The soccer world is mourning the loss of Stade Brest coach Eric Roy, who passed away at the age of 58. Throughout his career, the Frenchman served both as a coach and as a sporting director.
Eric Roy has passed away at the age of 58. His family announced the news on Thursday evening via his Instagram account. Until recently, the Nice native had been coaching the French first-division club Stade Brest, where he had been hired in January 2023.
A Long Battle with Cancer
“It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the passing of our father and husband, Eric Roy. For three and a half years, Dad battled pancreatic cancer. Throughout this time, he carried on with a strength that still amazes us—sustained by the love of his family, by soccer, by his work, and by that passion that never left him,” Roy’s family wrote on Instagram.
Roy’s passion for soccer never left him throughout his life. As an active player, he spent most of his career at OGC Nice, but also played for Olympique Lyon, Olympique Marseille, and SC Toulon Var, among others, in France’s top division. Abroad, he also wore the jersey of AFC Sunderland in the Premier League and that of Rayo Vallecano in Spain.
After retiring in 2004, he took on his first coaching role at OGC Nice in 2010. After serving as sporting director for the French club (2011–2012), he went on to hold the role of sporting director at both RC Lens (2017–2019) and Watford FC (2019–2020), before taking over as head coach of Stade Brest in 2023. In the 2023–24 season, Roy sensationally led the team to third place in Ligue 1, securing the club’s first-ever Champions League qualification. There, Roy and Brest advanced past the group stage before being eliminated by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain. In Brest, he was revered as “King.”
The club also bid farewell to its coach with warm words: “Eric Roy was an inspiring figure who gave so much to Stade Brest. Loved and respected by the fans, he helped write the most glorious chapters in the club’s history and led the club to historic success.”
The club will never forget what Roy gave the club, nor what kind of person he was. “You will remain forever in our hearts and in the history of Stade Brest. Kenavo le King,” the club wrote on X.
