Luis Campos made his name at Monaco before PSG, shaping the 2017 title team | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, it was at Monaco from 2013 that PSG sporting adviser Luis Campos forged his reputation as an elite recruiter, laying the groundwork for the 2017 French title. He moved to PSG in 2022.

He arrived in spring 2013 soon after Dimitri Rybolovlev made Vadim Vasilyev chief executive, who chose him despite no prior sporting director post. Jorge Mendes introduced Campos, having already brokered Radamel Falcao and João Moutinho’s moves.

Previously a modest player and coach, Campos built a vast network, from scouting within Mendes’s stable to working with José Mourinho at Real Madrid. Tireless, methodical and willing to take risks, he roamed across departments, sometimes authoritarian and highly animated on the touchline.

Financial Fair Play forced Monaco to pivot from stars to trading, with younger profiles and a new coach. Campos shortlisted successors to Claudio Ranieri, Leonardo Jardim was chosen after Cristiano Ronaldo endorsed the fit, and even the €50m plus €30m sale of Anthony Martial did not cause dissent.

He led signings such as Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar, Tiémoué Bakayoko, Kamil Glik, Jemerson and Benjamin Mendy, alongside misses including Alain and Adama Traoré, Ivan Cavaleiro, Helder Costa, Farès Bahlouli, Stephan El Shaarawy and Paul Nardi. Vasilyev highlights his eye for complementary pieces and leaders, and recalls a staged Louis II summit that jolted the squad.

Territorial disputes and feeling undervalued prompted Campos’s exit in summer 2016, though Vasilyev says they remained close and that the 2017 champions were largely his construction. Vasilyev left in February 2019, Jardim in December 2019, and the coach has since returned to live in Monaco after leaving Cruzeiro in mid-December.

Source: L'Équipe