This season, in Betclic Elite, there was Monaco and the others. The club of the principality has put its stamp on the championship from the beginning. An undivided domination that the Monegasques hope to extend for a few more days to lift - finally - after three failures in 2018, 2019 and 2022, the heavy trophy of champion of France. To achieve this, Monaco's leaders have learned from the mistakes of the past and used the printing press to build an armada with firepower rarely seen in France.
After winning the Coupe de France and allowing a French club to be present in the Final Four of the Euroleague (a first since 1997), Monaco still has to overcome one last major hurdle. They must get rid - in a best-of-5 series that begins this Saturday night (20:30) on the Rock - the passion of the Metropolitans, led by the science of the game of Vincent Collet and the performances of the "UFO" Victor Wembanyama. Presentation.
⏳Saturday at 20:30 pm, it's the beginning of the #FinalesBetclicELITE in Gaston-Médecin
🎟️ 🇲🇨Take your tickets quickly for the match 1️⃣ and 2️⃣
🔗❗️https://t.co/yYR4c65mKa pic.twitter.com/cQ3XtnxLOC
— AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) June 6, 2023
A payroll 4 times larger than that of the Mets
The numbers are dizzying. To carry out its ambitions in the Euroleague and Betclic Elite, the Monegasque leaders have not skimped on the means. With a budget announced at the beginning of the season of 20.72 million euros (an increase of 47% compared to the previous year), Monaco, owned by billionaire of Russian origin Aleksei Fedorichev, founder of the FedCom group, has given itself the means to achieve its objectives. Asvel, the other French representative in the Euroleague, had a budget "only" of 15.7 million euros. By comparison, the average budget of a Betclic Elite club is 6.8 million euros. The Mets, on the other hand, emerge with 7.3 million euros.
The gap between Monaco and the competition is even more impressive when we look at the wage bill. The Roca Team owns one of almost 11 million euros, more than 4 more than that of the Mets (2.45 million euros).
A constellation of stars on the floor
If the Metropolitans have in their squad an extraordinary player - literally and figuratively - with Victor Wembanyama, Monaco is not to be outdone with the American Mike James. To attract the former Brooklyn Nets player - and close friend of Kevin Durant who regularly comes to support his former partner - the Monegasque leaders did not hesitate to break their piggy bank. There is talk of a salary of 2 million euros annually for this player with rare offensive talent, capable of turning a game single-handedly.
"He's an exceptional player," says Vincent Collet... Before adding "but he is not the only one (in this team)". To achieve its goals in the Euroleague and in France, Monaco has added a constellation of stars to its star. "We must not forget, before, the great Limoges (European champion in 1993), but it is the most beautiful team in the France Championship of this millennium, warns Collet. For twenty years, we have not seen such a strong and complete team. »
Especially Monaco, forced by the regulations to leave two foreign players in the stands (maximum six players not trained in France are allowed), had decided last summer to strengthen its battalion of French players with the recruitments of Elie Okobo and Matthew Strazel - both crowned with Asvel last season - and the athletic interior Yoan Makoundou. Rarely used in the Euroleague, these last two players have proven their values in Betclic Elite and were the architects of the first place in the regular season of the Roca Team.
"The rule in Betclic Elite forces them to have a team a little different from the Euroleague," says Vincent Collet. They know who they are going to play against, we will only know at the time of the match sheet which team we will face. There may be a surprise, but it is better not to know than to face them in full... There is good and bad in every situation. »
⏳ Tic Tac... 💣 Start of the Finals imminent 🚀 #FinalesBetclicELITE pic.twitter.com/EsQnirVmFb
— AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) June 9, 2023
A team on a mission
It’s a Topsy-turvy world. While it has already made a name for itself on the European scene with a victory in the Fiba Champions League (C3) in 2018, the Eurocup (C2) in 2021 and a presence in the Euroleague Final Four (C1) this season, Monaco has never won the title of champion of France. A title that has eluded him inexorably since his return to the elite in 2015 despite three finals (2018, 2019 and 2022). The three victories in the Leaders Cup (2016, 2017, 2018) seem a very meager booty for the Roca Team.
The France Cup title last April whetted the appetites of the Monegasques who made the title of champion a priority. A mission. A state of mind that seemed to be lacking in past years when foreign players did not seem so concerned by the cup matches in June. "Monaco is built to win the title but they also have weaknesses," said Lahaou Konaté, the captain of the Mets. It's going to be a very long battle. A Star Wars that begins this Saturday evening in Monaco.