Vincent PAJOT

After winning the Gambardella Cup (French FA Youth Cup) with the likes of Brahimi, M’Vila and Théophile-Catherine in 2008, Vincent Pajot had a much less rapid rise to the top than his team-mates. That was firstly down to a serious injury, but especially down to a later maturity from a sporting perspective. Stade Rennais signed him for a year, with an optional year, in 2010. He was then loaned straight out to Boulogne in Ligue 2. The versatile midfielder surprised everyone by playing the entire season, demonstrating an unerring level of consistency in his performances. When he returned to Rennes after his loan spell, he was already a member of France’s U21 squad, and extended his contract by two seasons. At the end of his first season in Ligue 1 in 2011/2012, where he had been a revelation, he extended his contract once more to 2015. After that, he varied between solid displays, some which were ok, some which were flat, and injuries. He left Stade Rennais at the end of his contract in 2015, to join Saint-Etienne, after 103 appearances and 2 goals in Red and Black.