1146 Jerseys: the record collection of a Rouge & Blanc supporter
From Kylian Mbappé to Delio Onnis, by way of Thierry Henry, Jean Petit, Manuel Amoros, Radamel Falcao, Jean-Luc Ettori, and David Trezeguet. From Ligue 1 to the magical nights of the Champions League, from the Coupe de France to the Coupe de la Ligue, not forgetting the Coupe Gambardella, so dear to the club’s history.
For one day, AS Monaco’s Performance Center was transformed into an open-air museum. Hundreds of jerseys, all worn or prepared for a match, trace decades of passion and sporting achievements, were carefully arranged to symbolically form a diagonal stretching from one corner of the pitch to the other.
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A passion born in Burgundy in 2000
The project was initiated by Julien Bouron, a supporter and collector. This thirty-something fan from Burgundy owns the world’s largest collection of AS Monaco jerseys.
His love affair with the Rouge et Blanc began one evening in March 2000: “The first time I went to a stadium was at the Stade Abbé Deschamps to see AJ Auxerre vs. AS Monaco, the year Monaco won their seventh French title. That day, I fell in love… not with AJ Auxerre, but with AS Monaco. And since then, I’ve never stopped following the club,” he confides.
His passion quickly extended to the realm of apparel. “It all started with a jersey given to me by Lucas Bernardi, worn during the 2006-2007 season in Reims, in the Coupe de la Ligue. From then on, I became interested in the jerseys worn by the players.” Today, it’s a very time-consuming activity; I’m always on the lookout for rare gems, but I’m already very proud to own all of this.
It’s also a collection carefully preserved in his native region, which Julien unpacked in its entirety for the first time on the pitch of the Performance Centre – and part of which has been on display since last season in the VIP Lounge of the Stade Louis-II on match days.
A “Diagonale” of collected jerseys
Among the jerseys on display are some truly iconic ones: David Trezeguet’s yellow and blue shirt from a match against Manchester United (1998), captain Ludo Giuly’s red and white home kit from the 2004 Champions League run, Kylian Mbappé’s shirt from the Gambardella Cup final (2016), and the Centenary shirt worn by Lamine Camara, who scored in stoppage time (2024)…
There are also some unusual pieces, like the shirt with the diagonal stripe mistakenly reversed by the kit manufacturer at the time, which Manuel Amoros’ teammates wore during a French Cup match (1985-86).
Julien Bouron knows these shirts inside and out. With a single glance, he retraces their history and shares anecdotes: from the oldest in his collection, worn by François Ludo in the 1950s with its vertical stripes, to the first jersey adorned with a sponsor, “Ignis Monaco” (1970-71), and including Jean-Luc Ettori’s “motocross-style” jersey.
He also mentions the jerseys worn during the national holiday on November 19th, when the Monaco club faced prestigious opponents like Juventus, Real Madrid, or national teams such as the United States and Senegal in friendly matches.
A record-breaking collection
Displaying all these treasures outdoors for the first time was also an opportunity to count them! The bailiff representing the SCP Fontaine Pedroni, dispatched to the site, counted 1,146 jerseys.
An impressive number, which allows Julien Bouron to break the world record for the largest jersey collection, previously held by a Swiss Liverpool supporter.
“I am very happy to see all these jerseys together. It’s a source of pride for me. I don’t have a favorite: some are more valuable than others, but each one has contributed to shaping the club’s history,” he confided, surrounded by this diagonal of jerseys, most of them bearing the famous 55-degree diagonal stripe designed by Princess Grace in 1960, before adding: “I am delighted to have been able to do this at the Club’s Training Center, which helped me to set up this project.”
“We are delighted to have been able to support Julien’s initiative, which aims to share his passion through his collection,” concludes Olga Dementeva, the club’s deputy CEO. “Beyond the challenge he has set for himself with the record, this presentation offers the opportunity to travel back in time and relive the rich history of AS Monaco.”
