The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 233 No Next Steps Considered Until the Champion is Decided

Tuttosport has published a shortlist of 40 candidates for the 2012 European Golden Boy award.

Gaio leads the roster.

AC Milan's 20-year-old El Shaarawy, and last year's Golden Boy winner Götze are both nominated again.

In addition, Bayern Munich's Alaba, Inter Milan's Coutinho; Barcelona's "White Ronaldinho" Deulofeu, Real Madrid's rising stars Jesé and Varane; Liverpool's Sterling and Shelvey; Juventus' defensive midfielder Pogba; and Malaga's Isco, among other promising young European talents, are all included.

It includes a whole host of young players who are currently receiving a lot of attention in Europe.

Regardless of how this list is discussed elsewhere in Europe.

But in the eyes of the Bastia, only one person on this list deserves the Golden Boy award, and that is Gaio.

"Gaião is not only the top scorer in the league, but also the top scorer in the Europa League. What can anyone else compare to him?"

"It's not just about the data, the key is Gaio's performance on the field. Don't we know that he's an absolute core player? And then there's his performance in the national team, leading the team to the semi-finals of the European Championship. These are all demonstrations of his strength. Others probably haven't even made their national team debut yet."

"With Gaio's net worth of 60 million, how can anyone else compare?"

Bastia fans were buzzing with excitement and smiles. If Gaio really wins the 2012 Golden Boy award, he will become the first Golden Boy in Bastia's history.

The history of the Golden Boy award only being awarded to top clubs has come to an end.

Small teams can produce geniuses too!
Bastia training base.

His teammates congratulated Gaio, even wishing him well in advance of winning the Golden Boy award.

Their opinions are similar to those of the fans. How can others compare to Gaio?

In terms of honors, Gaião was a key player in both the club's double title win last season and the national team's semi-final appearance in the European Championship.

In terms of statistics, he is the top scorer in both categories this season.

As for his performance, does it even need to be said? Just take a look at Gaio's highlights and you'll know.

De Bruyne said jokingly, "You'd better win this award."

Gaio laughed. "Don't worry, even if it weren't me, Courtois wouldn't have any chance."

Courtois is on this year's list of candidates.

After the list of nominees was released, Gaio received many congratulatory text messages, with everyone hoping that he would win the award.

Gaio himself isn't exactly uninterested in the Golden Boy award, but he doesn't care much about it either.

He might care more about the Golden Globe Award.

Last night after the match, when talking about the Golden Boy award, Zidane told him, "The Golden Boy award doesn't mean much; it's more about potential. But the Ballon d'Or is the real honor. I hope you will become the next Ballon d'Or winner for France."

Zidane said this with great anticipation.

Because he was the last French player to win the Ballon d'Or!

That was back in 1998, 14 years ago, and France has not had a second Ballon d'Or winner since.

Right now, in all of France, perhaps only Ribery can challenge him, but his peak is limited, and his ceiling is predictable.

Gaio, on the other hand, is overflowing with talent and still young, making him someone to watch with great anticipation.

and,

Among French players, Platini is the only one who has won the Ballon d'Or twice in a row.

He won it three times in a row.

Now, Barcelona's Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi, who has already won three Ballon d'Or awards, is aiming for his fourth this year.

After the day's training session concluded.

Chatham found Gaio; they had already spoken last night, but today was different.

“I said last night that you were definitely a favorite to win the Golden Boy award, but I don’t think you need my congratulations anymore, they’ve already said it all.”

Chatham then changed the subject and said to Gaio, "While we were playing in the Europa League, I went to the Netherlands and England."

With a broad smile, Gaio instantly understood Chatham's meaning: "Any progress in winter transfers?"

Chatham nodded. "It's mainly about signing players in the defense. We've reached agreements with two players: Ricardo van Ryen, a young right-back from Ajax, and Virgil van Dijk, a center-back from Groningen."

He added with a hint of regret, "It's a pity that Zwolle's attacking linchpin last season, Arne Slaughter, didn't want to join. He doesn't want to leave the Netherlands now and might retire next year or sometime later. If he could have come, we would have had more options in attack."

immediately,

Chatham shook his head. "However, the transfers of these two players will probably use up most of our transfer funds, and it may not be so easy to make replacements."

Gaio nodded; he was well aware that Bastia's current financial situation was extremely precarious.

It might collapse one day.

But he also knew that he was the club's source of strength and the only one who could save it.

The day he transferred, all of Bastia's financial problems disappeared.

They might even leave behind a large sum of money for future relegation battles.

Gaio was well aware of this.

He then asked, "What about the goalkeeper position? Would Damian be willing to come?"

Chatham laughed, "Of course, Wenger agreed to release the player, but only on a pure loan, and he's unwilling to add any buy-out clause."

Gaio nodded. That was enough.

Damian Martinez does have talent, but he wasted a lot of time at Arsenal. Of course, this can't be blamed on Arsenal, because the competition for the goalkeeper position at Arsenal is too fierce.

With this lineup, as long as the defense is strengthened, the chances of success are very high.

After exchanging a few more words, Chatham brought up the topic of Gaio again, asking, "The media is saying everywhere that you'll join a top team like Real Madrid. Have you thought about where you'll go in the summer transfer window?"

Chatham's words were quite blunt, after all, it's rare for a club's sporting director to directly ask his key player where he's going in the summer transfer window.

Of course, given the relationship between Gaio and Chatham, this is not a problem at all.

They speak directly and frankly to each other.

Gaio shook his head. "Pierre helped me turn down all offers from teams."

Ok?
Chatham was a little confused. When teams interested in Gaio approached Bastia, he didn't refuse any of them, but simply said he would wait for Gaio to make a decision.

"You don't want to make a decision right now? You don't still want to stay in Bastia, do you? The team's finances are already stretched thin."

Chatham is about to say that you have to leave during the summer transfer window.

He certainly knew that Gaio would stay with the team, as Bastia was a strong competitor.

However, the problem is also very serious. The team's salaries, various costs, and loans are all piling up.

If Gaio doesn't leave, Bastia will go bankrupt next season and won't be able to pay salaries.

The meager revenue share from Ligue 1 isn't even enough to cover the losses.

Unless they win the Europa League, it might provide some temporary relief, but it won't solve the underlying problem.

This is the tragedy of small teams.

Even if a key player wanted to stay, the team's finances couldn't support him. Gaio shook his head, "I understand all of this, but I don't want to think about these things before the championship is decided. I just want to help the team go further, and I want a championship."

Gaio's eyes were very clear.

Chatham felt a surge of warmth in his heart and smiled, "Okay, it's your decision. Anyway, the team is behind you and will support whatever you decide."

He added in his mind, 'Of course, staying is not an option.'

That night.

All matches of the tenth round of Ligue 1 have concluded, and Marseille emerged victorious.

Bastia fans were slightly disappointed.

They returned to second place.

After the match,

Joachim Bopp, who succeeded Didier Deschamps as Marseille's new head coach, is fairly satisfied with the result.

Bopp had almost no playing career; he transitioned to coaching at a very young age, managing four French teams: Toulouse, Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, and Nantes.

They are not good at expanding, but good at maintaining what they have.

The reporter asked him how he viewed the competition for the top spot between himself and Bastia.

"Bastia is a team that is creating miracles, but we are not going to fall behind. We hope to have a place in the highly competitive Ligue 1. Just getting Champions League qualification is definitely not our goal. We have only one goal, and that is the championship."

Of course, when giving an interview, you have to mention winning the championship.

Just like Paris Saint-Germain, a highly anticipated team in Ligue 1, who spent a whopping 100 million euros in the summer transfer window but are currently only ranked fourth, it is clearly not something they can accept.

However, Ancelotti said in an interview, "Our squad has undergone a lot of changes. At the beginning of the season, it was just a matter of getting used to each other. We will catch up with them. Paris only wants to win the title. No other result can satisfy us."

Ancelotti is actually very confident.

why?

Because of their current unsatisfactory performance, Paris Saint-Germain has decided to continue spending money.

Media reports now suggest that Paris Saint-Germain may sign Brazilian prodigy Lucas Moura.

There is also an even more significant signing, which has not yet been disclosed.

However, French media outlets have already revealed some relevant information – this player previously played for Manchester United and Real Madrid.

This has led to many names coming to the forefront.

But all of this is too far off for Bastia. Hagi Begic said at the pre-match press conference for the new round of Ligue 1, "I said, we always have the mentality of a relegation team. We don't think about how much we have won, but about how much more we can win."

Amidst all the turmoil, it's unknown what the other Bastia players were thinking, but Gaio was definitely focused on the game.

November 4th, 9:47 PM.

A long whistle pierced the night sky above the Francis Lebrue Stadium.

The Brest fans cheered wildly.

They were very satisfied with the result of the first half, leading Bastia 1-0 at home.

The newly appointed head coach, Chauvin, is not as optimistic as the fans.

Because Gaio did not start the game.

They were only leading with Bastia's semi-substitute lineup; only when Gaio played did Bastia truly come together.

In the locker room.

Hagi Begic patted Gaio on the shoulder, "Go warm up after the game starts, and I'll let you go on the court about 60 minutes before the start. I'll give you half an hour."

“Okay.” Gaio nodded. Bastia hadn’t actually played badly in this half; they were just a bit unlucky.

De Bruyne delivered several threatening passes, but Palmieri, Lukaku, and Iran—none of them seemed to have their shooting boots on tonight.

Instead, Ben Bassat of the opposing team, during a counter-attack, dribbled into the penalty area and won a handball by Joplin.

Ben Bassat converted the penalty.

This was Brest's only shot on goal in the first half.

They parked a bus at their home stadium.

It is foreseeable that they will defend even more resolutely in the second half.

"In the second half, we must make decisive forward runs and cross the ball decisively. Don't worry about being countered by the opponent. What we should be worried about now is that the opponent won't come out and just keeps defending."

Hagi Bejic's gaze swept over each player, his tone firm, "Attackers, seize every opportunity. Don't worry about missing; I won't blame you. As long as you don't waste shots, there won't be any problems."

Hagi Begic mainly emphasized the offensive aspect, and there wasn't much to say about the defense.

In this match, Rothen and Kanté returned to the double pivot midfield, which proved to be very effective.

Both full-backs are overlapping in attack, so they're not worried about defense at all.

Just like Haji Begic said, he would prefer Brestra to come out and play an attacking game against Bastia.

The key question is whether the other party dares to do it.
"Defend to the death! Don't even think about counter-attacking. We're in the lead now, and we're determined to stick with this 1-0 lead!"

In the Brest locker room, Bopp consistently emphasized the exact opposite of what Hagi Begic had said.

He needs defense!

"Their Gaio will definitely be on the field in the second half, so you need to be prepared. I want to emphasize again, don't let him get past you! Foul him when necessary! Understand?!"

soon.

Halftime has ended, and the players from both sides have entered the field.

The Francis Lebrue Stadium was still filled with the cheers of Brest fans.

A small number of Bastia fans were seated in a corner, their voices completely drowned out.

But they continued to shout their support for Bastia.

Even when they were down by a goal, their voices never sank; on the contrary, they grew even louder!
What does "cheering" mean?

It's when the team is in a slump that people shout out encouragement; that's what cheering is all about.

Anyone can play well when they're winning.
Adversity is when your abilities are truly demonstrated!
"Bastia are currently trailing by one goal away from home, which is somewhat unexpected. Of course, considering Bastia's starting lineup, it's not that surprising."

Perhaps in preparation for the Europa League match four days later, Hagibis rotated the squad, with both wingers, Gaio and Mane, on the bench, leaving only Lukaku up front, who indeed struggled to capitalize on opportunities.

Amidst the cheers of the Brest fans, Bastia's numerous attacking attempts were thwarted.

The attack was unsuccessful.

During the broadcast, the cameras repeatedly focused on Gaio as he warmed up, the meaning of which was self-evident.

The ball was dead until the 59th minute.

Bastia opted to make a substitution.

Gaio has arrived!

(End of this chapter)