The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 129: Rainy Night, Shevchenko and Bastia
Thunder and drums exploded.

The rainstorm tore through the curtain.

Revelry.

This is the moment for the French team, and this is also the moment for Gaio!
International competitions like the European Cup attract a lot of attention.

At this moment, Gaio is the anchor that attracts everyone's attention. Some people are amazed, some admire, some envy, and some are excited.

But everyone knows.

A thunderstorm marked the beginning of Gaio's career in the national team.

A seventeen-year-old boy.

He used his talent so unreasonably to squeeze into the fans' field of vision and take root there.

No one knows whether it is due to acclimatization or whether it has grown into a towering tree.

But at the moment.

In the rainstorm, the name that shines the brightest is called——

"Geo!"

The teammates rushed over, braving the heavy rain, and hugged Gaio tightly.

Giroud was the first to pick up Gaio and yelled, "Gaio, you did it!"

Giroud lifted Gaio high into the air.

Gaio raised his right arm and shouted, "La France!!"

The French fans in the stands waved their French flags and shouted, "La France!"

Of course, there was also cheering for Gaio's name.

On the sidelines, Blanco finally let go of his worries and even smiled excitedly.

Become!

Gaio proved himself.

He celebrated wildly by pumping his fists and hugged his assistant coaches in the rain.

The Ukrainian players watched the French players celebrate, wiped the endless rain from their faces, and had no choice but to return to the center circle.

Even in this kind of heavy rain, Gaio was still able to control the ball so skillfully. If it were normal weather, they couldn't even imagine how strong Gaio was.

Tymoshchuk felt a little guilty.

In his opinion, this ball was entirely his fault. If he had followed up decisively, Gaio would not have had such an opportunity.

"still have a chance!"

Shevchenko also wiped away the rain and raised his arms towards his teammates, trying to cheer them up.

Shevchenko is a flag-type player in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian players also don't want Shevchenko's career to end with this game.

They have to get at least one point to have any hope of advancing!

In the stands.

Mbappé held his head and said exaggeratedly to Giles and others, "Hey, did you see that?! Oh my God! Gaio is so handsome!"

Gilles applauded Gaio's goal, but he didn't know whether Mbappe was talking about Gaio's handsome dribbling, handsome goal, or handsome lightning-fast celebration.

Little Etang Mbappé, standing on a chair with the hood of his raincoat on his head, asked Mbappé expectantly, "Kylian, will you play with Gaio one day?"

When Mbappé heard this, his eyes showed desire, "Of course, I will!"

Who wouldn't want to be teammates with Gaio?

At least he wanted to.

Mbappe feels that he has football talent. Although he is not as good as Gaio, he is confident that he can beat others!

In his eyes, Gaio will definitely play for a top club one day. If he cannot join Gaio's team, then he will have to work hard to join the national team.

Become Gaio's national team teammate!

Mbappé looked at Gaio, who was being adorned with stars, and muttered to himself, "We are four years apart in age. Wait for me for four years, and I will definitely not be too far behind you now."

Chatham was in the same stand with his family. When Gaio scored, he exclaimed, "See it, see it! This is Gaio! The player I signed! He's from Bird Springs, too! This is our pride!"

Chatham's wife and daughter looked at the radiant Gaio and couldn't help but feel happy for him.

Chatham had already told them Gaio's story.

A lost boy.

Now back on track.

When Zidane saw Gaio's performance before, he just smiled, but this time, he really laughed heartily.

If Gaio passes the ball.

In his heart, Gaio is a first-class player worth training.

If Gaio did not pass the ball, but lost possession of the ball.

In his heart, Gaio still needs some more training.

But now,
Gaio completed this selection in the way Zidane wanted to see most.

He laughed out loud.

Beside him, Veronica Zidane looked at him, a little puzzled, "So happy?"

Zidane said to Veronica, "Because I see the future of the French team."

A goal.

It moved the emotions of countless fans, not only in the stands, but also in Bastia further away.

In the pub, with roars and the sound of glass colliding, the fans composed a symphony that belonged to Bastia.

"Geo!!"

The fans in the stands shouted loudly.

Until the players finished celebrating and walked towards the center circle.

Andresen, the reporter in the corner flag area, was so excited that his hands were shaking. He carefully covered the camera with his raincoat, although he had already taken rain protection measures.

But he was extremely careful.

It contains the best pictures of the stadium in his mind.

none of them!

Anderson felt that he might become famous because of a photo.

He carefully clicked through the countless photos he had just taken, scrolling through them one by one until he saw the scene where Gaio seemed to be summoning thunder.

Trembling with excitement.

drop! !

Kuipers quickly blew the whistle to continue the game.

Blokhin on the sidelines was directing the players on how to pass the ball. He was not afraid of falling behind, he was only afraid that the players would give up.

Blokhin is the representative of Eastern European football in the last era.

He led Dynamo Kyiv to seven Soviet top-flight titles and two European Cup Winners' Cups.

In 1975, he beat Beckenbauer and Cruyff to be elected European Footballer of the Year, also known as the Ballon d'Or, which pushed him to the altar.

He represented the Soviet Union in the Olympics and the World Cup and performed well.

He has won all the personal honors in his career.

Retired in 1990.

After becoming the head coach of the Ukrainian national team in 2003, he not only led the Ukrainian team out of the "group of death" and entered the German World Cup finals for the first time, but also successfully reached the quarterfinals.

However, after failing to lead Ukraine to the 2008 European Cup, Blokhin resigned.

Last year, he returned to take charge of Ukraine, aiming to take the country to the knockout stage.

Just as the situation on the field develops.

His heart grew increasingly depressed.

He sees no chance of Ukraine advancing.

Boom!

There was another thunder.

Wow!

At this moment, the fans screamed in surprise. The big screen at the scene was struck by lightning and the entire screen was blurred.

drop! !

When the referee Kuppers blew the whistle, he made a quick decision to end the game.

After he blew the whistle, he signaled to the players to run out and take shelter from the rain.

In this kind of thunderstorm, he had to interrupt the game! Suddenly, players from both the Ukrainian and French teams ran towards the tunnel to take shelter. After seeing the players evacuate, referee Kuiper also retreated into the tunnel.

Commentators around the world received this news at this time.

After announcing the match's termination, the TF1 commentator solemnly explained to the fans, "Playing football in a thunderstorm not only affects performance due to the heavy rain, but more importantly, thunderstorms can be life-threatening."

The commentary then gave some information about the tragedy that occurred at the Italian club Lecce in 2007.

Giorgi, a 42-year-old member of the coaching staff of the then-Serie B "Little Pepper" Lecce, was killed by lightning during training.

During the training of the Lecce team, heavy rain suddenly fell with lightning and thunder.

Training was interrupted and the players began to take shelter from the rain.

Giorgi wanted to pack up his training equipment and hide from the rain, but an unfortunate scene happened just a few minutes after he packed up his equipment. A bolt of lightning struck him and he fell to the ground immediately. The nurses rushed up to give him emergency treatment, but he eventually died.

After this incident, the Italian Football Association decided that all matches in the Italian leagues at all levels that weekend would be held with a moment of silence for him before the start of the game.

With such examples in mind, the referee must be cautious during thunderstorms.

As the players came out.

The fans in the stands also began to leave the stands to avoid the rain, as some stands had no roof to shelter them.

Enter into the passage.

Giroud and Gaio were talking and laughing. "You scored again. To be honest, I even want to transfer to Bastia and play with you. Your breakthrough ability can create a lot of opportunities for me."

Gaio smiled and said, "You'll create a lot of space for me, but you should just stay in Arsenal. That's the big stage. Bastia is too small."

Giroud asked in return, "What about you, why are you willing to stay in Bastia?"

Gaio looked at the heavy rain outside the passage.

Through the pouring rain, I seemed to see everything about Bastia—the cheers of Ultras Bastia, the TIFOs; the giant images on the Terra-Vecchia Center building; the fan letters addressed to Gaio himself sent to the club.
Scenes flashed by like slides.

Gaio replied, "Because I feel I cannot leave. I want to bring more to Bastia."

Giroud was stunned.

Already a double champion, want more?

Gaio's answer made him feel that Gaio didn't look like a seventeen-year-old boy at all.

Is it true, as the outside media say, that Gaio's experience in prison completely changed his character?

he does not know.

Inside the passage, everyone was looking at the heavy rain outside, wondering how long it would take to end.

Kuipers and coaches from both teams explained the rationale for his decision.

He then gave a verbal explanation to the UEFA official in charge of the match, and a written report would need to be submitted after the game.

Boom.

There was another burst of thunder at the scene.

Lightning once again appeared in the sky over the Donbass Arena.

↓

The match between France and Ukraine was suspended.

So the fans turned their attention to another game - the match between England and Sweden.

The competition between the two sides was very fierce.

The four teams have three points each, so they must not lose if they want to advance!

England took the lead in the 23rd minute. Gerrard made a diagonal pass from the right. Granqvist and Mellberg failed to close on him, and the unguarded Carroll scored with a powerful header.

After that, Sweden had opportunities under Ibrahimovic's leadership but failed to seize them.

The two sides entered the halftime break with a score of 1-0.

this side.

The heavy rain at the Donbass Stadium still shows no signs of stopping, and UEFA is urgently studying countermeasures.

Should we wait or postpone it?
The players also returned to their respective locker rooms.

"Geo, well done."

Blanco hugged Gaio, who had changed his clothes, patted him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

Gaio smiled.

Blanco continued, "I believe what Zidane says very much. Ever since we played together, he has always been so confident about football. If he says there is a chance, there is a chance. Similarly, he said you can become the core of the team, and I believe it. Now, you have once again proved Zidane's vision."

"I think this game may not be my last game for the national team. Winning this game will help us qualify as the first in the group."

"Yeah!" Gaio nodded firmly.

However, he felt that there was no difference between qualifying as the first or second in the group.

First in the group, they will play against the eventual runner-up Italy.

Second in the group, they played against the eventual champions Spain.

There is not much difference.

Blanco started again and gave some instructions on the tactical arrangements based on the game situation over the past ten minutes.

Time passes while waiting.

Players from both sides were constantly moving their bodies, worried that their condition would decline after getting cold.

The good news is that the rain is starting to stop.

They're going to continue playing.

The players returned to the tunnel again, and Gaio happened to run into Shevchenko.

But the two could not communicate.

As a Ukrainian, Shevchenko has played in Serie A for a long time. In addition to his native Ukrainian, he is only proficient in Russian and Italian.

I can also speak some English.

Gaio currently only knows French, Chinese, and his poor English, which he had long forgotten during compulsory education.

Gaio nodded and smiled at Shevchenko.

Shevchenko gave a thumbs-up and said, "Bravo."

This is a common term in football circles and is widely used in Italian, Spanish and French.

It usually means great or awesome.

Gaio said lamely, "Thanks."

Then Shevchenko walked to the front of the Ukrainian team. He was the captain.

Gaio was thinking, Shevchenko wants to retire now, is there a chance to persuade him to play for a year in Bastia?
Shevchenko has been plagued by injuries since he turned 30, and his speed and explosiveness have declined significantly compared to his peak period - the AC Milan period, but his positioning awareness, shooting skills and game experience as a striker still maintain a high level.

After leaving Italy, he only played 25 times for Chelsea and scored 8 goals due to injuries and adaptation problems, and failed to establish himself as a main player.

However, after returning to Dynamo Kyiv, he made 84 appearances in three seasons and scored 36 goals. Although his efficiency is not as good as his peak period, he can still contribute stable output as the core of the team.

Now, his finishing ability, heading ability and sense of smell in the penalty area are still excellent.

I just rely a lot on the support of my teammates.

The individual breakthrough and long-distance sprint capabilities have basically declined.

There is also the issue of physical fitness, after all, he is a veteran.

However, the overall pace of Ligue 1 is slower, the intensity of confrontation is moderate, and it is more friendly to experienced veterans.

Moreover, if he really went to Bastia, he would not need any individual breakthrough ability.

You just need to make a fulcrum and an end point.

Gaio really thinks it is feasible on the competitive level.

It’s just that Shevchenko’s current salary level makes it a bit difficult for Bastia to deal with him.

His current annual salary at Dynamo Kyiv after tax is approximately 150 million to 200 million euros, which is among the top in the entire Ukrainian league.

It is not a small number for mid- and lower-level teams in Ligue 1.

And Shevchenko prefers to end his career with his home team, so even if Bastia is interested, the possibility of an actual transfer is relatively small.

"Go."

Kuipers waved the players onto the field.

Gaio collected his thoughts.

Follow your teammates onto the court.

Entering the stadium, the fans had already entered after the rain stopped, and the Donbass Stadium was once again filled to the brim.

The cheers continue!

The players roughly returned to their positions when the game was suspended. Kuipers brought the ball to the front of the last player who touched the ball and signaled to everyone.

drop! !

The whistle blows and the game continues!
(End of this chapter)