The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 252 A Romantic Story of French Football

The Golden Boy Awards do not have a traditional, public, performance-based awards ceremony.

Tuttosport typically adopts a more concise and pragmatic approach from announcing the nominees to the final awards ceremony.

Therefore, this year's awards ceremony is no exception.

The Turin-based sports newspaper, Tuttosport, published its Golden Boy award on the front page on the 21st.

In *Golden Boy 2012: Gueho*, Bastia's French striker Gueho received 560 points in the vote, beating Isco, who came in second with 232 points, and Thibaut Courtois, who came in third with 109 points.
The homepage image features Gaio holding the Golden Boy Award trophy.

In the photo, Gaio's face is calm, but his eyes are always full of confidence.

This photo was taken by someone sent by Tuttosport to the Bastia training ground in advance.

Unlike large ceremonies, the Golden Boy award trophy is usually presented by a representative of Tuttosport to the winning player's club. The award ceremony is usually held at the player's training base, making it relatively simple and private.

That's why Hagi Begic said in an interview with French media, "After the Golden Boy award."

Because everyone in Bastia knew that the ultimate winner was Gaio.

Even when Gaio was being interviewed by Tuttosport, they were still cheering him on, all happy for him, as he was the first Golden Boy winner in French history.

In fact,
A month earlier, numerous media outlets had already reported that Gaio would win the Golden Boy award by a huge margin.

And now, data released by Tuttosport confirms this.

Gaio scored nearly 300 points more than Isco, who came in second!

He also scored a full 100 points higher than the previous Golden Boy award winner's highest score of 454 points in 2005, achieved by Leo Messi!

This is incredibly exaggerated. All I can say is that Gaio's performance over the past year, both for the national team and for his club, has been absolutely phenomenal.

He won over most of the people with voting rights.

Tuttosport subsequently published a detailed feature article on Gaio's career.

The story begins with Gaio's childhood in Bird Spring Town, then moves on to the Clairefontaine training camp, and also touches on big clubs like Lille and Chelsea. The editors did not omit the characterization of Gaio in this part, writing about Gaio's fights, his pressure on teammates, his abandonment by Chelsea, his path to crime, and his entry into a juvenile prison.

"Don't blame Gaio, he was confused at that time too."

"But the confusion at that time was not the end, but the beginning of Gaio's turn."

The report then becomes increasingly detailed, recounting Gaio's journey from a Ligue 2 club in Bastia to the French national team, including winning the double, reaching the semi-finals of the European Championship, winning the treble, topping the Ligue 1 table in the new season, and advancing to the knockout stage of the Europa League by defeating Atletico Madrid twice.
The turning point was entirely in juvenile prisons.

It was during the month following his imprisonment on his birthday that Gaio underwent a dramatic transformation.

Before going to prison, Gay was just a genius. Many geniuses like him will emerge, but very few will eventually become stars.

And now, Gaião is a star in the eyes of the French and Bastia!
"The courage to turn back from the wrong path is sometimes more inspiring than talent."

This in-depth feature takes up the largest portion of the entire report, but it truly presents a complete picture of Gaio to everyone.

A prodigal son who has turned over a new leaf – a super genius.

A romantic story belonging to French football.

Such experiences often generate more discussion. Some people despise Gaio as a "criminal," while others see a ray of light shining into their own lives through Gaio's experience. There is a lot of debate.

There was only one exception.

That's Bastia.

The fans here regard Gaio as a city hero and the most legendary captain in the team's history.

Here, only the purest and most sincere emotions reside.

The last section was an exclusive interview with Gaio, but it didn't really have much content, because fans could tell at a glance that it was just a template answer.

But no matter what.

After becoming France's first Golden Boy winner, Guyotche became a sensation in France!

Tuttosport and its partner newspapers, such as France Football and L'Équipe, have generated a lot of buzz for this year's Golden Boy award.

Almost immediately, numerous French brands contacted Pierre, hoping that Gaio would become their brand ambassador.

Gaio had anticipated this, so he had told Pierre long ago that he would not accept the endorsement for the time being.

The first endorsement needs to be high-class.

A benchmark is also needed – this will make future endorsement negotiations easier, and the temporary loss of endorsements will be exchanged for future top-tier personal brand power.

Gaio didn't pay much attention to what others were saying.

Instead, they focused on preparing for the war.

The final battle before Christmas!
"Sometimes I envy you for being able to train diligently and stay true to yourself even when you're famous. But most of the time my reason tells me that I can't do what you do."

Before preparing for the match against Nancy, Rothen chatted with Gaio with a smile.

Gaio turned to look at him.

When Rothen said this, his expression was complex. Was it reminiscence? Regret? Confusion?

Perhaps he saw in his own experience the spirited self who once became the top assist provider in Ligue 1? Or perhaps the disillusioned person who was "wandering" in Paris Saint-Germain?

Gaio simply shook his head slightly. "I only know that the only thing I can control is to play football hard. I can't control anything else outside of that."

He then turned to Rothen and shrugged, “And I don’t like doing things I can’t control.”

Rothen laughed and gave him a thumbs up.

Every time I chat with Gaio, I can forget his age.

After training.

Hagi Bejic called a short meeting with everyone, saying, "Tomorrow is the last game of the year, and I hope everyone can make it a perfect ending to the year at home."

"We must win!" Angula shouted.

Haha.

The others laughed and agreed.

Hagi Bejic nodded and continued, "The team already has three injuries, and I hope everyone will be careful. I don't want to see any more."

When the topic of injuries came up, everyone's expressions noticeably somber.

De Bruyne and Joplin were injured in the last match against Montpellier, while the third was Palmieri, who was injured in training.

Palmiri's injuries are relatively minor, and he should be able to fully recover in about a week.

12 month 23 number.

The whole of Bastia was in an uproar. For the last home game before the new year, fans put on their jerseys and headed to the Cesarí Stadium.

Even if the stadium simply cannot hold that many people.

Chatham had anticipated this, so he notified fans a day in advance that those who couldn't get tickets could watch the game from the open space next to the stadium.

Bastia rented a huge screen and erected it in the open space. At the same time, they also set up a temporary shed to block out the cold winter nights and possible rain and snow as much as possible.

Christmas was just two days away, and most fans were on holiday, so there were a lot of fans at the stadium tonight. This kept the police officers maintaining order extremely busy.

The atmosphere reached its peak when Bastia's team bus drove toward the stadium, with tens of thousands of fans cheering in the streets.

"Geo!"

"Bastia is number one!"

"Get them!"

The players waved to the fans.

Gaio looked out the car window at the ever-changing blue sky, and his memory of this land grew ever stronger.

"Tonight is the last match of the first half of the league season, the 19th round. All teams will start their matches on this day. The home team, Bastia, is currently at the top of the league, but they are only one point behind second-placed Paris Saint-Germain. So, if Bastia can win this match, they can naturally secure their position as the league's first-half champions."

Even before the match started, the TF1 broadcast commentators were already emphasizing its importance.

The charm of the league lies in its long, drawn-out battles.

The ongoing stalemate between PSG and Bastia has attracted a large number of Ligue 1 viewers, and perhaps due to the Christmas holidays, the viewership for both matches this round has soared.

Especially Bastia.

In fact, they have been in the top three in viewership ratings for many rounds, which is incredible for a Corsican team.

What's more, they are a newly promoted team.

The commentator certainly knew why: "The core of this match is still Gaio. With Kevin De Bruyne injured, Bastia's midfield can only rely on veteran Rothen as the playmaker, which will inevitably shift Bastia's attacking focus to the right flank."

Gaio officially became the 2012 Golden Boy award winner the day before yesterday. He is the first Frenchman to win this award. Yes, we have Ballon d'Or winners, but no Golden Boy winners.

"Gaior is currently the hottest rising star in all of France."

boom!
Boom boom! !
Since the expansion of Thessaloniki Stadium, the cheering atmosphere has become even more magnificent. Being there, you can't help but feel excited and want to shout along with the crowd, making the cheers even louder.

at this time,

That's how Mbappe and Saliba felt in the stands. They had come to Bastia with Etang, both looking forward to Bastia's final match of the year.

“After Gaio won the Golden Boy award, it seems like even more people like him.” Mbappe’s words weren’t just idle talk. He saw Gaio’s jerseys for sale in stores in Paris, and occasionally he would see people wearing Gaio’s jerseys on the street.

In the past, Bastia's jerseys were definitely niche jerseys, and not many people recognized them.

but now,

More and more people are getting to know Bastia through Gaio.

“Yes, I did before.” Saliba was about to answer something, but then he suddenly saw the players coming onto the field. “Here they come! Gaio!”

He excitedly pointed to the players' tunnel.

At that moment, the entire stadium erupted in a single voice.

"Bastia!!"

Twenty thousand fans erupted in cheers, while on the opposite side of the tunnel, fans pulled out banners.

"Gaio, Bastia will remember forever."

"You'll always be our captain!"

"Take a look at the history of Bastia, and it's all about Gaio."

Among these banners are portraits of Gaio, all drawn by fans themselves.

When Gaio appeared, he was still very moved by this scene.

Bastia fans poured their purest emotions into him.

Boom!
"Geo!"

After the initial chants of "Bastia" from the entire crowd, the Ultras Bastia supporters' drums sounded, and everyone in the stadium chanted Gaio's name in unison, following the beat of the drums.

Boom!
"Geo!!"

The entire stadium fell silent, save for the cheers of 20,000 people.

Such a display of power was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Furthermore, countless fans outside the stadium joined in the cheers after hearing the shouts from inside the stadium.

The same name echoed both inside and outside the stadium.

This moment clearly moved the TF1 commentator. "Did you hear that? I think you heard it, right? Listen to the sounds from the stadium. The Bastia fans are chanting Gaio's name. My God, the chants are so loud that it feels like your heart is beating in sync with them."

"This is Gaio, this is Captain Bastia. I think that on this land, only the legendary captain of Bastia, Papi, has ever received such treatment. But Gaio is so young, and he is creating an honor that even Papi could not achieve with Bastia."

For the last home game of Christmas, the fans didn't put on a grand pre-match ceremony, there were no tifos, and no deeply moving slogans.

All they had was this one relentless shout.

On the field.

The pre-match ceremony was underway, and Nancy won the right to kick off.

The players from both sides walked towards the center circle.

The drumming had long since stopped, but the shouting continued unabated.

"Geo!"

"Geo!!"

The fans seemed tireless.

On the sidelines, Nancy's head coach, Fernandez, listened to the cheers from inside and outside the stadium and felt a chill run down his spine. This was terrifying; such an opponent was truly formidable, with an incredibly strong sense of unity.

It's hard to believe that this is just a newly promoted team.

He had a feeling that tonight's game would be anything but easy.

Gaio stood in the center circle, observing the Nancy players while waiting for the referee's whistle.

In fact, he was quite familiar with the French team Nancy in his previous life because Li Jinyu, a pioneer of Chinese players playing abroad, had played for Nancy for one season. It was during that season that many Chinese fans took the initiative to learn about Nancy.

Unfortunately, Li Jinyu returned to the Liaoning team after one season and was unable to continue his Ligue 1 career.

As for Nancy, it was a typical small French club, founded in 1910, but went bankrupt as early as 1965 due to financial difficulties.

The current Nancy team was rebuilt two years later with some of the original players. Before this season, they had more honors than Bastia, including a French Cup title and a French League Cup title.

There are also five Ligue 2 champions.

But now, the difference between the two sides is that of a title contender and a relegation-threatened team.

drop! !

The whistle blew, and the game officially began!
(End of this chapter)