Monaco are having a horrible season, finding themselves one point off bottom in Ligue 1.
Considering that two seasons ago Monaco reached the Champions League semi-finals and won Ligue 1 with a brilliant young side that featured the likes of Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Benjamin Mendy and Kylian Mbappé.
But now they’re teetering on the brink. Surely a side as big and storied as Monaco couldn’t go down? Well, actually, less than 10 years ago Monaco did in fact get relegated. It was an incredible moment, and the Principality side bounced back two seasons later. But what happened to the side that got relegated? We had a look at that squad…
Stephane Ruffier
Position: Goalkeeper
2010/11 apps: 38
2010/11 goals: 0
Ruffier had emerged from the Monaco youth system and was the starting goalkeeper that season, but after their relegation he left for Saint-Etienne where he still plays today having made over 300 appearances for Les Verts, winning the Coupe de la Ligue in 2013.
Adriano
Position: Centre-back
2010/11 apps: 34
2010/11 goals: 4
Adriano (no, not that one – or that one) was the Principality’s defensive stalwart and, incredibly, actually stayed with Monaco following their relegation. He fought hard in Ligue 2 and helped the side regain promotion, then had his contract mutually terminated so he could return to Brazil and find a club – and when he was unable to do that, he retired aged 31.
Petter Hansson
Position: Centre-back
2010/11 apps: 34
2010/11 goals: 1
The hard-as-nails Swedish centre-back was a warrior in his first season for Monaco. He was 34 (with 43 Sweden caps) when he joined, and stayed with them in Ligue 2, playing one more head-smashing season before returning to Sweden to briefly turn out for Sunnerstar AIF before retiring in 2012.
Nicolas N’Koulou
Position: Centre-back
2010/11 apps: 33
2010/11 goals: 0
Consistently linked with Arsenal, N’Koulou was one of the brightest prospects in the Monaco academy and thus, when they were relegated, he left to Marseille where he played over 200 games and won the Coupe de la Ligue. He then moved to Lyon for a season, won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and is currently starting for Torino in Italy. He’s not even 30!
Sebastian Puygrenier
Position: Centre-back
2010/11 apps: 33
2010/11 goals: 1
Puygrenier’s two-year loan spell at Monaco ended with relegation. From there he was sold to Nancy where he had a great season scoring 9 (!) goals. He then moved around a couple more clubs (playing 75 times for Auxerre) before retiring last year.
Laurent Bonnart
Position: Full-back
2010/11 apps: 28
2010/11 goals: 0
The full-back was a Le Mans legend with over 300 games for the side across a nine-year spell. After that, he played over 100 for Marseille. He had just one season at Monaco, and it ended in relegation. After that, he played for Lille, Ajaccio and Chateauroux before retiring in 2015.
Djimi Traoré
Position: Full-back
2010/11 apps: 8
2010/11 goals: 0
Champions League winner Djimi Traoré was near the end when he played for Monaco. After relegation he left for Marseille where he barely featured, so he headed westward and played one season for Seattle Sounders before going into coaching (he is currently Sounders assistant).
Layvin Kurzawa
Position: Full-back
2010/11 apps: 6
2010/11 goals: 0
Kurzawa was just a teenager getting his first minutes when Monaco went down. He stayed with the side through their promotion and established himself as a promising young left-back. He moved to PSG where he then… failed to displace Maxwell for many years. Still, he has won plenty of trophies and had moments in the spotlight, like when he scored a Champions League hat-trick against Anderlecht.
Thomas Mangani
Position: Midfielder
2010/11 apps: 25
2010/11 goals: 1
Mangani had been a squad player for Monaco, but after relegation, he was loaned out to Nancy. He then left for Nancy, then Chievo and finally Angers, where still plays today having made over 100 appearances.
Jean-Jacques Gosso
Position: Midfielder
2010/11 apps: 24
2010/11 goals: 1
Gosso left Monaco immediately after relegation and immediately headed to Turkey. Since then he has moved around smaller Turkish sides and he is currently a free-agent.
Nampalys Mendy
Position: Midfielder
2010/11 apps: 15
2010/11 goals: 0
Mendy was an 18-year-old youth product making his debut when Monaco got relegated. He stayed with the side two more years and was a key force in their promotion back to Ligue 1. He left on a free and was linked to Manchester United and Arsenal but chose to stay in France, playing for Nice. Eventually, he did move to England as a replacement for N’Golo Kanté, a move which didn’t work out well so he played the next season back on loan at Nice. He’s currently back at Leicester where he is actually playing under Claude Puel.
Lukman Haruna
Position: Midfielder
2010/11 apps: 19
2010/11 goals: 0
Lukman was one of Monaco’s red hot prospects when they got relegated. He chose to leave, joining Dynamo Kyiv. Since then he’s lost his way, playing (or, barely playing) for a variety of clubs on loan before joining Lithuanian side Palanga. He is currently a free agent.
Mahamadou Diarra
Position: Midfielder
2010/11 apps: 9
2010/11 goals: 0
Mahamadou Diarra had already been a world-class defensive midfielder for damn near a decade when he joined Monaco midway through the 2010/11 season. However, he couldn’t save them from relegation and spent the next six months looking for a club. He found one in Fulham, eventually playing a season and a half in West London before Fulham, too were relegated. Injuries decimated him in the latter part of his career and he retired in 2016.
Valere Germain
Position: Forward
2010/11 apps: 3
2010/11 goals: 0
The Monaco legend was just a kid when the side first got relegated. He stayed, helping them to win Ligue 2 with 14 goals. The side outgrew him in many ways but he remained integral and in 2016/17 bagged 10 goals as his side won that phenomenal Ligue 1 title. He left as part of that summer’s firesale and currently plays for Marseille.
Dieumerci Mbokani
Position: Forward
2010/11 apps: 11
2010/11 goals: 1
Monaco was supposed to be Mbokani’s breakout move, but due to injury and personal tragedy, it didn’t work out. He rejoined Anderlecht for a couple of productive seasons before heading over to Dynamo Kyiv. He then had two loan spells with Premier League sides Norwich and Hull, neither being too amazing, before leaving Dynamo and ultimately joining Royal Antwerp where he still is today.
Georgie Welcome
Position: Forward
2010/11 apps: 14
2010/11 goals: 2
Georgie Welcome was loaned to Monaco from Honduran side Motagua and handed the no. 9 shirt midway through the 2010/11 season, but he scored just twice and couldn’t save them from relegation. After that, he spent the second half of 2011 on loan at Atlas before bouncing around various smaller clubs before landing with Belmopan Bandits in Belize, where he still plays today.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Position: Forward
2010/11 apps: 23
2010/11 goals: 2
Aubameyang was 21 years old and already on his third loan spell away from Milan when he rocked up at Monaco for 2010/11. He was profoundly disappointing and the loan was ended in January 2011. He spent the second half of the season at Saint-Etienne, where he soon signed permanently and established himself as a superstar for both club and his country of Gabon. Aubameyang then moved to Borussia Dortmund where he bagged a hat-trick on his Bundesliga debut. Four and a half seasons later (having won a DFB-Pokal, two DFL Supercups and a Bundesliga top scorer award) he joined Arsenal, where he’s been hammering the goals in for a year now.
Park Chu-young
Position: Forward
2010/11 apps: 35
2010/11 goals: 12
Park was a powerful target man who was Monaco’s top scorer as they were relegated. His 12 goals couldn’t save the club but it did save him. He joined Arsenal in the summer, where he was profoundly disappointing. A loan to Celta Vigo showed his skills, but a loan to Watford did not. He joined Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia for one season before returning home to boyhood club FC Seoul where he still is today, a 33-year-old veteran and Olympic Bronze Medallist (from London 2012).
The post What happened next? Every player who left Monaco last time they were relegated appeared first on Squawka News.
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