The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 300: France blocks Spain! Direct qualification for the World Cup!
"Geo!"

"Geo!!"

In Bastia, the sounds emanating from the Sunset Café and the surrounding taverns converge, forming a sharp sword piercing the night sky.

Gaio's performance in this short period of time made them extremely proud.

They desperately wanted to tell the whole world that Gaio was their darling of Bastia.
He is a top player who came from the Mediterranean.
It is the Papi of the new era.
He's their legendary captain from Bastia!

The commentator's voice was almost drowned out by cheers—

"Spain has never beaten France away in an official match. In the 1984 European Championship final, France defeated Spain 2-0 at home to win the European title for the first time. In the 1992 World Cup qualifiers, France defeated Spain 3-1 at home, with goals from Soze, Papin, and Blanc of France and Bakro of Spain."

And now it seems this record will continue, with Gaio and Ribery scoring for France this time.

in the corner.

Roncagliari's gaze was unwavering. Gaio is now not only an idol and role model for young French players in Bastia, but also for many other regions.

Just like Zidane back then.

All Gaio is missing now is to lead France to that damn championship!

Longcaria firmly believes that Gaio can.

He gritted his teeth and resolved to train hard. His long-term goal was to play for the French national team, his mid-term goal was to join Bastia's first team, and his short-term goal was to lead Bastia U16 to victory in the first "Bastia Gaio Cup"!

Bastia Gaio Cup.

It was Bastia's sporting director, Chatham, who contacted all the professional teams in Corsica to organize it.

Behind this is the funding from the Bastia City Government and the Bastia Club, which united the entire island of Corsica.

Three levels of competitions will be organized for teams in the U12 to U16 age groups.

Both professional and amateur teams are eligible to participate, but players must be under the age limit and cannot exceed it.

So basically, they can only face teams with youth training camps.

The name of this competition clearly expresses its purpose: "Finding the next Gaio".

Currently, all the participating teams are from Corsica, but according to Chatham's plans, they can move to mainland France in the future.

But that's a matter for the future.

And now,
This match is on the minds of all the young players in the Bastia youth academy.

They don't want to lose to any of the other teams on the island!

That's what Dragon Caria is like.

Looking at the idol in blue on TV, I felt incredibly envious.
Stade de France.

After taking a two-goal lead, the French fans sang various cheering songs and looked extremely excited.

Even when the big screen captures the fans in the stands, they will cooperate by making various poses.

Simply put, it's waving.

Some couples will even hug each other and kiss in front of everyone.

Their body language clearly showed that they were very relaxed.

Meanwhile, the visiting Spanish fans looked solemn.

In the past few years, they have always been the ones who have the last laugh, but this time, they dare not think about it.

After the draw against Finland, Marca said, "The qualifiers are going very difficult! This foreshadows a precarious World Cup journey next year!"

Now it seems quite possible that the words will come true.

after all,

After this loss, Spain may not even make it to the playoffs.

Group I has only five teams, with Georgia, Belarus, and Finland all playing the role of racking up points against Spain and France.

A loss to France could put them at risk of being eliminated from the group stage. According to the rules, the eight best second-placed teams from the nine groups will face off in a playoff.

Spain's current points total ranks low compared to the second-placed teams in other groups.

Furthermore, it would be a great disgrace for this red-clad champion team to have to rely on playoffs to secure a spot in the World Cup finals.

But it is true.

Spain kept passing the ball around on the field, but they couldn't find the right space or gap to break through France's defense.

In the stands.

Rajoy's expression remained calm, but a hint of dissatisfaction always lingered in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Hollande, standing beside him, seemed completely relaxed and at ease.

He even wondered if the French team really had a chance to lift the World Cup trophy in Brazil.
Judging from this match against Spain, France is really strong!
Wow!

However, just as he was lost in his fantasies, the fans on the field broke out in a cold sweat.

Pedro's one-on-one chance was thwarted by Varane!

Xavi, who was being entangled by Kanté, suddenly turned and created space before passing the ball to Iniesta. Iniesta then suddenly dribbled forward, just as Jallet was closing in to defend.

A through ball!
The ball was passed directly behind Koscielny, and Pedro emerged like a ghost to receive it.

Form a one-on-one situation!

result,

When Lloris had already left the goal, Varane managed to catch up with the one-on-one opportunity using his speed, and slid in to make a save just as Pedro was about to shoot.

He blocked the ball out of the penalty area.

Hey!
Varane stood up, patted his chest, and Lori came over to give him a high five and yelled, "Great job!"

The audience erupted in applause.

Gaio was also taken aback by this goal; Spain's midfield creativity is still strong.

Fortunately, there was Varane.

Varane's sudden rise has given the French team a defensive leader for the next 10 years.

And this was only Spain's first shot on goal in the entire match.

They always surrounded the enemy without firing.

Playing with one less player made them extremely cautious, as they dared not lose possession of the ball.

In fact, Gaio realized that, don't think that Spain wasn't using its full strength. This current Spanish team really plays a hypnotic style of football.

Some fans even created a rhyme: "The ball is at your feet, never lost! Three players in a triangle, hypnotize to the end! Better to pass the ball 100 times than to give away one counter-attack! Through balls only hit the seven-inch mark, set pieces are the lifeline!"

This trio refers to the Barcelona golden trio of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets.

Their core strategy is to replace running with passing, to kill time with ball control, and to make up for the lack of numbers with precision.

But in fact,

It's just a pointless waste of time moving your feet around.

Many neutral fans found the match between France and Spain rather boring, except for a slightly exciting start.

One only passes, never shoots.

One that only defends but doesn't fight.

If it weren't for the occasional flashes of brilliance and the fact that there were actually goals, it would have been pure torture.

Spain's constant passing around in safe areas is a necessary but unavoidable tactic.

They dared not concede another goal.

However, the French team always had a chance to counterattack, and every counterattack made Spain's heart pound.

Fortunately.

No matter how badly they were behaving, they never conceded another goal.

39 minutes.

When Spain's attack failed, Matuidi made a long pass to Gaio.

This kind of pass has occurred many times in tonight's game.

Gaio is making another sprint.

He pushed the ball forward, and then, while moving, delivered a "C"-shaped pass that sailed over Monreal, who was marking him, and the defender in the middle.

The arc connects him and Ribery!

The connection between the two flanks!
Wow!

The fans in the stadium erupted in exclamations. Gaio's pass was absolutely brilliant! His vision was incredible; he completely shifted the ball from the strong side of the defense to the weak side.

Ribery was only in front of Arbeloa.

He was not afraid at all!
Arbeloa suffered greatly at the hands of Ribery in the first leg of the match between Spain and France, as well as in the Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich last season.

This time too.

Ribery faked a drive and then changed direction, easily getting past Arbeloa in one step!
He then faced Valdes directly.

Single sword!

All the French fans in the stadium had their eyes on Ribery, and even Gaio kept watching him as he made his forward run.

however,
At the Stade de France, under the watchful eyes of Saint Casillas in the stands, Valdes made a crucial world-class save!

Ribery's shot towards the far corner was anticipated by Valdes, who was positioned near the near post!

Valdes pushed off the ground and, in a desperate move, slightly touched the ball with his fingertips. That one touch changed the ball's trajectory, sending it grazing the post and sliding past the goal!

Ribery missed a one-on-one chance!

Hey!
French fans held their heads in disbelief, realizing they had missed such a great opportunity.

Even the TF1 commentators were stunned. "My God! Ribery may have missed a chance to crush Spain. Being down by two goals going into halftime is a completely different story from being down by three goals and scoring at halftime."

Meanwhile, the Spanish broadcast commentator was shouting, "San Valdes!!!"

The Spanish commentator then gave a brief introduction to Valdes.

After all, this match was only Valdes' third official appearance for Spain.

This was also his first official match for Spain away from home.

Finland's only shot on goal turned into a goal, but this did not cause Valdes to lose Vicente del Bosque's trust.

Although Reina took over Casillas' number 1 jersey, Valdes, wearing number 12, remained Spain's starting goalkeeper.

Valdes, who shouted "Casillas, come back soon" before the match, conceded two goals tonight, but at least this one-on-one save was a performance that was no less impressive than that of the Spanish captain in his prime.

Valdes's outstanding performance is reminiscent of the 05/06 Champions League final.

The match in which Barcelona came from behind to defeat Arsenal 2-1 also took place in Paris.

Before that match, Valdes had considered leaving Barcelona. His numerous basic mistakes had drawn criticism from the media, and he almost lost confidence.

That Champions League final changed Valdes' fate. The Barcelona goalkeeper made several saves against Arsenal's one-on-one chances and became an important contributor to the Blaugrana's victory.

Before the match, Valdes said, "I have always emphasized that if I had to choose the most important moment of my career, I would choose the Champions League final at the Stade de France in 2006. That night gave me the courage to continue playing for Barcelona."

Next week, Valdes will travel to Paris with Barcelona again, where he will face challenges from players such as Ibrahimovic, Pastore, Lavezzi, and Lucas Moura.

only,
The stadium changed from Stade de France to Parc des Princes.

On the field.

Ribery was very frustrated when he saw that the one-on-one chance had not gone in. He fell to the ground, got up and knelt down, patted his head, and then gave a thumbs up to Gaio, who had passed the ball to him.

Deschamps on the sidelines was almost about to celebrate, but Valdes's action made him pull his hands back and hug his head in disappointment.

Although Bosque, who was standing next to him, appeared relatively calm and his expression remained unchanged, he actually felt lucky to have escaped a disaster.

At the same time, upon seeing Ribery's thumbs-up, Gaio subconsciously felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he were seeing Lukaku giving a thumbs-up.

He shook his head slightly.

If this ball doesn't go in, we'll have to wait until the second half. Spain's style of play is wasting too much time.

but!

To Gaio's surprise, the French team got another chance!
Just after the corner kick was taken, Pique misjudged his header, giving Giroud behind him a one-on-one opportunity in front of the goal.

He headed the ball towards the goal!
Perhaps it was the experience gained from being tricked by Pique, or perhaps it was the save from that one-on-one opportunity that gave Valdes a feel for the game.

He anticipated the attack early and made a diving save to deny Giroud's header.

The ball bounced back and was controlled by Xavi. Pogba tried to press, but Xavi cleverly took a step and fell to the ground.

drop!
The referee blew his whistle, indicating that Pogba had committed a foul.

Pogba shrugged, feeling the ruling was somewhat unreasonable; he felt he hadn't even used any force.

Deschamps was once again caught off guard.

On the field,

After making two consecutive saves, Valdes yelled at his teammates, "This kind of defense, every time it's a one-on-one chance, he's human, not a god!"

He was somewhat unhappy and didn't want to continue being taken advantage of like this.

While Valdes' two performances amazed the Spanish commentators, they weren't particularly happy.

The only time a goalkeeper can perform exceptionally well is when the defense has been systematically breached.

As the saying goes, a weak team needs a good general.

"After the match against Finland, Silva was automatically suspended for one game due to accumulated yellow cards, which was a significant loss to the attacking link-up in the midfield and forward line. Del Bosque decided to send Pedro into the starting lineup."

With Iniesta, Busquets, Villa, or Fabregas surrounding PR17, a starting lineup built around Barcelona will undoubtedly maximize Pedro's firepower.

Pedro is also the national team's top scorer since the European Championship, and was also the national team's top scorer in 2012, scoring 7 goals in 8 appearances.

With Villa, Torres, Negredo, and other key strikers all failing to find the net, the Spanish national team's biggest hope for breaking through the deadlock rests on Pedro.

Xavi's return will undoubtedly give Spain a firm grip on the game's tempo, and the midfield, orchestrated by the ventilator, is very familiar to Pedro.

Xavi had fully adapted to the team's high-intensity training before the match, and his legs felt fine.

Xabi Alonso has been suffering from a groin injury and a toe fracture for the past month and a half. He didn't play in the last game, but he showed good form in training two days before this game.

but!

Judging from the current course of the game, the three of them did not perform as well as expected. The midfield combination of Xavi, Alonso and Busquets was completely overwhelmed by the French combination of Kanté, Matuidi and Pogba.

They will find it difficult to gain an advantage against the French trio.

In particular, Kante's tenacious defense completely rendered Xavi, the Spanish strategist, ineffective.

Matuidi and Pogba always have those brilliant passes that reach deep into our defense. Most importantly, Gaião and Ribery's speed is incredibly dangerous; almost all of France's threats come from counter-attacks down the flanks.”

drop!
When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

The players on both sides had different expressions.

The French players felt that the 2-0 scoreline wasn't enough, and that they felt they had wasted some chances and should have scored more goals.

The Spanish players, on the other hand, were somewhat bewildered by this series of setbacks.

Nobody knows what happened to the team.

How did that championship team suddenly become like this?

As Gaio walked toward the players' tunnel, the cheers of the fans echoed all around him.

Gaio smiled and waved.

If France wins this match, they can say that they have already qualified for next year's World Cup!

Inside the players' tunnel.

Gai had his arm around Pogba's shoulder and gave him a thumbs up, saying, "Not bad for a game."

“Haha, of course, I’ve been looking forward to this kind of match for a long time,” Pogba laughed.

same,
Gaio also praised Varane, who was relatively introverted.

As the French players walked into the locker room, chatting and laughing.

at this time,

The Spanish locker room was deathly silent, filled with the smell of sweat mixed with frustration.

As a championship team, the situation has become precarious, something they have never faced in the past few years.

1-1 Finland, 0-2 France at halftime.

The title of King of the Qualifiers is coming to an end.

once,

They are the kings of qualifiers; they can easily pass through the qualifiers of any major competition and advance to the finals.
once,

They won three consecutive major tournaments: the European Championship, the World Cup, and the European Championship, making them an invincible team in world football.
This is the Spanish national team.

This is the red dynasty of the bullfighters.

But their past glory and honor cannot guarantee them a place in next year's World Cup in Brazil.

in contrast,

Now mired in the qualifiers, they are very likely to miss the finals for the first time.

When Bosque walked in.

Xavi was massaging his knees, Alonso closed his eyes and frowned, Ramos lowered his head and covered his face with a towel, and the rest of them also expressed their "defeat" through body language.

Bosque sighed and walked to the center of the locker room, his voice low but penetrating: "45 minutes, 0-2."

One less person to fight.

This isn't the script we're familiar with, but it's the reality we must face.

He walked slowly to the tactics board and quickly wrote down a name: Jan Gaio.

"Jan Gaio, most of the threat from France in this game came from him, but we had no way to stop him. He had a goal and an assist, and also drew a red card. They didn't have any complicated tactics, just counter-attacking, and then we were overwhelmed."

As Bosque spoke, Ramos lowered his head even further.

Bosque didn't even look in his direction.

Instead, he continued, "Yes, he's strong, but what makes him shine isn't his ability, it's our mistakes! Sergio's red card was just a gamble that went out of control! But what truly broke us was our collective lapse in concentration for the next 20 minutes! We were like stunned rabbits, watching him single-handedly tear apart our entire defense!"

His tone suddenly became more serious.

"Let's look at the data! We might have 70% or 80% possession, but is this the passing and possession we're so proud of?! What happened to our possession-based defense? The French crushed it all with their running and pressing!"
Tell me, when was the last time we only managed two shots on goal in the first half? 2012? 2010? Or 2008?! This isn't Spanish football! This is cowards in red jerseys!

A brief silence fell over the locker room as Bosque's gaze swept across the room, the word "coward" piercing everyone's heart like a needle.

What's even more heartbreaking are those three times.

That was the time they won the championship.

Vicente del Bosque whirled around, pointing toward the French dressing room, his voice like a knife: "Can you hear that? The French are laughing, they're celebrating, they're saying—'Look! The Spanish dynasty was buried by us in just 45 minutes!' Are you willing to accept this?! Are you willing to let three-time tournament champions Spain become the laughingstock of the world on this night in France?! Are you willing to let Gaio, an 18-year-old kid, step over our corpses to enter the World Cup?!"

These words seemed to have taken a lot of effort from the old coach, and his chest heaved.

The players were also somewhat silent.

In fact, 2-0 is just a result; if it weren't for Valdes' outstanding performance in this match, the score would have been even worse.

at last.

Bosque caught his breath and broke the silence again. He pulled over the tactical board and wiped off the "Yan Gaio" on it.

He continued, "In the second half, I only need you to do one thing well: possession, the kind of real possession we used to have. Prohibit through balls, long passes, and wing breakthroughs from the midfield and backfield. Only allow small combinations in the flanks, one-twos, back runs, or triangular passes. Be sure not to lose possession easily. I think you are all very clear about their counter-attacking speed."

This is the core of his tactics: the ultimate philosophy of ball control, which is defense and passing and cutting, is attack!

Utilizing the Barcelona-Spain golden triangle, with Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets as the core, a "hypnotic passing system" is constructed, using short passes to control the rhythm and wear down the opponent's will.

They firmly believe that "with the ball at their feet, the opponent poses no threat."

In attack, they prefer surgical penetration, not relying on crosses from the wings or long balls, but pursuing "precise passing combinations in front of the penalty area", penetration into the flanks, or deadly through balls.

And these tactics.

Both Barcelona and the Spanish national team have been studied for four or five years!
The French team is a case in point.

at this time,

Inside the French team's locker room, Deschamps had a smile on his face, but he remained serious as he reviewed the first half.

He continued to instruct the players, "Defense! The most important thing right now is defense! Don't tackle recklessly, don't press recklessly, always maintain your position, defend the flanks by letting them pass but not dribble through. We have an advantage in the air, and definitely don't press recklessly. Just block their positions and prevent them from making comfortable runs forward. Don't press recklessly. If they're not in a hurry, we're not in a hurry either. Hold on!"

The players nodded.

indeed.

Deschamps is relatively pragmatic; as long as he can win, he doesn't care about the score.

The players were happy to kill time this way and were willing to play passing games with Spain.

After all, it's almost the end of the season.

With all competitions reaching their final stages, the players are under considerable pressure.

Next week, Barcelona will travel to the Parc des Princes in Paris to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.

In this match, Barcelona had 8 players, while Paris Saint-Germain only had 3.

After everything was arranged.

Deschamps sat down next to Gaião and said to him, "Go for another 20 minutes in the second half. I'll substitute you around the 65-minute mark. Manage your energy accordingly."

"Ah."

Gaio nodded.

Now that his attributes have improved in all aspects, his physical fitness is relatively good.

More importantly, he has played many games and knows how to rest and slack off on the field.

soon.

The highly anticipated match has come to an end at halftime.

The players from both sides returned to the Stade de France.

French fans erupted in cheers once again, freely expressing their passion.

At the start, the camera focused on Gaio.

The TF1 commentator said, "Gio scored a goal and provided an assist in the first half, making him an absolute hero in our lead. I wonder what kind of performance he will deliver in the second half. Of course, Del Bosque will definitely strengthen his defense against him, but I'm very interested to see how Spain, playing with one less player, will balance defending against Gaio with increasing their attack to try and turn the game around."

It turns out.

They can't do it!
Just five minutes into the second half, when Spain attempted an attack, Varane intercepted the ball and launched a long pass directly to Gaião.

Monreal and Alonso double-teamed Gaio, but Gaio cleverly used his footwork to create space for them and accelerated past them.

This time, however, Monreal reacted quickly, grabbing Gaio's jersey and using physical contact to prevent Gaio from getting past.

This thwarted France's counter-attack. However, when Gaio went down, referee Kuipers showed no mercy and gave Monreal a yellow card.

Monreal shrugged at the referee.

Kuipers shook his head.

Shhh!
The French fans on the right flank booed.

Fans in the front row who were close by were shouting at Monreal in English, "Stop shrugging! How could you possibly stop Gaio if you didn't foul him!"

Pogba came over and helped Gaio up.

The free kick was positioned too far away to be a suitable option for a direct takeoff.

However, Matuidi still did not quickly launch the ball.

Instead, they wait until their teammates have pushed back into their own half before kicking off.

Spain retreated completely, knowing that France was likely to launch another large-scale attack.

The Spanish midfield is currently facing a major problem with stamina.

Xavi and Alonso are both recovering from injuries, while Busquets and Iniesta are playing non-stop for their clubs.

Bang!
Matuidi took the kick-off.

He didn't pass to the right wing, which is the main target of Spain's defense.

He kicked it to the far end.

Ribery receives the ball; he is now very confident against Arbeloa.

However, this time Pedro's retreat helped.

Ribery wasn't reckless; instead of forcing a breakthrough, he continued to pass the ball to Evra, who was overlapping on the wing.

Evra dribbled the ball directly down the wing.

However, he had some difficulty getting past Arbeloa's defense and couldn't shake them off. After moving forward a distance, he still passed the ball back to Ribery's feet.

The Evra area actually made Spain's defense more flat.

The ball was passed around, but eventually it ended up with Gaio.

Gaião did not attempt to penetrate towards the baseline of the penalty area.

Instead, he had Jallet, who was on the flank, move to that position to draw defenders away, while he himself dropped back to receive the ball.

Monreal and Iniesta's positions changed just as Gaio dropped back.

Iniesta was drawn away by Jallet, while Monreal continued to mark Gaio.

Facing Monreal's one-on-one defense, Gaio remained calm. He didn't make the first move and even stepped on the ball to check the situation of his teammates in the middle and far.

The most important thing is to look at the opponent's defensive formation.

After Yalai put on the suit, Gaora had much more space outside.

After recovering, Busquets quickly stepped forward, wanting to come over and provide backup defense.

And that was the instant Busquets moved.

Suddenly, Gaio slumped to the right and lunged forward, and Monreal, like a startled bird, quickly responded and followed suit.

however,
The football remained in the same spot, it didn't move at all.

After Monreal rushed out, Gaio stopped abruptly to straighten himself and flicked the ball to the left.

Cut inside directly!

Monreal instantly realized he'd been tricked. He quickly pushed off the ground and lunged back, but he'd already been outmaneuvered. How could Gaio let him catch up?

Cut inside along the gaps left by the Spanish defensive formation.

Busquets realized something was wrong, and Villa had already retreated to Gaio's route.

However, Villa's defense was almost like a blank stare.

Gaio changed direction and charged in.

With two or three steps away from the penalty area, Busquets thought Gaio was about to break into the penalty area, so he didn't dare to move.

And this space.

Gaio caught it!

Bang!
As he strode forward, Gaio suddenly lifted his foot, his left foot circling out in an arc.

The football headed straight for the far corner.

This kick,
Gaio's shot had a wide arc, and his entire center of gravity shifted because of it, causing him to collide with Busquets, who was trying to block Gaio's shot.

After both players fell to the ground, they both turned their heads to look at the goal.

Valdes made a diving save.

The whip is beyond reach.

The football went into the net!

Gaio excitedly slapped the turf, then immediately got up and slid to the sidelines.

During his sliding kneeling motion, he spread his arms wide, exuding youthful vigor!

3-0 in 54 minutes, France is only forty minutes away from victory.

After sliding down his knees, Gaio stood up and walked toward the corner flag area.

He pulled open the flag on the corner flagpole with one hand; because it was the home game, it had the French national team crest on it.

He pointed to his chest with his other hand.

Scored twice!

"Geo!"

The fans in the stands were incredibly excited, waving and shouting at him, and some even wanted to rush down to celebrate with Gaio, but were stopped by security.

at this time,

The narration could also be heard on the TF1 TV broadcast at Sunset Cafe.

"Buuuuut!! Cut inside and unleash a powerful shot! It's Gaio again! My God! Gaio has breached Spain's defense once again. Today, both of Spain's full-backs have become toys!"

Monreal and Arbeloa are basically toys for Gaio and Ribery.

This time, Gai's inside cut was because Monreal couldn't keep up with Gai's pace at all and was out of position first. Busquets, who came up to cover, didn't even have time to get in place, and Gai shot right in Busquets' face!
That inside cut and left-footed curler into the top corner was a performance only a top-class winger could pull off. Gaio is undoubtedly one of the world's best right wingers right now.

Amidst the jubilation, someone shouted, "Without a doubt!"

"Yes! Without a doubt!"

"Gaio is the best right winger in the world! No, not just a right winger, he's the best player!! Without a doubt!"

Bastia fans gave their all.

Gaio is their favorite player!
There is no room for even the slightest imperfection, not even "one of them".

For them, Gaio is the best one, and always will be.

No matter when or where.

The capital of Spain.

In a mansion on the outskirts of Madrid.

Florentino looked at his trusted and beloved player Zidane beside him and asked, "Can Gaio secure a starting position at Real Madrid?"

Zidane nodded firmly, "I underestimated him before. He now absolutely deserves to start for Real Madrid, and be an absolute starter."

Florentino didn't continue speaking; he looked at the spirited young man on television.

He admits.

He was somewhat tempted.

Under his instructions, Real Madrid will basically not bring in young players. After all, they don't even use Castilla players much. Real Madrid needs mature stars who have both fame and ability.

And now,
When Real Madrid needed some changes, he set his sights on Bale.

But after a few games, Florentino couldn't help but develop a strong liking for Gaio.

However, he also had some doubts.

Zidane had previously strongly advocated for him to sign Varane, but why didn't he actively recommend Gaio to him?

Florentino then asked, "Do you think Real Madrid should sign Gaio?"

Zidane himself was unsure about this issue, because he couldn't push Gaio into a fire pit. All the information he knew indicated that there would be an internal struggle within Real Madrid.

The head coach position is currently undecided.

He shook his head. "From a rational point of view, Gaio is still very young and has a history of injuries. His talent is definitely not a problem, but he is only playing in Ligue 1 after all. At that level of intensity, it's hard to say anything."

Of course, from an emotional perspective, I certainly hope Gaio can join a top club like Real Madrid. However, if we want to bring Gaio in, we might need to deal with another player.

Florentino asked, "Who?"

"Karim".

After answering, Zidane added, "Gaião and Karim don't have a good relationship. There are many reasons why Karim didn't make it into the national team. I think Gaião might ask us to get rid of Karim first."

Florentino frowned.

He doesn't like being dictated by the players, and he dislikes changing the lineup because of the players' preferences.

calm down.

Zidane calmly glanced at the television; the game was still going on.

But the soul of Spain is gone.

Spain gradually lost control of the ball, and France began to take possession, which was like adding insult to injury for Spain.

After conceding the third goal, Vicente del Bosque substituted Villa with defender Keylor Navas.

This basically expresses the old coach's attitude.

Here.

Deschamps is also beginning to prepare for a replacement.

In the 65th minute, the French team had another free kick opportunity in the attacking third.

The location is quite far.

Matuidi took the kick directly, and the ball landed inside the penalty area.

All the players on both sides started moving.

In chaos.

Giroud was hit on the head by Pique's elbow as he dropped back, and fell directly into the penalty area.

drop!
Kuipers didn't hesitate for a second before blowing the whistle.

At the same time, he pointed to the penalty spot.

Absolutely determined!

Pique was stunned. "I didn't do it! He bumped into my elbow himself; I was just trying to maintain my balance."

He shrugged, spread his hands, and started babbling at the referee.

The other Spanish players rushed over, saying, "This isn't a penalty."

Kuipers shook his head repeatedly, while gesturing for them to step back, signaling them not to come up.

The French players rushed to protect the referee. As captain, Gaio went directly between the referee and Pique, pulled Pique aside, and pointed at Giroud, saying, "Look, they've already opened a hole, isn't that a foul?"

at this time,

Giroud did indeed have a cut in his eyebrow and eyelid, with blood gushing out.

The team doctor rushed onto the field to bandage the wound.

Pique grimaced, feeling incredibly unlucky. He had only raised his elbow to maintain his balance and, incidentally, to nudge the Frenchman.

Pique went over to apologize to Giroud and check if he was alright.

Chaos reigned once again.

Deschamps remained calm as he watched the scene unfold; the more time wasted, the more advantageous it was for the French team.

With a score of 3-0, he was very confident.

How can Spain turn the tide?
An old Villa, locked up by Varane?
Or Pedro?
Or are you trying to get the ball in from midfield?
Times have changed!

Now it's the era of counter-attacking. How can your Spanish passing and possession tactics break through my dense defense?!
On the field.

After the chaos subsided, Giroud stood up after being bandaged by the team doctor.

Gaio patted him on the shoulder, "You're more like a warrior now, fighting on despite minor injuries."

Giroud stretched a bit. "Don't worry, Yang, this thing won't stop me from smashing the ball into Spain's goal."

Gaio nodded.

He believed this. Generally speaking, having your eyebrows and eyes opened isn't a big deal; it just looks a bit scary.

It has virtually no impact.

soon.

Gaio carried the ball to the penalty spot and placed it on the ground.

Several units were withdrawn.

Gaio looked at Valdes with an extremely calm expression.

he knows,
At this moment, countless eyes are fixed on him, watching him closely, but Gaio enjoys this moment.

Enjoy this moment of being the center of attention.

That’s indeed the case.

At this moment, across France and Spain, countless people were watching Gaio intently.

Although this goal may not have much impact on the outcome of the game.

But it has different meanings for Gaio and for Spanish football.

courtside,

Deschamps and Bosque were both staring intently.

drop!
The whistle sounded.

Gaio let out a soft breath, then took a running start!
He looked at Valdes.

He paused for less than a second just before kicking the ball.

And this pause.

This startled Valdes, who was intently watching his movements, causing him to make a sudden save.

next moment.

With a flick of his ankle, Gaio gently pushed the ball in the opposite direction from Valdes.

Without any obstacles, the football easily went into the net.

4-0!

Gaião was involved in four goals, scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist!

The moment the goal was scored.

This time, Gaio didn't rush towards the stands. Instead, he stood still, spread his arms, and then turned around.

The roar of the fans was deafening—

"Geo!"

"Geo!!!"

His teammates rushed over and hugged Gaio.

Four to zero!

Such a score was simply unbelievable to them. Although Spain was down to ten men, the score was still a pleasant surprise.

"Gaio, you're simply a god!"

Pogba was shouting in the crowd.

His words also reflected the sentiments of his teammates: Gaio was simply too strong tonight!
Behind them,
The Spanish players looked dejected as they walked toward the center circle.

These former champions are forced to confront a reality.

They're going to play in the playoffs, and that's assuming they make it to the playoffs.

Deschamps was absolutely ecstatic on the sidelines.

He shouted excitedly, celebrating just like the fans.

He felt like he didn't know what to do with his limbs, and all he wanted to do now was sway along with the roar of the crowd.

Deschamps' excitement stemmed from more than just this victory.

As he and Stephen embraced tightly, Deschamps excitedly shouted, "I've found the way! I've found the way to France!!"

Stephen understood perfectly what Deschamps meant.

The French team of the past few years offered no hope of victory.

The forwards are so bad they can't score, the midfielders are so bad they can't control the ball, and the defense is so bad it can't stop goals.

And now.

France has been completely transformed!
With almost a complete overhaul of the squad, Deschamps finally saw a glimmer of hope for winning the title!
He is confident that he can lead the French team to the championship!
While the Stade de France celebrated.

The Spanish commentator said in a somber tone, "Look at the sidelines, Coach Bosque is covering his face with his hands, and he looks like he has aged ten years in an instant."

Once upon a time, the World Cup qualifiers and the European Championship qualifiers were nothing more than a stage for this invincible fleet to stroll around on!
We always manage to dismantle our opponents with fluid passing and control, as precise as a scalpel, easily securing our qualification spot several rounds in advance. That huge lead on the leaderboard is the badge of honor of a champion!

But what about now?

The Spanish national team's qualifying journey is fraught with difficulties and setbacks! Just after their home draw against Finland, Marca's front-page headline served as a stark warning: 'Qualifying is proving extremely difficult! This foreshadows a precarious World Cup campaign next year!'

Now it seems that this prophecy is coming true in the most brutal way!
The mastermind behind all of this is Jan Gaio, a young man who is only 18 years old!
For him, a hat trick was just another ordinary afternoon practice session.

Free kicks, open play, penalties, and assists.

He was everywhere during the game.

Similarly, aside from Gaião's individual ability, looking back at the first 70 minutes of the game, the opportunities that the French team had, both in quantity and quality, were in no way inferior to our peak!

Especially in the 39th minute of the first half, there was a performance by Gaião and Ribery. Gaião's pass bypassed all the defenders, and Ribery easily dribbled past Arbeloa like a wooden stake, facing Valdes directly!
If it weren't for the Spanish goalkeeper's miraculous save, France would have already extended their lead; that was a glaring warning sign!

Not to mention the other four goals.

Compared to their treble-winning era, the biggest breach in this Spanish team is their defense. The once impregnable wall built by Pique and Puyol is now riddled with cracks.

Pique's slow turning and the gap left by Puyol's injury made this defense so vulnerable to the speed and skill of players like Gaião and Ribery!

Looking at the midfield and attack, the problems are equally serious. Their 'brain,' Xavi, will be 34 next year!
After a season of intense battles, how much fuel does this midfield maestro have left in the tank?

Can his passes still be as precise as a scalpel?
Can his physical strength still support 90 minutes of high-intensity strangulation?

A huge question mark hangs over the heart of the matadors!

As for the forward line?

Vicente del Bosque was completely stumped by a lack of available players: Villa? Pedro? Torres?
There are many choices, but who is the right center to deliver the decisive blow?

Don't forget that the 'strikerless formation' they tried at last year's European Championship was easily neutralized by the Italians' concrete-like defense in the group stage!

On the brutal battlefield of the World Cup, Spain needs a battering ram who can hold his own in the penalty area and break through defenses! The identity of this player remains shrouded in mystery.

The broadcast cameras kept replaying Gaio's celebration, prompting the Spanish commentator to say helplessly.

"And all of this confusion, struggle and the prelude to collapse were ruthlessly exposed to the world tonight by a young man named Jan Gaio with a bloody hat trick and a cold assist!"

He not only scored three goals, but he also declared with his actions that the twilight of Spain's dynasty may have already arrived. If we continue to be complacent, perhaps our journey will end before we even reach the World Cup.

Spanish fans watched listlessly as the French players and fans celebrated wildly.

They lost.

It was still a crushing defeat.

The fans looked confused, just like the players on the field.

They don't know what's going on.

I don't know why it turned out this way.

The Stade de France at this moment.

A jubilation.

Countless songs, cheers, and shouts filled the air.

France is celebrating wildly!
This 4-0 victory can be considered a direct declaration that they have already qualified for the Brazil World Cup!

Hollande really wanted to laugh out loud in the stands, but he felt the occasion was inappropriate. He just smiled and reviewed all the sad things in his past life before he could suppress the urge to jump up and celebrate.

Rajoy, as expected of someone who has been in politics for a long time, is truly remarkable.

His face remained calm and composed.

I also want to have a chat with Hollande. "That Gaio is indeed extraordinary. He has the demeanor of a great general at such a young age."

Hollande gave a perfunctory reply, not daring to speak, afraid that if he did, the smile he had managed to suppress would crumble.

drop!
The competition continued amidst a grand celebration.

However, the Spanish players had lost their fighting spirit at this point.

Just three minutes later.

Deschamps replaced Gaio.

At the Stade de France, all the French fans stood up and applauded Gaio.

Many people are shouting.

at this time,

From a corner, a song gradually drifted out; it belonged to a group of Bastia fans.

They are singing—

Under the French stars

We celebrate wildly by calling your name.
Gaio, French Imperial Star
"I await the day when the World Cup trophy will bear my name."

(End of this chapter)