At Francis-Le Blé, the tribute to Eric Roy carried the weight of a secret few had known. Pierre Lees-Melou, once one of the Brest coach’s trusted midfielders, has described the private conversation in which Roy revealed his pancreatic cancer during 2024.
Lees-Melou recalls Roy’s confidence
Lees-Melou said Roy invited him to a restaurant while the player was struggling to come to terms with his failed move to Rennes. During that meal, the Brest manager explained that he was fighting pancreatic cancer.
The illness had been diagnosed in January 2023, at the time Roy was appointed Brest coach. Roy kept his condition from the rest of his squad during a battle that ended with his death on 17 June.
- Roy chose Lees-Melou as one of the very few people to know about his illness.
- The conversation came after Brest had enjoyed a major season under Roy.
- Lees-Melou said his coach wanted to show trust, but also to put the player’s own disappointment into perspective.
- The midfielder felt he had recovered mentally within two or three weeks of their discussion.
A joke that revealed the reality of treatment
Lees-Melou said he noticed at times that Roy was becoming weaker, although their relationship remained built on teasing and humour.
On one occasion, Roy arrived wearing glasses and Lees-Melou joked that his coach had adopted a new look for the season. Roy laughed, before quietly explaining that he had begun another round of chemotherapy and was starting to lose some of his sight.
Lees-Melou said he immediately felt ashamed of the joke because he had not understood what Roy was enduring. He added that learning the truth made him more attentive to the coach in daily life, while leaving him saddened by Roy’s condition.
A promise kept until the end
The current Paris FC player, who joined the club in summer 2025, said Roy made clear that the diagnosis was to remain strictly between them. Lees-Melou kept that promise and did not tell anyone else in the dressing room.
He described the knowledge as difficult to carry, even if Roy accepted their usual exchanges of banter and the player’s intentions were never cruel.
Francis-Le Blé salutes “King Eric”
Brest supporters paid an emotional tribute to “King Eric” on Sunday when Paris Saint-Germain visited Francis-Le Blé. PSG won the match 1-0, but the evening was marked by remembrance of the coach who had led Brest through one of the most significant periods in the club’s recent history.
SEO Title: Pierre Lees-Melou Reveals Eric Roy’s Private Cancer Battle
SEO Description: Paris FC midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou recalls how former Brest coach Eric Roy confided in him about his pancreatic cancer during 2024.
