Flashback : Shabani Nonda

Since the departure of Stéphane Guivarc’h, the best goal scorer in the 1996-1997 season with 22 goals, Stade Rennes were struggling to replace him in attack. At the beginning of the 1998-1999 season, the scouting department of Rennes searched for the rare bird and signed Shabani Nonda for four years, from FC Zurich (Switzerland). The man from Burundi was the club’s most important transfer in the summer transfer window. Bought for 20 million francs (about 3 million euros), the African player was soon to become Stade Rennais FC’s attacking leader.

The jewel from Burundi

With some quality recruits during summer 1998, Rennes had renewed ambitions, at the time of taking on a new season in the French top flight. The whole Brittany of sports, through the Stade Rennais and its patron François Pinault, wished to start looking forwards. But the way would prove long, very long and probably strewn with innumerable obstacles. Rennes took several gambles however. In fact, gamble is the word when looking at the Breton squad for the 1998-1999 season. There was the revenge-seeking Christophe Revault, attempting to bounce back after a disastrous spell at PSG, a few youngsters seeking recognition in Ligue 1, such as David Sommeil and Cédric Bardon or the young Édouard Cissé, loaned by the PSG at the very beginning of his professional career.

As for Shabani Nonda, he rapidly scored his first goal with the red and black shirt on, converting a superb delivery by the wonderkid Fabrice Fernandes during the third match day, on August 22nd 1998 against Le Havre. The Burundi didn’t take long to open his goal tally. In only a few weeks spend on the Vilaine banks, Nonda was already finding his best form. He scored again on the 6th game week against Bastia, in a beautiful Rennes victory by 2 goals to nil. On that night, Shabani unleashed a terrific shot under the cross bar of Éric Durand, the Corsican goalkeeper, who was left powerless by the purity of the strike.
At the time, the performances of the Burundi were already delighting the exigent Rennes supporters, who couldn’t find enough praise to heap on their new striker. Shabani Nonda’s Rennes career was definitely on the right track after an important victory over AS Monaco, despite the presence of newly-crowned World Champions Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet on the opposite side. The Burundi gave a two goals advantage to his team and sent the Stade de la Route de Lorient to elation. The SRFC won 2-1 and managed a superb game. After eight match-days played, Rennes were third in the first division and appeared as the surprise team of the early season. On an individual point of view, Nonda was undoubtedly a fine recruit.

Indeed, Shabani Nonda was the success story of the Rennes summer. He was perfectly fitting in the team coached by Paul Le Guen: young, talented, ambitious, but also working hard and eager to improve. Clearly a team-player, he still needed to improve his ability to play with his team-mates. Thanks to his successful beginnings, he had soon repaid the investment made by the Rennes management. By signing the Burundi striker, the SRFC had found a rare player.
The best goal scorer in the last Swiss championship, with 24 goals in thirty-four games played, he had also caught the eye of much richer clubs. But because the Servette de Genève was a feeder club to Paris Saint-Germain, Jean-Michel Moutier – a former man from PSG arrived in Rennes’ recruitment unit – always kept an eye on the Helvetic league and had soon noticed the young Burundi player.
After taking much information through video tapes and various observations, including the impressions of Gilbert Gress (then the coach of Neuchâtel), Rennes seized the occasion, and they would not regret it. Paul Le Guen knew he had a jewel in his squad, a player capable of changing the face of a game. “If he continues that way, he has everything to become another Weah and we will struggle to keep him in Rennes, he could end up at the Juventus…”, the Breton from Pencran was already predicting.

The striker from Burundi impressed all the observers. To an absolutely incredible power, he added finesse and a nearly insane playing precision which were often the base for his goals. In the tenth game week, Rennes beat Lorient by 1 goal to 0, and Shabani scored his fourth of the season. On the pitch, “Chris” as his team-mates now named him, showed highly accessible and pulled his partners in the right direction. He was the player Stade Rennes had been craving for.
Ffter a new goal against Sochaux, Nonda did it again at Félix-Bollaert against RC Lens, where he managed an absolute stunner. Launched on the left by Patrick Weiser, the Burundi avoided two opponents before hitting a pure shot into Guillaume Warmuz’ goal corner. A true beauty from Nonda, who brought his tally to six goals. Rennes lost 3-1 in the Pas-de-Calais however, and were stopped in their fine run. With two more goals in Paris and against Nantes, Shabani totalled eight scores at the mid-season. A good performance for the Burundi who proved very quick to adapt to Division 1. In half a season, the Bujumbura-born was already unanimously accepted.

The new favourite

With a victory against Montpellier (3-2) mid-December 1998, Shabani Christophe Nonda (his real name) definitely became the favourite of the Stadium. A few minutes before half time, and as the Stade Rennais led by the slightest of margins thanks to the striker’s ninth of the season, the kop from the Vilaine stands – for their penultimate game before the stand was demolished in January 1999 – started a new and tonic chant in honour of the African striker : « Sha, Sha, Sha, Shabani Nonda ! ».
One thing was certain, “Chris” was building a reputation for himself, and at high speed! Thanks to the outstanding pivot that is Shabani, the Stade Rennes attack plays the counter-attack perfectly. Alongside Cédric Bardon (himself in competition with Nicolas Goussé all season), he formed a highly effective attacking duo. After his brilliant first half of the season, Shabani struck again in a Coupe de France Round of 64 game against Coulaines (CFA2), and again in Bastia (0-1) the following week in the league. In top form, he scored another against Troyes in a Coupe de la Ligue Round of 16 match (4-0 win, as against Coulaines a few weeks earlier). The Burundi impressed, and seemed unstoppable. A few days later, Nonda scored his eleventh goal in Division 1, at the end of a solo rush at the Stade du Moustoir, in Lorient (1-1).
With three game weeks until the end of the season, Rennes was still in the race for the Champions League, the Breton club finally ended on a very good fifth place, after two away defeats, in Nantes first and in Auxerre on the final match day. Rennes’ season was remarkable, but left the club with a few regrets. The SRFC qualified for the Intertoto Cup. On a personal level, Shabani Nonda ended the season with fifteen goals in the League and was already wanted by the biggest European clubs. Often able to make the difference against the very solid French defences, thinks to his many aspects and his versatility. He was without a doubt the Rennes player of the 1998-1999 season, and with his fifteen goals he did as well as Marco Grassi in 1994-1995 and Sylvain Wiltord in 1995-1996. But the hardest was probably to come, when time came to confirm for his second season with the “Rouge et Noir”.

Then aged 22 years, Shabani Nonda was about to open the second chapter of his Brittany experience, with the legitimate ambition to be as good or better than during his first twelve months in Rennes. Talented but a real party animal, he was often seen wandering around the night clubs of the Breton capital, without any effect on his performances on the pitch. During summer, “Chris” already got in his goal scorer outfit in the Intertoto Cup, during the return leg against Austria Vienna (2-2) in Austria, in the competition’s semi-final. Soon after, he managed a superb game against Zinedine Zidane’s Juventus Turin, in the final of the competition. Shabani Nonda even scored the equaliser in the return leg, played on August 24th, 1999 at the Stade de la Route de Lorient (2-2)
In top form, he scored his first goal of the season during a trip to Lyon (2-2). Unfortunately, the results weren’t as good as in the previous season for the Breton. With El-Hadji Diouf on the front of the attack, the Burundi was the only player to really show good enough. The team’s understanding was poor, and Paul Le Guen got annoyed. After nine match days, Stade Rennes was last in the first division. Meanwhile, “Chris” had only scored two goals and started to show signs of impatience. Rennes was plagued by injuries, so much that the Breton manager was forced to innovate before each game.

Three game weeks later, Shabani scored his first brace in the top flight, against the “Verts” from AS Saint-Étienne (victory 4 goals to 1) and allowed Rennes to gain a third consecutive victory. With half the season gone, Rennes had recovered and had even returned to the fifth position in the standings. On a personal level, the Burundi striker did well with eight goals at the half-season mark. A long drought would follow for the striker. Shabani was in doubt, but he found the way to the net again in Marseille, with Rennes drawing (1-1, Rennes only point in their last nine games on the road) in the League’s twenty-fourth math day. During the next game, Chris scored his second brace against Nancy (3-1) and repeated the performance against Lens (3-1) both times at the Stade de la Route de Lorient. Shabani couldn’t stop scoring once again, and kept the SRFC afloat.

Also a goal scorer in a Coupe de France Round of 32 game against Les Herbiers (victory 4-0), some considered him as a legitimate heir to Laurent Pokou, his illustrious predecessor at the Stade Rennais, He finally scored his sixteenth and last goal of the season at home to Montpellier (1-3) in the thirty-first game week.. Despite a difficult season, Stade Rennes saved their presence in D1 during the final game week, after a crucial victory against Metz (2-0), and for Shabani Nonda’s final game with the “Rouge et Noirs”. He had largely contributed to maintaining his team in the top flight with his goals.
The Rennes management then asked for a transfer fee of about 150 million francs (about 23 million euros). The Burundi-born, Congolese player interested the Paris Saint-Germain but was finally transferred to the reigning French Champion, AS Monaco, for 20 million euros in July 2000. He then became the most expensive player ever sold by the club and in the same time set a new record transfer fee in France. In 62 league games, he had scored no less than 31 goals. A total reaching 37 units while including all the competitions he played with the SRFC.

The confirmation

Transferred to Monaco, newly crowned the 200 France champions, he succeeded to David Trezeguet on the front of the Principality’s club attack. Expectations were huge at his arrival, and everyone in Monaco hoped he would quickly settle. For his first season in Monaco, he scored twelve goals in 29 games played. His first experience in the Champions League wasn’t convincing however. Indeed, the ASM didn’t make it further than the first round. Shabani, personally, scored three goals but remained rather unsatisfied.
The following year, under Didier Deschamps’s management, Shabani Nonda managed a season more in phase with his obvious qualities. He scored fourteen goals in Ligue 1, but Monaco failed in the League once again. Then, during the 2002-2003 season, Shabani probably had the best season in his career. He won the Coupe de la Ligue against Sochaux and also ended up the season as Ligue 1’s top scorer. Monaco finished second in the league and return to the queen of all European competitions.

Just after he refused an offer from French champions Lyon during the summer transfer window, Nonda started his third season in Monaco in the best of ways, scoring three goals in his first three games. Unfortunately, his ascension was broken by a nasty injury (luxation of the left kneecap with sprained ligaments) received in a spectacular accident with Parisian defender José-Karl Pierre-Fanfan in August 2003. Unavailable for eight months, he returned to the competition on April 2nd, 2004 against Ajaccio.
Despite all his efforts to return to the highest level, he only had a discreet role in Monaco’s fantastic run in the Champions’ League, despite his goal that eliminated Chelsea in the competition’s semi-final. However, his performances in 2003-2004 offered him certain recognition throughout Europe. In 2005, the Burundi’s contract expired and he signed a three years contract at AS Roma. His first season in Rome was difficult because of yet another knee injury. Failing to convince in Italy, he was eventually loaned to Blackburn Rovers the following season to try and bounce back. Shabani managed an interesting season and expressed his wish to stay in England.
During the 2007 summer transfer window, the English club didn’t raise the purchase option, and Nonda eventually signed a contract for Turkish side Galatasary for two years. He soon found the way to the nets again, and scored fifteen goals for his first season. Thanks to their Burundi striker, the Turkish club qualified for the Champions’ League. The following season however, Shabani didn’t know the same success. Even worse, in January 2010, his contract was terminated by Galatasaray before its term in June 2010. He is now a free-agent.

His career

1995 : Vaal Professionnal (South Africa)
1996-1998 : FC Zürich (Switzerland)
1998-2000 : Stade Rennais FC
2000-2005 : AS Monaco
2005-2006 : AS Roma (Italy)
2006-2007 : Blackburn Rovers (Loan - England)
2007-2010 : Galatasaray SK (Turkey)

Sources :
- Archives from Ouest France
- Wikipédia

- Photos : srfc.frenchwill.fr