The road to godhood starting from Ligue 1

Chapter 294 An Era Has Begun!

At that time, France's only superstar.

To be honest, this portion is a bit too heavy.

Gai looked up at Deschamps, his eyes clear and firm, with a humble smile. "I aspire to be the true superstar you speak of, but I want even more to be the one who can carry the banner of the French team forward, not for the empty title of 'superstar,' but for the victory of the French team, for our shared dream—to bring the World Cup back to France."

Gaio's words were very sincere.

Deschamps hesitated for a moment, then stopped himself from speaking, finally letting out a light pat on Gaio's shoulder and saying, "I believe in you, captain of France."

Ok?
Gaio was visibly surprised by Deschamps' words.

Deschamps smiled, sat down next to Gaio, and put his arm around Gaio's shoulder.

The morning sun in Clairefontaine shone on the table in front of the two of them, its golden light like a bright future.

Deschamps' hands, which had once lifted the World Cup trophy, now solemnly rested on Gaio's shoulders. "Yes, Captain France, this is not a prediction, it is a decision."

Deschamps didn't wait for Gaio's reply, as if he were looking back on the past.

He said to himself.

"More than 20 years ago, I also received that blue, white and red flag from my predecessors, just like you. That flag was very light, but also very heavy. It took me a long time to understand that, in many cases, the captain's armband is not a crown, but a shackle."

It is the sword of Damocles hanging over one's head at all times.

It requires you to step forward in dire straits, unite people in chaos, and ignite hope in silence.

The captain is the one who, when the team is behind, uses their eyes and body language to tell everyone—'The fight is not over!'

Deschamps pressed down harder on Gaio, as if trying to transfer some kind of power to Gaio.

“Yang, you have unparalleled talent, that’s undeniable. But a captain needs much more than just talent. I’ve seen too many geniuses fall from grace, and I’ve seen the locker room fall apart. I didn’t want to put this pressure and responsibility on you so early, but I saw that you did a great job as captain in Bastia, and the current French team needs a role model.”

He slowly raised his right hand, palm up, as if holding an invisible captain's armband.

"So now I'm passing this responsibility on to you. When you actually put on this armband, I want you to remember—"

"You represent more than just the name of Bastia player Jan Gaio; you represent the pride of the French national team, the legacy of French football, and the blue bloodline that has stretched for decades—the bloodlines of Platini, Fontaine, Zidane, Blanc, and me, Didier Deschamps!"

Gaio took a deep breath, and the light in his eyes transformed from initial surprise into a calm and resolute gaze as deep as the Corsican sea.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm down, and steadily covered Deschamps' hand.

Two hands, one old and one new, one symbolizing the past and the other representing the future.

They overlapped tightly.

The passing of the torch between two captains of the French national team.

Gaio's voice was not loud, but extremely firm: "Coach Didier, I take on the responsibility of captain of France."

There were no extra words, no promises, just a simple "I accept."

Deschamps stared into Gaio's eyes as if he saw an inextinguishable flame, as if he saw himself more than twenty years ago.

A barely perceptible smile slowly curved his lips, a testament to a soldier's recognition of another, and a captain's entrustment of his stern.

Deschamps withdrew his hand, then patted Gaio's shoulder heavily one last time, his voice low but filled with a relieved satisfaction: "Good."

It was on a morning before training.

Gaião became the first captain of the French national team.

Before training.

Deschamps announced the decision publicly, and the expressions of those present varied, but the vast majority of people did not object to the decision to make Gaio the captain of the French national team.

They were very clear about Gaio's strength.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will be the most reliable striker for France in the future.

clap clap clap!
Kante, Giroud, Varane, and others applauded enthusiastically. They had long expected Gaio to become the national team captain, but they didn't expect it to happen so soon.

They wholeheartedly support this decision.

No one is more suited to be the team captain than Gaio!

Lori had no complaints about being stripped of his captain's armband, and Gaio certainly showed exceptional talent.

He was convinced.

In the corner, Evra, the veteran who once made great contributions to the French team and the former captain of the French national team, had a complicated expression.

He gazed silently at Gaio.

There was no sense of loss, only a faint, knowing feeling.

He gently straightened his jersey, and then, slowly and almost silently, gave Gaio a thumbs-up.

No words were spoken, but this gesture spoke volumes—it was recognition, a blessing, and an elegant farewell to an era.

His silhouette appeared somewhat lonely in the morning light, yet it carried the composure and pride of a veteran.

The young players were caught up in it too late.

But Evra knew that the future of the French team had been handed over to a new generation.

A new era has begun.

The announcement of Gaio as captain was just a prelude to training.

They then officially began training.

During this training session, the French team primarily focused on Spain as their hypothetical opponent, completely disregarding Georgia.

After training.

Deschamps simply sent the players some information about Georgia to study on their own, and mostly emphasized the points to note for the match against Spain.

Gaio flipped through the materials the coach had prepared about the various Georgian players and the head coach's characteristics.

Gaio wasn't actually familiar with this team; he only really knew Kaladze and later Kvalatskhria among the Georgian stars.

I got to know Kaladze because of AC Milan, and after retiring, he went into politics and even became the mayor of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

Kvalatskhya, on the other hand, didn't work himself to death.

Georgia.

They are definitely not a football powerhouse now; they are even worse off than the Chinese team. At least the Chinese team can play in the national team continental cup competitions, but Georgia can't even qualify for the European Championship.

In fact.

Georgia has a long history of football.

On July 11, 1960, at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, the final of the first European Championship entered a do-or-die moment.

With the Soviet Union trailing Yugoslavia 0-1, Georgian winger Slava Metrevelli scored a powerful shot to equalize, igniting a comeback for the Soviet team.

In extra time, Viktor Boninnik scored again for the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union defeated Yugoslavia 2-1 to lift the European Cup, a victory brought to the Soviet Union by the hard work of four Georgian players.

Four years later, Georgian team Dinamo Tbilisi won the Soviet league title for the first time. That year, the rock band Orera wrote an anthem for the new champions, "Our Golden Boy".

Half a century later, the same melody will once again resound through the streets of Tbilisi, dedicated to Georgia's new generation of "golden boy," Kvalatskhya.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgian football plummeted. Although Dinamo Tbilisi had created a miracle in 1981—defeating West Ham United and Feyenoord, and then coming back from behind to beat East Germany's Carl Zeiss Jena 2-1 in the final to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup, becoming the second Soviet team to achieve this honor.

But in post-independence Georgia, both the national team and clubs have become mere "backdrops".

The collapse of the club was even more complete.

In the 2004 UEFA Europa League, Dinamo Tbilisi was embroiled in a shocking match-fixing scandal: strange betting odds appeared in the betting market before the match, predicting "leading in the first half, but losing 2-5 in the second half".

The match unfolded exactly as predicted, and UEFA's investigation ultimately yielded no results, but Georgian football's reputation was utterly tarnished.

For the next ten years, no Georgian team appeared in the main European competitions.

Georgia's transformation began with their star player, Kaladze.

last year,

Kaja Kaladze, 35, ends his illustrious playing career – 284 appearances for AC Milan, two Champions League trophies.

After retiring, Kaladze chose to enter politics, and he even openly stated that he wanted to run for president.

In an interview, Kaladze explained that his intention to run for president was to change the face of Georgia. His brother, Lewandowski, was kidnapped in May 2001, and due to police inefficiency, the kidnappers eventually killed him. This was a major blow to Kaladze's life. Just as he became a key player in AC Milan's defense, he also wanted to protect Georgia.

After retiring in May, he was elected as a member of parliament and subsequently appointed as Georgia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development in October 2012.

This "Caucasian Chain" is not only constantly seeking breakthroughs in politics, but he also wants to bring about change to Georgian football.

Therefore,
As a politician, he promoted the revival of football, persuaded UEFA to invest in the reconstruction of the Dinamo Tbilisi youth training base, and introduced the La Masia concept to the Caucasus.

If Gaio remembers correctly, this youth training base should be almost completed and will be officially opened this summer.

It seems that Kaladze also invited Cristiano Ronaldo and Shevchenko as guests to participate in the inauguration ceremony.

Among the children posing for photos with Cristiano Ronaldo and others was 13-year-old Kvalatskhria.

Of course.

At least for now, Georgia poses no threat to the French team.

Georgia's only World Cup qualifying match so far has been a 1-0 victory over Belarus in the first round.

Furthermore, even a single victory is hard to come by.

2013年3月22号，晚上8点45分。

The Stade de France was packed with people, with countless French fans gathered here to watch France embark on their journey to compete in the World Cup once again.

The qualifiers are now in their final round. If the French team can emerge as the top team in this group, they will qualify directly for next year's World Cup!
Both teams' players were standing at the tunnel entrance.

Subsequently,

When Gaio first appeared on the court—

Wow!

A gasp went up in surprise; the fans were astonished.

Even the commentators were surprised. "Gaião! That's the captain's armband?! My God, just like the media rumors said, Gaião will become the captain of the French national team, but I didn't expect it to be for this match!"

clap clap clap!
After the initial surprise, everyone at the Stade de France rose to their feet and applauded their new captain's debut.

Many French media outlets have reported that Gaião becoming the team captain signals a new era for the French national team, from Deschamps' bold use of new players to the retirement of various veterans.

These are all signals.

but,

Only when Gaio actually puts on the captain's armband does it truly signify the beginning of a new era for France!

Too many French fans were thrilled; they clapped wildly and chanted, "Captain of France! Gaio!"

They had seen the deepest darkness, and they wanted to grasp at any glimmer of light.

Last year at the European Championship, the image of Gaio playing so hard for the team that he tore his muscles moved French fans. A player like that deserves the captain's armband!
He is the only one in the current French team who deserves the captain's armband!
Captain Gaião's debut was completely overlooked by fans, as it was also the national team debut for Pogba and Varane.

Gaio, as captain, began the pre-match ceremony.

Having served as Bastia's captain for so long, he was naturally very familiar with the pre-match procedures.

During this time, the French fans at home cheered continuously.

now,

The broadcast camera also focused on the stands in the VIP boxes, where French President Hollande was smiling and applauding.

Soon, at nine o'clock.

drop!
The referee blew his whistle, and the match officially began.

at the same time,

In another match in the same group, Spain hosted Finland, with the game kicking off 15 minutes earlier than France's.

Whether they were at the stadium or watching the broadcast, French and Spanish fans were following both matches simultaneously.

The qualification situation in this group is very clear now: France and Spain will compete for the only direct qualification spot.

The result of any match between these two teams will affect their final ranking.

Of course.

Because Spain and France are both stronger than the other three teams, fans generally believe that the final outcome will be decided by a direct confrontation between France and Spain.

Playing at home, the French team didn't start off as aggressively due to the addition of several new players.

However, Georgia's decision to play defensively allowed France to control the ball, giving them time to gradually find their rhythm.

The first few minutes were rather uneventful.

But in the 8th minute, the situation on the field suddenly changed!

Pogba faced defender Kobakhsh in midfield, used his long legs to cut inside, followed by a turn, and directly shook off his opponent.

Bang!
He then launched a long pass, sending the ball directly to the right flank.

Gaio rushed out from the defensive line, and Georgia's left-back Kvirkvirja tried to pull him back but couldn't.

Let Gaio cut inside along the penalty area line.

Faced with the blockade of Kisanishvili and Amisalashvili, Gaio surprised everyone by not continuing to dribble when the two surrounded him.

Instead, he curled a shot from near the penalty area!
The football flew straight into the far corner!

(End of this chapter)