Régis Le Bris becomes new Sunderland hero: Unknown to unstoppable
Sunderland’s promotion-winning season started with one unexpected figure.
Régis Le Bris was appointed by the Mackems in June 2024, but he was an unknown name, with his reputation not yet travelling beyond France.
People questioned the decision to appoint the Frenchman, but a year later, those doubts turned into cheers of celebration.
After an eight-year wait, Sunderland were Premier League again.
Sunderland’s Rise Under Le Bris
Le Bris joined Sunderland following FC Lorient’s relegation from Ligue 1.
The whispers surrounding the Stadium of Light were, can Le Bris bring the Black Cats back to their former glory?
Sunderland had spent years trying to rebuild, but not getting it right.
The unknown Frenchman broke that mould, with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus taking a risk and appointing the first manager from outside the UK since 2015 to take charge, Dick Advocaat being the last man to do so.
Le Bris was known for his deep passion for youth development, and he was met by a young squad with an average age of 22.4.
Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Eliezer Mayenda became key players in the 2024/25 season.
They played with freedom and confidence, the manager’s playing style implemented, and made Sunderland an exciting team to watch.
At the start of the season, the Wearsiders had nine wins from 12 games, where they found themselves top of the Championship table.
They then went on a run of five draws and a loss from their next six games that saw them drop to fourth, where they seemingly remained for the rest of the season.
That was all forgotten, though, when Tommy Watson glided through Sheffield United to seal a 2-1 play-off final victory at Wembley, making it all worthwhile.
Le Bris simply gets it
Le Bris has a tireless work ethic, and he has drilled that into his players.
It was shown in the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Coventry, where they sent themselves to Wembley in the 122nd minute with Dan Ballard’s header.
Then they implied it in London, after academy graduate Watson scored in stoppage time to send Sunderland to the Premier League.
Sunderland aren’t just making up numbers in the Premier League; they are going to fight for every point, every moment, with the same courage that got them there in the first place.
Le Bris has left his mark on this club and has a genuine connection with the fans.
From someone unknown to an unstoppable hero, and Sunderland will believe this is just the start of something special.