When Kilian made his dream come true in Austria with his family!
Everywhere, always! They come from Switzerland, are crossing Austria for their summer vacation and are supporters of AS Monaco. Coincidentally with the calendar, their favorite team continues its preseason between Salzburg and Graz, right on their itinerary. By coincidence this time, they live in Degersheim, a small town in the south of Saint-Gallen, around thirty kilometers from coach Adi Hütter‘s birthplace near the Austro-Swiss border.
Supporters of the Rouge et Blanc for 15 years!
They are the Rudolf family, made up of mother, Cornelia, father, Werner, and two young sons Sven (15 years old) and Kilian (13 years old). About 15 years ago, the parents and their two eldest children (18 and 21 years old but absent today, editor’s note) fell in love with the Principality club, after spending their holidays not far from the Rock, in San Remo.
Their passion for the Rouge et Blanc has only grown over the years, particularly in 2017, the date of the last French title and an epic Champions League run.
Kilian, number one fan of Golo’!
Big fans of Bernardo Silva in particular, Werner and his son Sven don’t miss any of the Monegasque news. None more than Kilian, the youngest, whose idol is none other than Aleksandr Golovin, with whom he not only shares the same position on the football pitch… but also the same hair color!
So between a few selfies and autographs with the players and staff and during the training session on Tuesday morning, we met these fans of AS Monaco “from Switzerland”!🇨🇭
Beaucoup d'intensité lors de la première séance du jour 🔥💪 pic.twitter.com/gM0Q4lEo35
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) July 16, 2024
Hello Werner. How did you fall in love with AS Monaco from Switzerland?
We became fans of the Club around 15 years ago now, almost the age of our youngest two, who also became big supporters. For my part, I myself tattooed the AS Monaco crest on my calf (he points to his leg)! It was my gift for my 15th anniversary as a fan of the team (smile).
Why are you in the area?
We are on vacation in Austria, and we saw afterwards that the team was training nearby. So we came from Salzburg to attend the training, since it is on our route.
Sven: I was the one who saw the news on Instagram that there was a friendly match planned against Sturm Graz and therefore that the training camp was taking place here.
Sven, who are the players who passed on this passion for the Club to you?
(He thinks) I would say James Rodriguez, Bernardo Silva, Radamel Falcao, Kylian Mbappé… We’ve also been able to meet Fabinho, Djibril Sidibé, Andrea Raggi and even Rony Lopes.
Werner: We had seen most of them during training in the Canton of Valais, when the team was preparing for the title-winning season, in 2016-2017. On this occasion we met the other Kylian, Mbappé, when our Kilian was only 6 years old (he shows the photo below)!
Do you have the opportunity to go to the Stade Louis-II?
Yes from time to time, to attend matches when we can. The best? Probably the one against Manchester City in the Champions League, the same year. It was extraordinary! The stadium was full, the atmosphere was crazy, and meeting the players was great. And when Tiémoué Bakayoko scored the 3-1 goal with a header… it was indescribable!
Has your passion led you to other venues?
Of course. We have already traveled to Strasbourg on the road, because it is not very far from home. But we’ve also gone to Reims! And then in the Europe, we attended the match against Trabzonsporin the Europa League two years ago (a 3-1 win). Finally, we also went to Monaco – PSG in March, but we had no luck with seeing any goals (0-0).
What will be your next match?
I admit that we are impatiently awaiting the Champions League draw, hoping that a Swiss team will play against AS Monaco, perhaps Lugano or Young Boys Bern, where the coach, Adi Hütter, worked about ten years ago.
Are you able to follow AS Monaco regularly from Switzerland?
We watch all the Club’s matches on television, it is broadcast on DAZN in Switzerland, so we don’t miss any.
Have our Swiss players (Breel Embolo, Denis Zakaria and Philipp Köhn) helped boost your passion for AS Monaco?
Cornelia : We were already very passionate before they arrived at the Club, but obviously having Swiss players in the team only strengthens our commitment. In the past, Diego Benaglio also played under our colors, he was a real source of pride for us!
Did you follow the Euros this summer?
Werner: Obviously! But not only Switzerland, we were also behind France! The match against England was really very close for us, it’s a shame for the Nati. But in the end, Spain deserves its victory in the competition. They were simply the best.
How impressive can a comeback be?
Breel Embolo: Yes.#natimiteuch #lanatiavecvous #lanaticonvoi #lanaticunvus #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/ojjawUxCgk
— 🇨🇭 Nati (@nati_sfv_asf) June 16, 2024
Speaking of players, who is your current favorite Kilian?
Aleksandr Golovin, without hesitation! I have two jerseys with his name, including one worn during a match at the Stade Louis-II. I don’t remember which one, but I’m going to get him to sign it!
Do you actually collect jerseys?
Sven: Yes, I have around twenty in my collection, at least one per season! I even received some from players. For example, I have one from Kevin Volland, one from Maghnes Akliouche and I even have Breel Embolo’s shoes and my brother has Alexander Nübel’s.
Cornelia: The Covid season was the best for us, because as there was a limited number of spectators due to health regulations, we were able to collect quite a few things from the players. Besides, our eldest set up a YouTube channel (@giannysinns) where he creates content while wearing certain player’s kits.
