Romain Danzé (born 3 July 1986) is a French former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who spent his entire career with
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
club
Rennes
Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
. He played as a
right-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
, but could also play as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
or left-back.
Danzé spent his
entire career at with Rennes in Ligue 1 and made 377 appearances and scoring ten times in all competitions. Following his retirement, he announced his intention to earn his coaching badges.
Club career
Early life and early career
Danzé was born on 3 July 1986 in
Douarnenez
Douarnenez (, ; meaning ''douar'' (land) ''an enez'' (the island) or land of the island), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, northwestern France.
It is located at the mouth of the Pouldavid River, an estua ...
, Finistère. He grew up in Pouldergat and began his football career when he joined Gourlizon Sports at six years old in October 1992 and his father, Jean-Yves, was working.
Danzé quickly excelled at Gourlizon Sports that his performance attracted interests from
Rennes
Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
,
Auxerre
Auxerre ( , , Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Auchoirre'') is the capital (Prefectures in France, prefecture) of the Yonne Departments of France, department and the fourth-largest city in the Burgundy historical region southeast of Par ...
,
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, commonly referred to as AS Monaco (), is a professional football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. Although not in France, they are a member of the French Football Federation (FFF) and currently ...
and
FC Nantes
Football Club de Nantes, commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Naunnt''), is a French professional association football, football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 Ap ...
.
Ultimately, he joined Stella Maris Douarnenez at age thirteen.
Danzé also trained at
PEF Ploufragan, a regional academy located in the
Brittany region that trained players similarly to the
Clairefontaine academy in the
Île-de-France
The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
.
However, his football career was threatened when he was diagnosed with
Osgood–Schlatter disease
Osgood–Schlatter disease (OSD) is inflammation of the patellar ligament at the tibial tuberosity (apophysitis) usually affecting adolescents during growth spurts. It is characterized by a painful bump just below the knee that is worse with act ...
.
But Danzé managed to overcome from his injury.
Danzé arrived at the Rennes Academy in 2001 after they invited to a trial and impressed the side.
Although he played as a defender, Danzé began to play in the midfield position. At one point, Danzé was the captain for the reserve side. He initially was a regular fixture for the Rennes reserves playing in the
CFA team, but was later plagued with injuries.
Despite this, Danzé signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2006.
Rennes

Danzé was involved in the club's first team throughout the summer of 2006 pre–season friendly. He made his Stade Rennais debut on 24 October 2006, starting a match and played 80 minutes as they won 2–0 against
Lille OSC
Lille Olympique Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as LOSC, LOSC Lille or simply Lille, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lille, Northern France competing in Ligue 1, the top division of Football in Franc ...
in the Round of 16 of the Coupe de la Ligue. Danzé made his
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
debut on 4 November 2006, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 win against champions
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and p ...
. A month later, in Rennes' final league match on 23 December 2006, he made his first
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
start for the club in a 0–0 draw with local rivals
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginn ...
. Following this, Danzé received a handful of first team football for the side, playing in the right–back position. He then scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–0 win against
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
on 27 January 2007. After the match, Manager
Pierre Dréossi
Pierre Dréossi (born 12 October 1959) is a French football manager and former player.
He played as a defender for Lille OSC, FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, OGC Nice, Paris Saint-Germain and AS Cannes.
He was head coach of Stade Rennais until he re ...
said: "As for Romain Danzé, he is an efficient player who puts in a lot of effort and knows how to seize his chance." For his performance, it was announced on 2 April 2007 that Danzé signed a three–year contract with the club, with an option of extension.
At the end of the 2006–07 season, he made twenty–one appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
However, during the club's pre–season, Danzé ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee that kept him out at the start of the 2007–08 season. He made his first appearance of the season on 11 August 2007, starting at right–back in a 0–0 draw against
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
. But Danzé continued to recover from his anterior cruciate ligament of the left knee for the rest of the year. He returned to the first team in late January 2008 as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw against
FC Metz
Football Club de Metz () is a Football in France, French association football club based in Metz, Lorraine. The club was formed in 1932 and plays in Ligue 1, the highest division in the French football league system, for the 2025–26 Ligue 1, ...
. Danzé spent the next two months on the substitute bench since returning from injury. But he later regained his first team place, playing in the right–back position for the remaining matches of the season. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Danzé made eleven appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2008–09 season, Danzé was linked a move away from Stade Rennais, with a possible loan move, but stayed at the club. Danzé played in both legs of the UEFA Intertoto Cup third round against
Tavriya Simferopol
Sports Club Tavriya () was a Ukrainian football club from Simferopol. Tavriya was a member of the Ukrainian Premier League from its founding and won the first Ukrainian Premier League 1992, Ukrainian Premier League making them one of three team ...
and helped the side progressing to the next round after they won 10–9 on penalty shoot–out and were among several players to successfully converted in the shoot–out. At the start of the season, Danzé began to rotate in different positions, playing in either the right–back position and right–midfield position. Danzé then played in both legs of the UEFA Cup, as the club were eliminated on a 2–2 draw on aggregate, resulting in their elimination through away goal. His performance at the club led to him signing a contract extension, keeping him until 2012. He scored his first goal of the season and set up the third goal of a 3–0 win against
FC Lorient
Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud (;), commonly referred to as FC Lorient (), is a French professional association football club based in Lorient, Brittany. The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 2, having been relegated f ...
in the Round of 16 of Coupe de France on 4 March 2009. Danzé then scored his second goal of the season in a 1–0 win against
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
on 11 April. His third goal of the season came on 29 April in a 3–2 loss against
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. A week later on 9 May 2009, he started and played 79 minutes in
the final of Coupe de France, as the club lost 2–1 against
Guingamp
Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 7,115 as of 2020, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...
. Despite being sidelined on two occasions during the 2008–09 season, Danzé made thirty–seven appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2009–10 season, Danzé found himself appearing from the substitute bench in a number of matches. Instead, Danzé regained his first team place in the starting eleven by playing in the left–back position, a position he did not feel comfortable playing at, preferring to play in the right–back position. At times, Danzé played in the right–back position and once in the right–midfield position. Despite this, he responded to a question on his reflection to the first half of the 2009–10 season, saying: "I have 10 tenures in the league, 17 games played plus one in the League Cup. I am quite satisfied with the playing time. I asked myself some questions at the start of the season but it proves that you have to know how to wait for your turn. As long as I'm playing, I'm happy." He scored his first goal of the season on 23 September 2009 in a 2–1 win against
Sochaux
Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
Geography
Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris.
Population
Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''.
Economy
...
in the fourth round of the Coupe de la Ligue. Danzé's second goal of the season came in a 4–0 win against
Grenoble Foot 38
Grenoble Foot 38, commonly referred to as simply Grenoble or GF38, is a Football in France, French association football club based in Grenoble. The club plays its home matches at the Stade des Alpes, a sports complex based in the heart of the c ...
on 30 January 2010. He then made his 100th appearance for the Stade Rennais, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute, in a 4–1 win against
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
on 20 March 2010. Danzé's third goal of the season came on 10 April 2010, in a 1–1 draw against
FC Lorient
Football Club Lorient Bretagne Sud (;), commonly referred to as FC Lorient (), is a French professional association football club based in Lorient, Brittany. The club was founded in 1926 and currently competes in Ligue 2, having been relegated f ...
. At the 2009–10 season, he went on to make nineteen appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2010–11 season, Danzé signed a contract with Stade Rennais, keeping him until 2013. It came after when his future at the club was uncertain. At the start of the 2010–11 season, he established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position following the departure of
Rod Fanni
Rod Dodji Fanni (born 6 December 1981) is a former French footballer who last played as a centre-back for Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer. He made five appearances for the France national team between 2008 and 2010.
Club career Early ca ...
. Although Danzé played in the right–back position for most of the season, he played in the right–midfield position on two occasions. Danzé helped the side keep three consecutive clean sheets between 14 August 2010 and 28 August 2010. He also helped the side go nine league matches without a loss, resulting in the club placing at the top of the table. He scored his first goal of the season on 4 October 2010 in a 3–1 win against Toulouse. A month later against
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
on 6 November 2010, Danzé captained the side for the first time and helped them draw 1–1. Danzé, once again, helped the side keep four consecutive clean sheets between 1 December 2010 and 18 December 2010. In a match against
AC Arles-Avignon
AC, A.C., A/C, or Ac often refers to:
* Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C
* Alternating current, a type of electrical current in which the current repeatedly changes direction
AC, A.C. or Ac may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment G ...
on 15 January 2011, he set up the club's first goal of the game, in a 4–0 win. Despite facing injuries during the 2010–11 season, Danzé played in every league match, as he made forty–one appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2011–12 season, Danzé played all four matches of the UEFA Europa League Qualifying Round to reach the knockout stage by beating
FC Rustavi
FC Rustavi ('' Georgian'': საფეხბურთო კლუბი რუსთავი) is a Georgian football club based in the city of Rustavi. They compete in Erovnuli Liga 2, the 2nd tier of Georgian football.
Founded in 2015, it ...
and
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club), commonly referred to as Crvena zvezda () and colloquially referred to as Red Star Belgrade in anglophone media, is a ...
. In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Play–Off Round, he made his 150th appearance for Stade Rennais, in a 2–1 win. In the opening game of the season against
Dijon
Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
, Danzé set up the club's fifth goal of the game, in a 5–1 win. He continued to established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position. Around the same time, Danzé has been rotating being placed in the substitute bench, as he found himself compete with
Kévin Théophile-Catherine
Kévin Théophile-Catherine (born 28 October 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for SuperSport HNL club Dinamo Zagreb.
Career Stade Rennais
Théophile-Catherine was born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany to a Martini ...
and
Dimitri Foulquier over the right–back position. In late–October, Danzé suffered a knee injury that resulted in him missing one match. He returned to the starting line–up, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
on 6 November 2011. A month later on 10 December 2011, Danzé scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against
Stade Brestois 29
Stade Brestois 29, commonly known as Stade Brestois or simply Brest,''Stade Brest'', used by some English-speaking media outlets and journalists, is not a grammatically correct name for the club. is a French professional football club based in ...
. Danzé captained the side when he helped the side win 5–4 on penalty shoot–out against
OGC Nice
Olympique Gymnaste Club de Nice (), commonly referred to as OGC Nice or simply Nice, is a French professional association football, football club based in Nice. The club was founded in 1904 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of Footb ...
in second round of the Coupe de France on 21 January 2012 and were among several players to successfully converted in the shoot–out. His 150th appearance for Stade Rennais came on 24 March 2012, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Valenciennes. Ironically, three days prior on 21 March 2012, the club beat Valenciennes 3–1 to reach the semi–finals of the Coupe de France. Danzé then set up two goals in two matches between 7 April 2012 and 16 April 2012 against
Évian
Evian (, ; , stylized as evian) is a French brand that bottles mineral water from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.
Evian is owned by Danone, a French multinational corporation. In addition to the miner ...
and OGC Nice. However, during a 2–0 loss against Bordeaux on 2 May 2012, he suffered a thigh injury and was substituted in the 43rd minute, resulting in him missing two matches. In the last game of the season against Dijon, Danzé returned to the starting line–up and set up the club's fifth goal of a 5–0 win. During the 2011–12 season, he made 44 appearances and scored once in all competitions.

It was announced on 5 July 2012 that Danzé signed a three–year contract with Stade Rennais, keeping him until 2016. He was permanently appointed as the new captain of the club following the departure of
Kader Mangane ahead of the 2012–13 season. At the start of the 2012–13 season, Danzé continued to established himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position, and retaining his captaincy role. Due to continuous competitions in the right–back position, Danzé rotated in different positions, playing in either the defensive midfield position and right–midfield position. He then made his 200th appearance for the club, coming against
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
on 26 October 2012, as they lost 2–0. Shortly after, Danzé suffered an illness that kept him out for one match. He made his return to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 win against
Stade de Reims
Stade de Reims () is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1931 and plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of football in France. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Auguste Delaune.
Reims is one of the mo ...
on 3 November 2012. Danzé continued to remain in the first team since returning from injury for the next three months. This lasted until mid–February when he suffered a thigh injury that saw him miss one match. He scored his first goal of the season on 8 March in a 2–2 draw against Saint-Étienne. Danzé appeared in the next six matches before he suffered a hamstring injury. Despite being on the sidelines, he did start in the
Coupe de la Ligue Final against Saint-Étienne and played 57 minutes before being substituted, as the club lost 1–0. Following this, Danzé was sidelined with a hamstring injury for the second time. He returned to the starting line–up on 18 May in a 1–1 draw against
AC Ajaccio
Athletic Club Ajaccien (), commonly referred to as AC Ajaccio, ACA or simply Ajaccio, is a French professional football club based in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The club was founded in 1910 and plays in the Ligue 2, the sec ...
. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he made thirty–seven appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
At the start of the 2013–14 season, Danzé continued to establish himself in the starting eleven, playing in the right–back position, and retaining his captaincy role. He helped Stade Rennais keep four consecutive clean sheets between 31 August 2013 and 26 September 2013. During a 2–0 loss against
Guingamp
Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 7,115 as of 2020, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...
on 5 October 2013, Danzé suffered a clash to a head and was substituted as a result. But he made his return to the starting line–up, in a 2–2 draw against Valenciennes on 19 October 2013. Three months later on 4 January 2014 against Valenciennes in the first round of Coupe of France, Danzé helped the side win 8–7 in the penalty shoot–out and were among several players to successfully converted in the shoot–out. Since the start of the 2013–14 season, Danzé started in every match until he suffered a knee injury in mid–February that saw him miss one match. Danzé returned to the starting line–up against
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
on 15 February 2014 and helped the side draw 2–2. A month later against Marseille on 18 March 2014, he made his 100th appearance as the club's captain, helping Stade Rennais keep a clean sheet by winning 1–0. However, Danzé suffered a thigh injury that kept him out throughout April. He returned to the starting line–up for the
Coupe de France Final against Guingamp, as Stade Rennais lost 2–0 against them for the second time in his career. Danzé later reflected the 2013–14 season as a disappointment, mentioning the defeat in the Coupe de France Final as a factor. Despite this, he finished the season, making forty appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Danzé found himself in a new competition with new signing
Benjamin André
Benjamin Michel Édouard André (born 3 August 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays as a central and defensive midfielder for club Lille, for which he serves as the captain.
Club career Ajaccio
André was with the Corsica-based ...
over the midfield position. He started in the opening game of the season, playing in the defensive midfield position, in a 2–0 loss against
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
. In a follow–up march against Évian, Danzé returned to playing in the right–back position and set up two goals, in a 6–2 win. Following this, he continued to start in the right–back position, and retaining his captaincy role. During a 1–1 draw against
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
on 14 September 2014, Danzé suffered a black eye from
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and Volley (association footba ...
. Despite this, he was named Team of the Week by
L'Équipe
''L'Équipe'' (, French for "the team") is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sport, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of association football, rugby, motorsport, and cycling. Its predecessor, '' ...
. For the next two months, Danzé kept six clean sheets out of eight league matches for the side. In the Round of 32 of Coupe of France against Stade de Reims, he helped the side win 5–4 in the penalty shoot–out and were among several players to successfully converted in the shoot–out. However, in the second half of the season, he found himself in and out of the starting line–up, due to
Fallou Diagne being preferred in the right–back position, as well as, his own injury concerns. Despite this, Danzé was able to make his 250th league appearance for the club, in a 0–0 draw against FC Nantes on 21 March 2015. He then made his 300th appearance for the club, in a 1–0 loss against
SC Bastia
Sporting Club Bastia (, commonly referred to as SC Bastia or simply Bastia) is a French professional association football, football club based in Bastia on the island of Corsica. The club plays in Ligue 2, the second tier of Football in France, ...
on 9 May 2015. At the end of the 2014–15 season, Danzé made thirty–five appearances in all competitions. It was announced on 29 May 2015 that he signed a contract with the club, keeping him until 2019.
At the start of the 2015–16 season, Danzé found himself placed on the substitute bench, due to a competition in the defender and midfielder positions. He made his first appearance of the season on 13 September 2015 as an 83rd-minute substitute in a 2–0 win against Nantes. A week later, Danzé started as captain and set up the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw against
Gazélec Ajaccio
Gazélec Football Club Ajaccio (), commonly referred to as GFC Ajaccio, GFCA, Gazélec Ajaccio or simply Gazélec (), is a French football club from Ajaccio, Corsica. Founded in 1910, Gazélec played one season in Ligue 1 in the 2015–16 seaso ...
. He then spent two months away from the starting line–up, being placed on the substitute bench. Danzé returned to the starting line–up in early December and played the whole of a 1–1 draw with Saint-Étienne. However, during a match against OGC Nice on 4 January 2016 in the first round of Coupe de France, Danzé was sent–off in the 115th minute, as Stade Rennais went on to win 7–6 in penalty shoot–out after the match was played 120 minutes with a 2–2 draw. After the match, he served a two match suspension. After returning from suspension, he played as right–back and captain for the remaining matches of the 2015–16 season. Danzé then made his 150th appearance as the club's captain, helping Stade Rennais win 1–0 against
Angers SCO
Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest, commonly referred to as Angers SCO (), is a French professional football club based in Angers in Pays de la Loire in western France. The club was founded in 1919 and plays in Ligue 1, the first division of Foot ...
on 12 February 2016. He also rotated in playing in the left–back position and defensive midfield position for the remaining two matches of the season. At the end of the 2015–16 season, Danzé made twenty–four appearances in all competitions.

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Danzé was linked a move away from Stade Rennais, with Guingamp and Saint-Étienne were interested in signing him but he stayed at the club. At the start of the 2016–17 season, Danzé made his first appearance of the season against
AS Nancy
Association Sportive Nancy Lorraine (), known as AS Nancy Lorraine, and more commonly as Nancy, is a French football club founded in 1967 and based in Nancy, Grand Est. The club plays its home matches at the Stade Marcel Picot located in Tomb ...
and set up the club's first goal of the game, in a 2–0 loss. After the match, his performance was praised by Manager
Christian Gourcuff, saying: "Roman is reliability, tactically and technically. He is precious for his analytical skills." For his performance, he was named L'Équipe Team of the Week and earned another one in the next two matches. Since the start of the 2016–17 season, Danzé regained his first team place, playing in the right–back position. It wasn't until on 5 December 2016 when he made his first appearance of the season, in a 2–0 win against Saint-Étienne. Since the start of the 2016–17 season, Danzé started in every league match until he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for two matches. Danzé returned to the starting line–up on 29 April 2017 in a 2–0 loss against SC Bastia. He made 36 appearances in all compettions over the 2016–17 season.
At the start of the 2017–18 season, Danzé found himself placed on the substitute bench, with his first team opportunities limited in both the defence and midfield positions. He also relinquished his captaincy to Benjamin André over the midfield position when not in the squad. Danzé made his first appearance of the season and captained the side, in a 2–1 win against Dijon in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue on 25 October 2017. A week later on 3 November 2017 against Bordeaux, he made his first league appearances, coming on as a 55th-minute substitute, in a 1–0 win. Following an injury of
Hamari Traoré, who dispatched Danzé in the right–back position earlier in the 2017–18 season, he regained his first team place for the side, playing in either the right–back and left–back positions. In a 2–2 draw against
SM Caen
Stade Malherbe Caen (; commonly known as SM Caen, Malherbe, or simply Caen) is a French professional football team, based in the city of Caen in Normandy, that competes in the Championnat National from 2025–26 after relegation from Ligue 2 i ...
on 17 February 2018, Danzé surpassed
René Cédolin's appearances, making him the second most capped player in club history. At the end of the 2017–18 season, he made fifteen appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2018–19 season, Danzé continued to find his first team place limited, appearing as an unused substitute. However, Danzé had an operation on his knee, which he sustained during a warm up prior to a match against
FC Astana
Astana Football Club () is a professional Association football, football club based in Astana. They play in the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest level of Football in Kazakhstan, Kazakh football. The club's home ground is the 30,000-seat As ...
in the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
match and ruled him for the rest of the 2018–19 season, making no appearances for the side. It was announced on 24 May 2019 that Danzé would be retiring from professional football, due to injury. Upon learning from his retirement, the club's supporters paid tribute to him by giving him a farewell sent off with his face plastered across
Roazhon Park
Roazhon Park is a football stadium in Rennes, Brittany, France. ''Roazhon'' or is the Breton name of Rennes.
The stadium was inaugurated on 15 September 1912. It is located at 111 route de Lorient, in west-central Rennes. Rebuilt in 2001 and ...
above the caption: “Your name will remain engraved for eternity. Danzé said in an interview on the club's website: "This relationship will be one of the good memories. She quickly settled in with them. At the start, I was the little Breton from the training center who joined the pro group. Contact with supporters was simple, whether at the stadium or elsewhere. The supporters didn't necessarily see me as a player. I arrived at the club, I was 13 years old, I will soon be 33. I have spent more than half of my life in Red and Black. I spent more time at La Piverdière than in my main residence. Stade Rennais FC is my life."
Post-playing career
Shortly after his retirement from professional football, Stade Rennais announced they will retire Danzé's number twenty–nine in honour of his career at the club.
Danzé said after announcing his retirement, he announced his intention to earn a coaching badge in hopes of becoming a Manager. Danzé became an assistant manager to Jean-Fabien Peslier for the club's U17 side. Around the same time, he was among several retired footballers to enrol at the university master's training of general manager of professional sports club of the CDES.
International career
In May 2007, Danzé was called up to the
France U20 squad for the
Toulon Tournament
The Maurice Revello Tournament (officially French: the ''Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello''), previously known as the Toulon Tournament, is a Association football, football tournament, which traditionally features invit ...
. He made his France U20 debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win against
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...
on 31 May 2007. Danzé later helped France U20 reach the Toulon tournament final and started in the final, as they won 3–1 against
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.
In May 2008, Danzé was called up to the
France U21 for the first time. However, he withdrew from the squad, due to an injury. Three months later, Danzé was called up to the under-21 side once again. He made his first appearance for the under-21 side, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against
Slovakia U21 on 20 August 2008. Danzé later made three more matches for the under-21 side.
Personal life
In February 2013, Danzé was awarded Pro Rennais Sportsman of 2012. Two years later in May 2015, he was awarded Ballon d'eau fraîche after being voted by fans. Growing up, he supported
Rennes
Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
. Outside of football, Danzé said: "I got into golf and got hooked. I did not think elsewhere. My golf, my computer, and my console. I'm a real geek. To get out, you have to make the effort to adapt." He is good friends with his former teammate,
Benoît Costil, even going as far as naming him his personal choice of his starting eleven.
It was announced on the club's website that Danzé became a first time father when his wife gave birth to a daughter, Tania, on 31 July 2013. In December 2014, he invested in a restaurant in Lamennais, near Place de la République, in Rennes.
Career statistics
See also
*
List of one-club men
References
External links
*
*
Romain Danzé's profile, stats & pics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Danze, Romain
1986 births
Living people
People from Douarnenez
Footballers from Finistère
French men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Stade Rennais FC players
Ligue 1 players
France men's under-21 international footballers
21st-century French sportsmen
Sportspeople from Brittany