Cyril YAPI

Having been developed at the club, Cyril Yapi made his debut with Stade Rennais FC’s Reserves aged 17. In the 1998/1999 season, Manager Le Guen put his faith in the youngster from Morbihan, by opening the door to the First Team squad. This winger or attacking midfielder shone, thanks to his pace, and made his First-Team debut at the end of 1998. He scored on two occasions in the cups, against Coulaines (4-0) and against Troyes (4-0), and signed his first professional contract in April 1999. As the understudy to the trio of Nonda, Diouf and Bardon in the 1999/2000 season, he only made four starts in a total of just 16 appearances, mostly as substitute, at the end of matches. He then went to Laval, where he had a conclusive loan spell in the 2000/2001 season, and returned to Rennes – now under the stewardship of Gourcuff – but found himself once more relegated to a role on the bench in the Winter transfer window, with the arrivals of Sorlin, Maoulida and the return of Fabiano. Scoring in his last appearance in a Rennes shirt, a 4-1 win at Sète in the 2002/2003 season, he left Stade Rennais to try his luck with Como in Italy. In 2005 Yapi retired from football, and was then convicted of attempted murder of his girlfriend, and sentenced to 15 years in prison.