The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 257 Ferguson: Gaio? Why not?
David Beckham joins Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.

This was a bombshell in France.

According to reports from media outlets such as L'Équipe, Beckham will receive a monthly salary of approximately 80 euros.

In addition, PSG provided Beckham with a luxury mansion in Paris, and the owner of PSG, the Qatari representative, even publicly stated that they were willing to meet all of Beckham's demands, just to attract Beckham to join the richest club in Ligue 1.

This salary, coupled with Beckham's immense popularity, has sparked controversy in France, with some French left-wing politicians taking the opportunity to call for legislation to set a salary cap.

"The Socialist Party is proposing legislation to cap high salaries and eliminate such unbelievable contracts."

French Green Party presidential candidate Eva Joly also condemned Beckham, saying that his move to Paris was merely to "sell T-shirts," and that his high salary was shocking and intolerable in the context of the current economic crisis.

Amidst this turmoil, Paris Saint-Germain held a press conference for Beckham before the start of the new season's matches.

At the press conference, Beckham stated that he would be willing to play for the team without pay if the club could provide substantial funding to a charity dedicated to helping children in Paris.

However, it's certain that no one will believe such a statement.

Gaio also saw the reports about the press conference and could only say that the "heartthrob" is still the top player who is best at marketing himself.

At 37 years old, Beckham will become the oldest player in Ligue 1.

However, he remains very confident in his physical condition, saying, "Although I'm 37 years old, I feel my physical condition is still pretty good, and I don't feel that my speed has slowed down much. Recently, I've been training with Arsenal, and I think I'll be ready in two or three weeks."

Beckham signed a short-term contract with Paris Saint-Germain for only five months. Beckham explained that the contract only covers this season, and whether he will renew it after the season ends, or whether he will end his career in Paris, is still unknown. Money is no longer his "primary pursuit". He just wants to be able to express himself on the football field, and everything depends on his "feeling".

As for how they felt, Bastia's teammates shared similar thoughts with Gaio.

Qatar's oil is the most compelling factor.

but,

Gaio had to admit that Paris Saint-Germain's move had indeed garnered maximum attention.

Beckham's return to the top five leagues in the US and the European stage has brought a lot of attention to Ligue 1.

Many fans were stunned when they saw the Ligue 1 standings after learning about PSG's big spending.

Bastia?

So PSG spent hundreds of millions of euros and still didn't even get the top spot in Ligue 1?!

When they looked at the Ligue 1 top scorers and assists, the top two spots were both occupied by Bastia players.

Furthermore, when Gaio's name was leading the top scorers list by a precipitous margin.

They were even more dumbfounded.

Is this young man that fierce?
It's worth noting that the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has already made a name for himself. Everyone thought he would dominate weaker teams in Ligue 1, but it seems that's not the case at all.

For a time, Beckham's move to Paris Saint-Germain inadvertently made Bastia a hot topic.

As fans learned more, Bastia's experiences over the past few seasons came to light.

Three consecutive upgrades.

Last season, they also won the treble in Ligue 2.

This season, they made it to the European stage, defeated Atletico Madrid twice, advanced as group winners in the Europa League, and topped the Ligue 1 standings, surpassing traditional French powerhouses such as Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.

This absolutely stunned everyone!
Digging deeper, it becomes clear that all of this began after Gaio joined the first team.

The buzz surrounding Gaio's own handwritten letter hadn't even died down when the Beckham incident instantly spread the attention to England.

Especially within Manchester United circles.

A Manchester United fan reposted Gaio's handwritten letter and also attached some video highlights of Gaio this season.

This has once again stunned Manchester United fans.

After all, although Gaio is very popular now, there are still many people who don't know much about Gaio.

"Isn't that the young French player from the European Championship this summer?! I remember him so well!"

"OMG! Buy! A player like this should play for Manchester United!"

"My God, what am I seeing? I haven't been paying much attention to Gaio since the European Championship, but I didn't expect him to be so dominant in Ligue 1. I hope Sir Alex Ferguson will make a move soon. I see even greater talent in Gaio than in Cristiano Ronaldo. It's unbelievable."

"If a player like this can't be used by Manchester United, I hope he can transfer to another league. I hope he doesn't come to the Premier League, otherwise I'm worried that our defense won't be able to stop this kid at all."

Of course, there was surprise, and there was also disdain.

"With the intensity of Ligue 1 and the Europa League, which is a bunch of amateur competitions, what kind of competitiveness can they have? His performance is purely due to the opponent's defensive capabilities. If you put him under pressure, do you think he would still have any chance to break through?"

"Yeah, I don't know why a bunch of people are making such a fuss here. Ronaldo was so flashy in his early career, with so many dribbling moves, but he still got taught a lesson when he came to the Premier League. What's the use of being able to dribble? Physical strength is king. With Gaio's small frame, let alone the Premier League, even any Championship defender could knock him several meters away. He's just a kid who hasn't even grown his first hair yet, and people are bragging about it."

As the matter escalated, it wasn't just the fans who were drawn in; even Ferguson himself was caught by reporters and interviewed about Beckham and Gaio—the English media, those who know, know.

Regarding Beckham's eventual move to Paris Saint-Germain, Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I was a bit surprised. I knew he wouldn't go back to the Premier League because he had always said that he wouldn't play for any other Premier League team after he finished his Manchester United career, and he kept his promise. But I didn't expect him to end up joining Paris Saint-Germain."

The reporter further stated that many in France believe Beckham's athletic career should have ended when he tearfully bid farewell to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. His high-profile transfer to Paris Saint-Germain is merely PSG using Beckham's fame to help the French Football Federation cover up the "Qatargate" scandal.

This is another major event in France recently. The latest issue of France Football magazine revealed that former French President Sarkozy, UEFA President Platini, and Spanish Football Federation President Villar, among other political figures and high-ranking officials, were involved in the Qatar World Cup bribery scandal.

France Football published a nearly 20-page detailed investigative report titled "Qatargate," pointing out that FIFA, UEFA, and the French Football Federation tacitly approved Qatari bribery and vote-buying during the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup.

UEFA President Michel Platini is suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the scenes. Media outlets have photographed him having dinner with former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Qatari Prime Minister and current Paris Saint-Germain club owner, Al-Tani.

The reporter concluded by saying, "That's why PSG will meet all of David's demands."

Ferguson is already at retirement age, so he certainly won't give a direct answer. He simply said, "The football world right now is a complete mess. I don't care about the truth of many things. I only care about Manchester United."

Upon hearing this, the reporter immediately asked, "With David's move to Ligue 1, many Manchester United fans have noticed another Ligue 1 player, 18-year-old Gaio. Have you been following him?"

Ferguson nodded. "I noticed him during the European Championship."

The reporter then asked, "Is there any possibility that he could play for Manchester United?"

Ferguson remained noncommittal. "Gaio? Why not?"

In fact, Ferguson felt somewhat regretful when he heard Gaio's name after the interview.

Because Ferguson had already made a decision; he told his wife Casillas before Christmas this year, "I'm going to retire." Casillas was quite surprised at the time, because Manchester United was practically his everything.

Cassie asked him, "Why did you do that?"

He didn't give an answer.

But in the end, Cassie agreed to his decision.

Yes, after 27 years in charge of Manchester United, Ferguson has decided to leave the club this summer.

That's why he feels some regret, because he can no longer coach the world's best players.

There is no possibility that he will coach Gaio.

The chain reaction triggered by Beckham's signing in England and France continues to accumulate.

but,

Corsica, a Mediterranean island far from mainland France, is a place of tranquility.

All those troubles and disturbances seem unable to reach here via the Mediterranean.

Bastia fans are already looking forward to the new season.

Of course, they weren't looking forward to the first game.

Bastia will host the French Cup Round of 32 on January 6th.

Their opponent is their city rival, CA Bastia.

During the meeting inside Bastia, Jeronimi made it very clear to Chatham and Hajibegić.

“This season, I’ve given it my all, I’ve bet everything. I didn’t have to do this, but you know what I want: the championship! Yes, I want the championship. I want to bring Bastia a whole new history.”

Jerónimín glanced at the two men. "You both know that this might be our best chance to win the Ligue 1 title. Gaio will definitely transfer this summer, and we will never be able to achieve this again after he leaves."

Both Chatham and Haji Begitch are well aware of this.

Although Bastia has brought in many players, their performances have varied, with some good and some bad, but none of them can match Gaio.

Gaio is the absolute core of Bastia!

"We need to give up the French Cup and focus all our efforts on winning Ligue 1 and the Europa League!"

Therefore, under this premise...

Bastia's squad for the match against CA Bastia wasn't entirely made up, as Van Dijk and Darmian came on to get used to the game.

But everyone else is a "super" substitute.

Players who usually don't get any playing time all got to play, and Hagi Begic even called up players from the reserve team.

finally.

Bastia lost the match 0-1 at their home stadium in CA, which has a capacity of only 3,000.

They are completely out of contention for this season's French Cup.

As Bastia Daily News clearly stated regarding this match, "This was a wise decision made by Bastia, whose squad is not suited to competing on three fronts."

However, in French media reports, it turned into "French Cup defending champions Bastia suffered a huge upset, losing to their city rivals CA Bastia, who only play in the fifth tier!"

Of course, true fans can immediately spot the problem with such sensationalist reporting.

They wouldn't care at all.

Bastia continues at the training base, preparing for the next round of Ligue 1.

They currently lead PSG by four points because PSG lost their last match before Christmas.

It's a moderate advantage.

The players are full of confidence.

"How are you doing? Are you adjusting well here? It should be warmer than in the Netherlands, right?"

During a break in training, Gaio chatted with Van Dijk.

He wanted to build a good relationship with this future Ballon d'Or-caliber defender as early as possible—in Gaio's eyes, Van Dijk was worthy of the Ballon d'Or.

In fact,
Van Dijk's transfer to Bastia almost encountered problems; he nearly failed his medical examination due to a minor issue with his kidney function.

Gaio only learned about this past event after hearing it from Van Dijk.

On April Fool's Day last season, Groningen was defeated 3-1 by arch-rivals Heerenveen, and began to face the danger of relegation.

Van Dijk himself was taken to the operating room that day due to acute appendicitis.

This illness is related to Van Dijk's extremely irregular work and rest schedule and diet after arriving in Groningen.

This was his first time playing football away from home. At just over 20 years old, he didn't know how to take care of himself, so his sleep schedule became irregular, he didn't know how to cook, and he ate junk food to fill his stomach.

The result was complications such as appendicitis and peritonitis, and even infection of the kidneys.

Fortunately, after careful inspection, there were no problems.

Fabreteau also cautioned Van Dijk, "Here, you must be mindful of self-discipline."

As he spoke, Fabreto gestured towards Gaio, "After all, we have a discipline fanatic here. If you're not disciplined, you won't be able to keep up with us."

Having had contact with him over the previous few days, Van Dijk nodded very naturally during Gaio's casual conversation, saying, "It's very good. It's much better here than I expected, especially the fans, who are very enthusiastic."

This wasn't the first time Van Dijk had witnessed the frenzy of Bastia fans, but every time he did, he found it unbelievable.

Especially when he saw the huge Gaio graffiti on the Terra-Vecchia Central Building.

It was absolutely stunning!

This made him secretly envious of Gay, and he also wanted to become a player like Gay who could make fans go crazy.

(End of this chapter)