In brief

AS Monaco celebrates its 1000th win under the eyes of President Dmitry Rybolovlev

Dmitri Rybolovlev / AS Monaco
Dmitri Rybolovlev / AS Monaco

AS Monaco recorded its 1000th victory in its history in the top flight by winning against Nantes as part of the 3rd match-day of Ligue 1 (2-1). A historic success played out under the eyes of President Dmitry Rybolovlev.

A thousand and counting. On Sunday evening in Monaco’s Louis II stadium, AS Monaco beat FC Nantes 2-1, securing the 1000th win of its 62 years in Ligue 1. It is a milestone that a handful of French clubs can boast about: along with AS Monaco, only Olympique de Marseille, Bordeaux and AS Saint Etienne have crossed the 1000 victories count. Dmitry Rybolovlev, who is in his 10th season as AS Monaco President, watched the match from his private box in the Louis II stadium. The match also marked the 800th match of Cesc Fabregas’ career.

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Interviewed by Nice Matin last June, to this day the last time Rybolovlev talked to the press, the President of AS Monaco said that he was “starting a new chapter” and that he wanted “to secure new victories”. Dmitry Rybolovlev also expressed how fond he was of the team: “AS Monaco represents a large part of me and my life. I have been responsible for this for almost nine years. It’s not just a financial investment, it’s also a lot of time, effort and emotion.” He also dismissed rumours that he intended to sell the club. “I know that there are sometimes rumours about my intentions to sell Monaco. We’ve always denied them; I believe in the club’s sporting project. I’m still the shareholder and President of the club. I take care of its development and invest in its future,” he said.

Prince Albert II was not present at the match as he was supporting Princess Charlene during her crossing of the Mediterranean Sea on a water bike. Nevertheless, the Sovereign made a point of sending a message to Niko Kovac’s players following this success against Nantes which will remain forever engraved in the history books of AS Monaco. Prince Albert II expressed his gratitude by releasing a minute-long video which look backs on the memorable moments of AS Monaco’s 2259 matches and 62 seasons run in Ligue 1.