It is a powerful image published by the club: a wardrobe filled with shirts, spanning eras and sponsors, to tell one and the same story. USAP announced on Monday, through their social media, the contract extension of their emblematic scrum-half, Tom Ecochard.

Out of contract at the end of the current campaign, the 33-year-old has signed for an extra year, tying him to the Sang et Or until 2027. But this signature goes well beyond simple squad management: it makes history for the Catalan club.

The “One-Club Man” par excellence as the club’s statement points out, by committing to a 15th consecutive season in the same shirt, Tom Ecochard officially becomes the holder of the record for the most seasons spent at the club in the professional era.

He goes past other Aimé-Giral greats (such as David Marty and his 14 seasons) and confirms his status as a statistical anomaly in a modern game where loyalty has become rare. Having arrived in Catalonia in 2009 and broken into the professional ranks in 2012, Ecochard is not simply lasting: he remains a valuable senior figure in Laurent Labit‘s dressing room. The love story goes on.