Kylian Mbappé, Benoît Badiashile, Layvin Kurzawa came out of the famous youth academy of the Ligue 1 club.
However, the Monegasques have also earned a well-deserved reputation for scouting potential superstars and resuscitating the careers of top talent who have fallen on hard times.
Players such as James Rodriguez, Youri Tielemans, Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Thomas Lemar brought in a lot of money by honing or showing their skills at Stade Louis II.
Indeed, Aurélien Tchouameni, who left for Real Madrid this summer for €100m, is the last player to have left AS Monaco for big bucks…
Top 10 most expensive sales in Monaco
10 Tiemoue Bakayoko | 40 million euros | Chelsea | 2017
Bakayoko joined AS Monaco in 2014 aged 19 and spent three seasons at the club.
Although the French midfielder’s early career at Monaco was not smooth sailing, he became a regular in the 2016-17 season, playing a major role in AS’s Ligue 1 title campaign Monaco.
Unsurprisingly, the big clubs then took notice and Chelsea bought him for 40 million euros.
9 Youri Tielemans | 45 million euros | Leicester | 2019
Youri Tielemans made a name for himself in Belgium with Anderlecht before moving to Monaco in the summer of 2017 for €25m.
After a slow start in Ligue 1, Tielemans takes action. The midfielder made 65 appearances for Monaco in a season and a half, scoring six goals, including five in the 2018-19 season.
In January 2019, Leicester signed him for €45m and Monaco made a solid profit.
8 Fabinho | 45 million euros | “Liverpool” | 2018
Fabinho played for Real Castilla Madrid while on loan from Rio Ave, but he stayed with Monaco.
He spent his first two seasons at Stade Louis II on loan (2013-15), after which he signed a permanent contract with the French club.
Initially, Fabinho was a right-back but then he moved into midfield and made quite an impression and moved to Liverpool in 2018. He went on to win the Premier League and Champions League with the Reds.
7 Bernard Silva | 50 million euros | “Manchester City” | 2017
Former Benfica student Bernardo Silva rose to prominence after signing a contract with Monaco in 2014.
First he moved to Monaco on loan for the season, and the following year he became a regular player at the base.
The versatile attacking midfielder shone for AS Monaco in 2016-17, scoring 11 goals and 12 assists in all competitions and playing a key role in the team’s Ligue 1 triumph.
His excellent form caught the attention of Pep Guardiola, who immediately transferred him to Manchester City.
6 Benjamin Mendy | €57.5 million | “Manchester City” | 2017
Bernardo Silva wasn’t the only Monegasque player Manchester City signed in the summer of 2017, as the city also banked on Benjamin Mendy, the most expensive defender in the world at the time.
Mendy had only arrived from Marseille a year earlier but played a key role in Monaco’s 2016-17 Ligue 1 title win, catching everyone’s attention with his runs down the left flank.
5 Anthony Martial | 60 million euros | “Manchester United” | 2015
Anthony Martial arrived at Monaco from Lyon in 2013 as a talented but raw 17-year-old striker.
However, in just over two seasons at Monaco, he impressed enough at Manchester United to move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2015.
For his services, United paid 60 million euros, which made Martial, who was then 19, the most expensive teenager in history.
Despite a promising start to his Premier League career, Martial failed to live up to expectations.
4 Thomas Lemar | 72 million euro | Atletico Madrid | 2018
Thomas Lemar joined Monaco aged 20 from Caen in 2015.
In three years in Monaco, the attacking midfielder has forged a reputation as a formidable winger.
His best season at AS Monaco came in 2016-17, when he helped the club win the Ligue 1 title, scoring 14 goals in all competitions. After that, Lemar was bought by Spanish club Atlético Madrid.
3 James Rodriguez | 75 million euros | “Real Madrid” | year 2014
The Colombian attacking midfielder spent just one season at Monaco, joining Porto in 2013.
Even then, he was one of the rising stars and cost the Monegasques €45m, becoming one of the club’s most expensive purchases.
His first season was impressive, he topped the Ligue 1 table in assists and had a great run at the 2014 World Cup, scoring six goals for Colombia and winning the Golden Boot.
These performances convinced Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez to make him the new Galacticos.
2 Aurélien Chouameni | 100 million euros | “Real Madrid” | 2022
A graduate of the Bordeaux academy, Chouameny joined Monaco as a talented junior in 2020.
However, in two seasons in the Principality, he managed to turn the heads of the biggest clubs in Europe.
The midfielder’s influence was so great that he was named Ligue 1’s Team of the Year for two consecutive seasons. Additionally, he was named Ligue 1’s Best Young Player of the Year in of the 2020-21 season.
Premier League clubs are interested in him. However, in the end, Real Madrid and PSG battled it out in the race to acquire him, and the former ultimately prevailed, agreeing to a deal that could cost Monaco up to €100m.
1 Kylian Mbappe | 180 million euros | PSG | 2018
Kylian Mbappé is by far the biggest transfer in the history of Monaco.
The academy graduate made his professional debut aged 16 in December 2015 and has never ceased to amaze the footballing world ever since.
His goalscoring exploits have been impressive, notably in 2016-17 when he helped AS Monaco win the Ligue 1 title and reach the Champions League semi-finals. It was only a matter of time before the massive transfer offer arrived.
In the summer of 2017, Real Madrid and PSG were interested in acquiring him, but Mbappé ended up joining the Parc des Princes on loan for the season, and the following year a CDI worth 180 million euros. euros was signed, making it the second. the most expensive player after his teammate Neymar.
Putting the deal into perspective, the sale of Mbappe alone accounts for more than 10% of Monaco’s transfer revenue over the past 22 years.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
