The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 340 Three years in the Premier League, five years in the Champions League!
The morning light is slightly dew.

The first ray of pale golden light quietly swept across the ridge of Corsica.

The rain gently fell upon Bastia, a city still asleep.

After a night of near-frenzied revelry, Bastia now seemed to be suffering from a collective hangover, exhibiting a sense of peace and tranquility.

On the narrow streets, traces of last night's revelry can still be seen: blue scarves are casually draped over the backs of benches, a few empty wine bottles gleam faintly in the corners, and sneakers, abandoned by someone, lie forlornly by the square fountain.

Groups of fans huddled together on street corners, wrapped in flags, fast asleep, yet with satisfied smiles still on their lips.

The Mediterranean Sea rose and fell peacefully in the distance, the sound of its waves as gentle as breathing, intertwining with the rare silence within the city.

But in the outside world.

The story of Bastia's underdog miracle spread like ripples.

Continued fermentation.

Fans have always been delighted by the miracles in the world of football.

They yearn to witness elite teams establish an enduring dynasty, reveling in the strength and glory that comes with years of success; they also long to see grassroots teams continue their comeback stories, cheering for the dreams of those from small towns and alleys.

The most captivating aspect of football lies in the fact that it simultaneously carries two completely different narratives.

And Bastia's story is the perfect script for the latter—

It makes everyone believe that miracles can always happen on the football field.

Meanwhile, team managers across Europe, witnessing this miracle, began to consider the core players of Bastia.

For elite teams, such miracles are the time to inject fresh blood into their squads.

undoubtedly,

Gaio's name shines brightest in Bastia; this 18-year-old captain led the team to make history.

However, many second-tier team managers also know that a talent of Gaio's caliber is beyond their reach.

So let's look at other people's experiences.

For example, players like Kanté, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Van Dijk, and Mané.

A final match.

This has kept many team scouts, managers, and directors busy.

Bastia, naturally, also received many related inquiries.

Chatham is extremely busy now.

He has always been in charge of all aspects of the team's affairs, but that was when the team was still small and he could manage it. He also believed that his energy was limitless and that he could handle it.

But now, he finally realizes that human energy is finite.

They had to temporarily find assistant coach Dominic to help him with some miscellaneous tasks. At the same time, they also had to decide with Hagi Begic this summer transfer window which players could be sold and which could not.

And what should the team do next season, since they're about to start playing in the Champions League?

to be frank,
Chatham never imagined that one day Bastia would be able to play in the Champions League.

But he also knew.

The team has no chance of winning in the Champions League, even with Gaio.

The team is currently heavily in debt and urgently needs to raise funds. Let alone continue to bring in new players to compete in the Champions League, they can't even maintain their current squad.

Who can replace De Bruyne?

And they can't keep De Bruyne; his performance this season justifies his price tag of at least 30 million euros.

Even if they win the Europa League, the prize money they receive will only be a little over six million euros.

They are even worse than Chelsea and Fenerbahce, who were eliminated by them.

Because they also received Champions League prize money.

Six million euros is certainly very important for Bastia, but to think that this amount of bonus can improve the team's roster is nothing short of wishful thinking.

This amount of money isn't even enough to pay off their loans.

A single, accidental championship won't bring about a qualitative change for a team. To become a powerhouse, what's needed is continuous investment, a constant stream of talented players, and generations of players fighting for the team.

Bastia is lucky; the last time they had a genius like Papi was the same.

They became runners-up in the UEFA Cup.

This time, they have a genius like Gaio, who is younger and has achieved even greater things.

They became Europa League champions!!
Three-time champions!
This was something no one in Bastia had ever imagined.

Even when very busy.

Chatham bought almost every sports newspaper he could find, eagerly watching how the media would report on the miracle they had created.

This feeling is so good.

Chatham became somewhat smug, especially after seeing those boastful words.

Near noon.

Just before lunchtime, Chatham, who had been watching the news all morning, looked up with satisfaction.

Looking at the sunlight outside the window, I feel that life is so wonderful.

That's when.

Chatham's phone rang. He didn't want to answer it because he had been getting so many calls lately, and they were all asking how much so-and-so was selling.
Is this guy shopping at the supermarket?!
It's not just the top teams that are making contact; mid-to-lower-tier teams from the four major leagues are also getting in touch.

This is an attempt to completely devour Bastia.

Bastia won't be playing next season.

but,

When Chatham saw that the phone number was saved as Yang's, he answered it immediately.

At this time, Gaio was still in the Netherlands. They would not return to Bastia until the afternoon, after celebrating for so long last night, they needed to get some rest.

The last two games of the season are not important, so let's just take a break.

As soon as Gaio connected, he gave Chatham some shocking news.

"Huh?! Liverpool?!?!"

Chatham on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned when he heard the news.

Gaio understood Chatham's feelings and continued, "Pierre will contact you later. The acquisition with Liverpool is not yet finalized, but it is expected to be completed after the season ends. There will be a full summer transfer window. Just don't reveal any specifics for now. You can reveal it in an uncertain tone."

"no problem!"

Chatham readily agreed, and now he needs to process the news.

But Gaio's next words sent chills down his spine.

"Regarding the transfer fee, Saudi Arabia is very sincere and it will be around the amount of the release clause."

"Good good!"

Chatham was at a loss for words. He couldn't even immediately recall how much Gaio's release clause was—8000 million? 9000 million euros?

Gaio said a few more words and hung up the phone; he had other things to do.

Hearing Chatham's words of shock.

In fact, Gaio was also shocked. He did not expect that after seeing him lead the team to win the Europa League title, the Saudi side decided not to get involved with Fenway Sports Group and fully met their demand of £7 million.

For them, this amount of money is probably something that will just sprout from the ground if they wait a little while.

Therefore, I want things to settle down as soon as possible.

When he received Abdullah's call, he had no idea that Saudi Arabia would act so quickly.

Furthermore, Abdullah said, "We are not buying Liverpool as a hobby; what we want to do is build a brand new, dominant dynasty."

And you are the cornerstone of this dynasty.

On the competitive front, our plan is simple and clear: win the Premier League within three years and conquer the Champions League within five years.

This is not just a slogan, but a commitment with concrete steps.

This summer, we will offer you a contract that will make you the highest-paid player in the league, as well as a transfer budget that will shock all of Europe, all of which will be used to build a team around you.

We know that top players need top-notch environments, so we will be completely renovating the Melwood training facility.

We will invest over £3000 million to build a brand new rehabilitation center, introducing state-of-the-art sports science equipment, including the latest underwater treadmills and cryopreservation chambers from Germany.

We will provide players with every conceivable tool to prevent injuries and facilitate rapid recovery.

Similarly, you come from Clairefontaine, so you understand the value of youth training.

We will be fully upgrading the Kirkby Youth Academy, and we hope that in the future, more young people like you will go on to conquer the world from here.

Finally, about your legend.

In Liverpool, you can not only win trophies, but also define an era.

Gerrard is getting old, and Anfield has been waiting for a new king, a new banner.

We can make you a hero of this city, your name will be listed alongside Dalglish and Gerrard. Imagine, in the world's most passionate Anfield stadium, to the strains of "You'll Never Walk Alone," you as the absolute core, achieving all of this.

This isn't a dream; it's a blueprint we can achieve together.

Ok.

Saudi Arabia gave Gaio a "5-3 plan": five years in the Champions League and three years in the Premier League.

But for Gaio, this plan was a bit too conservative.

However, he naturally wouldn't say it at this time.

After informing Chatham to prepare, Gaio turned on his computer and accessed the user backend of First-Person Perspective.

He's going to publish his first article as a certified player.

The first-person perspective is already ready.

René has also spent a lot on advertising; as soon as Gaio publishes an article, various promotional campaigns will begin.

Now is the best time.

It is expected that the news of Liverpool's potential acquisition will be leaked by Saudi Arabia by tonight at the latest, and that their primary target will be Gaio.

This will generate a huge amount of attention.

At the same time, Gaio's first-person perspective is back online, and together with the article he wrote last night, it will basically allow the first-person perspective to be fully presented to the fans.

then,

The website will also release all the handwritten letters from other players that were prepared during this period.

At this point, the website is basically up and running; all that's needed is continued operation.

There's absolutely no need to worry about sponsors.

Abdullah has already secured a five-year sponsorship deal for the website.

Gaio uploaded the document.

Then the website backend automatically formatted the article, Gaio previewed it and found no problems, so he published it directly.

The first article from a first-person perspective.

Officially born.

To Antoine —

As I write this first word, it is 2 a.m. in Amsterdam. The night sky outside the hotel window is as still as ink, utterly silent.

But the thunderous cheers that erupted when the final whistle blew still echoed in my ears.

Just now, my teammates and I had a near-crazy celebration, but when I returned to my room alone and opened the Bastia fan forum, I saw this post titled "If we must part, let it end happily."

I fell silent.

Antoine, I have never seen you.

But tonight, I seem to see through your father's words a boy my age, a soul who once cheered for me.

Two years ago, a child praised me, saying that my stamina was as unpredictable as the sea breeze.

It turns out that we were on the same court two years ago.

Fate so cruelly took you away, yet so miraculously brought my life into intersection with your father's.

After reading that article, I sat in front of the computer for a long time, unable to calm down.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, but I didn't know how to express the turmoil in my heart.

Finally, I deleted all the pale words and decided to write this letter to you, to your father, and to all those who made Bastia a beacon in my life.

When I look back, the clamor of winning the championship seems very distant, as distant as the dust raised on the gravel field in Niaoquan Town, rushing towards me across fourteen years.

I come from Nyqués, a town on the outskirts of Paris, the land that shaped my initial football dreams.

When I was four years old, the irregular black and white ball I kicked at the city wall field was actually picked up from a garbage dump by my brother.

Its seams had cracked, revealing some blackened cotton fibers, but when I kicked it, I still felt the whole world vibrating beneath my feet.

Back then, I didn't know what talent was. I only knew that when the ball rolled along the gravel into the goal made of broken barrels, a few old men standing on the sidelines would throw down their bottles and applaud.

When I kicked that irregular black and white ball, I never imagined that one day I would stand at the top of Europe.

Football was once my only way to escape reality, but it also made me lose myself in the pursuit of fame and fortune.

On June 7, 2011, which should have been a Tuesday afternoon, I was in very poor condition that year. My adductor muscle injury made it feel like a knife was cutting me every time I exerted force. The me you see is not actually the best version of myself.

Your father probably didn't know these details, just as I didn't. You left five months later.

The world has lost someone who loved football.

It was during that time that I made a mistake on my 17th birthday that landed me in jail. I never imagined that fate would give me a second chance.

But Bastia gave me this opportunity.

It was Mr. Chatham who firmly told me, "Yang, this is not the end, but where you start anew."

It was Coach Hagi Begic's trust in me that led him to say, "Yang, for the championship."

My teammates trusted me enough to pass the ball to my feet, allowing me to complete the final attack and finish the job.

And your father, Antoine, sitting in the second row of the South Stand, became the warmest sight for me during every home game.

I didn't know there was such a story behind it, and I didn't know that every goal I scored carried the weight of two lives.

Antoine, your father said this trophy is my farewell gift to Bastia.

He was half right.

More accurately, this trophy is a promise we made together—you, your father, Mr. Chatham, Coach Haji, everyone in the stands who cheered for me, and that four-year-old who kicked the ball to pieces on the gravel field in Birdspring—we all won this game together.

It is my way of repaying Bastia, my gratitude to all those who believed in me, and my tribute to Antoine—the boy who once cheered for me.

Yes, the invitations from wealthy families have indeed arrived.

I can't lie to you, this will be my last season wearing the blue jersey.

But please believe me, this decision was never made lightly.

As I raised the trophy under the Amsterdam night sky, I wished time could stand still for that moment.

However, that's how the world of football is: the most beautiful encounters often foreshadow partings.

But parting is not for forgetting, but for a better reunion.

Therefore,
Through this letter, I want to promise you and all Bastia fans: no matter where I am in the future, Bastia will always be my second home. The blue of Bastia has been ingrained in my blood and has become an inseparable part of my life.

One day, after I've played in all the major European leagues, when I feel my professional career is coming to an end, I will definitely come back here.

It's not a sentimental story of leaves falling back to their roots; it's about going home.

Back at the Cesarian stadium, I took one last shot, made one last run, and listened to the sea breeze and cheers of Bastia one last time.

At that time, I hoped to retire here as a Bastia player.

I hope that by then, I can use everything I've learned in top-level competitions over the years to help Bastia cultivate the next "Gaio"—perhaps a kid from Bird Spring Town, or perhaps a teenager who loves football just like you.

This is not just a promise, but also my deepest affection for this land.

It begins in Bastia and ends in Bastia.

Thank you, Antoine, for making me realize that football is not just about winning or losing, but also about life and legacy.

Thank you, Father. He taught me that every goal carries the dreams and expectations of countless people.

Thank you to every staff member, coach, and teammate; it is you who have placed your trust in me.

Thank you to every Bastia fan; it is your cheers that have pushed me to break through my limits time and time again.

tonight,

This trophy belongs to Bastia, to Corsica, and to Antoine.

If we must say goodbye, let's say goodbye in the most perfect way.

But please remember, this is not goodbye.

It's for a better reunion in the future.

When the sea breeze sweeps across the Corsican mountains once more, and when the cheers of the Sessari stadium resound once more, you will know that the boy who came from the town of Bird Spring will forever be proud to wear the Bastia jersey.

Gaio checked the user page again and found no problems.

He called René and said, "Check out Sky Sports England. Once they officially announce the takeover of Liverpool, you can start advertising."

"it is good!"

René was also very interested; this was a project he wanted to be involved in!
in the afternoon.

A chartered plane from Bastia flew over Europe.

Gaio leaned against the window, watching everything rushing past outside, and a surge of pride welled up within him—the story of Bastia had come to an end.

A new chapter is about to begin.

(End of this chapter)