Big names in sport in the Principality

Charles Leclerc

How could we not start with an icon of world sport? The racing driver wears Monaco's colours high. A GP3 Series and F2 champion, the Monegasque has been racing in Formula 1 since 2018 and has joined Scuderia Ferrari in 2019. However, he is not the first Monegasque to race in F1, with Louis Chiron and Olivier Beretta having done so before him, between 1922 and 1955 and in 1994 respectively. World runner-up in 2022, Charles Leclerc has won 8 Grand Prix, including the legendary Monza with the Prancing Horse in 2024 and above all the home race in the Principality that same year.

One Leclerc can hide another: at the age of 24, Arthur Leclerc has already competed in FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2, and was a development driver for Ferrari.

Daniel Elena

The most successful co-driver in the history of the World Rally Championship is from Monaco. With 79 victories and 9 world titles to his name, Daniel Elena has achieved a great deal of success between 1998 and 2021, alongside Sébastien Loeb, all with Citroën. Because of his nationality, Daniel Elena also has the distinction of being the only foreigner to be elected champion of the French champions, elected in 2007 and 2009 by the newspaper L'Equipe.

Victor Langellotti

The Principality's influence through the sporting achievements of Monegasques also extends to cycling. Victor Langellotti is at the top of the world cycling news. He turned pro in 2018, becoming the third Monegasque cyclist to achieve this status, and has been wearing the colours of Ineos Grenadiers since 2025. The 30-year-old won the best climber jersey in the Tour of Spain in 2022 after stage⁵, and in the summer of 2025 became the first Monegasque to win on the World Tour circuit thanks to a unique finish in the Tour of Poland.

Armand Forchério

Few Monegasques can claim to have played for AS Monaco... Armand Forchério is one of them! The central defender wore the club's colours on the diagonal between 1961 and 1972, and won the French championship and Coupe de France with ASM in 1963. Armand Forchério went on to become the club's coach in 1976, before heading up the recruitment department in the 2000s.

AS Monaco, a club with strong, authentic family values, has also produced a number of players with close ties to the Principality who have left their mark on the history of French sport. These include Jean-Luc Ettori, a player between 1975 and 1994 and holder of the record for the most games played in Ligue 1, Delio Onnis, the all-time top scorer in the French championship with 299 goals scored (223 of them with ASM), and the late Jean Petit, a club legend between 1969 and 1982.

Antoine Zeghdar

A native of Monaco, Olympic champion in 2024 along with Antoine Dupont: that is the status of Antoine Zeghdar, professional rugby player and French international. The 26-year-old won gold in Paris in rugby 7s. This is his crowning achievement after discovering rugby at AS Monaco between 2011 and 2013.

Cassandre Beaugrand

Monaco is home to another talented and successful member of the club, Cassandre Beaugrand, Olympic triathlon champion in Paris in 2024. The French athlete cut her teeth at AS Monaco Athlétisme, a club she joined in 2012. After success on the track, cross-country and cross-country, Cassandre Beaugrand decided to devote most of her time to triathlon in 2014, returning to her beloved club in 2022. Also a world champion, in 2025 she broke the French 5km road record in Monaco, in 14 min 53 s.

Boris Hermann

Pierre Casiraghi, a member of the princely family, has always been passionate about sailing. In 2016, he founded Team Malizia. A successful structure that has notably enabled Boris Hermann, a professional German sailor and skipper, to finish^5th in the famous Vendée Globe in 2021 and proudly represent the colours of the Principality as well as the Yacht Club de Monaco, the project's main sponsor.

Sailing is on a roll in Monaco, with the Yacht Club de Monaco team, led by Pierre Casiraghi, winning the Admiral's Cup 2025. Nicknamed the "World Cup of Team Ocean Racing", it is making a comeback in 2025 after a 22-year hiatus.

Romain Arneodo

Monaco has been the home of tennis for over a century. And the story continued in 2025... Born in Cannes but representing Monaco since 2013, Romain Arneodo became the first Monegasque to win the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in doubles, at the age of 32.

A number of Monegasques have made a habit of shining with the little yellow ball over the years. Valentin Vacherot is one of them. The native of Monaco has won several tournaments and came close to the world's top 100 in 2024, his highest ranking ever.