What happened to the Monaco side that won Ligue 1 under Claude Puel?
When AS Monaco won the league in 2017 with a youthful squad, they ended a 17-year wait for the Ligue 1 title.
Their previous Ligue 1 crown was masterminded by Claude Puel, who English fans will remember for his spells with Southampton and Leicester City.
Back during the 1999/00 campaign they stormed to victory whilst boasting a team of established and future stars.
But what has happened to the members of that 1999/00 squad since?
Fabien Barthez
Age: 49
Career Path: Toulouse to Marseille to Monaco to Manchester United to Marseille to Nantes – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 143
The eccentric French goalkeeper joined Monaco in 1995 and won Ligue 1 titles in both the 1997 and 2000 seasons.
He was also part of the 1998 squad which famously sent his future club Manchester United, where he spent four seasons, out of the Champions League.
Just two months after retiring, Barthez announced his return to football in December 2006, signing for Nantes, however, after just 14 appearances, the club terminated his contract after the keeper had an altercation with a fan.
Immediately recognisable, Barthez launched a career in Motorsport in 2007 which he has stuck to since – even finishing 29th in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Willy Sagnol
Age: 43
Career Path: Saint-Etienne to Monaco to Bayern Munich – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 71
Sagnol had three successful seasons at the French club which secured him a high-profile move to Bayern Munich.
The right-back spent his remaining nine years at the German club, making 184 appearances, winning five Bundesliga titles, as well as the Champions League in 2001.
Representing his country on 58 occasions, Sagnol was also part of the French squad which made the 2006 World Cup final, being hailed as one of the player’s of the tournament.
After retiring, Sagnol turned his hand to management, taking charge of Bordeaux for 88 games before being sacked in April 2016. His only role since was a brief caretaker spell at Bayern Munich in 2017 following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.
Rafael Márquez
Age: 41
Career Path: Atlas to Monaco to Barcelona to New York Red Bulls to León to Hellas Verona to Atlas – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 87
One of the four key signings in their title-winning season, Márquez followed a similar path to Sagnol, spending four seasons with Monaco before being sold to a European giant, in Barcelona.
Winning four La Liga titles, two Champions League’s and two Gold Cups with Mexico, Márquez goes down as one of the greatest Mexican footballers of all time.
He would hang up his boots in 2018 at Atlas where his career started. He is now the youth coach (Cadete A) of Spanish Tercera División club Alcalá.
Philippe Christanval
Age: 42
Career Path: Monaco to Barcelona to Marseille to Fulham – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 81
Christanval, who partnered Márquez in defence for much of the title run, also exited Monaco for Barcelona, however the Frenchman failed to achieve similar success.
He was released after making just 31 appearances for the Catalans, and following short stints at Marseille and Fulham, where he struggled to break into the first-team, he retired in 2009 and has since dabbled in coaching and commentary.
John Arne Riise
Age: 40
Career Path: Aalesund to Monaco to Liverpool to Roma to Fulham to APOEL to Delhi Dynamos to Aalesund to Chennaiyin to Rollon – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 44
Riise, who was just 20 during the 1999/00 season, was a regular starter under Puel during their title run, however he fell out of favour when it became clear he wanted to leave.
The most capped Norwegian footballer of all-time, Riise racked up 234 appearances for Liverpool following the sale from Monaco in 2001, winning the Champions League in 2005.
Riise came out of retirement in August 2016, as a “marquee” signing for Chennaiyin F.C. in the Indian Super League before calling it a day after moving to his native country to play for fifth tier outfit SK Rollon.
Sabri Lamouchi
Age: 49
Career Path: Alès to Auxerre to Monaco to Parma to Inter Milan to Marseille to Al-Rayya to Umm-Salal to Al-Kharitiyath – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 56
After impressive displays in Monaco’s midfield, Lamouchi was part of the mass exodus which saw Sagnol, Barthez and David Trézéguet all secure big-money moves after the title-winning season.
Lamouchi impressed in his three years at Parma, signing for Italian giants Inter Milan, however he failed to ever fully break into the first team.
He spent his remaining four years at three Qatari clubs, where he managed Qatar Crown Prince Cup winners El Jaish, before taking up the reins at Rennes, Nottingham Forest and now Al-Duhail in Qatar.
Costinha
Age: 46
Career Path: Oriental to Machico to Nacional to Monaco to Porto to Dynamo Moscow to Atlético Madrid to Atalanta – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 84
Costinha initially struggled in Monaco, after signing from Portuguese club Nacional, however during the 1999 season, the Portugal international became a formidable presence in the centre of midfield.
He achieved even greater success at Porto; signing for them in 2001. He later played under Jose Mourinho for three seasons, famously scoring to knock Manchester United out of the Champions League, before beating former club Monaco in the final.
Costinha has moved into management and after a brief stint at Academica, managed his old club Nacional.
Marcelo Gallardo
Age: 45
Career Path: River Plate to Monaco to River Plate to Paris Saint-Germain to D.C. United to River Plate to Nacional – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 103
One of the star players in the title-winning side, Gallardo scored eight times from midfield and was named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year.
However, following a falling out with new manager Didier Deschamps, the attacking midfielder returned to River Plate, captaining the side for five seasons.
Following three spells as a player, he is now one of the Argentinian club’s most successful managers, having won five trophies in his first season at his old stomping ground River Plate, including the Copa Libertadores.
Ludovic Giuly
Age: 44
Career Path: Lyon to Monaco to Barcelona to Roma to Paris Saint-Germain to Monaco to Lorient to Monts d’Or Azergues – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 211
A mainstay on the right-hand side of the Monaco midifeld, Giuly was one of the few players that remained from the title-winning side, when the French Club reached the Champions League final in 2004.
Giuly would also win league titles in Spain and Italy for Barcelona and Roma respectively, before returning to France, where a successful stint at PSG saw him lift another French title.
The winger was also one of the few members of the title-winning squad who would return to the club, re-signing for Monaco in 2011 for a season before eventually turning out for Monts d’Or Azergues – who have a stadium named after the winger.
David Trézéguet
Age: 43
Career Path: Platense to Monaco to Juventus to Hércules to Baniyas to River Plate to Newell’s Old Boys to Pune City – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 93
A french footballing legend. Trézéguet was Monaco’s leading goalscorer in the 1999 Ligue 1 season, scoring 22 times in 30 appearances.
In the following season, he signed with Juventus for close to £20million, scoring 138 goals in 245 appearances to make him the club’s fourth-highest goalscorer in their history.
The half-French, half-Argentinian target man failed to settle after moving away from Turin and finished his career in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League as Pune FC’s marquee signing.
Marco Simone
Age: 52
Career Path: Como to AC Milan to Paris Saint-German to Monaco to AC Milan to Monaco to Nice to Legnano – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 74
Simone, who made his career at AC Milan alongside three World Player of the Year Award winners, formed a formidable partnership with Trézéguet, combining for 43 goals in the title-winning season.
After briefly returning to both Milan and Monaco, Simone retired in 2006. He returned to Monaco as a manager in 2011, following their relegation to Ligue 2, but was fired at the end of the season. He last managed Moroccan outfit SCC Mohammédia.
Pablo Contreras
Age: 42
Career Path: Colo-Colo to Monaco to Celta Vigo to Braga to PAOK to Colo-Colo to Olympiacos to Melbourne Victory – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 26
Arriving at Monaco in 1999 aged just 21, Contreras played a vital role in the title campaign. The well-travelled Chilean international spent two seasons in France, before relocating to Spain, Portugal, Greece and finally, Australia when he enjoyed a solitary season with Melbourne Victory before retiring.
Martin Djetou
Age: 46
Career Path: Strasbourg to Monaco to Parma to Fulham (loan) to Nice to Bolton Wanderers to Istres to SC Schiltigheim – retired
All-time Monaco appearances: 116
A defensive powerhouse, Djetou is most notably remembered for his dominant display in the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United in 1998.
Following the season, the defender was linked with numerous high-profile European football clubs, but his career fizzled after unsuccessful periods with Parma, Fulham and Bolton.
