Sylvain ARMAND

Shortly after the announcement of Montanier as new Manager, Stade Rennais also made official the arrival of defender Sylvain Armand in June 2013. The French international arrived from Paris Saint Germain, who had freed him from the final year of his contract for services rendered, not least in helping his club with the Ligue 1 title a month earlier. Having been developed as a Left Back, Armand signed a two-year contract with the promise of a role as the boss in….central defence. In his first three seasons at the club, he played 118 matches as unrivalled first choice, and was captain on 36 occasions. Under the leadership of Christian Gourcuff, however, he only made three appearances, the last of which came on 14th October 2016 in the 0-7 hammering at Monaco in the League Cup, where he was surrounded by a rather youthful Rennes side. On the last evening of the season against Monaco (2-3), he didn’t get on to the pitch as a sub, but he still did a lap of honour to celebrate his career after the game.