Monaco in the mix

Over the next few weeks uefa.com will be charting the history of all clubs through to next season's UEFA Champions League from the third qualifying round onwards. Here we look at French challengers AS Monaco FC.

Late starters
AS Monaco FC were founded in 1924 but did not turn professional until 1948. Since then they have made up for lost time, clinching seven French championships and five French Cups to become one of the country's most successful sides.

Foreign talent
Monaco, with its casinos, luxury yachts and generous tax laws, has long been a favoured destination of big-name foreign stars - even though the team rarely attracts more than 7,000 fans to the Stade Louis II.

Sixties success
Partly funded by the Rainier family, the Principality club first tasted success in the 1960s, winning the French Cup (1960), the league title (1961) and the domestic double (1963). One of the stars of that team, Michel Hidalgo, would coach France to victory in the 1984 UEFA European Championship.

Long wait
Monaco experienced the longest trophy drought in their history after the 1962/63 campaign, having to wait until 1978 for their third championship. That triumph coincided with the emergence of goalkeeper Jean-Luc Ettori, who would serve the club for 19 years.

Wonder year
The Monegasques were champions again in 1982, but it was arguably during the 1987/88 season that they played their best football. Club president Jean-Louis Campora had appointed a young coach in Arsène Wenger and announced he would give the Alsatian three years to build a trophy-winning side.

Wenger magic
Wenger did not need that long, landing the title in his first term, then leading Monaco to the European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-finals with a team that featured Glenn Hoddle, Patrick Battiston and Manuel Amoros. Wenger went on to unearth precocious foreign talent in Liberian George Weah, and attracted stars like Jürgen Klinsmann as Monaco became a European force.

European force
They were UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finalists in 1990, then reached their first European final in the same competition two years later. But after knocking out Swansea City FC, IFK Norrköping, AS Roma and Feyenoord, they lost 2-0 against SV Werder Bremen in the final.

Champions again
Jean Tigana succeeded Wenger in 1995 and the club continued to progress. Brazilian Sonny Anderson joined Thierry Henry in attack and after Scotland's John Collins arrived in 1996/97, Monaco were crowned champions again.

United beaten
David Trezeguet emerged the following season and scored the goal that knocked Manchester United FC out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals. Monaco, though, were beaten by Juventus FC in the semis.

Seventh title
In 1998, Claude Puel was appointed coach and built another quality side, including Marco Simone and Sabri Lamouchi. Monaco claimed their seventh title in 2000, but Puel quit the next year after Trezeguet was sold to Juventus and Monaco finished a disappointing 11th place.

Deschamps revival
Didier Deschamps took charge, and after a slow start, the former France captain led Monaco to victory in the League Cup and second place in the league in 2002/03.