Two years ago last week, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side were knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by a Monaco side full of youth, exuberance and attacking flair.

Not only did the Ligue 1 club breeze past this experienced City squad, but Leonardo Jardim’s side also conquered former European champions Borussia Dortmund in the following round, before eventually being knocked out by Juventus in the semi-finals.

Despite this setback, Monaco still went on to lift the Ligue 1 title, temporarily ending Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance at the top of the French top-flight.

Fast forward to the present day and Monaco’s fortunes couldn’t have turned any further. The club are languishing in the bottom half of Ligue 1 after Thierry Henry’s dismal short stint in charge.
Monaco proved themselves to be one of Europe's top teams in 2017 (
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And while ‘Les Rouges et Blancs’ are currently embarking on a mini-revival under the re-hired Jardim, many Monaco fans are contemplating how matters went from so good to so incredibly bad.

One of the main reasons for Monaco’s slump in form has been the sale of several first-team stars from the 2017 squad.

We take a look at where the 2017 team that played Manchester City are now...

GK: Danijel Subasic - AS Monaco
Subasic remains Monaco's stalwart between the posts (
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One player who has managed to stay at the Stade Louis II over the past couple of seasons is goalkeeper Danijel Subasic.

The Croatian shot stopper has remained loyal to the club he reached the Champions League semi-final with in 2017, and is closing in on 300 appearances for Monaco in all competitions.

Subasic has also been brilliant on the international stage as well, as he played a major role in Croatia’s journey to the World Cup Final in Russia last summer. The ‘keeper made important saves in both of Croatia’s penalty shootout victories against Denmark and host nation Russia in the summer tournament.

However, the goalkeeper’s 2018/19 season has been ravaged with injuries, which has not helped his club side’s efforts to steer themselves away from the bottom of the table.

RB: Djibril Sidibe - AS Monaco
Sidibe is another player who has remained loyal to Monaco (
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Full-back Djibril Sidibe, who can play on either side of the defence, is another who has remained at the Stade Louis II - but is heavily linked to many clubs around Europe.

The Frenchman caught the eye of many Premier League clubs when Monaco won the title two season ago, including the likes of Liverpool , Manchester United and Arsenal .

However, injuries have not been kind to Sidibe, who has only accumulated 29 league starts over the past two seasons.

CB: Kamil Glik - AS Monaco
Glik is the no-nonsense defender at the heart of Monaco's defence (
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Another player who has remained loyal to the Ligue 1 club has been Polish defender Kamil Glik.

The 6ft 3 centre back was a regular member of the Monaco side who won the league title and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2017, and made another 36 appearances the following season as they finished runners-up in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain.

Glik has made 25 league appearances so far this season but has endured a tougher time in the Monaco back line this time around, with his side currently conceding the third-highest amount of goals in the division this season.

CB: Fabinho - Liverpool
Fabinho has began making a big impact in the Premier League (
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Fans of the French club really warmed to Fabinho when he played in the red and white of Monaco.

The Brazilian could play anywhere in defence or in the centre of midfield and made over 160 league appearances for the club during five seasons in the south of France.

However, Fabinho traded the red and white of Monaco for the red and white of Liverpool, and is now a fan’s favourite on Merseyside, making 29 appearances for the Reds as they aim to win their first Premier League title in 29 years.

LB: Benjamin Mendy - Manchester City
Mendy is one of the most charismatic names in the Premier League (
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Left-back Benjamin Mendy was the most expensive sale made by Monaco in the 2017 summer transfer window, as the Frenchman joined Guardiola’s Manchester City side for a reported £50m deal.

And Mendy got his City career off to a very good start, playing in three out of City’s opening five games of the 2017/18 season.

However, a cruciate ligament rupture in late September ruled the full-back out for the majority of the campaign, and while City ended the season as Premier League champions, Mendy only managed to total seven league appearances.

And injuries have continued to hit the Frenchman in the City’s current campaign, as he picked up a serious knee injury in November which he still has not recovered from.

LM: Thomas Lemar - Atletico Madrid
Lemar is now a key man in the Atletico Madrid midfield (
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Left-sided midfielder Thomas Lemar was a revelation for Monaco during the 2016-17 season, scoring 14 goals in all competitions during their successful campaign.

However, the following season was much less fruitful for the French winger, who only scored three league goals all season as Monaco failed to defend their league title from the vengeful PSG.

Yet despite the below-par season from a goalscoring perspective, Lemar still managed to secure a move to Europa League winners Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2018, and has made 24 league appearances so far for Diego Simeone’s side this season as they fight along Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

CM: Joao Moutinho - Wolves
Moutinho is another name who is now plying his trade in the Premier League (
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Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho was another fan favourite at the Stade Louis II, making over 200 appearances in five successful seasons for the Ligue 1 club.

However, the 32-year old became the latest Portuguese talent to join the Nuno Espirito Santo revolution at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Moutinho starring alongside fellow countryman Ruben Neves in the heart of the Wolves midfield.

Moutinho has made 30 appearances for Nuno Santo’s side so far this season and the Midlands club are currently sitting in 7th place in the Premier League - with a spot in next season’s Europa League very much a possibility

CM: Tiemoue Bakayoko - AC Milan (on loan from Chelsea)
Bakayoko struggled at Chelsea but is now a key part of the AC Milan team (
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After a slow start to his Monaco career, defensive midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko exploded onto the scene in 2016-17, playing a key part in Monaco’s title-winning season and scoring the winning goal against Man City in the Champions League last-16 win.

The Frenchman’s fine form for Monaco not only earned him a call-up to the France national squad, but also secured him a move to the Premier League with Chelsea .

However, Bakayoko failed to impress at Stamford Bridge as the Blues finished last season’s Premier League campaign in fifth place. While the midfielder was given the opportunity to fight for a place in Maurizio Sarri’s side for this season, he was shipped out to AC Milan on a season-long loan deal.

RM: Bernardo Silva - Manchester City
Bernardo Silva is another name to have moved to the Premier League (
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Goalscoring midfielder Bernardo Silva was another player who had a fantastic Monaco career, scoring 22 goals in 86 matches for ‘Les Rouges et Blancs’.

However, when his stock began to rise, a move away from the Stade Louis II seemed inevitable and he joined his teammate Benjamin Mendy by moving from Monaco to the blue half of Manchester.

Silva has been a big hit for Guardiola’s side as well, and played a major role in City’s dominant Premier League triumph last season. This season, he has taken his game to new heights, and is likely to be named the club’s player of the season.

ST: Radamel Falcao - AS Monaco
Falcao is still leading the line for Monaco (
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Naturally, Monaco’s captain is another player who has remained loyal to the club despite the wholesale departures of the squad’s attacking talent over the past few seasons.

After disastrous loan spells at Manchester United and Chelsea in 2014 and 2015 respectively, the Colombian forward returned to the south of France and was immediately named captain by manager Jardim.

The forward responded to this display of confidence in emphatic fashion, scoring 21 goals in 29 league appearances to steer his squad towards the Ligue 1 title.

And despite the club’s failure to repeat this success over the past two seasons, Falcao has still scored 30 league goals in 41 matches during this period, to earn him legendary status at the Stade Louis II.

ST: Kylian Mbappe - Paris Saint Germain
Many believe that Mbappe will become the best player in the world (
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The 2016-17 season was not just a season which put Monaco on the map, but was a campaign which introduced one of the world’s highest-rated youngsters.

Kylian Mbappe, then 18, burst onto the scene in a true goalscoring fashion, netting 26 goals over the course of the season, including six Champions League goals.

While Monaco tried their best to keep hold of him, mega-rich Ligue 1 rivals Paris Saint-Germain swooped in to secure the teenager’s signature. In the two seasons he has been at PSG, the striker has scored 39 goals in just half a century of matches.

On top of this, the now-20 year old is also a World Cup winner with France, and became the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pele in 1958.

Also in the squad...

  • Morgan Di Sanctis - Retired

  • Jorge - Porto (on loan from Monaco)

  • Andrea Raggi - AS Monaco

  • Valere Germain - Marseille

  • Nabil Dirar - Fenerbahce

  • Irvin Cardona - Cercle Brugge (on loan from Monaco)

  • Abdou Diallo - Borussia Dortmund

  • Almamy Toure - Eintracht Frankfurt

  • Guido Carrillo - Leganes (on loan from Southampton )

  • Kevin N'Doram - AS Monaco