THE CELLINO ZONE LOUIS NICOLLIN

The controversial Montpellier chairman liked a mohawk – but hated Newcastle

“He chose Newcastle? If so, he is an

ass.” Montpellier may seem like an unlikely club to hold a long- running grudge against the Magpies, but Louis Nicollin held that grudge nevertheless.

First he was irritated by Newcastle luring away defender Mapou YangaMbiwa ( they probably shouldn’t have bothered), then he was angered when they wooed Remy Cabella ( they

definitely shouldn’t have bothered). “He’ll be bored s** tless in Newcastle,” was Loulou’s considered assessment.

It was nothing new for Nicollin, French football’s most outspoken figure for more than 40 years until his death in 2017. The waste disposal magnate became La Paillade chairman in the amateur leagues in 1974, taking them into the top tier, then to the Ligue 1 title in 2012. “Montpellier, champions of France?” he said. “If I were Marseille, Paris, Lyon, Lille or Rennes, I’d stab myself in the arse with a sausage.”

Nicollin promised to sport an orangeand- blue mohawk if they bagged the title, sticking to his word in celebrating alongside top goalscorer Olivier Giroud ( above left). During that season, he also took aim at PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti.

“I prefer [ 2008- 09 promotion- winning boss Rolland] Courbis to Ancelotti – the greatest coaches are those who win titles with half- good players, Courbis went up to Ligue 1 coaching half- retarded players,” he declared. Carlo must have raised an eyebrow.

That July, he insulted Milan’s follicly challenged CEO Adriano Galliani, too. “Kojak never called me,” he bristled. The source of his ire? Interest in YangaMbiwa, who he seemed to see as the reincarnation of Bobby Moore. Clubs insulted over the defender? Two. Titles delivered post- Montpellier? Er, none.