The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 293 In an era of transition, you are the only superstar.

evening.

At the edge of the training field, the setting sun cast long shadows of the group.

Hagi Begic and assistant coach Dominik saw Gaio, De Bruyne, and others off from Bastia to report to their respective national teams.

Haji Begitch gave each person a separate instruction, and when he looked at Gaio last, his expression was slightly complicated.

This month's World Cup qualifiers are very important.

Especially the French team.

The direct confrontation with Spain at the end of this month can be said to determine who will be the group winner and who will qualify directly for the 2014 Brazil World Cup. It can be considered a top-of-the-table clash.

Knowing this, Hajibegichi patted Gaio on the shoulder earnestly when they were alone together.

He sighed and said, "I know Deschamps needs you, France needs you. These two national team matches are about World Cup qualification and the glory of the French national team."

As a professional player, I understand the desire to serve your country, and I understand the expectations of millions of compatriots in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and other places. You are a treasure of France and Deschamps' trump card, without a doubt.

But I hope you can take good care of yourself!

Hajibeji said the last sentence with great force, looking at Gaio as if waiting for an answer.

Gaio nodded.

He had always known that, if possible, Hagi Begic even hoped he wouldn't participate in national team matches—a classic conflict between clubs and national teams, because there have been too many examples of players getting injured while playing for the national team, then recovering at their clubs, and the clubs still having to bear the player's salary and other expenses.

Hagi Begic's expression softened upon seeing Gaio's statement, and he continued, "Your body isn't made of iron. Think of Bastia, think of our shared dream—the Ligue 1 title, and the Europa League—without you, Bastia's dream volcano will be extinguished!"

“I know it’s selfish of you to think about the club while you’re fighting for your country. But you understand, Bastia, this island, this team, these fans, they’ve bet everything on you. You are their light, their hope. Your health is not just your own, it’s the lifeline of all of us.”

"Go, go fight for France!"

Go and show the Spanish the power of the Corsican storm!

I'm waiting for you to come back! Bastia will be waiting for you to come back! Come back healthy, with the glory of victory, and lead us into the final, toughest battle of the season!

Seeing the worry in Haji Begitch's eyes, Gaio smiled slightly and hugged Haji Begitch, "Don't worry, boss, I'll be fine."

Hajibegić looked at Gaio and sometimes treated him like his own child.

It feels like parents are sending their children on a long trip.

Gaio turned and walked toward the bus.

Haji Begichi stood still.

The setting sun gilded his tall figure with a layer of gold, which also lengthened the heavy, restless worry.

The sea breeze carried a salty, astringent scent, much like the complex and indescribable emotions he felt at that moment.

The bus swayed and rocked along the seaside road toward the airport. The setting sun shone on the sea, and the shimmering waves reflected the light on everyone on board.

Gaião and De Bruyne chatted, "You guys haven't lost yet, so finishing first in the group shouldn't be a problem, right?"

De Bruyne nodded slightly. "It's alright. Of the other five opponents in Group A, only Croatia is a bit tricky. We drew 1-1 with them away in the last game. They are both winning so far, just like us, so we still have to fight hard."

Gaio nodded. Belgium's situation was similar to France's; both teams had a direct competitor, and the top two teams were significantly stronger than the others. Therefore, the direct confrontation between the first and second place teams was crucial.

Because De Bruyne's Group A is different from France's Group I, Belgium and Croatia's next direct match will not be until October.

France is about to face Spain in a second match.

Back to Clairefontaine.

This time, Gaio met even more new faces; Deschamps has never stopped discovering outstanding young people in France.

For example, Pogba.

This is his first time being selected for the national team, thanks to his outstanding performance at Juventus, and the fact that the current French team has a serious midfield problem and is short of players.

Therefore, after a period of observation, Deschamps decisively included Pogba in his national team roster.

When Pogba saw Gaio, he was clearly a little uncomfortable.

Although he is a year older than Gaio, Pogba can still see news about Gaio even in Italy.

Gaio's fame in France was at its zenith, unmatched by anyone.

With his fame, when others look at Gaio, they unconsciously attach a halo of "genius" and "the future of France" to him.

Furthermore, according to some media reports, Deschamps intends to appoint Gaião as the future captain of the national team. Previously, Deschamps had been following Blanc's decision to appoint national team goalkeeper Lloris as captain.

Pogba dared not act recklessly.

He knew that Lloris's rise to become the national team captain was simply a matter of luck.

In a friendly match against Uruguay in November 2008, Lloris, then under 22 years old, made his national team debut under Domenech.

At that time, the French team was in the most turbulent period after Zidane's era. In the undercurrents of the locker room, Lloris, who was focused on football itself and did not engage in infighting, was a breath of fresh air.

He then seized the opportunity to become the national team's first-choice goalkeeper. Although he became the first goalkeeper in French history to be sent off in an official match in September 2009, Lloris made several crucial saves in the two-legged playoff against Ireland, pulling France back from the brink of defeat. France narrowly advanced thanks to Henry's controversial handball assist.

Although Lloris' first major tournament, the French team left South Africa in disgrace.

After Blanc took over, veterans like Henry retired from the international stage, and the French team, which was in dire need of rebuilding, reached a point of upheaval and reconstruction.

Like Deschamps, Blanc recognized the team's problems, so he boldly promoted new players. Just over three months after taking office, he directly appointed Lloris as the team captain, which caused quite a bit of controversy at the time.

However, due to the situation at the time, Blanco had to identify his own loyalists and control the locker room.

Currently, the French national team is experiencing unusually frequent personnel changes, with Deschamps having already changed several different squads in recent rosters.

but!

Gaião's position is becoming increasingly secure. Pogba is well aware that as long as Gaião doesn't suffer an extremely serious injury that could affect his career, his position in the French national team is temporarily unshakeable.

It can be said that Gaio's captain's armband comes from his own strength!

Because Gaio rarely gives interviews, Pogba isn't very familiar with him and might think that such a genius could be a bit aloof.

But before he could even speak, Gaio saw him and smiled, "Hey, Paul."

Pogba was somewhat flattered and stammered a little. He tried his best to appear normal, "Hello, Gaio."

Gaio shrugged. "Relax. I talked to your brother. He said you were unhappy at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson didn't trust you, and that they would regret leaving Manchester United. Now it seems that the people at Manchester United should regret it."

As he spoke, Gaio gave Pogba a thumbs-up.

When talking about himself, Pogba became slightly more confident; he has always been the kind of player with extremely strong self-confidence and self-awareness.

Therefore,
He dares to attempt difficult moves on the field: fancy skills, long-range shots, exquisite passes, etc., and he makes no attempt to hide his personality on social media and in his personal image.

Pogba laughed and said, "Yes, Manchester United didn't trust me. I'm very happy at Juventus now. They've taught me a lot, like Conte, Pirlo, and Buffon."

Gaio looked enlightened and then asked, "That's really great. Pirlo is a world-class midfield maestro. But I'm curious, does he really sleep a lot every day?"

Gaio kept guiding the conversation.

Pogba continued to answer Gaio's questions, and soon the awkwardness he felt towards Gaio disappeared. He felt that this person really understood him, knew that he needed trust, and knew that he didn't like defense.

Gaio thought to himself, "If I can even get Lukaku running around like crazy on the field, how can I not get a young Pogba to cooperate?"
Although Pogba has a strong "self-centered performative personality," needs attention from others, and likes to be the center of attention, he also has an inner tendency to submit to authority.

The premise is that it is an authority he recognizes.

For example, his performance at Juventus was amazing, because as a newcomer, he was surrounded by top stars and legends such as Pirlo, Buffon, Chiellini, and Bonucci.

These players are not only highly capable and professional, but also enjoy absolute prestige in the locker room.

Pogba was very humble, eager to learn, and hardworking in front of them, willingly integrating into the team and learning from it to improve himself.

He admires these people for their abilities, achievements, professionalism, and leadership qualities.

Gaião also knew that Pogba had always been the absolute core of the national team, which was due to Deschamps' high prestige as a World Cup-winning coach.

More importantly, Deschamps trusts Pogba a lot, regards him as the tactical core, and gives him freedom on the field.

Simultaneously,

The French team that won the World Cup had teammates like Lloris, Griezmann, Mbappe, and Kanté, who were both highly skilled and established. In this environment, Pogba was usually able to focus on the game, perform well, and respect the authority of the coach and his teammates.

The biggest contrast is in comparison with Manchester United.

Sir Alex Ferguson's absolute authority is beyond question, but Pogba was too young when he first played for Manchester United, so let's not dwell on that.

During Mourinho's era, he was a top coach, but his coaching philosophy, which emphasized discipline, prioritized defense, and demanded absolute obedience from players, clashed with Pogba's free-spirited personality and desire for a central role.

Later, the "catching the mole" incident and the falling out with Mourinho led Pogba to believe that Mourinho's tactical system at the time could maximize his talent. Coupled with Mourinho's public criticism, this escalated the conflict.

same,

At the time, Manchester United's dressing room lacked an absolute leader like Juventus' to keep him in check. The team's decision to support Pogba in this incident further fueled this personality trait.

During Solskjaer's tenure, the relationship was initially harmonious. Solskjaer mainly used persuasion to give him a core position, and Pogba also performed well for a time.

However, when the team's performance declined and Solskjaer's authority and tactical ability were questioned, Pogba's focus and performance also fluctuated.

What he needs is someone who can truly convince him.

The two quickly struck up a conversation, and Pogba felt that Gaio was a really nice guy. This kind of core player could help him integrate into the team quickly and made him feel respected.

Gai led Pogba into the training base to greet more teammates.

He also saw Varane.

A smile immediately spread across his face as he walked towards Varane, opening his arms to give him a tight hug. "Look who this is, Raphael!"

Varane was also very happy to see Gaio again. "I think with you in this game, it's a sure thing. I watched all your Europa League matches, and I was so excited afterward that I kept looking for all sorts of news. Congratulations, and I hope you can win the championship."

Gaio patted him on the shoulder again, "Congratulations on establishing yourself at Real Madrid. Perform well, and you'll be France's starting center-back in the future."

Varane flashed his bright white teeth and nodded firmly!

Shortly after.

Giroud also arrived at the training ground and greeted Gaio and others. Giroud even said to Gaio, "Dib tells me every day how great it is in Bastia, hahaha, I think he doesn't even want to go back to Arsenal. It makes me want to be your teammate at the club, after all, I know how comfortable it is to be your teammate."

Gaio laughed, "National team teammates are teammates too. Alright, Didier is here."

When Deschamps and his assistants entered the training ground, the first thing they did was greet each player.

Finally, he addressed everyone, "Everyone, get a good rest tonight. We'll officially begin training and practice the tactics for these two matches tomorrow. It'll also be a chance for us to get used to our teammates, since our lineup has changed quite a bit this time. But no matter how the lineup changes, the basic tactics will remain the same."

After saying that, he told everyone to go back to their dormitories to rest.

After the players returned to their dormitories chatting and laughing, some wanted to chat a little longer. For example, Gaio called Giroud, Kanté, Matuidi, Pogba, Varane, and others to the locker room for a chat.

No one refused.

In fact, they all knew in their hearts that Gaio was targeting young people, and the meaning was very clear.

If you refuse, you may lose the opportunity to enter this circle forever.

The French team has always needed a core player who can command respect, and they know very well that Gaio is absolutely qualified.

Although he doesn't have many club honors or individual accolades yet, they are willing to follow Gaio.

perhaps,

Besides believing that Gaio has great potential, another important reason is that they find it easy and enjoyable to be around Gaio.

Everyone had a very pleasant chat.

At first, Gaio kept guiding the conversation, encouraging them to chat with each other. Gradually, as everyone became more and more happy chatting, he no longer needed to guide them.

Gaio felt satisfied looking at the harmonious scene.

The French team has never lacked talented players.

What they lack is a core player who can attract all these talented players to their side!

Platini was like that, and so was Zidane.

Their era was also the most glorious era for French football.

As Gaio pondered, perhaps the next glorious era of French football would belong to him?

the next day.

Everyone got up early, ate breakfast, and then went to the lounge to read the newspaper, chat, and rest for less than an hour before starting today's meeting, where Deschamps would make plans for the match against Georgia on the 22nd.

These two national team matches are relatively favorable for the French team.

Both matches were played at home.

Without the hassle of long journeys, we can wait in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out.

After greeting his teammates, Gaio glanced at today's newspaper and saw a report in L'Équipe about Real Madrid striker Benzema.

The above is a poll published by L'Équipe on whether people would like to see Benzema return to the French national team.

The main reason is that some people are trying to revive Benzema, saying that he performed well at Real Madrid and that the French national team shouldn't waste such a player, and many others are echoing this sentiment.

but,

According to L'Equipe's results, 78% of fans believe that manager Deschamps should not call up Benzema again, which is a one-sided opinion.

The most direct reason for this is from an interview some time ago.

This has drawn criticism for Benzema, specifically because when he was still with the French national team, he never sang the French national anthem before matches, which angered the media and some French fans.

As is well known, Benzema, like Zidane, is of Algerian descent, which the media speculates is one of the reasons why he does not sing the French national anthem.

In an interview, Benzema revealed his true feelings: "I have never sung 'La Marseillaise' on the pitch, not even when I score a hat-trick."

However, Benzema insisted that he loves the national team very much: "I love the French team, and playing for the national team is my dream. I have always been working hard to get back into the national team. But I don't want to be forced to sing the national anthem. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Zidane didn't sing 'La Marseillaise' before the game when he was in the national team."

When Gaio saw these messages, he wasn't particularly affected.

For him, Benzema is definitely not as useful as Giroud, and what's even more terrifying is that this guy is a total locker room bomb.

And they always do things secretly.

Simultaneously,

He also saw some reports about Spain, after all, everyone knows that France's biggest rival is Spain.

Therefore, French media also reported a lot about Spain before the match.

There are many, such as the hottest topics in Spanish football recently – Mourinho and Casillas.

Mourinho claimed he was cheated in the FIFA Best Coach award voting, with his votes being given to Vicente del Bosque instead.

Vicente del Bosque responded, "I neither want to be angry nor laugh. I am extremely serious when I do things. Mourinho's actions are too childish."

Right now, I'm only thinking about Finland, about how we play the game, how we train well. I have many friends who advised me to keep quiet.

We only talk about football and unity, not about daily divisions. I don't want to have conflicts with anyone.

I once said that there are two types of head coaches.

One is more passionate and assertive, the other is more composed; I didn't mention any specific names.

At an awards ceremony, I sat at the same table as Mourinho, and I was the first person to congratulate him.

The best role models need to have good behavior; a society without manners will cause lasting harm.

In my vote, I chose Di Matteo, Guardiola, and Prandelli.

of course,

More than these, Gaio was concerned about Spain's squad – Xavi was selected for this Spanish team despite his injury, Puyol was absent from the squad due to right knee surgery, and Casillas was not selected due to injury recovery.

Spain will first play Finland at home, and then travel to France. If they drop points, they could be pushed out of the playoffs by France.

Therefore, in order to play well in these two crucial matches, Vicente del Bosque disregarded Barcelona's objections and called up Xavi, who had just recovered from injury, to the team. Barcelona's team doctor was powerless to stop Xavi from reporting to the national team.

These are all positive factors for the French team.

Bosque's interview also addressed these injury issues; Gaio glanced at it briefly and skipped to the end.

Vicente del Bosque spoke about Spain's situation in the World Cup qualifiers, saying, "Deschamps has some very good players, especially Gaio. In the second half of the first leg, the French players proved that they were just as good as the Spanish players, and I would even say that they were sometimes better than us."

We have confidence in our players, but we must show the utmost respect to France and our other opponents.

I am indeed apprehensive about this match. I have great respect for France. The gap between the two teams is not large at the moment. The French players are just as good as us, and they are very motivated when playing against us.

The French have their pride, and they will obviously do everything they can to beat us. Our goal is to maintain the initiative, control the ball, and not let our opponents dominate the game.

It's difficult, we all understand that.

Gaio was so engrossed in reading the news that he didn't even notice Deschamps was right behind him.

Suddenly, Deschamps spoke up, "Actually, you don't need to worry about them. You just need to bring out your strengths, and I believe no one can stop you. Tottenham and Inter have already proven that."

Hearing the voice, Gaio turned his head and smiled slightly, "Perhaps."

Deschamps patted him on the shoulder and said, “The French team is under a lot of pressure right now. I’ve used a lot of new players, and I’m still looking for the lineup that can make us champions. You know that the French team is currently in a transitional period, but I and all the French fans are convinced of one thing: in this era, you are the only superstar in France.”

(End of this chapter)