French import will always have a place in Plymouth Argyle folklore: View | OneFootball

Romain Larrieu played over 300 matches for the Greens, and is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the club's history

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‘He’s French, he’s great, he’s David Friio’s mate, Larrieu, Larrieu!’

If you ever took a trip down to Home Park in the first 12 years of the century, there was a very good chance you would have heard the Janners in attendance belting out that little ditty in tribute to their goalkeeper.

Romain Larrieu was more than just a great custodian for Plymouth Argyle, he got the club from day one, and as a result, the Green Army welcomed him into their bosom as one of their own.

Joining days after compatriot David Friio, the pair drizzled a bit of continental quality into the Argyle team of the noughties and underpinned their rise through the divisions from League Two to the Championship.

Romain Larrieu embarks on Plymouth Argyle adventure

‘Le Keeper’ came over to Devon in December 2000 on an initial trial, and did enough to convince manager Paul Sturrock that he was worthy of a deal with the fourth tier side, in a move that changed Argyle history forever.

After making the move from his native Montpellier, the glovesman adapted to life in the English game almost immediately, and ended up playing 17 times for the club before the end of his first season across the Channel.

With his coiffured mane, olive skin and chiseled facial features, the new import in goal was quite the exotic choice for football in Devon at the time, with the Frenchman a picture of cool between the sticks.

That Mediterranean majesty was backed up by a number of incredible performances in his first full season with the Greens, where he kept 27 clean sheets in all competitions, as Argyle won the fourth tier title at a canter.

With his incredible reflexes, command of his penalty area, and unwavering self-belief, Larrieu continued to excel as the Pilgrims made the step up in division, with a further 13 clean sheets seeing his stock continue to rise.

Injury and illness sees Larrieu struggle for fitness

There is no doubt in a lot of Argyle fan’s minds that Larrieu would have racked up even more than the 318 appearances he did for the club if it wasn’t for things out of his control, with the first hurdle to overcome being a knee ligament injury that saw him ruled out for the majority of the 03/04 campaign.

While his teammates would have been celebrating a second promotion in two years as the Greens reached the Championship, Larrieu had been out of action since the previous September, with Luke McCormick taking over in the number one role.

The battle to be first choice was an everlasting one while the pair were at the club, with Ro once again proving his class after returning to the squad in the second tier.

But the fight for supremacy would pale into comparison to what was to happen next in the Frenchman’s career, with two successful battles against testicular cancer seeing him endure two separate times away from the game.

When everything gets pulled out from beneath you like that, it can be hard to stay positive about the future, and the Frenchman opened up about his battle in 2008.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "It makes you weaker when you find out because you lose confidence, as ultimately you come face to face with death.

"That's not an easy thing to deal with, especially at such a young age, as I was only 30 when I was diagnosed.

"You just don't expect to have to deal with that at such a young age, especially in the job I have where you need to feel invincible so that you can go out on the pitch and perform.

"It wasn't easy, but it has made me adopt a different outlook on life and a more positive attitude, so I hope it has made me a stronger person.

"I've had my fair share of troubles, especially in the last two seasons when I've had to face cancer twice, so it's held me back slightly in terms of the number of games I've got under my belt, but 200 is still a good tally.

"I'm looking forward to adding more to that and I'm feeling great at the moment. "In terms of goalkeepers I'm quite young, so why not play another 200 for Argyle?"

That commitment to the Argyle cause summed Larrieu up during his time with the club, with the Frenchman adopting the city as his new home, and holding the club so dear to his heart.

With the club, its fans, and everyone in the city pulling behind him when times got tough, the Frenchman has since given his all back to Argyle, and stood by them when times got tough on the pitch.

Romain Larrieu helps steer Plymouth Argyle through financial difficulty

Having helped to guide Argyle up through the divisions at the start of the century, Larrieu was one of the old guard the helped stick around when things went pear-shaped at Home Park, and the World continued to collapse around them.

With wages going unpaid, players leaving, and the future of the club hanging in the balance, the Frenchman was coming to the end of his glittering career, having see the Pilgrims sustain themselves as a regular Championship outfit.

But all that hard work was coming undone at a rate of knots, with administrators in to strip the club of its assets, while Carl Fletcher oversaw matters on the pitch in a player-manager role as the club battled for its Football League status.

With reports of the player being paid just 12% of his wages at the time, it would have been easy to walk away from the club, but the fact that Larrieu stepped in as a goalkeeping coach is testament to the sort of character he is, and the requited love between player and club.

The Frenchman even had to take the reins alongside Kevin Nancekivell after Fletcher’s dismissal at the start of 2013, although a 4-0 defeat at Port Vale wasn’t what he would have had in mind for his one and only game in the dugout.

Within days, John Sheridan had been appointed, and by the end of the season Larrieu was gone too, with the former Oldham Athletic boss wanting to bring in his own staff.

The fact that Larrieu has stayed in the local area and brings his children to games is testament to just how much the club changed his life, as well as he effected Argyle’s fortunes, and played a part in one of the most successful sides the Green Army has ever seen.

In the modern day, you will be hard pushed to find many more players more committed to a club that has taken them under its wing, making Romain Larrieu someone who will always be an Argyle legend.