Jean GRUMELLON

Born in the Ille-et-Vilaine region of Brittany, Jean Grumellon began his football at an early age with AS Servannaise. A formidable left-winger, he quickly showed his goalscoring ability, but would have to put his football career on ice owing to the Second World War. At that time, he would sign up for the French Navy. Upon his return from his military obligations, he picked up his footballing activities once more, and turned professional with Stade Rennais in 1947. With his magical left foot, he would soon open his goalscoring prowess, scoring 22 goals in the First Division in his first season as a Rennes player. He finished the season fourth top scorer in the league, and would repeat his feat, notching 24 goals (again fourth top scorer.) In the 1949/1950 season, he would go one better, finishing top scorer in the First Division with 25 goals to his name, before netting another 21 times the following campaign (once more fourth-ranked top scorer). A striker of undisputed talent, he would be called up to the French National Team for the first time on 4th June 1949, even scoring a goal against Switzerland on his debut. He would go on to win 10 caps in total, scoring 5 goals during his international career. As of 1952, deeming himself to be out of form, he would decline all subsequent call-ups to concentrate on club football. It would also be that same year that he would leave Stade Rennais to join reigning champions, Nice, with whom he spent a mere six months, before ending the 1952/1953 season with Monaco in the Second Division. He then moved onto Le Havre, where he would score 15 goals. Back at Rennes in 1954, he would prove to be less prolific in front of goal, but he remained a key player in the Rennes attack for two seasons. Nicknamed "La Grume", he racked up a total of 154 goals for Rennes, making him the club's all-time record goalscorer. In the 1956/1957 season, he signed for Saint-Malo where he ended his career, and would also pass away in the city on 30th December 1991, aged 68.