Football
Julien Laurens, Correspondent 7y

Mbappe and Monaco down PSG in record-breaking Ligue 1 campaign

The Ligue 1 season broke many records as David beat Goliath: Monaco was crowned champions ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.

Few anticipated such a wonderful Monaco campaign back in August. PSG lost five games in the league this season, as many as in their last two seasons put together. Monaco lost only three games and won 30 out of 38, scoring 107 goals.

The top two, Monaco and PSG, finished with 182 points combined, the highest total in French top-flight history. Four Ligue 1 players scored more than 20 goals -- Edinson Cavani, Alexandre Lacazette, Radamel Falcao and Bafetimbi Gomis -- for the first time in the modern era. Meanwhile, there was a relegation battle involving six teams until the last day of the season. And, of course, there was the rise of Kylian Mbappe, the next big star in world football.

Monaco are deserving champions, mixing the talented youth of Mbappe, Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy with the experienced Falcao, Joao Moutinho and Kamil Glik. No one could stop them, and Silva's goal at the Parc des Princes, to snatch a draw against PSG in the last kick of the game to stay three points clear at the top of the table, was surely the turning point of the campaign.

It was a disappointing year for PSG, their second-place finish adding to the nightmare of their incredible collapse against Barcelona in the Champions League. Unai Emery replaced Laurent Blanc as manager last summer but failed to give a clear identity to the team.

Eventually, PSG's 3-1 defeat at Nice with two games to go ended their dream of catching Monaco. Nice were the other breath of fresh air, with some great football and a resurrected Mario Balotelli, who scored 17 league goals for his best career haul to date. Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso carried Lyon all season, and their probable departures in the summer will leave a huge hole.

At the bottom, Nantes thought they would be right at the heart of the relegation battle, but then manager Sergio Conceicao arrived. They were 19th at the time but finished the season in seventh place -- a great achievement by Conceicao and his players.

Metz and Dijon, promoted last summer, managed to stay up, while Nancy capped a terrible year with relegation. They were joined by Bastia, whose fans disgraced the club, and Lorient.  

Here are the awards from the campaign ...

Best player: Edinson Cavani

Monaco were excellent all season with top individual performances, but nothing compared to what PSG's Cavani produced. His 35 goals in 36 matches included four at Caen, 10 braces and a goal every 85 minutes. Only Lionel Messi has done better domestically than the Uruguayan. In all competitions, El Matador netted 49 goals in 50 matches.

Most disappointing player: Jeremy Menez

PSG have a few candidates in Grzegorz Krychowiak, Hatem Ben Arfa and Jese. Lyon too, with Nabil Fekir, Maxime Gonalons and Nicolas Nkoulou. But the "award" goes to Jeremy Menez of Bordeaux. It looked like a great idea for the club to get him. It wasn't. He never performed and managed just three goals in 17 starts. If Bordeaux, who finished sixth in the end, did well, it was not thanks to him.

Best signing: Dante

It was not the most exciting signing of the season, but Dante at Nice. The Brazilian defender was the leader on and off the pitch, with his happy attitude, composure and experience. He helped youngsters Malang Sarr, Wylan Cyprien and Jean-Michael Seri improve, looked after Balotelli, and was a rock for manager Lucien Favre.

Biggest surprise: Nantes' transformation

Monaco beating PSG to the title and Nice beating Lyon to the Champions League places are both half-surprises, really. The biggest was Nantes' incredible transformation under Conceicao. The team were in real trouble when the Portuguese took over from the dreadful Rene Girard. With an average squad, Conceicao performed miracles and Nantes finished seventh. He made them play like a team, with intensity and movement.

Best goal: Memphis Depay vs. Toulouse

Ligue 1 was lucky to be graced by some fantastic goals this season: Kamil Grosicki with Rennes, Pardo with Nantes, Diego Rolan's overhead kick with Bordeaux. However, nothing can beat Memphis Depay's goal for Lyon against Toulouse: a lob from the halfway line. Simply exceptional.

Best game: Marseille 1-5 PSG

With five different players finding the net, this was an incredible victory for Paris -- their biggest ever at the old enemy's stadium. 

Prediction for next season

Monaco won't keep their current squad together, and whether they can compete for the title next season will depend on how many players they lose in the summer.

PSG are planning a huge summer, with marquee signings for Emery's second season in charge. They will have to hit the ground running straight away. Marseille will continue their American revolution and will spend big, while Lyon will be in transition if Lacazette and Tolisso both leave.

Nice will lose a lot of players too, and maybe their manager, so they will have to start a new cycle all over again. PSG will be favourites to regain the title.

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