The year 2020 marks an important turning point in the history of the Academy with the creation of La Diagonale, named in homage to the iconic jersey of the Principality's club designed by Princess Grace in the early 60s. Overlooking the Stade Louis-II, this 4000 m2 building is an exceptional tool allowing our young apprentice footballers to benefit daily from a comfortable living environment conducive to their development.

La Diagonale, an exceptional facility 🏗️

Inaugurated in September 2022, it comprises 18 single rooms, 18 double rooms, 21 studios, 12 classrooms, a medical center, a fitness room, a spa, relaxation areas, and a restaurant. All technical, medical, and educational resources are thus brought together on a single site to allow Academy residents to acquire a solid academic foundation (more than 400 high school graduates since 1994), while maximizing their chances of becoming professional footballers.

The Elite Group as a gateway to the professional world 🌉

To help them in their quest to join the first team and continue developing their skills within the academy, the Club also decided to launch the Elite Group at the start of the 2022-2023 season. The objective was to allow the Academy's most talented players to more easily experience the demands of professional football while benefiting from stronger ties with the first team, thanks to a new match schedule. Goodbye National 2, hello prestigious matches against Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Liverpool, among others.

The Academy in the European Top 10 🇪🇺

And the hard work is paying off, as 18% of the professional squad's total playing time was given to young players from the youth academy in 2025-2026, including Maghnes Akliouche – who has made 134 appearances in Rouge et Blanc since 2021 and is a symbol of this success alongside Mamadou Coulibaly, Lucas Michal, Samuel Nibombé, Aladji Bamba, and Pape Cabral. The latter three, who made their debuts this season, have thus become the 89th, 90th, and 91st players developed in the Principality to have played in one of the top five European leagues since July 1, 2005.

A fifth Gambardella win 🏆

This impressive total places AS Monaco in the top 10 European clubs for youth development and in the top 4 in France, according to a study published by CIES in March 2025! This ranking is even more flattering when considering only the Coupe Gambardella. Thanks to their 2023 victory against Clermont (4-2), under the guidance of Frédéric Barilaro and Manuel Dos Santos, long-time coaches at the Academy and former students of the center, AS Monaco now boasts five titles, ranking just behind Auxerre (7).

Une tradition qui se perpétue 🇫🇷

Further proof of the training center's stature and the work accomplished over the past half-century, which is also evident in the national team selections. Indeed, thanks to "Magic" Maghnes' inclusion in the French national team since September 2025, 47 players developed at the foot of the Rock now have at least one senior cap, including 20 with the French national team and 27 with 18 different foreign national teams. And more to come… ⏳


See also