English version

Trained in Brest Armorique, Stéphane Guivarc'h started in D1 with the Finistere club. When the club had to bid farewell to professionalism after its bankruptcy, Guivarc'h packed up and arrived close to Brest, at Guingamp. In this club, engaged in D2, he became a promising scorer. His 23 goals scored during the 1994-1995 season seduced AJ Auxerre, who enrolled him in July 1995. His adaptation to D1 was difficult and Guivarc'h only took a minor part in the cup-championship double achieved by the club from Bourgogne in 1996. Loaned to Stade Rennais the following year, he truly exploded under the red and black jersey. With 30 goals scored in a single season, he did better than simply replacing Marco Grassi, and was consecrated the best goal scorer of the championship. Returning in Auxerre next season, he was crowned the best goal scorer for the second consecutive time and was called to the France squad with which he won the World Cup. Then at the peak of his career, he sadly missed several major opportunities to score in the final against Brazil. Despite the title, this World Cup remained a personal failure on a personal level, which wouldl follow him for the rest of his career. Transferred to England after the World Cup, his experience at Newcastle turned out to a stinging failure and he didn’t significantly succeed at Glasgow Rangers either, for the second part of the 1998-1999 season. Back to Auxerre, he scored around twenty times in two years, and then finished his professional career at Guingamp. After a brief experience in Guingamp’s staff, he started a commercial career but fulfils several activities at the same time. He is thus coach of US Trégunc, an amateur team of South-Finistere, and occasionally comments football matches on TV

While he played for Saint-Brieuc, Patrice Carteron drew the attention of the Stade Rennais. By a combination of circumstances, both parts failed to agree and Carteron started his professional career with Laval, then in Division 2. Recruited two years later by Stade Rennais, he became the team’s immovable left defender. Defender with a sense of duty, he played about a hundred matches with the red and black jersey, before he was recruited by the Olympique lyonnais. He continued is progression there during three years, and then he signed at Saint-Étienne in 2000, just before Lyon’s greatest era began. He stayed in the Forez for five years, three in L2 and two in L1. Ending his player career at AS Cannes, he started his new life there, first as recruiter and then as manager of the first team. In june 2009, he became the coach of Dijon, in L2. In June 2011, he gained promotion to Ligue 1 with Dijon.

After his debut in the Czech championship aged only 17, Petr Čech was revealed during the U-23 European Championship in 2002. As the final went to penalty shoot outs, the tall goalkeeper destroyed all the French hopes to offer the victory to his country. Čech obviously received the attention of many scouts, and decided to continue his career in France, where Stade Rennais was the ideal step. Transferred for 5 million, the goalkeeper would bring in much more to Stade Rennais two years later when Chelsea came to recruit him. An immovable wall behind Rennes’ defence he contributed actively to maintain the club in Ligue 1 in 2003, then during his revival in 2004. Chelsea and Stade Rennais found a financial deal in January 2004 to transfer him in June, in exchange of a 12 million euros fee. Arrived in England, Čech became one of the best goalkeepers in the world and went on to win many trophies. Now, only a victory in Champion's League misses in his achievements with his club.

Playing at SCO Angers, he was noticed by Stade Rennais who would recruit him before he turned 17 and invite him to join the club’s Academy. After a year and a half with the academy squad he started in Division 1 in February 1998. This would be the beginning of a substantial professional career. Réveillère played 5 full years in the Stade Rennais colours, and became one of its key defensive elements. Eager to evolve, he was loaned to Valencia for 6 months in 2003, but failed to convince the Spanish club. After his return, he was finally bought by Olympique Lyonnais, just crowned with their second champion of France title. In the Rhône he earned a substantial amount of silverware and a few caps with the national squad, confirming his status as one of France’s best right backs.

The son of Michel and the brother of Arthur, Elliot continues the Sorin family’s tradition by wearing the wearing shirt from his younger age. Aged 6, he signed his first licence in Rennes and went on step by step to join the Academy and sign a trainee contract. A centre midfielder, with a good impact at ball recovery despite a modest physical build, Sorin signed an intern contract in April 2011, a few months after he played his first game with the Reserve under Laurent Huard’s management. From now on, he has got two seasons to make himself a place with the Reserve and disturb the existing hierarchy in his sector of the squad.

Just as Yacine Brahimi, Axel Ngando went through the youth teams at Paris Saint-Germain before he joined the Stade Rennais in June 2007. He started playing for the club in the U14 Federal division (now known as U15 Elite), before improving gradually but steadily. An attack-minded midfielder, the youngster has impressed with his technical ability and the elegance of his attacking play. April 2011 will certainly remain an important date in his memory, since he received the award of the “best player of the Academy”, played with the Reserve in CFA for the first time and signed an intern contract with the club. In 2011-2012, Ngando is a player Laurent Huard is expecting to rely on, in his bid to return to the CFA division straight away after the relegation.

A tough and technically gifted midfielder, Abdoulaye Doucouré is a member of the promising 1993 generation from the Academy. Arrived in Rennes aged fourteen, he soon emerged as one of the club’s best prospects, also making his way into the French youth national teams. At the beginning of the 2010-2011 season, he earned several appearances with the Reserve in CFA, but a bad injury spoiled the rest of his year. As a proof of the huge confidence Stade Rennes has put in him, this didn’t prevent him from turning professional as soon as summer 2011.

A Benin-born defensive midfielder, Mathieu Adeniyi never really managed to become a regular with the Reserve during his first spell in Rennes, between 2005 and 2007. He then left the club in June 2007 to join La Vitréenne, before returning to Stade Rennais 3 years later, in Summer 2010. During this season, he played mostly with the third Stade Rennais team, although he was called-up to the CFA team in several occasion to cover for absentees.

If one player has reached a new dimension in 2010-2011, it has to be Dimitri Foulquier. In 2007, he was spotted by Patrick Rampillon, and the Stade Rennais was soon finalising the arrival of the Guadeloupian youngster at the club’s Academy. In three years, he imposed himself in the club’s youth categories, receiving the award for the « best player of the Academy » in 2010. The following season, Foulquier was included in the Reserve squad, and regularly starting at right back, especially during the second half of the season.

Arrived very young at Stade Rennes, Saliou Lassissi is trained in Rennes’ academy before playing with A team in 1996. This young Ivorian becomes then the club’s revelation during 1996-1997 season, thanks to big performances. Unfortunately, he confirms feebly his level during 1997-1998 season and is transferred to Parma. The Italian club, which imagines him as a “new Thuram”, doesn’t trust him immediately and loans him to Sampdoria and then to Fiorentina. There, Lassissi confirms his potential and help the “Fio” squad to win the Italian Cup in 2001. Recruited by AS Roma, he will never play within the giallorossi jersey: victim of a terrible tibia-fibula fracture, he spends three years in the infirmary before being released at the end of his contract in 2004. After one unemployment year, Nancy attempts to boost his career, but this experience in Lorraine is a failure. Lassissi returns then in Ivory Coast, and then tries his luck once again in Europe: first in Switzerland and then with Sannois-Saint-Gratien in National division. With no convincing results.