When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 23 is boring, I want to see rivers of blood (Please read on!)

2003 2 Month 26 Day.

Roy sat on the sofa, facing the television.

In the evening news of France 2 (France's second television channel), veteran French news anchor David Pouadas spoke in a calm but solemn tone.

Breaking news: The Iraq crisis escalates.

Title: Crise irakienne : la France dit “non” à la guerre (The Iraq Crisis: France Says “No” to War)
In the footage, President Chirac delivers a speech at the Élysée Palace, emphasizing France's position at the UN Security Council—opposing US-UK military action.

At a UN meeting, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin addressed the Security Council, with a large screen behind him displaying a map of Iraq marked with locations suspected of containing "weapons of mass destruction," though French media expressed skepticism.

On the streets of Baghdad, French journalists captured scenes of ordinary life—markets, schools, mosques—with captions emphasizing "La vie avant la guerre" (life before the war).

The scene shifts to Place de la République in Paris, where tens of thousands of people hold up signs that read "Nonà la guerre" (No War) and burn American flags.

A close-up shot shows a young woman wearing a headscarf saying to the camera, "This is not liberation, this is massacre."

In the background, the sounds of protesters' drums and slogans mingled with the whistles of police.

French media cited Al Jazeera footage showing a column of US tanks in the Kuwaiti desert, with soldiers writing "To Saddam" on artillery shells.

Fighter jets take off and land on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, with the caption "La machine de guerre américaine" (The American War Machine).

French military experts believe the US military will employ a "blitzkrieg" tactic, but may become bogged down in a protracted guerrilla war.

Roy stared at the television, remote control in his hand, water droplets from the glass bottle of chilled mineral water he had just taken from the refrigerator dripping onto the table.

"Buzz"

My phone rang. It was a text from Giuly: "Did you see the news? Playing football is much simpler than fighting a war."

Roy replied: "Pass me more penalty kicks in training tomorrow."

At the end of the news report, the anchor mentioned the friendly match between France and the Czech Republic the following day, emphasizing "Le sport doit rester un espace de paix" (Sports should be a peaceful domain).

Starting at 8:45 p.m. that evening, four Champions League matches kicked off simultaneously in various corners of Europe.

He didn't know which match to watch, so the TV screen kept switching between four Champions League games, and the sound of the remote control buttons was like a stopwatch counting down.

Newcastle 3-1 Bayer Leverkusen, fifth minute.

Alan Shearer received a pass from Gary Speed, shrugged off two defenders, and headed the ball powerfully into the net, showcasing the raw beauty of English football. The lights at St. James' Park trembled slightly from the cheers.

Leverkusen goalkeeper Butt knelt on the ground and angrily pounded the turf, splashing mud onto the grass.

The god Hilary descended to earth, performing a hat trick with his head and feet.

Valencia 0-3 Roma, 30th minute.

Totti unleashed a low, 30-meter shot that beat Canizares, scoring his second goal within 30 minutes, plunging the Mestalla Stadium into silence.

The camera cuts to Valencia coach Rafael Benítez, who is frantically crossing out his pre-planned tactical sketches in his notebook.

Roy raised an eyebrow, recalling his agent Miriam Jo's words.

Valencia are out.

Ajax 0-0 Arsenal, 35th minute.

In the rain-soaked Amsterdam Arena, Henry unleashed a powerful shot that struck the crossbar, the ball bouncing back and hitting Ajax goalkeeper Lobont in the face.

Dutch fans gasped in shock, and the camera captured a little boy wearing an orange scarf covering his eyes.

Roy jokingly remarked, "If it were Pulso, he would have definitely scored on the rebound."

But then he realized that he was being too biased, implying that the Ice Prince was inferior to Pulso.

Even Pulso himself dared not think that way.

Inter Milan 0-0 Barcelona, ​​the final whistle blows.

Kluivert's one-on-one chance in the final moments was saved by Toldo, and slow-motion replays showed that his shoelaces were loose.

Both teams' players slumped to their seats, Vieri's jersey clinging to his body, outlining the massive blue-black silhouette of the Italian tank.

After the Champions League match ended, the sports channel switched to the next program, which happened to be a Canal+ Ligue 1 promotional video, featuring Monaco – a highlight reel of Roy's goals with captions:
"Un autre genre de combat" (Another kind of combat).

On February 27, Monaco's team bus headed north for their away game against Lille two days later.

On the team bus to Lille, Roy was taking a nap in his seat, resting with his eyes closed.

On the TV in front of the bus, Canal+ was broadcasting an interview with Lille coach Pierre on their pre-match focus program. "Haha, Roy, the Lille coach is talking about you."

A chorus of cheers erupted on the bus.

"Lille must be regretting it terribly."

Roy looked at the television screen, where Pierre was talking about Roy, with the headline "The Diamonds Lille Missed" flashing below.

"Roy's breakout is no accident. His running routes and first touch are all based on Lille's youth training. From the age of 8 to 14, he learned how to play with his brain here."

Pierre frowned, his face contorted with regret.

He said with regret, "Initially, the youth academy director thought he was 'too thin,' but later he showed good speed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been noticed by La Fabrica. It's not our fault. Real Madrid's appeal to young players is incomparable to Lille's. He made his own choice, and we understood and respected it. Otherwise, he should be destroying the opponent now while wearing a Lille jersey."

But Pierre couldn't just praise Roy; he then launched a psychological attack:
"But the day after tomorrow, we will remind him of the tough defense from the north. Lille's boy will eventually have to go home and face the test."

The camera cuts to a file photo of Roy when he left Lille at the age of 14, showing his small, thin figure carrying a bag as he walks out of the training base.

(The two years spent training at Clairefontaine were still part of Lille's youth academy)
The program triggered a series of chain reactions inside the bus.

Deschamps' lips twitched slightly, and his eyes swept over Roy, as if to say, "Calm down, don't fall for it," but he was immediately relieved after seeing Roy's calm smile.

The veteran assistant coach, Petit, took the remote control from the shelf next to him, turned off the TV, stood up, and said, "Pierre wants to play mind games? Then answer him with a goal."

He then turned to look at Roy, before turning back to Deschamps across the table and sneering, "Does he think this is a family drama? Football is all about winning and losing."

“Oh, ‘Son of Lille’? Then you’ll have to prove yourself a ‘father-killing hero’ the day after tomorrow.”

Giuly, sitting in the front row, stood up, leaned back in his seat, looked at Roy, and said:

"Once you get on the pitch, they won't care if you're Lille's son. Their Romanian defender, Marius Bacchu, plays dirty, he's all about ankle tackles, you know. It won't matter if you're the son of the Lille president."

Just as Roy was about to nod, Pulso, sitting next to him, gave him a rough, Croatian-style encouragement: "Kid, if you soften your heart the day after tomorrow, I'll teach you a lesson with Croatian swear words when we get back to the locker room."

Then he handed Roy a can of energy drink, which Roy refused, but Pulso said, “Drink it, then go crush them.”

Rothen popped his blond head out from behind a seat and grinned maliciously, "I bet 500 euros that Lille fans will boo you like crazy. Dare to give them a 'shut up' gesture after you score a goal?"

He seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold.

Before Roy could answer, Deschamps shot him a glare, and Rothen immediately changed his tune: "Uh, never mind."

The bus drove into the outskirts of Lille.

Staring out the window at the streets of Lille, Roy's fingers unconsciously traced the texture of the leather on the armrest of the seat.

I pulled an old photo out of my bag; it was a picture of me with my former teammates before I left Lille's youth academy at the age of 14.

Lille was actually quite nice to "him".

Although this won't affect anything.

At the pre-match press conference.

A reporter asked, "Pierre called Roy 'the son of Lille,' do you think this will affect his performance?"

Deschamps remained expressionless.

"Roy is now Monaco's sharpest weapon. As for 'sons' and such, (pause) on the football field, the story of patricide is more interesting."

Deschamps' eyes widened after he finished speaking.

He had just momentarily lost focus and let something slip.

I can't believe I could utter such shocking words.

Then he remembered that these words were spoken by Giuly, and Deschamps really wanted to go back and beat him to death.

Reporters at the scene were in an uproar, and clickbait headlines immediately appeared: "Deschamps: Roy will 'kill' Lille!"

The team's French league headline that evening was: "The Battle of Return: From Outcast to Hunter."

The two accompanying images below are: a comparison of old photos from Lille's youth training program and a candid shot inside the Monaco team bus.

In the scene, Roy stares out the window, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

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Let's showcase the charm of journalism on the public screen.

(End of this chapter)