When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 7 makes its debut! (Please read on!)

"Frank Ribery?"

The name flashed through Roy's mind, but now was not the time to think about it.

Because Juli came over and sat next to him, patting him on the back: "Nervous? The boss might send you out today."

“I was about your age when I first made my Ligue 1 debut, at Lyon, where we beat Cannes 3-1, so I got the chance to play.”

The locker room was a mess, with the players busy tidying up their shoes and shin guards.

"It's alright. I heard that Sedan has had a bad season. You should be able to win easily."

"If you can win the game, I will have a chance to play."

Roy smiled.

"Alright, then we'll try our best to beat Sedan so you can get playing time."

Juli grinned mischievously; he was the kind of person who always wanted to say something witty to liven things up.

"But then again, what if we get blown up by Sedan?"

“Then I should definitely go on,” Roy said.

Juli laughed heartily.

"Gentlemen, the fans are already calling your names. Now it's time to repay them with your performance."

Deschamps walked into the locker room and clapped his hands.

The Monaco players, dressed in red and white jerseys, roared out of the locker room one after another.

"Giuly! He gets the ball on the right wing, a series of feints and changes of direction. Oh my god, what exquisite technique! He's beaten one, two defenders! The ball is like it's been magnetically drawn to his feet!"

Canal+'s star commentator Thierry Rolland provides passionate commentary.

With his nimble footwork and superb dribbling skills, Giuly later earned the nickname "Electric Mouse" at Barcelona, ​​not in a derogatory sense, but to describe his agile movements on the right wing.

"Now he sends the ball through the crowd... Pulso makes a run!!!"

The ball was passed to the sprinting Pulso, whose tall Croatian center forward deftly flicked it with his left foot, sending it over Sedan's defense!

"Roten!!!"

Rothen receives the ball at the far end of the penalty area, adjusts, and unleashes a powerful shot!
"Goal!!! It's an own goal!"

The ball deflected off the leg of the center-back John Charpennett and into the net. John tried his best to block, but his hasty movement caused him to lose his balance, which resulted in the ball going into the net from a tricky angle.

The camera cuts to the substitutes' bench, where Deschamps clenchs his fist and roars.

"In the 34th minute, Monaco took a 1-0 lead! What a brilliant goal! Giuly, the magician, and Pulso, the bomber from Zagreb, made Sedan's defense look like it was in a mess!"

"Rothen's positioning was also very clever, successfully penetrating the blind spots of several defenders."

The die-hard fans in the North Stand sang the Monaco dialect anthem "Daghe Munegu," and the sound waves crashed against the arched roof, creating an echo storm similar to muffled thunder through a special design.

"In the 38th minute, Pulisso unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, giving Monaco another corner kick! Rothen takes the corner, and both teams scramble for the ball... Squillaci! Goal again!"

Squillaci's towering figure leaped up, like a massive battering ram smashing the ball into the net.

"Deschamps is bursting with passion! His Monaco is charging into the Ligue 1 title race with this daring style of play! Can you imagine, this team has hardly changed any personnel, but last season they were still fighting to avoid relegation!"

Roy sat on the bench, quietly waiting for a possible opportunity to play.

He had absolutely no idea about the Sedan club, which made him feel no excitement.

I do have some recollection of this place name: the Prussian army captured Napoleon III at Sedan, and the Battle of Sedan marked the end of the Second French Empire and the establishment of the German Empire.

The locker room erupted in cheers at halftime.

Deschamps was very satisfied with the performance of the match and praised almost all the players on the field in the locker room, especially those who were involved in the goals.

Around the sixty-minute mark of the match, it was Giuly again.

"Giuly is dribbling down the right wing! He makes a bold nutmeg over Chapene!"

"He burst into the penalty area. A low cross!!! Pulso is perfectly positioned!!! Goal again!!!"

Pulso ripped his jersey, revealing his clearly defined muscles under the spotlight.

The crowd at the Stade Louis II went wild.

Before FIFA officially listed "shirt-off celebration" as a violation that warrants a yellow card in July 2004, it was one of the most exciting ways to celebrate on the football field. After scoring a goal, the muscular players would take off their shirts to show off their muscles, which would completely ignite the fans' enthusiasm.

"It's worth mentioning that Deschamps brought in a young Chinese player from Real Madrid during the winter transfer window. I never thought I would see him on the field so soon, but we just saw him warming up on the sidelines. Now he's standing on the sidelines ready to go on. What kind of performance will he bring? Is sending him on the field a sign that Deschamps is underestimating the opponent, or does it mean that Monaco's secret weapon is ready to go?"

As Thierry Rolland rattled off a string of rap-like French words, Roy stood next to the fourth official, who was holding up a light board.

His number, 25, was printed on the green LED lights.

The red line points to Shabani-Nonda: 18.

Anger flashed in the eyes of the "Congo Black Panther," who was the team's top scorer this season.

In the timeline before Roy's time travel, he even surpassed Pauleta and Sonny Anderson to win the Ligue 1 Golden Boot this season with 26 goals.

He was not satisfied with Deschamps' decision, but could only respect the coach's decision.

Intra-team training matches are intra-team training matches, and Ligue 1 is Ligue 1. He doesn't think Roy will pose a threat to his position in the upcoming season.

Roy extended his hand, but Shabani turned his face away, lightly brushed Roy's hand with his fingertips, and turned to walk straight to the bench.

Roy showed no emotion about this.

Every player wants to get as much playing time as possible, as it relates to salary and locker room status, and there is even more competition among players in the same position.

Shabani's performance today was mediocre, and although he didn't have many clear-cut chances, he was naturally unwilling to give up.

Roy understands Roy's desire to stay on the field and continue racking up stats.

Just as he desires to compete for a place on the field, Rothen and Giuly, as tactical engines, have their positions temporarily unshakeable.

His potential competitors are mainly the team's centers, and considering that Roy himself doesn't have much of a hold-up play.

He only wants to compete for half of the starting center forward position. He is not yet a true number nine player and is lacking in some essential tactical abilities, such as the role of a target man and aerial duels.

He also cannot play the role of a "false nine" like Messi or David Silva. This requires strong static ball control and passing ability to play an organizational role, and Roy's current breakthroughs require a lot of space to play a high mobility role.

All he can do is showcase his individual explosiveness and scoring ability as much as possible.

A relatively apt example is Martins during the Inter Milan duo era; he needed to be paired with Adriano and Vieri to be effective.

Both Pulso and Shabani have the ability to act as fulcrums.

Of course, he doesn't care who the fulcrum is.

The game starts again.

Trailing by three goals, Sedan completely lost their fighting spirit at the Stade Louis II, while Monaco also knew when to stop and stopped the aggressive pressing they had in the first half of the season.

“Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé!!!”

“Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé!!!”

The die-hard fans in the North Stand waved the red and white checkered flag, and the fans under its banner were completely relaxed.

Monaco's attack also began to slow down as they conserved their energy.

Because they are about to face Lyon, a strong team in Ligue 1, in a crucial match in the title race.

But some people think differently.

Roy's two consecutive unstoppable dribbling bursts in the attacking third reignited the passion at the Stade Louis II.

In the 72nd minute of the match, the more than 18,000 fans at the Stade Louis II fell silent for a moment.

The red and white flags in the die-hard fans' stand paused briefly, then waved wildly. Sedan goalkeeper Patrick Reinho knelt on the ground, as if he couldn't believe the power of a shot from a young man who had just come of age.

In the stands stood an elderly man with white hair who insisted on wearing a 1978 jersey and always tapped the ground with his cane to keep time.

They shouted, "That's wonderful! He'll be our child!"

When Giuly cut inside and delivered a stunningly curved pass.

Roy received the ball with his back to goal at the edge of the penalty area, and Sebastian center-back Eddie Capron tried to close him down, bracing Roy's back with his arm.

But Roy didn't give him that opportunity.

He suddenly twisted to the left, then flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot in the opposite direction, sending it through Eddie Capron's legs and completely deceiving him.

He then passed the ball to the right, but Pulso, who had squeezed past the defender, had no space to shoot.

So he took the opportunity to pass the ball back.

Before the ball could even hit the ground, Roy unleashed a powerful right-footed volley that flew like a cannonball into the top right corner, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to react.

Inside the VIP box.

"Another one! A beautiful goal!"

Charlene Wittstock.

(The later Princess Charlene)'s gentle voice drifted by.

The Crown Prince of Monaco, later Albert II, stood by the window, observing the stadium with a gilded telescope in hand, while a waiter quietly served caviar snacks behind him.

Charlene is a former South African female swimmer. In 2000, she fell in love with Albert at the Monaco Swimming Championships, and they maintained a secret relationship for several years afterward.

In the shot, Giuly sprints from outside the penalty area, ruffling the hair of a handsome young man.

Suddenly, the boy raised his face and tilted his hand towards the sky.

The cheers from the stands grew even louder.

Albert II abruptly withdrew his telescope.

Is anyone even watching? I'm so worried! If you've read this far, please leave a comment.

I plan to finish writing this half-season in about twenty or forty chapters. In the original world, Monaco is only one point away from winning the Ligue 1 title this season, so the protagonist's fate is not greatly affected.

So the real story actually begins in the 03/04 season, the miraculous journey in the Champions League, and the national team's matches.

Stay tuned!
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(End of this chapter)