Death of George Bereta, former leader of Saint-Etienne and the French national team

The former captain of Saint-Etienne and the French national team during the 1960s and 70s, George Bereta, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77 after a long battle with illness, according to an announcement by his former club.

Born in Saint-Etienne, Bereta played as a left-winger in 343 matches for the team, during which he scored 68 goals between 1966 and 1974.

With the "Green Team", he won the French league title six times and also captured the local cup title three times.

He also defended the French national team colors 44 times (4 goals) and wore the captain's armband in 12 matches.

In January 1975, Saint-Etienne reluctantly let him go to Marseille, where he played 96 matches and scored 10 goals in a journey during which he won the French Cup in 1976.

However, the regret of leaving his beloved Saint-Etienne remained in his heart, especially as he was deprived of being with the team that shone in Europe and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1975, and then the final in 1976 where they lost to Bayern Munich. Interestingly, Bayern Munich was also the reason for their elimination from the quarter-finals a year earlier.

 

AFP