During the summer of 2011, French football drastically changed with "Paris Saint-Germain" club being taken over by "Qatar Sports Investment" holding. A significant part of critics at the time argued that this move would destroy any competition in the country, and the following years proved them right. PSG eventually finished the 2015-16 season as champions with a 31-point lead. However, just like in the previous year, Parisians did not succeed in the 2011-12 season, finishing second only three points behind the leaders. This happened despite spending 82 million pounds in the transfer window and attracting the famous coach Carlo Ancelotti. PSG's failure was truly unexpected, but even more surprising was the fact that "Montpellier", the newly crowned "Ligue 1" champions for the first time in their history, blocked the capital club's path. This team from Southern France was mostly made up of academy players or newcomers from lower leagues, making their triumph even more impressive. Their "rags to riches story" was almost as spectacular as "Leicester City's". So, how did the careers of these players unfold? The information about them was compiled by "Squawka Football" journalist Oliver Young-Myles. Goalkeeper - Geoffrey Jourdren Although most recognition went to the attacking players of "Montpellier", the defense was equally important, as their results were the best in the league. A key part of the defense was Geoffrey Jourdren's performances between the posts, as he only missed four matches throughout the season. However, the career of this elite graduate of the "Clairefontaine" academy did not lead him to greater heights, as this summer he signed a contract with "Nancy" relegated to "Ligue 2". Right-back - Garry Bocaly Born in Martinique, Garry Bocaly regularly played for France's youth national teams but later failed to break into the main "Marseille" team. As a result, he was loaned to "Montpellier" for 18 months. Here, he became a regular starter, but after winning the league title, his career also took a hit. In 2015, he left "Arles-Avignon" and was clubless until hanging up his boots in December 2016. Center-back - Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa Raised in "Montpellier's" academy, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa became a regular member of the first team at just 18. He helped the club climb to the top division in 2009. By the time he turned 23, he had already played over 200 games for Montpellier. This attracted the attention of European giants, and eventually, in 2013, he moved to "Newcastle United". However, in England, the Frenchman did not surprise and moved to "Roma", and now represents "Lyon". Center-back - Hilton Similar to Bocaly, Hilton did not make the breakthrough at "Marseille", so in 2011, he moved to "Montpellier". The Brazilian immediately became an essential part of the team and still plays regularly after five years. At the age of 40, he is the captain of the club. Left-back - Henri Bedimo Henri Bedimo was also acquired during that transfer window. He arrived in Montpellier after representing several clubs in both the first and second divisions of France. In the new team, the Cameroonian played so well that he was selected in the symbolic "Ligue 1" season eleven, and after another two excellent years, he was bought by "Lyon". In 2016, Bedimo moved to "Marseille" from this club. Defensive midfielder - Benjamin Stambouli Benjamin Stambouli followed in his father Henri's footsteps and started his career at "Marseille". He later moved to "Montpellier's" academy, but turned professional in 2010. During the successful season, he played not only in defensive midfield but also at center-back. After playing 129 games for the club, he joined "Tottenham" in 2014, later moving to "Paris Saint-Germain", and now represents "Schalke" in Gelsenkirchen. Defensive midfielder - Jamel Saihi Jamel Saihi is perhaps the least known of all the golden Montpellier team members, as he was rotated with Joris Marveaux and Marco Estrada. However, this academy graduate also played a crucial role. Saihi was even born in Montpellier and represented the club from this city until the summer of 2017 when he moved to another "Ligue 1" club, "Angers". Playing in Southern France, he wore the Tunisia national team jersey 20 times. Attacking midfielder - Younes Belhanda One of the main stars of "Montpellier" was the technically gifted Younes Belhanda. The Moroccan did not miss a single game and showed excellent form throughout the season. He was selected in the symbolic "Ligue 1" season eleven, named the best young player, and won the award for the most beautiful goal. However, he later reminded only of his own flair, and his career at Kiev's "Dynamo" did not unfold as expected. Now, he represents "Nice" along with another unfulfilled talent, Mario Balotelli. Right winger - John Utaka After being released from "Portsmouth" after four disappointing years, John Utaka's career did not seem promising. Fortunately, it took a completely different turn when the energetic Nigerian moved to "Montpellier". Throughout the season, he played excellently, and in the last match against "Auxerre", which the team won 2-1, Utaka scored a double. After two years, the forward moved to "Sivasspor", and after spending three more seasons in Turkey, he ended up in the Egyptian club "El Mostakbal". In January, he became a newcomer to another team from that country, "Aswan", and finally moved to "CS Sedan", playing in the fourth division of France. Left winger - Remy Cabella Geoffrey Denis and Souleymane Camara also excelled on the wings, but it was Remy Cabella's rise that attracted the most attention. He is the sixth Milan academy graduate. He initially stayed with the team but later followed in Yanga-Mbiwa's footsteps and joined "Newcastle", where, however, he did not demonstrate his undeniable talent. Last season, he was loaned to "Marseille", and this year he joined the port city club as a full member. Striker - Olivier Giroud Without a doubt, the biggest star and main goal scorer of the team was Olivier Giroud. His 21 goals accounted for almost a third of all Montpellier's goals and earned him the "Ligue 1" golden boot. The prolific season for the striker in the top division was only the second - before that, he played for "Grenoble", "Istres" and "Tours" in "Ligue 2" and the "National" championship. Immediately after the triumph, Giroud was attracted to "Arsenal" in London, for whom the Frenchman recently scored his 100th goal. Although in recent years he often has to come off the bench, the striker is still an important part of the "gunners" and can certainly consider his career successful. Coach - Rene Girard The then "Montpellier" manager Rene Girard already had three championship titles with the "Bordeaux" club, but with "Nimes", "Pau" and "Strasbourg" things were far from so great. Having spent several years in the coaching staff of the French national team, Girard arrived at Montpellier in 2008 and led the team to the "Ligue 1" trophy in his fourth season. He stayed here for another year before taking over at "Lille". This was followed by a period at "Nantes", from where he was dismissed in December 2016 after a 6-0 loss to "Lyon".
