Monaco

AS Monaco, more commonly known as simply Monaco, was founded in 1920 when a number of small local clubs in both France and Monaco joined together to form AS Monaco FC. Four years later the multiple sports club of the Association Sportive de Monaco was founded and it absorbed AS Monaco FC, creating the football section of the Monegasque sporting club.

During the club’s early history, it played in small regional leagues in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France, until 1933 when the French Football Association invited them to become a member of the second division of French football, making them a fully professional club.

This success was short lived, as the Monégasques were relegated during their very first season and would not reach professional football (division two) again until 1948, 15 years later. This second time around was much more successful, and the club consistently earned good placements in the league table, resulting in a promotion to the 1st division of French football in 1953.

The club won their first major trophy 7 years later in 1960 when they won the Coupe de France in extra time. Their success continued the next year when they won their first league title and qualified for the European Cup. In 1963 the club won a domestic double, winning the league and the Coupe de France under manager Lucien Leduc. Leduc left the following year, and the club would go through a trophy drought for the next 10 years, even being relegated to the second division several times.

In 1976 the club brought Leduc back on as manager, and he immediately won them promotion back to the top flight, and in the next season won them the league. However, Leduc left a few years later and the club again slipped back into their slump.

The 1980s signalled a shift in momentum for the club as they won the league nearly every other year, won two Coupe de France’s in 1980 and 85, and won the French Championship in 1982. This domestic success did not translate into their European competitions, as they never moved past the first round in any European competitions.

In 1987, the club hired one of the most successful managers in their history, Arsene Wenger, and he led them to a league title in his very first year in charge. During this time Wenger also made several significant signings like George Weah, Jürgen Klinsmann, and Youri Djorkaeff, while also bringing in successful academy products, including future Arsenal legend Thierry Henry. During Wenger’s tenure the club challenged for league titles and domestic cups regularly and began to advance further in the European Cup.

Wenger left the club for Arsenal in 1994, and Monaco won two more league titles in the 1990s, but by the end of the decade, the club had amassed a significant amount of debt and was forced to remove their president and faced a ban on signing new players. Many of Monaco’s star players chose to move on over the next few years and their replacements couldn’t replicate their success, ultimately leading to Monaco’s relegation to Ligue 2 in 2011 after finishing 18th.

Following their relegation, Monaco was sold to Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev, who replaced their manager with Claudio Ranieri; his attacking style of play led Monaco to promotion after spending one year in Ligue 2.

In 2017, Monaco finally broke through and won their first league title in 17 years, going undefeated in their final 20 games.  The stars of this team were Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe. The latter left for PSG after the season, but the following year Monaco beat Manchester City and Dortmund in a run to the Champions League semifinals, where they lost to Juvenuts.

Since this successful season, Monaco has struggled to gain success in the league, including narrowly avoiding relegation in 2019.

2022–23 SEASON: 6th in Ligue 1, Coupe de France Round of 64

2023–24 SEASON: Ligue 1 (since 2013)

Historically, Monaco has shared a rivalry with OG Nice, referred to as the Derby de la Côte d’Azur because both teams are located in the French Riviera. This rivalry was born naturally as the clubs are only located 12 miles apart and both have seen domestic success winning league titles and Coupe de Frances.

AS Monaco Football Feminin was founded in 1976 and has won a number of regional titles.

Here is the club anthem.

Monaco play their homes games at the Stade Louis II, which is often recognized for its 9 arches located on the away end of the stadium. The stadium opened in 1985 and replaced the old Stade Louis II. It has a capacity of just over 16,000, which is almost half of the population of the country of Monaco.

Indicative of the type of place it is: The entrance we used at the stadium is next to a Land Rover dealership!

GETTING THERE: It’s not a bad walk from the main Monaco-Monte Carlo train station — a 25-minute trip through scenic but hilly city streets, along overpasses, up and down escalators and past many cafes and restaurants. Taking bus 80 towards Sporting will knock some of the distance off.

PUBS and GRUB: It’s not really a pub kind of town! But if you walk through the port area on the way, you will see plenty of places to eat and drink.

AROUND TOWN: Monaco is known basically for a car race and for being incredibly expensive; it’s like money falls out of the sky, and occasionally the door to a subterranean parking garage opens and a Ferrari bursts out. The Monte Carlo Casino is world famous and lovely but charges a fee just to enter beyond the lobby. You can tour the auto collection of Prince Rainier III; visit the famous Fairmont Hairpin curve from the Formula One race; stroll around the port and a nice Japanese Garden; walk the Champions Parade to see footprints of Zidane, Pelé and others; or walk up to the La Tête de Chien (Dog’s Head) for a panoramic view. Or just imagine what it’s like to be a multimillionaire.