Eric Roy Dies of Pancreatic Cancer at 58; Dugarry Moved to Tears

Eric Roy died at 58 from pancreatic cancer, as announced early this evening. The former Olympique de Marseille midfielder, who was still managing Stade Brestois a month ago, had been battling the disease for three and a half years.

His children announced the news on Instagram: “Throughout this time, he continued to live with a strength that still impresses us, carried by the love of his family, by football, by his work and by this passion that never left him.”

The announcement provoked strong emotion among his loved ones and former teammates. Christophe Dugarry, 1998 World Cup champion and former partner of Roy at Olympique de Marseille, could not contain his tears as he spoke of his passing. “It’s sad because he was my friend… It hurts me a lot,” he said softly. “I knew him for a very long time, I think a lot about his wife. He had a lot of courage, to continue working while going through that. I will miss him.”

Stade Brestois captain Brendan Chardonnet also testified to the discretion with which Roy had faced his illness. “He was someone who always wanted to hide his illness, he never spoke about it to the squad officially. He was someone very private, he never wanted to complain,” he said, noting that Roy had nonetheless mentioned to a few senior players in early spring that “it was complicated.” Signs of fatigue had become visible over the past two months, but the Nice-born coach had wanted to protect his squad until the end.