The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 200 A Dialogue Spanning 34 Years
Ray City Stadium has been transformed into what appears to be a library.

Quiet.

Silence fell.

The away team's section was the only one that was incredibly noisy.

The Bastia people excitedly expressed their emotions, jumping and dancing.

Since the away fans couldn't bring in flags, smoke, or other random things, they took off their jerseys and waved them wildly.

Even if there are only five hundred people.

They too must be passionate and live up to the blue jerseys they wear.

Let the Mediterranean waves of Bastia sweep across the European continent!
Gaio and his teammates hugged and celebrated with each other.

Everyone wore a carefree smile.

The four-goal away victory was so exhilarating that I couldn't contain my joy.

Lukaku laughed and said, "Gaio, your left foot is made of gold. You managed to score that goal. I really admire you."

Gaio patted Lukaku on the shoulder, "You're even better, scoring in every game. If you keep playing at this rate, it's only a matter of time before you become famous throughout Europe. I'm even afraid that Chelsea will recall you early, and we won't be able to play brotherly football anymore. The days I played with you were really fun."

Lukaku felt a surge of emotion upon hearing Gaio's words. Indeed, Gaio was the only one in all of Bastia who truly understood him.

Lukaku immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, we're brothers. How could I abandon you? If they recall me early, I will absolutely refuse! Playing with you is the happiest time of my life."

"Let's compete for the championship together!" Gaio gave him a thumbs up.

Lukaku grinned sheepishly, "Of course!"

Gaio walks towards the center circle.

As the captain, keeping the team's key players happy is also an essential task.

He knows Lukaku's personality all too well.

He was unhappy, so he just started setting things up.

Chelsea, for example, was the biggest sucker. Chelsea lost about 70 million euros on Lukaku's transfer fee alone, not to mention Lukaku's high salary.

Then, throughout his Chelsea career, he played 59 games, contributing 15 goals and 2 assists.

To date, he has scored 7 goals and provided 1 assist for Bastia, essentially equaling half of his Chelsea career.

of course,

Lukaku himself still has high hopes for Chelsea and is preparing to return in the summer transfer window to showcase his skills.

drop!
The referee's whistle continued to blow.

Nice kicks off.

But by this time, their players' fighting spirit had completely vanished. Pierre stood on the sidelines, holding his forehead, perhaps pondering why they had lost the game, or perhaps thinking about how to change the team.

In the final moments, Gaio had a good chance, breaking through the opponent on the wing. Unfortunately, when he cut inside and shot, the angle was too straight and the goalkeeper made the save.

This is Bastia's last chance.

finally.

The whole game is over.

The score is now set.

0-4.

This is Bastia's biggest points difference in Ligue 1 this season.

The TF1 commentator exclaimed, "Bastia is a newly promoted team that doesn't seem like a newly promoted team at all. They are too strong. After all the matches of this round of Ligue 1 are over tomorrow, Bastia's ranking in Ligue 1 may be fixed. Bastia is now in second place."

This is an incredible ranking. Can Bastia replicate their Ligue 2 miracle this season?
Winning the championship in the first year after the upgrade?
Oh my goodness.

Just imagining this scene gets me excited. This season, Paris Saint-Germain, after failing to win the title last season, has made a lot of signings and is striving to win the championship.

Could it be that Bastia is going to stop their championship run again?

"What's even more crucial is that Bastia's current stats are 21 goals, which is an average of three goals per game, leading the entire Ligue 8! They are a full eight goals ahead of Lorient, who are currently in second place."

Although Bastia still ranks among the top three in the league for goals conceded, their attacking firepower is truly formidable.

After the game.

Hagi Bejic was beaming with joy after a long-awaited resounding victory. Following hard-fought wins against PSG and Viktoria Plzeň, and a defeat in the French League Cup, he finally achieved a triumphant triumph.

In the interview, he repeatedly praised his players, saying, "They are Champions League caliber players."

Bastia fans strongly agree with this assessment.

tonight,

The whole of Bastia was immersed in the joy of victory. After a few drinks, the comfortable September weather led many fans to wander out of the pub, stagger around, and eventually collapse onto the grass and fall into a deep sleep.

When he woke up, he didn't know what he was dreaming about, but he suddenly shouted, "Battle, Bastia!"

Such noises often attract not passersby.

Instead, it was the nearby fans, also fast asleep, who echoed, "Fight! Gaio!! We are the champions!"

In an interview, Pierre took full responsibility, saying, "It was a huge defeat. There are many reasons for a game's failure, but tonight it was my fault. The players executed the tactics very well; it was my pre-game arrangements that were inadequate."

“Bastia is very strong. They have an enviable squad with many impressive players. Gaio goes without saying, and their number 17 in midfield is equally amazing. If they maintain their current form, they will be successful this season.”

At least for now, they are already in the top four of the standings, and what we need to do now is not to dwell on this one game, but to understand our own position.

We narrowly avoided relegation in the previous two seasons, and this season we hope to secure our survival more easily.

This is just part of a long season; we should always be working towards the next game, not dwelling on the outcome of the last.

the next day.

When the players, who had only returned to Bastia to rest late last night, woke up, all the news was about Bastia's victory.

In particular, the Corsican Daily News went so far as to say, "We are replicating the miracle of the newly promoted team last season."

Bastia fans, well, reading these reports is really satisfying.

The kind of exhilarating experience from beginning to end.

They've already started fantasizing about how to begin celebrating their Ligue 1 title, or any other title.

Sunset Cafe Bistro.

While drinking, Modoso shouted to the others, "Do you guys have any ideas? How are we going to cheer now?! I've run out of ideas!"

"Haha, I think the guy who cosplayed as a Napoleon soldier at the last European Cup did a pretty good job."

Modoso waved his hand, "We can't use the same idea twice. The Europa League is coming up soon, and this is our home ground. Shouldn't we come up with something special?"

Everyone was lost in thought.

indeed,

Returning to the Europa League after 34 years, and at home no less, it would be unreasonable for them not to do something.

Bertrand suddenly said, “I think we can find some inspiration from the documentary ‘Forza Bastia’ and have a dialogue spanning 34 years.”

Upon hearing this, Modoso gave Bertrand a thumbs-up.

"Forza Bastia" is the same as "Forza Bastia".

This is a documentary filmed by Jacques Tati.

Anyone familiar with the history of French film and theater knows who Jacques Tati is—a top French comedy director and screenwriter.

Like Chaplin, he wrote, directed, and starred in his own films, making full use of physical language and elevating pantomime to a whole new level.

His works include "Playtime" and "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday".

This documentary was made in 1978, after Bastia reached the Europa League final for the first time in their history. At the time, Bastia's president, Gilbert Trigano, mentioned this to his friend, film director Jacques Tati, and suggested making a documentary about it. Tati, a lifelong sports enthusiast, readily accepted the suggestion and began organizing the filming of the match and celebrations.

however,
Due to heavy rain and various unforeseen events, the grand event ultimately devolved into chaos.

The film was never completed, and the footage was quickly forgotten.

Around 1999, these materials were rediscovered by chance in a corner of the Corsican Film Archive.

Jacques Tati’s daughter, Sophie Tati—who is also an editor and director herself—immediately decided to take charge of editing.

Ultimately, this 26-minute film was broadcast on French television in 2000 and 2002.

As an aside, Jacques Tati passed away from illness four years after the Bastia Europa League final, in 1982.

Modoso reflected on the documentary.

For Bastia fans, this film is one of the must-see documentaries of their lifetime.

He suddenly slammed his hand on the table, "I've got it! Papi, the passing of the torch between two generations of captains!"

Everyone else wanted to ask him about his specific thought process.

But he laughed and said, "I'll go back and think about it carefully, and I'll tell you later!"

After saying that, he ran straight out of the tavern.

Everyone looked at each other.

but,

Modoso mentioned Papi's name, which was the greatest name in Bastia's history before Gaio.

He spent his entire professional career with Bastia (1968-1982), playing as a midfielder or forward.

His performance was indispensable in helping China reach the European League final in 1978.

He was known as the "Lion of Corsica" because of his loyalty to Bastia.

Unfortunately, Pappi died in a car accident in 1983.

The club named the south stand of their home stadium after him, and fans still commemorate him with songs.

Therefore,
In a previous version of "Gaio's Song," Bastia fans praised Gaio with the line, "You are as fearless as Papi on the mountaintop."

Bastia training base.

The first day after a match is usually for players to rest.

Gaio only did a little warm-up training.

Today's main activity was learning English with Fabre.

As a French person, learning English is actually relatively easier.

English and French share about 30% of their vocabulary with the same origin or loanwords.

Once you get used to the rigorous grammar of French, learning English will feel much easier.

The only things that need to be overcome are differences in pronunciation habits and grammatical details.

When De Bruyne saw Gaio frequently taking time to study English, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to play football in England?"

Gaio smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but replied, "I'll learn more languages. Once I've mastered English, I'll learn Spanish and Italian."

De Bruyne shook his head. "Let me think. Do you want to be the Zebra Prince, or the Bernabéu King?"

De Bruyne's words were not entirely unfounded.

Rumors of Juventus and Real Madrid wanting to sign Gaio have been circulating for some time.

Gaio replied, "Don't worry, I'll tell you when I've made my decision. My only goal right now is to take Bastia to a higher position!"

Gaio's words.

This was briefly confirmed after all the Ligue 1 matches of the seventh round concluded that evening.

Lyon lost, falling 0-2 to Bordeaux at home.

Marseille lost, falling 1-4 to Valenciennes away from home.

After seven rounds, Bastia secured second place in the league.

The climate in Bastia is pleasant enough in October.

On the afternoon of the 3rd.

Hagi Bejić held a pre-match press conference for the Europa League.

"As our first home game in European competition in over 30 years, we will give it our all and live up to the expectations of all the Bastia fans, both those who are here and those who are not!"

He certainly wasn't talking nonsense.

An hour before the match on the second day, the starting lineup was announced, representing what is arguably Bastia's strongest squad at the moment.

4231.

Lukaku

Mane, De Bruyne, Gaião
Kanté, Rothen

Sidibe, Kahusac, Joplin, Angula
Noves.

The guests were from Shapur, Tel Aviv, or rather, the workers of Tel Aviv.

"Shapour" is a transliteration of the Hebrew word for "worker".

This team from Israel can be considered a powerhouse in the Israeli Premier League.

They are the second most successful team in Israel.

The first successful one was naturally Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Maccabi, like Shapur, is a transliteration of a Hebrew word. However, Maccabi is a name—the nickname of Judah Maccabi, a Jewish hero.

There are many football teams around the world called "Maccabi," such as Maccabi Antwerp, Maccabi Berlin, and Maccabi London in Europe; Maccabi Moscow in Russia; and Maccabi Los Angeles in the United States.

These clubs were founded on the premise of Jewish nationalism.

They all belong to the Maccabi World Federation, an international Jewish sports organization.

In 1960, the International Olympic Committee officially recognized the Maccabi World League.

Six p.m.

The area around the Cesarian stadium had already been cordoned off by police, and only fans were allowed to walk to the stadium.

Along the way, Bastia's cheering songs rose and fell.

As expected, the bus from Shapur, Tel Aviv, was once again stopped by the Bastia.

He pounded on the train carriage.

Fortunately, these players are all seasoned veterans. After all, the derby between Hapoel and Maccabi in the Israeli Premier League is so intense that injuries and fatalities are common.

7:50 p.m.

The Stadio de la Cerro ...

Everyone was shouting "Bastia" with all their might!
The players entered the field.

The atmosphere reached its peak, especially in the north stand, where Modoso led his die-hard fans in a frenzied singing session.

After the players lined up and shook hands, the Europa League theme song was played.

Suddenly, a face familiar to countless Bastia fans appeared on the stadium's big screen—

Claude Pappy.

(End of this chapter)