Ligue des Champions – Monaco and the culture of Europe?

Do you comment that there is no souvenir? From 2016 to 2017, a principality of Monaco was scattered from France to Europe. A drôle de concept consisted of a course that remained in all circumstances and reached the semi-finals against Juventus Turin after being eliminated by Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund. C'était l'ASM of Tiémoué Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar or Radamal Falcao. A young girl who wanted to reveal to the people of the world except: Kylian Mbappé.

But since then, more rien, or pas loin. Monaco, a regular player in Ligue 1 (September on the podium in the last seasons of Ligue 1), is very popular in the opportunities for youth training on the European summer days. Its recent bilan is a very exciting game: the last final of Ligue Europa in 2022 is the best European result of the last season. The other years? Three seasons – not least – without European Cup, a 16th C3, and two consecutive phases of C1 ending in last place of the group (2017-2018 and 2018-2019).

In their match against Barça (9pm), the Club du Rocher returned to the Champions League six years after their last participation. This competition was recently discontinued… 14 matches, more than a long series for a French club in C1. The last Monegasque buteurs beat Mbappé, Falcao and Valère Germain in the quarter-finals in 2017 against ASM in C1 (3-1).

A golden era, indisputable, but ephemeral. Almost a parenthèse. Before this last year, I was waiting for the last quarter of the 1st quarter of 2015, already lost against Juve. In the last years of his absence, between 2009 and 2014, he was admitted to the 2nd division on the way to Monaco. In September and before the last major European tournament, ASM celebrated all its festivities on the occasion of its 20th anniversary, a surprise final against FC Porto in 2004. This was also the year final in 1990, when he remembered to achieve a lasting advancement of Monaco in Europe.

Semi-final of the Coupe des vainqueurs de Coupe in 1990, final of the same competition in 1992, semi-final C1 in 1994 and 1998, semi-final C3 in 1997… In this era, it came to Marseille, Monaco, Paris, a year ago Auxerre and others. In addition, Monaco was not permanently installed in the elite of continental football. So, the ASM has an echo of the superior lumbar equipment of C1. PSV Eindhoven was on the way to the bans in 2022, Shakhtar was a plus in the final. The groups of Monaco ended at the end of 2017 and 2018 respectively from Leipzig, Porto and Besiktas, Atlético, Dortmund and Club Brugge. Rien d'insurmontable.

The year of the new format will be the year of resurrection? Monaco made its Ligue 1 debut almost perfectly (10 points out of 12 possible, one goal conceded, but from the penalty spot) and secured a net victory against Barça (3-0) at the end of a pre-season. In C1, however, ASM played two games against the Catalan club. And it's good in the European Cup that I'll be returning to Monaco.