PROFILE | Kenny Lala – the embodiment of Brest’s fairytale success | OneFootball

After two years in Greece with Olympiacos, Kenny Lala probably expected his time in the Champions League and Europa League had come to an end. The fullback’s career had always looked on the cusp of breaking through to wider recognition such as when he looked close to an international call-up with the France team in 2019.

However, as a player now in his thirties, that recognition felt unlikely to come, especially after he terminated his contract at Olympiacos in the middle of the 2022/23 season and joined Brest. The northern side are many things, but they have rarely been called glamorous and have spent the majority of the 21st century in the second tier.

Lala likely expected to spend his time at Les Pirates fighting to keep the club in the top tier of French football. Neither he nor France would have expected Brest to enter 2024 with a shot at an unprecedented podium finish and a chance to compete in the Champions League. However, that is exactly the situation that Brest and their experienced fullback found themselves in.

Lala had proven himself invaluable as he helped the club secure their highest-ever league finish when they ended the 2023/24 campaign in third. A position that would secure them an automatic spot in the Champions League. The defender was an ironman on the right of a mean defence that conceded only 34 goals (the second-fewest in the league alongside Lille).

Lala comfortable at the elite level

The only minutes that Lala would miss across the entire season was when he was suspended for a match against Lyon. It was this consistency that has been relied upon by his head coach Eric Roy in the 2024/25 campaign, as Les Pirates have once again done the unexpected and charged towards the Champions League knockout rounds.

Lala has mostly looked comfortable in the elite competition, as Brest have beaten RB Salzburg and Sturm Graz, and drawn with reigning Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen. A 3-0 defeat to Barcelona was the only time that the fullback looked outmanoeuvred and under pressure in an otherwise flawless European campaign.

Brest’s league campaign has not been as stunning as we enter 2025 and the club look off-pace to be able to finish in the podium positions again. However, that will do little to take the gloss off their incredible 2024. A year that looks as if it will be impossible for either Lala or Les Pirates to easily forget.

GFFN | Nick Hartland