Diego Maradona's Potential Effect on Ligue 1 as Montpellier Manager

Ligue 1 has enjoyed more attention this season than in any since the Marseille match-fixing scandal in the early 1990s. The root cause of the attention has been the PSG project and the amount of money and high-profile players being tossed around. It may just be talk, but Montpellier owner Louis Nicollin is adding to the Ligue 1 publicity.

Known for being brash and outspoken, especially when it comes to his rivals, Nicollin has been sending a public invitation to Diego Maradona about discussing the soon to be open Montpellier head coaching job. Current coach Rene Girard will be out of contract in June, and the likelihood of him returning is low at this point.

Always one for the taking full advantage of the spotlight, Nicollin threw some words toward Paris, among other things, as quoted here by Sky Sports.

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I know for weeks that Maradona is thinking to coach in Europe and maybe with us. If he wants to come and talk with us, we would welcome him with pleasure; we are in contact with his representatives. I am very keen to meet him.

If he would accept for the minimum wages, we would hire him. I would find him a villa, it is out of the question to make him live in my house, otherwise if he comes to talk, we would prepare a nice press conference and I want more journalists than for the David Beckham press conference in Paris.

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While this may very well be for show, there is the possibility Maradona could take this on. If Maradona does decide to take his coaching career to France, it will be a coup for Ligue 1, but not necessarily in a footballing sense.

Maradona’s presence in Ligue 1 would bring more media spotlight on the league. Whether Maradona finds success or fails at Montpellier, there will be a story that will be covered worldwide.

Exposure of this kind will get people who have not tuned into Ligue 1 to pay it some attention. Many will peek in and move on to the next media circus, but some will find the quality of play better than they thought. This will bring some new fans into the fold helping to grow on what PSG has brought to the table.

This extra attention may be magnified if Monaco returns to Ligue 1 next season, backed by their financial wealth. A second flushed-with-cash squad could create an interesting dynamic in the Maradona lore. Could Diego possibly overcome the odds of two high-powered teams by leading a squad of lesser talent and finance against them? As a player Maradona was capable of owning that challenge. Could he do it as a manager?

A secondary benefit of Maradona's presence would be the potential addition of sponsorship for Montpellier. Sponsors will be looking to attach themselves to the superstar's name.

This story will flush itself out over time. No matter what one feels about Maradona’s managerial skills, he is still beloved, and like Beckham the spotlight follows. Shining more light on a league long forgotten has to be a good thing, even if it is for what many view as a travelling circus.