André BETTA

Hailing from the Côte d'Or région of France, André Betta started his playing career in the Second Division with CO Roubaix-Tourcoing in 1961. Betta was a diminutive striker, who also figured as a playmaker, depending on the formation of his team, spending two seasons in that rôle, before getting to taste life in the top flight with FC Rouen from 1963 onwards. It would be in Normandy that he would really blossom as a player, making nigh-on 160 appearances over six seasons. During this spell he would also gain two caps for the French National Team in 1968. A player with plenty of character, he left Rouen to sign for Bordeaux, where he played between 1969 and 1970. At the end of that season, he moved to Rennes, winning the French Cup in 1971. A first team regular in all the teams he played for, he became a key figure in the Rennes side for his four seasons at the club. In 1974, he signed for Metz, a team of "mates", which finished the 1975/1976 season with the most prolific attack in the First Division. After two years in the Lorraine region of France, he joined Reims, where he would play between 1976-1979. There, he would be linked up with the prolific marksman Carlos Bianchi, who would nickname Betta "Mr Caviar" based on the number of assists he provided for the striker. He was a player who looked after himself extremely well, thanks to a healthy lifestyle, and he finally decided to hang up his boots in 1979, having played 16 seasons in the top flight of French football. He took his retirement down in the South of France at Peymeinade, near Cannes. As a huge fan of horse racing, he now follows football from "afar".