Even Brentford FC history couldn't stop QPR faithful falling in love with star | OneFootball

The centre back moved to Loftus Road after a four-year spell with Brentford, but he was still adored by the R's faithful.

Yoann Barbet became a much loved figure among the Queens Park Rangers faithful during his time with the club, despite his history with Brentford.

The Frenchman spent three seasons at Loftus Road, captaining the club on multiple occasions and becoming a favourite among the fans. It’s testament to his performances with the club that not even a four-year spell with West London rivals Brentford could tarnish his reputation at the R’s.

The reliable centre back was particularly impressive during the 2020/21 campaign, when he failed to miss a single minute throughout the entire Championship season.

Barbet’s time in England drew to a close in 2022, and he departed having never got a taste of Premier League football. However, that has done little to diminish his time at QPR, where he will always be remembered as an extremely classy operator and hugely popular figure.

Barbet’s Brentford spell hasn't affected his popularity at QPR

After initially coming through the youth academy at French giants Bordeaux and then representing their B team, Barbet got his first real exposure to professional football with Ligue 2 side Chamois Niortais during the 2014/15 season.

His performances in the second tier were so impressive that they caught the eye of Brentford, who had just recorded an impressive fifth place finish in their first Championship season since 1993.

Barbet made the switch to England for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2015 and became a key part of the side that established themselves in the Championship in the following campaigns.

During his four-year spell with the Bees, Barbet played under both Dean Smith and Thomas Frank. The Frenchman made 118 appearances for Brentford, and netted seven goals, before rejecting the club’s offer of a new contract in the summer of 2019 and ultimately making the switch to QPR.

The centre back named then R’s boss Mark Warburton as one of the key reasons why he chose to join the club.

Barbet’s first season at Loftus Road was heavily disrupted by injury, but he still managed to make 27 league appearances in the Covid-affected 2019/20 season. He even captained the side for the final few games of the season, after previous skipper Grant Hall had been released.

The following campaign was when the then 27-year-old really began to shine. Barbet became the only player to play every single minute of the 2020/21 Championship season, with his consistently high-quality displays helping QPR to a ninth placed finish.

That remains their highest Championship finish since their relegation from the Premier League in 2015.

Described by Warburton as being “technically outstanding”, Barbet left QPR at the end of the 2021/22 season. He confirmed in a heartfelt message to the club’s supporters, that he and the board had been unable to reach an agreement over a new deal.

Barbet now plays in Saudi Arabia

After leaving QPR, Barbet moved back to his homeland and finally got to experience first-team football with his boyhood club, Bordeaux.

Across two seasons with Bordeaux, he made 71 appearances for the club and even notched a career-high six league goals in the 2023/24 season.

His return to Bordeaux came with the club in the midst of severe financial difficulties, and they finally succumbed to those issues at the end of that campaign. They were relegated to the Championnat National (the French third tier) as a result of their financial troubles and opted to give up their status as a professional club.

This resulted in the contracts of every first-team player being terminated, leaving Barbet once again without a club.

The 31-year-old now plays in the Saudi Pro League for Al Riyadh.

Since leaving England, Barbet’s career at the top level has faded away somewhat. It’s fair to say that QPR fans will be left wondering what could have been after that 2022 contract disagreement.