Nélson OLIVEIRA

As a much-vaunted prospect for Portuguese football, Nélson Oliveira arrived on loan with a buyout clause in July 2013. He had made a name for himself at the U20 World Cup in 2011, where he helped his country to make the final. He had already been loaned out on several occasions in Portugal, and then with La Coruña in Spain in the 2012/2013 season. The Portuguese international centre-forward arrived in Brittany with the firm intention of fulfilling his potential, and aimed at taking part in the World Cup in Brazil, by having a good season in Rennes’ colours. He got off to a good start, scoring 7 goals in his first 12 games in Ligue 1, but his spell at Rennes started to go off the rails in November 2013. After missing a number of chances, including the penalty which would have meant a win against Marseille, he started to lose confidence, and – as a consequence - that of his Manager. With Toivonen arriving in the Winter transfer window, he was left to play the role of back-up for the rest of the season, and his missed the plane for the World Cup, returning to Lisbon to rejoin his parent club, Benfica.