If you love to see big stars having a horrible evening, you have to go to Brest. It doesn't matter if your name is Neymar, Cesc Fabregas or Kylian Mbappé: no one enjoys the storm and rain on the Breton coast.
Stade Brestois 29 is not a club that can boast about a very rich history. Les Pirates haven't even played in France's top flight for longer than 15 years. The club even played non-league football for a long time after filing for bankruptcy in 1991. However, this is the club where elegant players like David Ginola and Franck Ribéry started their careers.
Brest is the most western point of Brittany, and therefore also of France. Ligue 1 teams don't really like to come here, because, for French standard, it's often quite chilly, wet and windy. Because of the high altitude and the open structure of the Stade Francis-Le Blé, the weather has free rein at home games of Brest. A while ago, the stars of PSG decided to do their warming-up in the catacombs of the stadium, because they couldn't stand the outside.
With just 15,000 places, Stade Francis-Le Blé is one of the smallest stadiums in the league, but it truly has a unique character because of the four completely different stands. A giant main stand, a beautiful stand on the opposite side and two smaller stands behind the goals, one of them uncovered. With a little bit of bad luck, the away fans will spend 90 minutes in pouring rain and storm.
Behind the Tribune Quimper, home to the fanatic fans of Brest, you'll find bar Le Penalty on the Rue Quimper, which is known for its connection with the football club. Inside the bar, there are a lot of pictures from the history of Stade Brestois. From the patio, you have a good view of the stadium across the street.
It's a quote by perhaps the most famous child that was born in the city. "Brest is not the most beautiful, nor the ugliest city of the world". Brest was, like more French harbour cities, very important for the Germans in World War II. It was completely bombed by the Allies and the old Brest disappeared almost entirely.
By the way, that quote is from the Argentinian top striker Gonzalo Higuaín, remarkably enough born in Brest, where his father was a football player at the time. He was born in the hospital at the corner of Avenue Foch, a giant grey building: exemplary for the city.
Near the hospital, you'll find the Place de la Liberté, a post-war square and the absolute center of the city. Stade Brestois hasn't won many prizes, but if they do win one, they'll celebrate it here. In 2019 the square became full for the last time when Brest managed to promote to Ligue 1. On the Rue Jean Jaurès, directly right of the town hall, you'll find a fan store as well.
The foundation of Stade Brestois in the 1950s can be linked back to the catholic church. There were several smaller, catholic clubs in town, but the biggest football club of all was a secular one, AS Brest. To compete with them, the catholic clubs decided to team up and form Stade Brestois. Fair to say they succeeded, because where Stade Brestois plays in Ligue 1, AS Brest plays in the seventh tier of French football. They play at the Stade Menez Paul, which is only one tram station further than the stadium of Stade Brestois.
You can buy tickets at the official website of the club. But given the stadium's capacity, there's only a limited number of tickets available for every match. So make sure to be fast, because especially against the top teams, the small Francis-Le Blé will be packed.
It's not easy to park your car around the stadium, so the best thing you can do is take the tram. The only tramline in the city takes you in less than ten minutes to Place de Strasbourg, near Stade Francis-Le Blé.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
