Claudio Ranieri has guided AS Monaco back to French top flight football after two seasons spent languishing in the second tier. Ambitious plans are now being set out for the future development of the club, with star names such as Falcao being linked with the side from the principality. It seems a long time since Didier Deschamps took them all the way to the 2004 Champions League final and a lot has happened in the intervening years. What will the next decade have in store for the club?
December 2011 saw a big change for the club as two-thirds of it was purchased by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev. Now that they have achieved the primary target of getting out of Ligue 2 they will set their sights on becoming French champions once more. Bankrolling such a project doesn’t seem to be a problem and we could be in for a very interesting summer on the French Riviera as bold signings are expected and dreams begin to take shape.
Although technically not a part of France, the team plays in the French football league and has done so since 1948 (not counting earlier attempts where they swung between professional and amateur divisions.) They are in fact one of the most successful French sides and can boast an impressive list of ex-players and managers, including Patrice Evra, Fabian Barthez, Youri Djorkaeff, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram, George Weah and Arsene Wenger to name but a few. Although their stadium only has a capacity of 18,500, with the principality itself a population of about 37,000, they have punched considerably above their weight over the years and claimed seven league titles in the process. The most recent was back in 2000 but with the new owner looking to invest then that could all be about to change, although they will have to compete with the wealthy owners of PSG now as well.
Will they be able to get back into the Champions League at the first attempt or will the promises of future glory fade away as their sugar daddy loses interest? It will be worth keeping a close eye on developments and I am interested to see if this is to be a turning point in the club’s history.