Introducing Vincent Pajot

He is certainly one of the least well known youngsters in the 1990 generation. Difficult to get noticed, when playing along young men such as Yacine Brahimi, Damien Le Tallec and Yann M’Vila, who have already been in the spotlight for a long time.

Meanwhile, Pajot worked in the shadow, improving year after year on his way to professional football. Arrived in 2007 from Saint-Leu, the Paris-born man showed his qualities in all of the club’s youth teams.

Defensive midfielder, he stands out by his ability to recover countless balls in the midfield. A rangy player, he excels in the air, winning duels and often forcing the decision on set-pieces. With a great influence on the team, he often takes part in the construction, showing certain skills when it comes to use the ball.

For his first season in Rennes, Pajot was awarded the « Academy’s Best Player » trophy. A real honour, when the former winners are players such as Jimmy Briand or Mickaël Silvestre. During this season, he was even called by Laurent Huard to play with the Reserves, playing 3 games for 205 minutes

The Gambardella generation in the spotlight

The 2007-2008 season will remain as a special year in his young career. At the end of an outstanding run, Pajot and his team-mates won the Gambardella Cup, against Bordeaux at the Stade de France (3-0). This remains his best memory since arriving in Brittany, as he told Stade Rennais Online recently: "Our victory at the Stade de France was a grandiose occasion, a moment I will never forget, for sure.” On that afternoon, just as every member of his side, Pajot displayed a high-level performance on the “Rouge et Noir” midfield, alongside a young man called Yann M’Vila.

The following year, the “Rouge et Noir” did not enjoy the same success, when the young Rennes players were knocked out in the last 16 against Le Havre (2-2, 8-9 pen.). This time, Pajot was used a central defender, to sustain a weakened defensive sector.

When Prince Oniangue was loaned to Angers, and Yann M’vila promoted in the Ligue 1 team, Pajot was named captain of the Reserve team early in the 2009-2010 season. With one year remaining on his youth contract, Pajot’s maturity and performances were rewarded by Laurent Huard’s confidence. He didn’t disappoint his mentor, being one of the most regular and influential players in the Reserves squad.

At the end of the season, he has the satisfaction to receive his first professional contract for a year, with an optional two additional years, to rewards many years of hard work. This is only the beginning though, and Pajot is now very likely to be loaned in Ligue 2. Unless Frédéric Antonetti reserves him a future like Yann M’Vila’s, launched in Ligue 1 when no-one expected to see him play at such a level.

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