Charlie Cresswell: From Leeds to Europe with Rennes
As Stade Rennais prepare for a big season, Le Rouge et Noir have added Englishman Charlie Cresswell from Toulouse FC. Learn more about the defender in our latest profile.
A footballing family
Born in Preston to Richard Cresswell, a former professional footballer who played for Leeds United in the early 2000s, Charlie Cresswell has taken an unlikely path in his footballing career. Like his father, the 23-year-old played for Leeds, making him the second generation to feature for the English side.
He spent his entire youth career and most of his professional career at Leeds United, apart from a loan spell at Millwall during the 2022-23 season, where he made 30 total appearances. During his time with Leeds United's first team, Cresswell made 14 total appearances, but after being at the club since 2013, he opted for a new challenge that led him to venture out of England, joining Toulouse in the summer of 2024.
English defender Charlie Cresswell is a new Toulouse player 💜🏴 pic.twitter.com/gvu8cjoAIp
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) July 8, 2024
Success in Toulouse
On joining, the two-time European Under-21 champion spoke with Toulouse's official website and explained his decision to leave England for France.
"I felt wanted by the club, which really worked hard internally to bring me on board. They made it clear that I could become an important part of their project. It's a very ambitious project, and that's something I really liked too!"
"It’s definitely a risk [to leave England], but I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone. Not many English players move abroad, but I wanted to take on the challenge, experience something new, and improve in every aspect of my game. It’s a big challenge, but it’s exciting."
In his time with Les Violets, he featured more than sixty times and showed himself to have a good eye for goal, finding the net eight times in that span,and has now moved north for a bigger challenge with European regulars Rennes.
Charlie Cresswell is Rennes' newest defensive rock. 🛡️🏴 pic.twitter.com/jNKMXqWnGu
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 4, 2026
A new opportunity in Rennes
Having joined the Breton side initially on a loan deal which will be activated next summer, Cresswell is eager to take the step up, remarking on his signing, "There has been a lot of talk about my move to Rennes over the last few weeks. It’s fantastic to have finally arrived here and seen this project come to fruition. I am truly very happy. I spent two wonderful years in Toulouse—I couldn't have asked for better—but football moves in cycles, and the prospect of playing in Europe was a very compelling reason to make the move. The club has an interesting project and, I feel, an excellent squad this year. I hope we will achieve great things."
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