Skip to content

Monaco part ways with Jardim after dropping into relegation zone

YANN COATSALIOU / AFP / Getty

Stuck in 18th place with just one win in their first nine matches, AS Monaco made the decision Thursday to fire Leonardo Jardim, the manager who fast-tracked many of France's up-and-coming stars while breaking Paris Saint-Germain's monopoly on Ligue 1.

Thierry Henry, a current assistant coach with the Belgian national team, is reportedly set to replace Jardim in the coming days.

"I want to thank with deepest respect Leonardo for all the work done," vice president Vadim Vasilyev said in a statement. "Leonardo has established himself on the bench of AS Monaco as a reference in Europe and leaves behind a very positive balance sheet. His passage will remain as one of the most beautiful pages in the history of the club. Leonardo will always be part of the AS Monaco family."

Jardim won many admirers for his attacking philosophy during his four-and-a-half-year spell in the principality.

His greatest accomplishment came in the 2016-17 season when Monaco wrested the Ligue 1 title from PSG and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. He was named the league's Manager of the Year following that campaign.

PSG had won the previous four domestic titles before Monaco's rapid rise to the top.

Jardim managed to transform the club while developing some of the game's best and most expensive talent. He famously handed a fresh-faced Kylian Mbappe his debut at the age of just 16, and pushed the likes of Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Benjamin Mendy, and Thomas Lemar to become elite players. He was also credited with reviving Radamel Falcao - a journeyman striker who struggled on separate loan spells in England - as a prolific goalscorer.

Many of Jardim's pupils have since joined Europe's most prestigious clubs for hundreds of millions of euros.

But this season proved to be a task too great for the 44-year-old. After yet another summer of sales, Monaco have managed just one win in all competitions, in their very first match away to Nantes on Aug. 11.

"I'm grateful and proud to have been AS Monaco coach for more than four years," Jardim said. "I've always given my very best and worked with passion. We achieved some great victories together and I'll always keep those memories. Daghe Munegu."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox