Baptiste SANTAMARIA

Stade Rennais registered the arrival of Baptiste Santamaria on 17th August 2021. Developed primarily as a defensive midfielder, and having previously played for Tours and Angers, he was signed for 14 Million Euros from Freiburg in Germany, and brought in to compensate for the departure Steve Nzonzi as a lynchpin in the Red and Blacks' midfield. Regularly in the starting line-up under the stewardship of Bruno Genesio, and author of a very good 2021/2022 season, as indeed, did the team as a whole, Santamaria suffered a serious ankle injury on 11th September 2022, in the home league fixture against Auxerre, which kept him sidelined for four months. When he returned, it took him a while to regain his previous form. At the beginning of the 2023/2024 season, he saw his game time dwindle with the arrival of Nemanja Matic. Nonetheless, he still put in some impressive performances, when called up, and Santamaria was rewarded with a contract extension on 25th January 2024. With almost 100 appearances for the Red and Blacks to his name, he extended his contract, tying him to the club until 2026.