Flashback: Fabrice Fernandes had everything to succeed

Saved in extremis the previous season, thanks to a goal by Kaba Diawara (victory against Toulouse, 1-0) during the final Division 1 Game Week, the SRFC starts the 1998-1999 season with renewed ambitions. Indeed, François has arrived at the helm of the club with the announced target of a “title within 10 years”. Paul Le Guen therefore succeeds to Guy David as the manager of Stade Rennais FC’s professional squad. Rennes starts the season with the seventh budget in France (far behind PSG and its 300 million francs)

A star in the making

Even a painful bruise on the left leg, the memory of a very hard challenge by Auxerre’s Chedjou, could not stop the joy of the kid he wasn’t anymore. The man who was going to be 19 years old in October will remember his first professional game forever, on August 8th 1998 against Guy Roux’ AJA. Fabrice Fernandes, born in Pantin, was one of the main men in Rennes’ 1-0 victory (goal by Laurent Huard). By giving a nod to his youngest player at the star of the game, Paul Le Guen had had fine inspiration. Fabrice was replaced at the 88th minute by Edouard Cissé, and went out under the applause of the 17394 present at the Route de Lorient. That evening, Fabrice Fernandes had an emotional thought about his father, who transmitted him the passion for football. “He played on Sunday morning with the Veterans. It is when I went to Pantin’s Stadium with him, that I wanted to become a professional”, he explained, as stubborn as the Breton he would become in 1995. Patrick Rampillon detected him at the INF Clairefontaine where he spent three seasons, and immediately noticed his great qualities. He started playing with the youth teams and the Reserve. His chance came from Paul Le Guen, which he seduced by his skills and gave him a chance during the pre-season games. He then impressed against Auxerre and proved the Breton manager right, who wished to trust the youngsters from the club’s Academy. A bursting start which proved that Fabrice Fernandes was in no intention to lose time on his career plan.

The following week, the young midfielder scored his first goal in D1. Despite a 3-1 defeat in Montpellier, the Rennes wonderkid managed a magnificent game and amazed all observers. He made the best of a second post delivery from the right by the unstoppable Yoann Bigné to score his first ever goal with a superb left-footed volley. He played all ninety minutes in the game. A week later, the SRFC won against Le Havre (2-1) and the young midfielder showed all his talent once more, even causing comparison with former Le Havre player Vikash Dhorasoo. He was at the origin of Rennes’ equalisation during the second half, delivering a wonderful cross which Nonda slotted home after jumping higher than all the Normand defenders. Fabrice, with this assist, was awarded a “5” (out of 6) by France Football, who included him in its ideal XI for Game Week 3. The beginning of success! In his stride, the Breton capital’s club managed a very good start of the season and took position in the top part of the table. In only three games, Fabrice Fernandes had made his mark in the elite of football in the World Champions’ country. He was convincing, his dribbles and his boldness raised the enthusiasm of the Route de Lorient fans. The SRFC, then in a juridical fight with Inter Milan to recover possession of its young players Mikaël Silvestre and Ousmane Dabo, saw another youngster, straight out of the Academy, shine at the highest level. The left attacking midfielder was soon considered as THE Rennes revelation of the early season.

"There is something of Keruzoré in that young man"

He would not take much more for him to be called-up by Raymond Domenech with the French U21 national team, alongside three other Rennes players, Anthony Réveillère, Yoann Bigné and Édouard Cissé. He was even included in a squad of thirty players called and likely to play against Iceland in the qualifications for the category’s European Championship. He would not take part in the “Bleuets”’ victory however (2-0, goals by Nicolas Anelka and Daniel Moreira)
Against Strasbourg during the fourth game week, he was once more at the origin of Nicolas Goussé’s goal (1-1). Fabrice Fernandes kept on surprising everyone. On the following match day, he discovered the majestic Vélodrome, a great moment in the young Rennais’ career. The “Rouge et Noir” managed the exploit to snatch a point at the Canebière (1-1). A few days later, he scored his second professional game against Bastia, thanks to a perfectly executed left-footed free-kick (2-0 victory) in front of all his family specially arrived from Pantin to the Route de Lorient for the occasion. Enough to trigger laudatory comments on the Vilaine banks, such as “There is something of Keruzoré in that young man”. Probably because of his very fluid way to drive the ball. “He doesn’t look at his feet”, “he has the sense of play and deliveries”, “he knows how to avoid knocks as only great players can do” are more comments heard about him. An excellent left attacker for his team, Fabrice turns into a goal scorer to the great joy of the “Rouge et Noir” support. After six game weeks, Rennes sat on fourth position equal to Monaco, and the ambition was clear: “to qualify for the European Cup, any of them”.

Nineteen years old and an incredible talent, the player doesn’t get carried away for so much. He keeps his cool on the pitch, in his life and even… in front of the microphones and cameras. A provider of balls for the “new Weah”, Shabani Nonda, Fabrice Fernandes and the 1998-1999 Stade Rennais impress and beat the AS Monaco of reigning World Champions Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet (2-1), in front of a Stade de la Route de Lorient exploding in a rare euphoria. The “new Rennes” designed during the summer is working well, to the elation of Messrs. Méhaignerie, Pinault and Blayau. After the tenth Game Week and a short victory (1-0, goal by Nonda on a corner from Fabrice Fernandes) in the derby against Lorient, the SRFC was third, a position they would hold on to until the winter break.

Rennes was regularly taking control of the game, passing the ball across all the width of the fields through exchanges from right to left between the midfield players: from Gregoire to Fernandes via Bigné and Cissé.
Rennes is strong! Stade Rennes is also thanking its good fortune for an occasional help, as in Toulouse, where the team wins its fourth game in a row thanks to a goal by a former Toulouse defender. Dominique Arribagé, « the false friend », honoured his colours by scoring at the reception of a perfectly delivered free-kick from Fabrice Fernandes. With twenty-three goals after eleven match days, it was already six more than after the first half of the 1997-1998 season. With a third position after 990 minutes played, the Breton team managed to do even better than their 1971-1972 precursors! More than 30 years since the Stade Rennais had not enjoyed such a favourable situation… An ocean of joy, and perfect communion between the team, the players and the club on one side and the fans on the other. Fabrice Fernandes was certainly no stranger to this success. Technically gifted, he brought this ability to make the difference that Rennes lacked over the previous seasons. All of Brittany, from le Conquet to la Gravelle, from Pleumeur-Bodou to Damgan, was having eyes for the young prodigy only. Rennes thumped Sochaux 4-0 in the twelfth game week and was four points above the fourth in the league ranking. Only snag, the Nantes rival came to win (2-3) on Rennes’ pitch four game weeks later. After a last point taken against Metz (0-0), the SRFC snatched the third place with half of the championship gone, behind Marseille and Bordeaux.

A confirmation taking a long time to arrive

A much more difficult time would then follow for the young Parisian. Plagued with injuries during winter, Fabrice Fernandez would remain out of the first team for seven games. He played in the Reserve with Rennes’ new generation (Dahoub, Ketchanke, Anis and others…) and scored one goal against Caen’s Reserve. At the same time, another player from the Academy appeared at midfield, Cyril Yapi (the young man from Morbihan, born in Caudon, had his first start in D1 during a game against Marseille on the 21st game week! Fabrice Fernandes returned to Division 1 pitches against Nancy for the 25th League game week, replacing Stéphane Grégoire at the 87th minute.

At this time, the SRFC did not manage to win anymore, and Paul Le Guen preferred the winter recruit Christophe Le Roux, much more experience, to the young Parisian. However, he scored agains against… Saint- Lô with the Reserve. After his storming beginnings in Division 1, Fernandes lost patience and was eventually left out of the first squad, playing only eight minutes in Nantes during a 1-2 defeat during the League’s thirty-second game week. His fantastic introduction with the “Rouge et Noir” shirt had turned into a distant memory. Fernandes disappeared from the spotlights and Stade Rennes finished the season in fifth position.

On a personal point of view, Fabrice Fernandes played 15 games and scored 2 goals. His second professional season started the way the previous had ended however. The team had a hard start of the season, and Paul Le Guen did not include him in his best eleven. He started during the sixth game week game against Monaco (victory 2-1) however, and was replaced 5 minutes before the end of the game by Cyril Yapi. Rewarded for his perseverance, he returned little by a little to the first squad, and scored the third goal in his team’s win against Sedan (5-0, tenth game week). On the same night, another brilliant youngster arrived straight from the Reserve… Makhtar N’Diaye. The latter scored his first ever Division 1 goal with a « Platini-style” free-kick. Fabrice Fernandes was regularly included in the team sheet, but he was only sparsely used on the field, often for a few minutes at a time. He kept on working with the Reserve, and score another goal… against Caen Reserve again, then against Tours a few weeks later (5-0). Eventually, he played very little D1 football during his second season (seventeen games for only one goal). Meanwhile, the Stade Rennais struggled until the end to remain in the top flight, and managed it only during the last match-day thanks to an essential victory against Metz (2-0). With this nearly blank season for him, Fabrice Fernandes was taking longer than expected to confirm the qualities shown during the first half of the 1998-1999 season.

Long years of doubt

Fabrice Fernandes was loan to English side Fulham at the beginning of the 2000-2001 season, where he joined French manager Jean Tigana, with a purchase option of 45 million francs. He was presented to the London supporters as a future great, the type of footballer required to reach the difficult steps to Premier League success. Despite a superb goal against the “Red Devils” of Manchester United in the FA Cup, Fabrice Fernandes did not exactly leave an unforgettable memory (29 games for 2 goals) to the Cottagers’ fans. He was even loaned out to Glasgow Rangers at the middle of the season, but after only four games played in Scotland, he was returning to his training club. In 2001, after a very short spell at British club Southampton (11 games, 1 goal), the Parisian midfielder signed for… Olympique Marseille. He would stay there for two months before fleeing to Southampton. Fabrice Fernandes, then twenty-three, wished to finally settle in a club. He then knew his best seasons in the South of England, where his left foot drove the English defences crazy for three seasons (80 games, 4 goals). He also managed to build himself some sort of palmares in the process.

The English club’s relegation to second division meant the end of hopes for him. Transferred to Bolton during summer 2005, he never managed to make his mark. Unfortunately for him, he also faced some legal disagreement across the Channel, was arrested for speeding (and drink driving) and condemned by the English justice. He left to Beitar Jerusalem, then coached by Luis Fernandez, before signing a few months later for Dinamo Bucarest. Missing playing time, lost in his contradictions, he terminated his contract and left the Romanian championship. Enough to include him in the cast of football globe-trotters, along with the likes of Xavier Gravelaine and pals.

His Career

1998 – 2000 : Stade Rennais (France)
2000 – 2001 : Fulham (England, loan)
2000 – 2001 : Glasgow Rangers (Scotland, loan)
2001 – 2002 : Stade Rennais (France)
2001 – 2002 : Marseille (France)
2002 – 2005 : Southampton (England)
2005 – 2006 : Bolton (England)
2006 – 2007 : Beitar Jérusalem (Israel)
2007 – 2007 : Dinamo Bucarest (Romania)
2008 – 2009 : Le Havre (France)

Sources :
- Ouest France
- Wikipédia
- Les Cahiers du football

Photos :
- Site officiel de Southampton
- srfc.frenchwill.fr
- bbc.co.uk