Some cases escape the scientific logic that governs football today and bring comfort to the more romantic side of the sport. In the region of Brittany, in the province of Finistère, which gives the impression of being at the end of the world when people still thought that the Earth was flat, we can find a clear example in one of the cities. most unique in France. Brest, a city of 140,000 inhabitants located in the far west of France, has written some pages in the country’s history. However, none of them until now talked about a small football team that managed to reach Ligue 1 seven years ago, with a budget of just 48 million euros to compete with the best clubs in the continent. If one were to look at the Champions League standings, one could even argue that they are currently the fourth best team in Europe.
The modest Stade Brestois 29 arrive in Montjuïc with 10 points out of a possible 12, theoretically playing their home matches 115 kilometers away, as UEFA does not allow them to play in their own stadium due to security concerns related to the type of construction used for the stands (they are due to move to a new stadium in 2027). Their spectacular start to the Champions League, with a fourth place in the standings, ahead of teams like FC Barcelona, who they will face this Tuesday, contrasts sharply with a more modest start to the season in the league, where they are currently at the 12th place, just three points above the relegation zone. However, tonight’s match at Montjuïc, given the nature of their previous Champions League rivals (Leverkusen, Sturm, RB Salzburg and Spartak Prague), presents a real litmus test.
The story of Brest, whose last rise to the first division dates back to 2019, took an unexpected turn last season when they qualified for the Champions League under coach Éric Roy. The former Nice, Olympique Lyonnais, and Rayo Vallecano player—who faced FC Barcelona 22 years ago—arrived in January 2023, when the Bretons were simply fighting for survival. Surprisingly, Roy hadn’t coached for 11 years, his last experience being in Nice, his hometown. In fact, he graduated as a coach in the same class as Zinedine Zidane, but he had remained inactive, taking other roles in football (he was sporting director at Watford and Lens). Brest sporting director Grégory Lorenzi, a former club defender who has held the position since 2016 and has had offers from across Europe to coach a bigger team, highlighted his talent and offered him the job.
Despite all this, Stade Brestois is a team with very few stars. However, Roy’s team exploits its strengths to perfection: intensity, high pressing and grit. Something similar to Atalanta, although without the skill of the Bergamo team. Luis Enrique said last year that they were the team that competed against them the most during the season, more than any other team in the Champions League. The symbol of the club is captain and central defender Brandon Chardonnet, the only player who was part of this Brest team which rose in 2019 and the only one to have experienced relegation. In fact, he made his debut at the end of a match against PSG (the same match where David Beckham retired). Aside from Chardonnet, the team lost its best player, midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou, to injury, and he won’t play until the end of the year. They now have new strikers like Ludovic Ajorque and Senegalese Abdallah Sima, who has scored three goals in the Champions League.
Lorenzi knew how to make smart purchases and maximize returns in the transfer market. Last season, despite being one of the most difficult but also the most successful in their history, Brest sold (for 18 million euros) more than it bought (for 13 million euros). The team has strengthened itself to compete in both Ligue 1 and the Champions League. The credit goes largely to him, but also to the simple organization of a club chaired by Denis Le Saint, a local businessman at the head of a powerful fresh produce distribution company. The match against Barça is now seen within the club’s management—and throughout the city—as a reward for this long journey and, perhaps, an opportunity to once again challenge the very science that governs football.
