Etched in stone. Kader Meïté is unlikely to forget the 2024/2025 season. The striker made his Ligue 1 debut, opened his professional account in a fiery derby and reached the Gambardella Cup final, armband in hand. ‘If someone had told me that in August, I would have signed straight away,’ he says. "I'm ambitious and being in the professional squad is the goal when you arrive at the centre, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly. Football moves fast. In both directions, in fact.
On Saturday, at the Stade de France, the Rouge et Noir and his team-mates will have the opportunity to pick up a prestigious and symbolic trophy. "This is my last chance to win the Gambardella, I have to (laughs). When we started the journey, we inevitably thought of that match against Marseille last year. I was touched by that defeat, and we've built on it, along with other generations who just missed out.
A brace against Laval and a hat-trick against Monaco
In March 2024, Kader Meïté was in the starting line-up against OM in the quarter-finals. Beaten 2-1 in the money-time, the Bretons set about attacking the tournament with the determination to do better. Spearheaded by the 2007 generation. Saint-Brieuc, Laval, Guingamp, Monaco, Nice and Auxerre all came out on top against Rennes. The captain of this generation, Kader Meïté, was particularly impressive in the Round of 32 (with a brace) and the Round of 8 (with a hat-trick). "In this team, we're really connected, like a family. A lot of the players knew each other even before they came to play for Stade Rennais F.C. Our ties are strong.
This season, the 1.92m striker has learned to adapt, playing in four different Red and Black teams: with the National U19s (2 goals scored), National 3 (4 goals), Coupe Gambardella (5 goals), Coupe de France and Ligue 1 (2 goals). He also played for the French U19 team. He took the plunge in November, when Sébastien Tambouret launched him into the world of professional football against Toulouse. This season, he has played twelve games in Ligue 1 and twice in the French Cup. Habib Beye started him off against Paris, and in the derby he scored his first goal with a furious header from Adrien Truffert's cross. The goal was tagged Académie Rouge et Noir. "I came on at 1-1 and the coach said to me “today's the day, that's it, you're going to score your first goal”, so I put that header in, I knew the ball was going in and I celebrated straight away. When Lorenz arrived, I knew I'd scored (laughs). The Francilien repeated his efforts, carved out a place for himself up front and did it again at Lyon. ‘In the dressing room, they really made me feel at ease and gave me a lot of advice, from Kali', Steve, Ludo', Isma'...’.
The ultimate Burgundy challenge
Against Dijon, the Rouge et Noir will have the opportunity to win the fourth Gambardella in the club's history, following on from 1973, 2003 and 2008. Born in Créteil, Kader Meïté will be a stone's throw from home at the Stade de France. "The club gives us a lot of confidence and pushes us. It's very important, we want to do it for everyone, for our families, for this group," he says with determination. William Stanger's side are one step away from making history, their own history, and will be able to count on Kader Meïté at the helm.
- Kader Meïté has become the third youngest player in the history of the Rouge et Noir to score in Ligue 1. The striker joined Eduardo Camavinga and Désiré Doué on the podium.
Gambardella Cup Final
Dijon FCO / Stade Rennais F.C.
Saturday 24 May 2025 - 5.15pm
Stade de France
