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When soccer fans think about the best youth academies in the world, some of the clubs that probably come to mind are Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and perhaps Dinamo Zagreb.
While the academy of Stade Rennais may not often come up in that discussion, it has produced some extraordinary talents and often does not get the credit it is due. Rennes has produced World Cup winners and champions of leagues across the continent. Here are some of the best talents who started their careers in the capital of the famous region of Brittany.
5 Best Players To Come Through Rennes Academy
5. Mikaël Silvestre
Silvestre, who played both at left back and center back throughout his career, broke through at Rennes and went on to make more than 50 appearances for the first team before a move to Inter. After one season in Milan and 18 Serie A appearances, he moved to Manchester United, where he became an integral part of Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering Red Devils.
Making 30 or more Premier League appearances in seven of his nine seasons in Manchester, Silvestre left the northwest with four Premier League winner's medals (missing out on a fifth only through injury) as well as winning the 2007-08 Champions League. Silvestre also racked up 40 caps for France, winning the Confederations Cup in both 2001 and 2003. By the time a 2009 move to Arsenal came around he had appeared over 360 times for Ferguson's United.
4. Yacine Brahimi
Born in Paris to Algerian parents, Brahimi spent time at France's world-famous Clairefontaine academy before signing a youth contract with Rennes in 2006. He would make 54 appearances for the first team before a move to Spain with Granada. Mainly deployed as a winger, he has also appeared as a more central creative midfielder at times.
Noted for his devastating dribbling ability, Brahimi finished first in LaLiga for successful dribbles in 2013-14 ahead of Lionel Messi with 164.
Throwback : Ce magnifique bijou de Yacine Brahimi sous les couleurs du FC Porto #TeamDz ... cc @DZfoot pic.twitter.com/lpdDeDEMa2
— Ishaq Chebli (@IshaqChebli) March 29, 2020
A crucial part of Algeria's World Cup side that exited in the Round of 16 after taking Germany to extra time, Brahimi was named the BBC's African Footballer of the Year in 2014. He also won the 2015 African Cup of Nations with his international side. He played a pivotal role as Porto won the Portuguese league in 2017-18. An incredibly skillful player whose close control helped make him a fan favorite, he endured ups and downs in Portugal but ultimately left for Qatar in 2019 with over 200 appearances to his name, scoring 54 goals and assisting a further 43.
3. Yoann Gourcuff
At one time considered a generational talent in France and one of a select few to be labeled the "next Zidane," Gourcuff was an absurdly talented player who never quite hit the heights expected of him. Making over 130 appearances for Rennes across two spells at the club, Gourcuff was a true No. 10 with outstanding skill on the ball.
He enjoyed perhaps the best spell of his career with Bordeaux, winning the Ligue 1 title in 2008-09. During that season he scored a remarkable goal that made headlines across the world of soccer, leaving two Paris Saint-Germain defenders in his wake as he shifted the ball from his right foot to his left before firing past the goalkeeper.
10 years ago | Yoann Gourcuff scored this wonder goal against PSG pic.twitter.com/rV3dm0eCE7
— Photos of Football (@photosofootball) January 15, 2019
After that triumphant season with Bordeaux, he was named the France Football Player of the Year as well as the Ligue 1 Player of the Year. After that season, though, especially following a move to Lyon, his form was often erratic and he never displayed his outrageous skill on a consistent basis.
Partly due to frequent injury, he never lived up to the "Le Successeur" tag heaped upon him early on and was often criticized for his mindset and behavior.
Paolo Maldini once famously said of Gourcuff after his departure from AC Milan: "His problem was his behaviour. He did not show an intelligent way to manage himself. When he played here, he did not want to make himself available to the squad. He did not start studying Italian immediately. He did not work. He was not always on time. It happened a lot. (There are) things I cannot say. But he knows what he did."
Having recently retired, Gourcuff is unfortunately one of those mercurial players who leaves fans wondering what could have been.
2. Tiémoué Bakayoko
Bakayoko made 28 appearances for the Rennes first team before a 2014 move to Monaco. It was in the Principality that he made himself known to the world as a midfield destroyer. He was a crucial player for Leonardo Jardim's Ligue 1 champions in 2016-17 as the side also advanced to the Champions League semifinals after a famous victory over Manchester City.
Despite shining at Monaco, Bakayoko struggled to fit in at Chelsea. He was quickly labeled a flop and at times looked as if he was in over his head, struggling to adapt to the pace of the English league. He soon moved on loan to Gennaro Gattuso's AC Milan where, despite a tumultuous start, he established himself as one of the best players in the side. He started to dominate games for the Rossoneri as he had in the past at Monaco.
It looked as though Milan would stump up the money to purchase him on a permanent basis, but ultimately he was loaned out back to Monaco by Chelsea. He made 20 appearances in the league before the postponement of play in 2020 and Robert Moreno's side has the option to make the move permanent.
1. Ousmane Dembélé
Dembélé took the sporting world by storm as an 18-year old in the 2015-16 season with Rennes, producing some outrageous skills on the way to scoring 12 goals in 29 appearances. He soon moved to Borussia Dortmund, winning the German Cup in 2016-17. In 50 appearances in the Rhineland, he scored 10 goals and assisted another 22.
His ridiculous dribbling skills, pace and equal ability with both feet caught the eye of FC Barcelona, which made him the second-most expensive transfer ever with a $120 million move in 2017. It hasn't been smooth sailing for the youngster in Catalonia, though. Despite claiming two LaLiga winners medals and a World Cup victory with France in 2018, Dembélé has seemingly found himself on the treatment table more often than on the pitch.
Since arriving in Spain he has suffered nine different injuries, through which he has missed over 70 games. Barcelona may well be running out of patience, despite their hopes that Dembélé can make its investment look worthwhile. He is a uniquely talented player but his future seems to be in limbo as the club cannot wait forever. Additionally, he has not looked the world-beater he did at Rennes and Dortmund when he has been fit.
It is no easy thing for players to settle at Barcelona as many have shown in the past. It is more an institution than simply a club and with the board seemingly still in love with Neymar and seeking to bring him back to Catalonia, it is difficult to say where Dembélé will be playing come the start of next season. If he can stay fit, he certainly has the talent to become one of the best players in the world.
Ousmane Dembele had pace to burn pic.twitter.com/yZY8iUEghr
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 9, 2019
