It was the most impressive comeback in the history of French football. When Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev bought two-thirds of the shares in AS Monaco from the Riviera principality’s rulers in December 2011, the club was 18th in the French second division, Ligue 2, and in dire financial straits. Two and a half years later, the club had reached the top-flight Ligue 1, where it finished second at the end of the 2013-2014 season and as a result qualified for the Champions League.