7 Rennes Players Called Up by Zidane | The One FC Inspiration

Something special happened in French football this month. For his first squad as head coach of the French national team, Zinédine Zidane called up seven players trained at the Stade Rennais academy: Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Eduardo Camavinga, Adrien Truffert, Jérémy Jacquet, Andy Diouf and Lucas Da Cunha.

Seven players from one single academy, in a squad of 23. That is nearly a third of the French national team, coming from one training center. It has never happened before in the history of the club.

At One FC, this story means a lot to us. One of our co-founders, Sylvain Marveaux, was trained at that very same academy in Rennes, where he grew up as a player before starting his professional career with the club.

A Record That Proves the French Model Works

Rennes is not the biggest club in France. It does not have the biggest budget or the most famous stadium. But for years, it has had one of the best academies in Europe. Rennes was even named the best training academy in France three years in a row, from 2023 to 2025.

The secret is not luck. It is a clear method, applied every day, over many years:

Young players are trained with a long term plan, not for quick results
Technique, game intelligence and character come first
Coaches follow each player as an individual, year after year
The club trusts its young players and gives them a real pathway to the top

Players like Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga, now stars at PSG and Real Madrid, started exactly this way. So did Désiré Doué, one of the most exciting young talents in Europe. All of them grew up in the same system, on the same fields, with the same method.

Sylvain Marveaux: From the Rennes Academy to One FC

Our co-founder Sylvain Marveaux knows this system from the inside. He joined the Rennes academy as a boy, was trained there through every age group, and made his professional debut with the club before going on to play in Ligue 1 and the Premier League.

Everything he learned at Rennes, from the daily habits to the way young players are developed step by step, is now part of what he brings to One FC. Together with Blaise Matuidi and Kieran Gibbs, he helps shape the way we train, coach and support young players in Miami, Houston and Boston.

One FC: Bringing This Model to the United States

When we created One FC, our goal was clear: bring the best of the European academy model to young players in the United States.

The success of Rennes shows what is possible when a club believes in formation and stays patient. One academy, with the right method and the right people, can produce an entire generation of top players.

That is the path we follow at One FC:

A clear method inspired by the best European academies
A focus on long term development, not short term results
Founders who lived this journey themselves, from academy to World Cup

Seven players from Rennes in the French national team is not just great news for French football. For us, it is proof that our vision makes sense, and motivation to keep building, in Miami, Houston, Boston and beyond.

The next generation is already on our fields. Our job is to guide them, the same way Rennes guided Sylvain and so many others.

Let's go, One FC!