The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 182 Ten Million Euros vs. One Hundred Million Euros

A roar echoed from the Stade de France.

Two consecutive wins in the World Cup qualifiers!

This new French team, led by Deschamps, is constantly experiencing various "pains"—player integration, unclear lineup, shortage of key players, and so on.

but,

In the two World Cup qualifiers, French fans witnessed Gaio's prime as a young talent!
In both matches, despite facing an impenetrable defense and not playing the full 90 minutes, Gaio still managed to score two goals and provide one assist.

If this isn't the core player, then who is?
Aside from the statistics, any fan who watched the game knows how important Gaio is to the French team.

The fans cheered, waving flags and jerseys.

After Deschamps took office.

The number 10 jersey for the French national team has a new owner – Jan Gué.

on the field,
Each number on the back of a jersey carries a different meaning, but the number ten jersey is undoubtedly the most dazzling one.

This is not just a simple numerical symbol, but a symbol of the team's core figures, representing the team's soul and leader.

France has many legendary number 10s, but the ones that fans remember most vividly are Platini and Zidane.

There are countless legendary number 10s in the world of football.

Players such as Maradona, Pelé, Baggio, Hagi, Puskás, Zico, etc.

And now,
At the Stade de France, Gaio's number 10 jersey fluttered in the wind.

Fans are hoping that the next legendary story of France's number 10 will unfold here.

During the closing ceremony,
The fans chanted "Gaio" the loudest.

After the game.

In an interview, Deschamps first praised the team's performance, especially Gaio.

"I have never seen a French player who is so young and has such ability. If you take away the qualifier 'France,' I only have one answer: Pelé."

His achievement of leading a team to win the World Cup at the age of 17 is hard to replicate.

But I believe Gaião can lead France to the World Cup title. I've experienced those wonderful moments myself, and I hope Gaião and the other players can experience them again.

When talking about the match later, Deschamps laughed and said, "It was a very difficult match. In the first half, we were unable to play to our level under the opponent's tight defense, especially in the midfield and on the flanks. We also made a lot of passing errors, which allowed the opponent to deal with our attacks with ease."

Instead, they allowed the opponent to score the first goal.

In the second half, we adjusted our strategy, bringing on Gaio to increase the speed of our breakthroughs and counter-attacks on the flanks, and ultimately, we succeeded.

Next up is the upcoming match, with France having a bye in the next round before facing a strong opponent, Spain, a direct competitor for qualification.

Deschamps said: "Spain only managed a one-goal victory against Georgia's tight defense, and we already have six points. I think we have achieved our goal in the early stages of the group stage, which is very good. I hope we can maintain this confidence in the following matches."

France tonight.

It's bound to be exciting.

French media outlets are reporting on the national team's victory and predicting the outcome of future matches.

Everyone is looking forward to the international break next month and the direct confrontation with Spain.

After all, the situation is now very clear: France will only have a chance to top the group and advance directly if they can get points from Spain.

Some people think there's a chance.

Some people feel there is no chance.

But this has nothing to do with the current group of players on the French national team.

Next,
They need to focus their energy on the club's matches.

Some people don't even know if their name will be on the national team next month.

"I'm leaving now. I hope you can lead Bastia to victory against Paris. And of course, good luck in the Europa League too!"

That evening, Giroud said goodbye to Gaio, as he was heading back to London that very night.

Gaio, on the other hand, planned to rest in Clairefontaine for one night before returning to Bastia.

"You too, keep it up, and lead Arsenal to a breakthrough." Gaio and Giroud hugged each other.

Giroud asked, "Any thoughts on transferring to Arsenal next season? I think Arsenal really needs you."

He always cherished the memory of playing brotherly football with Gaio.

Gaio shook his head. "Arsenal may not be able to meet my requirements."

"Your request?" Giroud asked, puzzled.

Gaio didn't continue the conversation, but changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. By the way, when you get back to Colney, you can ask Damian. I've spoken to Bastia's sporting director, Chatham, about this. I told him you recommended Damian to me, and Chatham is willing to bring in a goalkeeper. Of course, we'll have to discuss the specifics in detail."

"Okay! He's my roommate, I'll talk to him."

Giroud left quickly.

Gaio, on the other hand, was thinking about Martin, who at present certainly has not yet reached the level of the future Argentine goalkeeper.

But his physical gifts were there.

Arsenal's goalkeeping depth is simply terrifying; other teams might only have one world-class goalkeeper.

However, Arsenal could potentially have three goalkeepers, all of whom could become the first goalkeeper for other teams.

This also means that it will be extremely difficult for Martin to take over at present.

Goalkeepers need more experience than talent, and perhaps Bastia can help Martin get his potential going sooner.

Gaio put this matter aside for the time being.

After returning to his dormitory in Clairefontaine, he saw Pierre's message and immediately called him to reassure him.

Currently.

At Gaio's behest, Pierre opened a football agency in England.

At the same time, he signed himself, as well as Kanté and Mané, to this company.

Why go to England?
It's not that Gaio wants to play in the Premier League; the main reason is that France currently has a relatively high tax rate on the wealthy.

this year,

Amidst political changes in France, the newly elected French President Hollande has publicly stated that he "does not like rich people."

Since taking office in May 2012, the tax policy has been changed repeatedly, constantly targeting the wealthy.

对年收入超过100万欧元的有钱人征收高达75%的所得税，年收入超过7.2万欧元者的所得税税率也从41%上调到45%。

This was also Gaio's way of preparing to leave France ahead of schedule.

Just like most of the wealthy in France, it's a "mass exodus of the rich."

and,

This policy is extremely detrimental to French football!

The football club therefore went on strike in protest.

This policy has significantly increased the operating costs of French teams and reduced their appeal to star players.

To acquire better players, French clubs need to pay higher pre-tax salaries.

Of course,
There are policies and measures to counter.

Gaio then instructed Pierre to hire a professional lawyer to help resolve these issues.

What impressed Gaio most was a news report he saw in his previous life that when Mbappe was playing for Paris Saint-Germain, his annual income increased from 2000 million euros to 7200 million euros when he renewed his contract in 2022, excluding bonuses, for a two-year extension.

For this one contract, he will need to pay a total of 1.77 million euros in taxes to France over two years, covering his salary and other income.

“Mane has spent a lot of money, and with his own help, we now have 100% ownership. I can’t get involved with De Bruyne, Lukaku, and the others for now, but we can still talk to them.” Pierre brought Gaio good news over the phone.

Gaio indicated that he understood.

Pierre continued, "So, will we renew our contract with Bastia according to the terms Chatham offered this time?"

Bastia and Gaio's contract renewals have been in the works for some time, but have been delayed for various reasons.

Gaio is currently still under his previous contract, with a monthly salary of 20,000.

Although Gaio received a lot of prize money for winning the championship and for his performance, his monthly salary is clearly not commensurate with his current status.

However, due to Bastia's current precarious economic situation, they are unable to offer a high contract price.

Therefore, Chatham offered a contract with a monthly salary of $10.

In addition, 20% of the future transfer fee for Gaio will be used as a signing bonus for Gaio's contract renewal.

Chatham took a clever approach to this.

Gaio's current market valuation is definitely no less than 30 million euros.

And this is without updating his current market value.

As his performance improved, his status as a key player for the French national team was enough to make top clubs spend more than 5000 million euros on his transfer.

Even if it's 5000 million euros, that's still a 1000 million euro signing fee.

In this way, Gaio and Bastia will once again reach a consensus—to work hard to raise their market value so that other teams will be willing to offer higher transfer fees.

This is another win-win situation.

Gaio said, "We can discuss the details further, there's no rush."

"it is good."

the next day.

Gaio flew back to Bastia.

Mane, De Bruyne, Lukaku, and other national team players returned to the team a day before him.

Hagi Bejić did not give the team many training assignments.

After this period of adjustment, Bastia's overall teamwork has improved significantly.

For their next league match, they will travel to Annecy, a small town in France.

Playing away against Evian.

Actually, the full name of this team is "Thonon Evian Grand Genève".

But fans are more used to calling it Evian, which is also known as Evian.

Yes, it's that mineral water.

After years of playing in the second and even third divisions, the team was promoted from the lower leagues to Ligue 2 in the 2010/11 season. They unexpectedly won the Ligue 2 championship as a newly promoted team and were promoted to Ligue 1, achieving a breakthrough that was unprecedented in the club's history.

This upgrade pace is exactly the same as Bastia's.

However, after moving to Ligue 1, Evian did not invest more heavily and their strength is average, currently sitting at the bottom of the standings.

Therefore, when announcing the starting lineup.

Hagi Begić did not include Gaião and De Bruyne in the squad.

These are Bastia's two key players!
They need to take turns resting.

Because after the match against Evian, Bastia will host Paris Saint-Germain.

This is the most important thing!
To truly test Bastia's strength this season, they need to face a powerhouse like Paris Saint-Germain.

"Yang, your muscles seem to be under a lot of strain. You need to rest more. I don't recommend you continue training these next couple of days," Fabretu, the Ionian blacksmith, advised Gaio after examining his current physical condition.

Gaio nodded.

Excessive muscle load can easily lead to injuries.

We really can't do anything reckless in this regard, mainly because there are a lot of matches going on right now, and Bastia can't do without him.

After the national team's match against Belarus, his winning points increased by 15, leaving him with 101.

He hasn't used it yet.

Because he was hesitating once again, whether to go for the maximum limit or the treasure chest.

The main reason is that many of his attributes are gradually approaching their limits.

However, considering the match against Paris, he was also tempted to try his luck with the treasure chest to increase his immediate fighting strength.

It's a bit difficult to choose.

He decided to temporarily put aside all that consideration.

9 month 15 number.

Ansina, France.

Evian Sports Park Stadium.

The stadium, which can hold more than 10,000 people, was packed to capacity. They knew that if the team could play one more game in Ligue 1, they would be making a profit.

Given Evian's current size, it's unlikely they'll survive long in Ligue 1.

This match against Bastia.

Evian fans experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.

Both sides took turns leading.

When the match finally ended, the score was 2-2.

Bastia suffered their second consecutive draw.

Haji Begitch was somewhat surprised by this result; he had thought he would be able to win.

There were no problems on the offensive end, the tactics were executed, and a goal was scored.

But the defensive line is too abstract!
Can't help it!
Cioni made another mistake in this match, directly giving the opponent a goal. The other goal also came from a corner kick opportunity earned by Evian's fierce attack on his side, which he headed into the goal.

After the match, Hagi Bejic said, "It was a tough game, we did everything we could, but we conceded goals too easily. That's not what we should be doing, we shouldn't be like that."

When asked why he didn't field Gaio and De Bruyne, a reporter asked him.

Haji Begitch replied, "They both have some muscle problems, and we're keeping them off the field for their protection."

When pressed by reporters about whether he would be able to play in the match against PSG three days later, he was told...
Hajibejic shook his head. "It's not clear yet; we'll have to see how their recovery goes."

This response has caused some concern among Bastia fans.

Are Gaião and De Bruyne both injured?
"They can't play against PSG at all. After the initial adjustment period at the beginning of the season, they're really strong now."

"Actually, everyone says that PSG didn't play well at the beginning of the season, but now that five rounds have passed, they are unbeaten. How did they play badly?"

"Perhaps it's just because they spent 100 million euros in the summer transfer window, which gave Parisians something to look forward to."

"Hopefully Gaio and De Bruyne are both fine and can make it to the game."

After returning to Bastia.

Hagi Bejic complained to Chatham again about the defensive problems, saying, "We might have a tough time at home."

Chatham could only sigh, "It's okay, we're just a newly promoted team, and some dreams may just be wishful thinking on our part."

When Haji Begitch left.

Chatham looked out of his office window at the football field and shook his head slightly.

The more anticipated we were at the beginning of the season, the more frustrating the reality is now.

They are invincible in attack, but their defense is too mediocre.

Chatham thought about the match against PSG, saying, "It's a battle between ten million and one hundred million."

The question of who is stronger and who is weaker may have been predetermined long ago.

His gaze fell on Gaio's retreating figure on the football field; in his mind, this was Bastia's only chance.

(End of this chapter)