to have a career as an educator and become a sports teacher, he repeated to whoever wanted to listen. At the time, I only played football for leisure on the Sundays. By turning professional, I learnt to live with obligation of results. I truly wish I could remain in Rennes. If only I could not leave my Brittany… Unfortunately, the life of a footballer looks like a traveller’s. To improve, you have to travel. As many, I dream of earning numerous victories and titles”. After four full seasons at the Stade Rennais, Pierre-Yves André was clearly looking for a new challenge elsewhere.
Nearly 23 years old, the SRFC left winger was valued at 10 million of francs (about 1.5 million euros) in the transfer market despite a rather disappointing final season. A value, which reflected the efficiency of André’s runs on the left flank and the rarity of forwards as fast as him. Capable of great accelerations and gifted with extraordinary pace, Pierre-Yves André remembered: “When I was six, I was already outpacing everyone. This is what matters in football these days”. Still contracted with the Stade Rennais and announced as a target for many clubs by the French press, Pierre-Yves André eventually left his Brittany and travelled all across France to join Bastia, following the advice of his number one advisor, his uncle Jean-François Le Trocquer.
The negotiations were difficult between the two clubs however. Rennes would only part with their player for a fee around eight million francs (about 1.2 million euros) while the club from Corsica only proposed six million (a bit under 1 million euros). The two clubs eventually agreed on the fee of 8 million francs requested by the Breton club.
« We made a big effort for him », Jean Nicholaï, the treasurer of SC Bastia then confirmed. The FC Nantes, through Jean-Claude Suaudeau himself, reacted too late with a personal phone call to the new Bastia player, but Pierre-Yves would make sure to honour his agreement with Bastia. Arriving in Corsica, Pierre-Yves André was delighted, enjoying a « very warm welcoming. I’m happy to be here. They’ve already found a little house for me, I only have to tidy up my CDs in there. I’ve truly been pampered. Now I have to start working. I can’t wait to start”. Pierre-Yves André eventually played for five clubs all along a decent professional career, spending ten years in Corsica where he became the “favourite” of the Stade Furiani.
1993-1997 : Stade Rennais FC (136 games, 18 goals)
1997-2001 : SC Bastia
2001-2003 : FC Nantes-Atlantique
2003 : Bolton Wanderers (England)
2003-2004 : EA Guingamp
2004-2010 : SC Bastia
Sources :
- Onze Mondial
- Archives Ouest-France
Photos:
- srfc.frenchwill.fr
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