Like hundreds of thousands of French people, Benjamin Bourigeaud decided to let off some steam and spend New Year’s Eve down Paris’ world-famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées, maybe counting down the last seconds of what has been a year of two halves for the Calais-born Stade Rennais midfielder.
For several years now, Benjamin Bourigeaud has been one of the most consistent players in Ligue 1, delivering on a weekly basis gutsy performances that translated into his never-say-die attitude and commitment to the Brittany club. Bourigeaud’s status as Rennes’ standard-setter and most important player earned him a contract extension in 2022, tying him to Stade Rennais until 2026.
The RC Lens youth product is a rare breed of football player, the kind that improves his teammates by just being there on the pitch. When Bourigeaud is playing well, Rennes play well, it is as simple as that. Moreover, Bourigeaud’s versatility – he can play as a right-winger, a right-sided midfielder or a central midfielder – never really hinders his input at Rennes.
Rennes would have probably not finished fourth last year in the league without Bourigeaud pulling the strings in midfield and proving decisive on more than one occasion. The 29-year-old registered eight goal contributions in Rennes’ final six games of the campaign, including a final-day brace at Brest: a vicious direct free-kick in the bottom corner and a coolly-taken penalty in Marco Bizot’s top corner. Rennes leapfrogged Lille to go fourth that day and booked their ticket to the Europa League group stage. Bourigeaud ended the 2022-2023 season with eight goals and thirteen assists in all competitions: a remarkable turnout for a central midfielder by trade.
With veteran right-back Hamari Traoré leaving for Real Sociedad, head coach Bruno Genesio appointed Bourigeaud as the club’s skipper, a natural choice given the midfielder’s ever-lasting loyalty to the team he joined from Lens in 2017. “I feel a lot of pride“, Bourigeaud said before the start of the 2023-2024 season. “I’m obviously very happy, but I will still need everyone. I’ll stay true to myself and move forward with the team come what may.“
Putting on a brave face
It was supposed to be the season where Stade Rennais would take the next step. After six consecutive seasons in European competitions, Rennes Sporting director Florian Maurice aimed at a podium finish and a Champions League spot for the Breton team. Early in pre-season, Rennes has already bought two of Ligue 1’s best players in Lorient’s Enzo Le Fée and Nantes’ Ludovic Blas.
Les Rouge et Noir also successfully lured Premier League winner Nemanja Matic out of AS Roma. A youthful freewheeling Bruno Genesio-led team enhanced by trophy-winning experienced players and captained by one of Ligue 1’s unsung heroes. What could possibly go wrong?
In short, most of it. Alongside Olympique Lyonnais, Stade Rennais stands as the most disappointing team in Ligue 1 this season, given the means at their disposal and the fact they were a joy to watch with Genesio at the helm. Bourigeaud earns his share of the blame. His goal contributions have dried up and his influence has waned. He used to play as a central midfielder alongside Matic, and the understanding between the two was not clear to see. Rather than a classy tempo-setting midfielder like Matic, Rennes clearly needed a physical and press-resistant 6 in his prime years to shield an error-strewn pair of centre-backs.
Gag reel-worthy defensive mistakes, a lack of attacking edge and a struggling midfield were again on display when Rennes became the first Ligue 1 team to lose against the bottom Gones (0-1).
One of the stand-out moments of that dreaded Sunday for Rennes was not Guela Doué’s red card only five minutes in or Ireland’s Jake O’Brien’s game-winning header. It occurred after the game when a lost-for-word Bourigeaud faced the media in the mixed zone. “We’ll keep fighting. We’ll not give in… It’s tough. We’re mad at ourselves too. We’d love to bring a win home. We give our all. We’re tired of making efforts and not being rewarded for it.” The sight of Bourigeaud’s teary-eyed rant only endeared him even more to Rennes’ faithful fans.
Stade Rennais’ home loss to Lyon proved a tipping point for the team. During the following November international break, Genesio threw in the towel with Julien Stéphan replacing him in the Roazhon Park dugout. One of the first decisions taken by Stéphan was to strip Bourigeaud of the captaincy. “We had constructive discussions with a lot of respect for one another“, Bourigeaud said of Stéphan, who coached Rennes from 2018 to 2021. “I gave him my feelings, he gave me his. I left him the choice but I didn’t have my say.“
The former U20 France international was taken off midfield duty and repositioned as a right-sided wingback in Stéphan’s 3-4-3. For the Rennes manager’s homecoming return against Will Still’s Stade de Reims, Bourigeaud shone and looked back to his best, scoring his first non-penalty goal of the season and assisting Arthur Theate’s headed goal. Les Rouge et Noir‘s following defeats to Marseille and Monaco proved they were still very much a work in progress under Stéphan.
Now unburdened by the skipper’s armband, Bourigeaud will no doubt be the player his teammates will turn to to mount a resurgence in the top half of the Ligue 1 standings. It remains to be seen whether Bourigeaud will stick to the right flank or be given the midfield keys back with Matic seemingly pushing for an early exit. Rennes’ transfer business may very well determine the fate of their season and how Bourigeaud’s potential will be used best. Rennes’ hopes of qualifying for European competitions for a seventh year in a row depend on it.
