Stade Brestois 29 are the UEFA Champions League side punching above their weight that everyone is currently raving about, after their 1-0 win over PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday for their fourth victory from six games in the inaugural league phase. Not only is it a first time for this new-look format but it is also a first time for Les Pirates in European competition — ever — and they have handled themselves extremely well and so far have only lost to continental giants Barcelona away from home.
The Brittany-based outfit boast 13 points from their six outings which places them fifth and all but confirms their appearance in at least the knockout phase — if not a top eight finish which takes them into the round of 16 directly. With 10 goals scored, they have found the back of the net more times than clubs like Inter, Arsenal, Lille OSC and Aston Villa ahead of Wednesday’s games while their six goals against is more impressive than Real Madrid, Manchester City, Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and AS Monaco’s defensive tallies to name a few.
So, who are Brest and how are they doing so well in this year’s UCL?
Brest’s story was already fairytale stuff before they even entered into the Champions League with an improbable third place finish in Ligue 1 securing a maiden European outing of any description. Only Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco finished higher in the final Championnat standings with OGC Nice, Olympique Lyonnais, RC Lens and Olympique de Marseille among the sides unable to catch them, with OM missing out on continental competition. Putting it into further context, Brest jumped from 14th position to third — 11 places in an 18-team league — to get to this stage via an automatic berth.
Arguably the most incredible part of the Brittany-based outfit’s story is that they do not really boast any star individuals. Injured pair Pierre Lees-Melou and Bradley Locko were both superb but have not featured regularly — if at all — this season while captain Brendan Chardonnet, Mahdi Camara and Marco Bizot were all outstanding. The Dutch goalkeeper was even voted man of the match against PSV this midweek, with a superb display to keep his compatriots at bay. Nobody leads the scoring charts nor is anyone racking up the assists more than anybody else in the UCL — this is quite simply a very solid collective effort across the board. If you had to pick a part of the team that works particularly well, it would be the defense which was also key last year, but the strength of their unit is that there is no obvious star element, which keeps everybody grounded.
Even the mastermind behind Brest’s stunning turnaround in form is relatively unknown with Eric Roy approaching 60 yet only in charge of his second club. The 57-year-old was coach of Nice over 10 years ago but spent more time as a pundit and an executive, as well as sporting director, than a tactician until he answered the Pirates’ call in early 2023. His achievements at Stade Francis Le Ble — not EA Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou which is where SB29’s UCL games are played — have put him on the radar of other French clubs who would love nothing more than a similar glow up to the one that he has pulled off here. That said, this story does feel like it has once in a lifetime qualities for Roy as well as his players and the club which is arguably part of the reason that everybody is making the most of this memorable ride while they can.
Advancing to the knockouts is already a huge achievement for Brest as well as Ligue 1 and progressing along with Monaco, Lille and PSG — currently the least likely to make it — would be enormous for French soccer at a very difficult time. Considering the Bretons’ injuries and unavailability of key players, it is a minor miracle that they are here and doing as well as they have been with what could almost be branded a journeyman squad given its makeup. Currently 11th in Ligue 1 and closer to the relegation zone than the European places, logically the focus has to shift and domestic survival must become the priority in 2025 — especially with their new Arkea Park expected around 2027. Financially, the club’s future cannot afford to drop into Ligue 2 and this year’s incredible Champions League run may well have safeguarded that future to a large extent.
