When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 13 Peter Cech
February 6, 2003, Catalonia.

Inside the hotel, a middle-aged man and his assistant were tidying up the messy room, but the videotapes, files, and other items on the table were neatly arranged. He then methodically packed them into a cardboard box, instructing them:

"This is the last batch of reports on Sysik. He is a genius that we absolutely cannot miss."

"I have nothing to say to Mr. Wenger except 'sign him'."

"He can guarantee that Arsenal's midfield will have a world-class playmaker for the next decade or so."

Arsenal’s chief scout, Francis Caggigao, was born in London, but his father is Spanish.

His playing career was not very successful.

After spending four years in Arsenal's youth academy, he moved to the lower leagues of Spain and retired hastily at the age of 27.

But after returning to England in 1997 to join Arsenal as a scout, he demonstrated a keen eye for talent and eventually became the chief scout.

His career achievements include, but are not limited to:
From "stealing" Fabregas from La Masia, persuading Wenger to abandon Kezman and sign Van Persie instead, insisting on signing Nasri who is only 165cm tall despite scouting reports suggesting he has physical defects, discovering Bellerin from Barcelona youth team match videos, and spotting Martinelli from the fourth division of Brazil.
"Leo, who is in the same group, is also an unparalleled genius, although he is a bit short. His work permit is indeed a problem."

"That center-back named Gerrard is also worth pursuing with all our might."

"I heard that Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese star has gone to the Colney training center for a second trial. Another Ronaldo."

"Although I don't know how many we will eventually sign, I hope it will be all of them. I believe that in a few years they will grow into an invincible young team."

Francis Caglio packed his travel essentials, and his assistant asked, puzzled:

"And what about you? Aren't you coming back to London with me?"

“I’m going to France. There’s a player to watch at the club where Mr. Wenger used to play.”

Kaguia was an extreme detail-oriented person. When he was scouting Saliba, he watched 27 Saint-Étienne matches in a row and even required the scouting report to include the player's parents' professions and his childhood trauma history.

However, this same person was laid off by Arsenal in August 2020 because Tajkovic wanted to reform the scouting system.

He remains an old-school scout who works with his eyes, notebook, and worn-out passport.

The legacy he left behind: Nine players in Arsenal's current squad were discovered or indirectly by him.

Kagigao's farewell speech before leaving the company said: "Modern football is killing 'intuitive scouts'. They would rather spend 100 million euros to buy data than pay for our airfare to see us play live."

"I only believe what I see, and I won't make any comments until I see him play in person."

Kajigao checked his plane ticket.

The next day.

The plane landed at Rennes-Brittany Airport.

As soon as the hatch opened, the wind from the North Atlantic rushed in, and Deschamps, who was walking at the front, instinctively shrank his neck.

Gallardo: "It's colder here than in Kyiv."

Rothen: "Shut up, you've never even been to Kyiv!"

Gallardo: "Can't I just read it in a book?"

Roy, sitting in the front row, took his suitcase from the overhead rack and quipped, "What book has a title page that says Kyiv is cold?"

"A photo book of Ukrainian models, only covered in fur, with snow so deep it reached above their calves."

What Kiev Cold?

"Really? I want to see."

Rothen said that Roy also wanted to see.

But Deschamps shut up after turning to look at Rothen.

In this round of Ligue 1, Monaco will play away at Rennes' Roazón Park.

Roy squinted at the gray sky. The Brittany sea breeze felt like a pre-match ice pack for everyone. A phrase began to linger in his mind: temperate maritime climate, with warm, humid westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean prevailing year-round, and relatively mild winters.
Juli kicked the sloping ground: "Even the floorboards in this godforsaken place are crooked!"

Through a narrow, 12-degree sloping passageway leading from the away team's locker room to the stadium, the deafening cheers of Roazón Park drifted on the sea breeze as fans sang their battle anthem "Bro Gozh ma Zadoù" (Our Ancestral Land) in Celtic.

Rennes midfielder Cyril Gershon pointed at Giuly and shouted to the left-back: "Mark that curly-haired short guy closely."

Giuly heard this but wasn't angry. He turned to Roy and Pulso nearby and said with a grin:

“Shorty can kill them.” He was very linguistically gifted and suddenly shouted in the Ryan dialect, “Yec'hed mat! (Good health!)”

I specifically learned this last night so I could taunt people on the field.

Roy had never heard of most of Rennes' players, so he could only turn his attention to Rennes' goalkeeper.

He has a typical Slavic square jaw, high cheekbones, and a rugged, Eastern European look.

Eyes as sharp as a falcon's.

This face is an epic about goalkeepers, and the cover says: Petr Cech.

Before the game starts.

Cech tapped each of the left and right goalposts three times with his right index finger.

This originates from a Czech folk tradition of exorcising evil spirits.

Game start.

The Canal+ channel commentators were incredibly passionate:
"Monaco's young talent Roy's performance as a substitute in the first two games was unparalleled. He scored two goals, provided one assist, and won a penalty in two games. Few eighteen-year-old players can deliver such amazing statistics so soon after joining the team. In this game, Deschamps put him in the starting lineup, replacing the team's previous center forward, Shabani Nonda."

“Nonda transferred from Rennes to Monaco two years ago, but when he returned to the Roazón Stadium, he could only sit on the bench. It was not a glorious ‘homecoming’.”

The match between the two teams on the field was in full swing.

Whether he can return to the starting lineup will likely depend on the performance of the new young signings.

"Roy's performance in this match continued his hot streak from the first two rounds. So far, he has attempted to break through three times, succeeding twice, and both shots were on target. However, the goalkeeper he faced today was probably even more terrifying than Lyon's Coupet; Petr Cech is in amazing form."

Twenty-ninth minute of the match.

"Monaco center-back Squillaci intercepted Rennes striker Tofelou's breakthrough just outside the penalty area. Monaco immediately launched a counter-attack, possession shifted to midfield, and Max adjusted before sending a long pass to the left wing! Rothen!"

"Rothen passed the ball to Roy, who then ran forward, resulting in a beautiful one-two pass! Their quick passing and movement forcefully tore apart Rennes' right flank defense. I don't know how to describe the feeling; it was like a hot knife cutting through butter!"

On the field, Roy sprinted like the wind, forcefully overtaking the Rennes defender and receiving a diagonal pass from Rothen. However, Rennes defender Lamin grabbed his jersey. Roy suddenly pushed off the ground and swung his arm. Lamin's pulling action was rather subtle. After letting go, Roy was pulled and stumbled.

Roy faced Arno Leland, the center-back who was running down the right side to block his shooting angle, and forcefully dribbled the ball to the left to create an angle before unleashing a low, powerful shot.

Cech watched his movements intently, licking his lips before exploding.

This may have been the most feared foul by Premier League penalty takers later on.

Those eyes, which appeared somewhat melancholy when still, suddenly contracted their pupils in the instant of the rescue, like a raptor aiming at its prey.

Cech's right leg sprang out like a spring knife, deflecting the ball with his shin, and the ball bounced off.

Thirty-four minutes.

Evra made a run down the wing, received a pass from Rothen, and cut the ball back from the byline. Roy couldn't turn in time in the penalty area, cleverly let it pass, and Pulso rushed in to shoot.

Cech got down again.

With legs together in a V-shape, the ball hits the knee and bounces out.

"Rennes tried to engage in an attacking battle with Monaco in the first half, but it seems that Roy's addition made Monaco's overall formation more aggressive. Their ability to launch quick counter-attacks has improved by more than one level. In just 35 minutes, Monaco had five shots on goal inside the penalty area."

"If it weren't for Cech's outstanding performance, Roazón Stadium would probably have turned into a massacre today."

Rennes head coach Vaheed Halilhodkin appears to be aware of this issue as well.

During a dead ball situation: the time when the game is paused due to a foul, out of bounds, a goal, a substitution, etc.

Rennes made a tactical adjustment, bringing on another defender, Andres Flöhrkin.

The team's overall formation was low, with a tight defensive setup, and even the forwards were playing the role of sweepers, indicating that they only wanted to secure a point even at home.

If Deschamps manages to steal a goal on a counter-attack, he'll be so angry he won't be able to sleep tonight.

Roy took a deep breath.

The ironclad formation, with Cech positioned behind it, is suffocating to look at.

The restricted area was more crowded than the Tokyo subway!
Sorry! Today's update time is delayed. To fix the update schedule, I will be updating four chapters consecutively over two days starting at 11:58 PM, and then thereafter, I will update two chapters consecutively in the early morning. This will make it easier for readers who are following the story to enjoy reading all at once.



(End of this chapter)