Yves Boutet

Yves "Yvon" Boutet (born December 3, 1936 in Rennes ) is a former French football player who completed the major part of his career at the Stade Rennes UC .

Career

Youth (until 1955)

Boutet, nicknamed "Yvon" since childhood, began playing football at the age of twelve when he joined the Tour d'Auvergne sports club in his hometown of Rennes in 1949 . Even in the youth field, he was noticed by his technical skills and his exceptionally good positional play. The central defender was so convincing that he was regularly appointed to the regional youth team of the corresponding age group. In 1952 he was even a member of the French squad for the Junior World Cup in Germany. Because of his talent, he became the focus of the regional strongest club Stade Rennes UC , who took him in 1955 under contract.

Breakthrough at Rennes (1955–1961)

For the 1955/56 season, the then 18-year-old Boutet was in the squad of the second division team trained by Henri Guérin , albeit initially only as a reservist. On October 23, 1955, he made his debut in the defensive department of his team in a 3-0 victory over FC Sète . In the following time he came occasionally to further missions and made his contribution to the fact that the club in 1956 succeeded in promotion to the top French division. As a result, the young player also made his first division debut when he was called up on September 30, 1956 in a 2: 3 home defeat against OGC Nice . He then regularly received the trust of the coach, but had to accept the direct relegation of his team at the end of the season. In the course of the following season 1957/58 he and his teammates not only managed to get promoted immediately, but also became a regular player in the defense. After returning to the top class, the largest club in the Brittany region had to fight relegation again, but was always able to save themselves from it. Boutet's internal importance had continued to grow, which is why he was allowed to lead the team as captain on the pitch from the 1959/60 season.

Sporting successes with Rennes (1961–1967)

In 1961, Antoine Cuissard, a new coach who had been part of the team himself a few years earlier, was brought in. Boutet remained a key player on the defensive under him and the team was able to consolidate in the middle of the table. It experienced a clear upward trend after Jean Prouff was hired in 1964 to succeed Cuissard. In the first year, Rennes made it into the national cup final in 1965 in addition to a fourth place in the league . Boutet was the captain on the field and experienced a 2-2 against the UA Sedan-Torcy , which meant a replay was due. In this, his team won 3: 1 after an initial deficit, which earned him the first title win of his career. "To win the final, was the crowning" , he described the success itself.

By winning the final, the Bretons had qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup. So Boutet made his debut in European competition when he was on the pitch in the first round against Dukla Prague , but had to accept the elimination after the return leg. The season 1966/67, during which he celebrated his 30th birthday, was for him the last in the highest league in the country. In a 4-3 win against Racing Strasbourg on May 27, 1967, he completed his last encounter both in this league as well as for Rennes, since he moved to the second division FC Lorient . With 393 competitive games, including 306 first division games with a goal scored, he went down in history as the club's record player. In terms of the number of games in the first division, his temporary team-mate René Cédolin is just ahead of him with 322.

Last years with Lorient (1967–1969)

In 1967 he moved, accompanied by a few colleagues from Rennes, to the second division promoted FC Lorient , which is also based in Brittany . With Antoine Cuissard, the coach was also an old friend. Boutet took a regular position, but formally only had the status of an amateur and was already working as a furniture salesman. In the second half of the 1968/69 season, he took on additional responsibility when he was acting as a coach on an interim basis. In the summer of 1969, after 45 second division games without a goal, his time in Lorient ended, making his playing career finally over. However, it remained public afterwards, initially as a regional representative of the Adidas brand . At the beginning of the 1990s he became Vice President of his former employer, FC Lorient.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Grands Joueurs Stade Rennes , pari-et-gagne.com
2. ^ Yves Boutet - Fiche de stats du joueur de football , pari-et-gagne.com
3. ^ Yvon Boutet, le plus capé des Rennais , stade-rennais-online.com