The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 320 Five Trophies
At the Thessalle Stadium, the atmosphere intensified as the players came out to warm up.

The singing is rolling.

Everywhere you look is the blue of Bastia!
The second round of this Blues vs. Blues match has finally arrived as scheduled.

Every time a Chelsea player touched the ball, they were met with boos from the crowd, while Bastia players were greeted with applause.

Especially Gaio.

Many fans in the stands couldn't help but shout Gaio's name.

His speech at the open day a few days ago only intensified the Bastia fans' love for him.

It's hard for fans not to like a player like this.

During the warm-up, fans continued to enter the stadium.

The few remaining boxes at Thessaloniki Stadium were gradually occupied.

One of the private rooms.

A group of people with distinctly Middle Eastern characteristics entered, and the Bastia side gave them plenty of face. Chatham did nothing but lead them around, providing various services that were not available in the private room or other private rooms.

The reason is also very simple.

The first thing these guys from Saudi Arabia did upon arriving in Bastia was to casually sign a sponsorship contract with the Bastia government.

The training uniform armbands were sponsored.

Generally speaking, training jerseys only have sponsorships on the chest area, and no one else sponsors them, since fans don't really care about training jerseys.

Even the chest sponsorship for training uniforms is often bundled together with the jersey sponsorship.

But these Saudis came up with a fixed price.

Two years, 100 million euros.

Make sure Bastia's training jersey sleeves have the PIF logo printed on them for the next two seasons.

This price is outrageous; it's practically free money.

But that's how simple and brutal they are.

Nothing was discussed.

Once the contract was signed that day, the money was deposited into my account.

Quite wild!

Chatham was completely stunned. Was this the work of an oil tycoon?
He thought of how Paris Saint-Germain bought players.

Transfer fees can be paid arbitrarily, as can player salaries and agent commissions.

They spend a million euros, which is about the same as going out for a glass of anise with Chatham.

Oh, no, even Chatham is concerned about whether the price of his anise liqueur has gone up.

"Our shirt sponsorship contract expires next year, and Bastia is still very popular in European football."

While Chatham was with the Saudis, he also took the opportunity to promote the team's shirt sponsorship contract.

Staveley gently reached out to stop him and said softly, "You know why they're here. Don't say anything more; the gift is enough."

Chatham nodded.

Of course he knows.

Gaio had already told him in advance that the Saudis wanted to acquire a team in the Premier League, following the example of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, and use money to create a top team!
And Gaio is the super core they have their eye on for the next decade.

After Chatham stopped speaking, Abdullah Mohammed, the leader of the Saudi delegation, took the initiative to look at him and asked him in fluent French, "What is the current top salary for a player in Ligue 1?"

Chatham thought for a moment and replied, "A monthly salary of around 80 euros?"

Abdullah asked again, "Where is Gaio?"

Chatham shook his head. "Mr. Abdullah, this involves player privacy, and it's not convenient to disclose this information. If you want to know, you can ask Gaio yourself, but you need his consent."

Abdullah didn't seem to care. He told Chatham, "We plan to give Gaio the top salary in the Premier League, more than £30 a week."

hiss!
Chatham gasped, while the others in the room seemed unsurprised.

But Chatham couldn't help but be surprised.

He'd never seen anything like this before!

If he remembers correctly, back in his day, twenty years ago, the highest-paid player in the Premier League was John Barnes of Liverpool.

This was reported by the French media at the time.

£10,000 a week!
This shocked many players because it was truly outrageous at the time.

Even ten years ago, the highest salary in the Premier League was only around £9, for Roy Keane from Manchester United.

of course,

Currently, the highest-paid player in the Premier League is still Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, who earns around £30.

And now, with the oil tycoons entering the market, things have become even more outrageous.

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are both paying out incredibly high wages.

Didn't Arsenal's Nasri choose to leave simply because he wanted a higher salary from Manchester City?

Few people can withstand the test of money.

Why play football?
Children from middle-class families might have some sense of honor, but for players who come from the streets, playing football is all about making a better life.

After his initial surprise, Chatham quickly composed himself and nodded. "Yes, Gaio deserves this salary."

Abdullah originally wanted to briefly discuss the transfer fee.

but,

Their attention was quickly drawn to everything happening on the field—

Boom!
dong dong! !
In the Bastia's die-hard stands, the Ultras Bastia members pulled out their drums once again.

He kept pounding on it.

It attracted everyone's attention.

at this time,

The players have entered the field and are undergoing the pre-match ceremony.

It wasn't just the sound of drums from the stands, but also the various banners displayed there.

And some fans holding up banners of Gaio.

Anyone can see from the atmosphere at Bastia's home stadium how popular Gaio is here.

A joke is circulating on social media—

“If you want to make friends with a Bastia, talk to him about Gaio. Say that Gaio will become the king of football. If this Bastia happens to be a fisherman, congratulations, my friend, you will get a free sea bass.”

Sea bass is known as the "king of fish" in the Mediterranean. Its flesh is white and firm, and its taste is extremely delicious. Generally speaking, fishermen themselves are reluctant to eat it after catching it.

This is obviously a joke.

But this also proves Gaio's current status in Bastia.

quickly,

The drumbeats grew increasingly intense.

Wow!
A gasp rang out from the stands—the traditional tifo performance from the Bastia die-hards' stand was back!

A huge portrait of Gaio appeared in the stands.

Only Gaio's upper body is shown.

He raised his head slightly, closed his eyes, and opened his arms.

Between his outstretched arms were five trophies.

The first three trophies are solid, while the outlines of the last two trophies are half hollow.

There is a number, 4, and 2 inside.

Many people don't actually recognize these five trophies.

After all, Bastia never had the chance to recognize these trophies, and naturally, the fans didn't recognize them either.

But they knew what these represented.

French Ligue 2 champion, French Cup champion, French Super Cup champion, French Ligue 1 champion, UEFA Europa League champion.

Five championship trophies.

4 and 2 represent the number of matches in which the final two championship trophies were won.

There are four rounds left in the league.

If they can get past Chelsea in the Europa League, there will be a final to play. "The night breeze of Bastia gently caressed the stands."

The stars of Thessalon shine for you
Blue clothes like the sea, my heart is surging.
Number ten is the only hope.

After the tifo was unveiled to everyone, the fans sang cheering songs together.

at this time,

The commentators were somewhat moved when they saw this scene.

"Look at this, the die-hard fans at Thessaloniki Stadium have given us a stunning visual declaration!"

A huge portrait of Jan Gaio occupies the entire visual center!

He opened his arms as if embracing the entire stadium, embracing the future of Corsica!

And in his arms are five trophies that symbolize glory!
This TIFO is the most affectionate and fervent hope of Corsican fans!
It tells Jan Gaio, and every Bastia player, that we remember the glory you brought, and we look forward to conquering the unreached peak alongside you.

The broadcast cameras were also very considerate, immediately finding a close-up of Gaio.

The commentator continued, "Look at Jan Gaio! He's gazing up at this giant portrait of himself, his eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, emotion, and burning fighting spirit! He sees the fans' trust, the responsibility on his shoulders, and the five trophies waiting to be fully lit! This expectation, heavy as a thousand pounds, has ignited a flame in his eyes!"

This is the power of football!

This is the purest and most touching connection between fans and players!
At the Stadio de la Cerro de Sésari, Gaio is more than just a player; he is a symbol of Bastia's faith! The fans entrusted their hearts, their dreams, and their entire season's struggles and aspirations to this young captain through this TIFO!

At this moment, Gaio was indeed full of fighting spirit.

He resolutely walked towards the center circle.

Courtside.

Hagi Begitch and Benitez stood on opposite sides, their expressions quite different.

Haji Begić's face was filled with worry.

Benitez, on the other hand, remained calm, as if the match had nothing to do with him.

soon.

When the time comes.

drop!
With the referee's whistle, the highly anticipated second leg of the Europa League semi-final officially kicked off!
Chelsea took the lead.

After kicking off, they didn't rush into an attack. They were impressed by Gaio's counter-attacks in the first leg, and this time they wouldn't play so recklessly, wanting to proceed step by step.

Bastia's formation remained unchanged compared to the first leg.

However, Chelsea has undergone many changes.

This is also one of Benitez's traditional skills: "frequent rotation".

Oscar, who had a mediocre performance in the first round, was not selected for the starting lineup.

Mata was also taken down.

Hazard replaced him in the mid lane.

Moses started as a left winger.

Simultaneously,

Move David Luiz forward to play as a defensive midfielder, and pair Chelsea's tough guy Cahill with Ivanovic at center-back.

Instead of Cole, Bertrand was chosen for the left-back position.

Before the match, Benitez said that Cole had a minor muscle problem.

It's highly likely that he went too far in the first leg against Gaio, and with the schedule already so packed, it's understandable that he felt uncomfortable.

He wasn't even on the substitute list for this game.

The actual injury is probably not as minor as Benitez described.

Chelsea remained calm.

Bastia was in no hurry and retreated deep into defense after Chelsea kicked off.

Hagi Bejic's best goal in this match is to defend and prevent Chelsea from scoring.

Therefore,
This is why he chose to rest all the key players when PSG was chasing points in the league.

We're going all in on the Europa League!

Let our key defensive players get some rest; we'll give it our all in this game!
Bang!
Hazard dribbled left and right in the middle, creating space, and then played a through ball.

The ball was passed to Torres, who had made a forward run.

Without hesitation, Torres unleashed a powerful shot inside the penalty area!
Van Dijk had been watching Torres' position, and the moment Torres took a shot, he was already in front of Torres, blocking him with his back to the goal.

The football hit Van Dijk in the waist.

The bottom line was popped out.

"Hey! Handball! Handball!" Torres immediately gestured to Van Dijk that he had handled the ball.

The kick struck Van Dijk's waist, but landed squarely on his arm.

However, the referee shook his head and clenched his arms, indicating that Van Dijk had not handled the ball.

He pointed towards the corner flag.

Just four minutes into the game, Chelsea earned a corner kick on the right.

Shhh!
Chelsea fans were certainly not satisfied with this decision. Most of the commentators, when talking about the play, simply said that it was difficult to call a handball.

Chelsea quickly devised a corner kick strategy.

Gaio watched as the taller players waited for the ball inside the penalty area, while he stood outside, knowing that his headers wouldn't be of much help anyway.

He was waiting for his chance to retaliate.

Corner kicks are one of the easiest situations to create counter-attack opportunities.

Chelsea left two players to hold the back.

One is 22-year-old Nigerian youngster Moses, and the other is Ramirez.

The two were also keeping a close eye on Gaio.

Gaio and Moses exchanged a glance. In this match, the young player and Bertrand were mainly responsible for defending the right flank where Gaio was located.

Moses does have some talent, otherwise Chelsea wouldn't have spent €1150 million to buy him from Wigan Athletic last year.

To know,
Wigan Athletic bought him for only 300 million euros two years ago, and after two years of developing him, they made a pure profit.

His biggest advantage is speed.

Therefore,
This is why Benitez started him in this game; on the one hand, he wanted Moses' speed to help defend against Gaio.

On the other hand, we'll see if Moses can create some opportunities on the offensive end by relying on his speed.

drop!
As the referee blew his whistle, Gaio snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Lampard.

Bang!
Lampard kicked the ball towards the center, and the players from both sides crowded together.

Among the crowd, Van Dijk stood out!

He headed the ball out of the penalty area.

The moment he headed the ball, Gaio had already anticipated it and quickly moved to react.

While everyone else was still looking at where the ball was.

Gaio has already rushed towards the landing point.

The moment the ball landed, Gaio flicked it backwards, turned, and sprinted away.

With a flick and a turn, he directly dodged Hazard's charge that was trying to steal the ball from him.

Wow!

The Bastia fans at the stadium immediately erupted in excitement.

Fight back!

Bastia's counterattack!
All eyes turned to Gaio, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Gaio turned and charged forward, unleashing his full speed.

Moses and Ramirez retreated while observing Gaio's route, preparing to block him.

Ignoring them, Gaio charged at full speed towards their last line of defense.

Moses was the first to be hit.

Gai faced Moses' defense, saw an open space and dribbled forward, without any fancy dribbling, just pure speed!

(End of this chapter)