Éric Roy

Éric Serge Armand Roy (; 26 September 1967 – 17 June 2026) was a French professional football player and manager. He spent the majority of his playing career in his native France, also playing for Sunderland in England and Rayo Vallecano in Spain. As a manager, he led Ligue 1 side Brest to their first ever participation in European football when they qualified for the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League. He managed Brest until his death in 2026.

Early life Éric Serge Armand Roy was born on 26 September 1967 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes. His father, Serge Roy, was also a footballer.

Playing career Roy began playing professional football with Nice, before joining Toulon, Lyon, Marseille, followed by playing abroad for Sunderland.

During his spell in England with Sunderland, he scored once, in a 5–0 win over Walsall in the League Cup. He later returned to France to play for Troyes and then joined Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, before ending his career at Nice. In September 2008, he changed position to director of development and public relations. One year later, he was promoted as sporting director. In March 2010, he was appointed manager of Nice, alongside of a coach holding the professional trainer diploma, which Roy did not. In addition to his function as sports director, Roy would receive a salary over 13 months of €17,500 in addition to bonuses. He stepped down from the position in November 2011 by mutual agreement while retaining his duties as sports director.

Sacking and prosecution After a phone call in May 2012 for a prior interview, Roy was officially dismissed on 11 June 2012 for serious misconduct. The club through its dismissal letter asserted that he made a 12-day trip to Argentina with an unlicensed agent despite opposition from management and without prior preparation.

Lens On 30 September 2017, Roy was appointed sporting director of Lens. He left the position in April 2019.

Watford In December 2019, Roy took the role of sporting director at Premier League club Watford.

Brest On 3 January 2023, Roy became the manager of Ligue 1 side Brest. In the 2023–24 season, he led the club to secure their first ever participation in European competitions, by finishing third in the league which qualified them to the UEFA Champions League.

Television career In 2012, Roy became a consultant for the television sports channel beIN Sports where he was a consultant in the program Le Club from Monday to Thursday at 7 p.m. and Friday during the pre-match and the post-match of the Ligue 1 games with Florian Genton. He left the position in 2017.

From 2019, he became a consultant for France Télévisions. He was a commentator on the matches of the Coupe de France and the Coupe de la Ligue with Kader Boudaoud (until December 2019) and later Fabien Lévêque.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player Lyon Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 1995–96

Marseille UEFA Cup runner-up: 1998–99

Manager Individual Ligue 1 Manager of the Season: 2023–24 French Manager of the Year: 2023–24