Robert RICO

Robert Rico was born in Morocco, and arrived in France aged 14. He was developed at Concarneau where he scored lots of goals. He may have been a diminutive attacking player, but he soon caught the eye of Stade Rennais' scouting network. He would join the Red and Blacks in 1964. He was a lively and pacy left-winger, but he would have to wait until the 1965/1966 season to make his debut in professional football, before going on to become a first-team regular in the starting line-up. Brother of Jocelyn Rico, who also played for Rennes between 1990-1993, he enjoyed the glory days at Rennes during his five seasons as a striker at the club. Technically-gifted, he played a key role in the victorious French Cup run in 1971. His great displays for Rennes even opened the door for him to be selected for the French national side, obtaining a cap in a 2-1 friendly victory over Belgium on 15th November 1970. After difference of opinion with the management over financial matters; he left the Breton club to sign for Stade de Reims in 1971, having made over 160 appearances, scoring more than 30 goals in that time. He stayed with Reims for two seasons, before moving onto Girondins de Bordeaux in 1973. He struggled to make an impression on the banks of the Gironde River, and was released by Bordeaux at the end of the 1973/1974 season. He tried his luck at Nancy in the Second Division, alongside a certain Michel Platini, and achieved promotion with the club to the top flight having won the Division Two Championship in 1975. He would not play any part in the season that followed, and chose to move on to a new challenge with Saint Dié, who had only just been promoted to the Second Division in 1976. It would be there that he ended his playing career, two years later. After hanging up his boots, he became a sales representative, and moved to Dinan in 2005. In 2009, he took over the responsibility to the School of Football at ASLL Trélat-Taden for 8 years. He is passionate about fishing and hunting, and continues to follow the results of Rennes, regularly attending Roazhon Park with former team-mates.