Victor NIRENNOLD

Born in Rennes, Victor Nirennold is an unconventional player, both from the point of view of this career path, as well as his determination to make it as a professional footballer. He was a central defender who began life with the Stade Rennais Academy setup, but was not retained. He was deemed to not work hard enough, despite having a certain amount of raw talent. So, he moved on to the amateurs of TA Rennes, where he would continue his footballing journey, and even the Rennes Railway Workers Team (Cheminots Rennais) in the local District leagues. His post-baccalauréat (A-Level) studies then took him off to the United States, where he went to the University of Lauderdale in Florida. There, he would continue to play football at the weekend, playing for three different teams, one of which was FC Miami, where he happened to be giving French lessons at the same time. But his studies were hardly his cup of tea, and he wanted above all to make it as a professional footballer. Having made a good impression in the US with some eye-catching performances, an agent from Fleetwood in England sent him for a trial with the League One club. His trial would prove to be a success. At the beginning, he struggled to adapt to the stringent requirements of playing professional football, but he would grow progressively into his chosen profession. In 2016/2017, he managed to help his side reach the Championship promotion play-offs, but would fall out of favour with his manager the following season. Nirennold was thus sent back to play in the Reserves and then loaned out to Guiseley. Unhappy with his situation at Fleetwood, he left England to signed for FK Senica in the Slovakian First Division. He would only stay there for six months, however, mainly because his salary there often went unpaid. On a family trip to Vietnam, he fell in love with the country, and he returned there to pick up the thread of his playing career, and was signed by the DaNang Club, a popular club in the Vietnamese First Division. With the level of this championship being roughly that of amateur football in France, he took to it like a fish to water, but again, his stay would only be a short one, leaving after a season at the club. Next up was Malaysia, and he spent two seasons with UITM FC, where he became known as one of the best defenders in the league, and even wore the captain's armband on several occasions. In 2022, his wife started to feel homesick, and he decided to return "home" to England. He then got back in touch with a former manager, Graham Alexander, who took him on trial at Motherwell in the Scottish First Division, and for whom he signed - at the end of January 2022 - a professional contract