When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 224 Game of Thrones

On the afternoon of November 15, 2004, Roy's flight landed in Paris.

After getting into the car that came to pick him up, his assistant, Heathlen, immediately began his report:
"Two things need to be addressed immediately. First, head coach Domenech wants to meet with you tonight. He is clearly troubled by the Pires incident. Although the French team has remained undefeated so far, there is constant criticism of his strange tactical arrangements and personnel selection criteria."

"Secondly, a reporter from L'Équipe, Drucker, is waiting downstairs at your apartment building, hoping to conduct a ten-minute interview about the national team's recent situation."

Roy was mentally weighing the conflict between the two things.

Domenech was eager to see him simply to get a unified narrative and to have him help put out the fire.

Meanwhile, Drucker waited downstairs, hoping he would speak up.

Roy stared at the rearview mirror for a while, then suddenly laughed out loud: "I'm only twenty years old, what bad intentions could I possibly have?"

The Monaco and Arsenal factions had been at odds for a long time, and everyone felt that Roy should at least keep quiet about Pires, if not get rid of him. But Roy insisted on stirring up trouble.

There are indeed factional struggles in the locker room, but in the end, it is strength that matters.

Even with the strength of the Monaco contingent, without a strong veteran presence, they might not be able to win the championship.

If you manage to oust all the veteran players but still can't win the game, you'll be the one who suffers in the end, and the backlash will come back to haunt you sooner or later.

Domenech thought Roy would definitely support him, but he was wrong. Roy's least favorite person right now is this manager.

A look at Domenech's resume reveals that the 52-year-old has never coached a French Ligue 1 team, and his most notable achievement is leading the French U21 team to the semi-finals of the European U21 Championship three times.

His lack of experience coaching senior national teams is indeed a major weakness.

As the double champions of the World Cup and the European Championship, the French national team has players from all over Europe, with many key players playing in the English Premier League, which is poised to become the new "mini-World Cup".

Domenech should have handled his relationships with Premier League players well, but the Pires incident shows that he was more about playing power games than winning people over with professional competence.

After Pires and Domenech had a complete falling out, the veteran player no longer held back and made the conflict public.

This makes it clearer that there are serious problems with Domenech's management style.

In this incident, many team members chose to remain silent on the issue, with Henry and Vieira both clearly stating that they would not comment on it.

Most of the French team members chose to remain silent during this controversy.

As Pires' teammates, Henry and Vieira have both made it clear that they will not comment on the matter.

At that time, the only ones who spoke up for Pires were two veterans who were also not favored: Sagnol, who was sidelined for five months due to injury, and Silvestre, who had long been sidelined by Domenech.

Sagnol said: "We need Pires, and I'm sure his disagreement with the head coach is constructively helpful to the team. I think these things will turn out for the better and ultimately promote the progress of our team. In fact, Pires' role in the French team is enormous, and no one has the right to criticize him for what he said. As citizens, we have the right to express our different opinions."

Sylvester told a TPS reporter, "I'm not so much disappointed about not being called up to the national team, but extremely annoyed. That coach only knows how to flirt with the press and never asks the players for their opinions. I went to the coach myself, but he completely ignored me. We players can only follow his old rules and practices. As Robert (Pires) said, the atmosphere here is complicated, and I hope things will turn out for the better."

Just like Pires's outburst last time, Silvestre didn't make any absolute statements, but left himself an out, saying: "I will not retire from the national team because I am only 27 years old and I am optimistic about the future."

Faced with this situation, Roy made his decision.

Roy sat on the living room sofa, his fingers lightly tapping his knees:

"I think any team will encounter this problem; the key is how we handle it."

Drucker, sitting opposite him, leaned forward slightly, his voice recorder flashing a red light.

For the next five minutes, Roy spoke in standard official language about "unity," "focus on the game," and "common goals," but every word was like a carefully polished pebble, smooth on the surface and hard on the inside.

When the topic shifted to "veteran prices" and "experience passing on," he deliberately slowed down his speech, but his eyes remained exceptionally focused.

"We must acknowledge that a successful team needs balance. Players like Pires, with their World Cup and European Championship experience, know how to step up in crucial moments. Currently, we have very few players with that kind of major tournament experience, which isn't a healthy team structure. Young players are certainly energetic, but the pressure and pace of big matches can only be truly understood by those who have experienced them. We are all working for the team's best interests, but if we continue to ignore the value of experience, the ultimate cost of setbacks in crucial matches will be borne by French football as a whole. The coach has his choices, but as a player, I must say that maintaining a reasonable mix of experienced, middle-aged, and young players is the foundation for long-term development. There are some lessons we shouldn't repeat."

Truk suddenly pressed the pause button, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he closed the laptop.

He understood the carefully designed language game.

Roy's words, seemingly discussing team structure, were actually a barrage of criticism against Domenech.

"We need veterans like Pires"—on the surface, this statement emphasizes the importance of experience, but in reality, it questions the head coach's selection criteria.

He emphasized that "coaches have the right to choose," but immediately added that it was "the foundation for long-term development."

Isn't this implying: if Domenech only selects players based on personal likes and dislikes, then what's the point of having you as a coach?

Drucker understood perfectly.

Roy's move was brilliant: he neither directly confronted the coach nor failed to make his point clear.

The team isn't your backyard; you can't just use whoever you want.

If you win, that's your skill; if you lose, it's the players' form to blame?
There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Since you're in the position of head coach, you should shoulder the responsibilities that come with it.

The harshest statement among these words is actually, "Some lessons should not be repeated."

This is clearly a reminder to the Chinese Football Association: if they continue to let Domenech run rampant, the 2006 World Cup may repeat the mistake of being eliminated in the group stage in 2002.

That evening, Pires arrived at the French Football Federation headquarters as promised.

As requested by FA President Simone two weeks ago, he needs to explain two things to the Standing Committee: first, why he wore Puma (instead of the national team sponsor Adidas) during a television interview.
Secondly, why did he publicly criticize head coach Domenech?

An hour later, Pires walked out of the meeting room with a relaxed expression, saying, "Wearing the wrong brand was a mistake caused by my lack of understanding of the regulations, and I am willing to take the corresponding responsibility."

Adidas previously sought €5 in damages from the French Football Federation. Although Pires agreed to accept the punishment, the federation is more likely to deduct a portion of his national team bonuses.

The final decision will be announced at the Football Association meeting on November 18.

Although Domenech himself did not attend, the presence of three important figures—FA President Simone, Professional League President Thierry, and Technical Committee Head Jacquet—indicates that the hearing was not only about the sponsorship dispute but also about the tense relationship between Pires and the head coach.

Pires responded casually, "That's not the point of our discussion. Besides, the coach himself said, 'Everyone has the right to freedom of expression.'"

But he seems to have forgotten that Domenech added a sentence after that: "Everyone has to be responsible for what they say."

As soon as the car drove away from the Football Association building, Pires' father and agent Antonio spoke up: "Roy spoke up for you in L'Équipe."

He briefly relayed the key points of Roy's interview with Duluk, emphasizing the importance of veteran experience to the team and implying that the coaching staff needs to balance the team's structure.

Pires was stunned. He never expected that when he needed support the most, his former Arsenal teammates Henry and Vieira would remain silent, while Bayern Munich's Sagnol, Manchester United's Silvestre, and this leader from the Monaco faction, Roy, would step forward. Roy wasn't speaking up for him; he was clearly challenging Domenech.

When Zidane had just retired, Roy was eager to lead the Monaco faction to recruit young players and seize power, which led to a fierce battle with the Arsenal faction.

Now you're suddenly switching sides and speaking up for the veterans? Nobody believes that!

This move is too cruel.

On the surface, it was for the team's benefit, but in reality, every word he said was aimed at Domenech: You can play politics, but don't try to hide behind the scenes.

If you dare to engage in factional infighting, you must be prepared to take the blame if you fail.

Winning and losing are common on the football field, but someone always has to take responsibility.

Either the players are in poor form, or the coach is incompetent. It can't always be Domenech who is brilliant and all the blame is placed on others.

Pires suddenly laughed. This wasn't a locker room conflict; it was clearly a power struggle.

Roy is a shrewd guy; he said the most hurtful things in the most elegant way.

"That Roy! Does he really think he's the savior? Yes, he's a key player in the European Championship victory, and he's a core member even without my praise. But can locker room politics be resolved with just goals? What does a twenty-year-old kid know about social niceties! I originally wanted to use him to suppress the Arsenal faction, but instead he's playing peacemaker?"

"Libras are really good at smoothing things over! Makelele thinks he's too selfish, Gallas says he's too arrogant, even Zidane doesn't like him. And yet, he's offended every veteran and young player! He says I'm ostracizing the veterans? Doesn't he know how many people he pushed aside to get ahead recently? Just wait and see, whenever the team loses, the first person the fans will criticize is this young captain! Does he think he can win people over by saying a few nice words for Pires? Ha, the captain's armband for the French team isn't so easy to wear! When things really get out of hand in the locker room, let's see if this 'Libra peacemaker' can stabilize the situation, or if he'll have to beg me, the head coach, to clean up the mess!"

In his office, Domenech took a big gulp of red wine and slammed the glass down on the table.

The training camp starts tomorrow, and all this trouble is driving him crazy.

Domenech was a power-hungry man. He dared to resell football tickets when he was an assistant coach, and he dreamed of becoming the president of France when he was young.

His subsequent dismissal from the national team was an even bigger joke: he had worked for six years with an annual salary of over 700,000 euros, only to turn around and apply for unemployment benefits.

He really dares to accept a monthly welfare payment of 5600 euros.
Domenech became increasingly frustrated.

Roy is already openly contradicting him now; in a few years, won't he be riding roughshod over him?
But this twenty-year-old kid is untouchable. He's a hero of the European Championship, scoring goals like crazy, the darling of all French fans. Last season, he single-handedly helped French football win its second Champions League trophy, an unprecedented treble! Now the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards are practically his, and the national media are hyping him up like a new Pelé.

If he dares to lay a finger on Roy, L'Équipe will be denouncing him as a sinner of French football on its front page tomorrow.

The headline of the newspaper had to be "Domenech is jealous of talent".

That's so damn frustrating!
Just then, Roy's phone rang.

Domenech stared at the flickering screen, gritted his teeth, and pressed the answer button.

This "golden boy" that he can neither control nor restrain now even chooses to call when he's most frustrated.

Roy's tone on the phone was calm: "Coach, I just want to focus on playing football and don't want to cause trouble in the locker room. But as you know, the veterans in the team are all watching me, and the fans and media are keeping a close eye on me. There are some things we'd better not do that make things difficult for everyone."

After a pause, he added, "After all, when you lose, everyone has to give an explanation, right?"

Domenech forced a dry laugh, his voice suddenly warming up: "Oh, Roy, of course we're on the same page!"

"You're the pride of France! How can those old guys compare to you? Don't worry, the coach knows what's going on. Actually, I've always wanted to officially hand over the captain's armband to you, but I just needed to find the right time."

Roy softened his tone: "Coach, I understand your difficulties. The locker room definitely needs stability after Zidane left. Although we've been beating weak teams lately, as long as we stay united, strong teams won't be a problem."

"I fully support your principle of selecting players based on their form, and we will cooperate fully both on and off the field. To be honest, I hope we can work together for a long time. After all, the success of the French team requires the joint efforts of the coach and the players."

"You know, as long as I'm on the field, I'll fight until the last minute. Let's work together to get the French team out of this transition period, okay?"

Domenech hung up the phone and sat in the dark living room, panting heavily, for a long time.

He touched his face and then called Esther Dennis, the TV presenter he had been dating for many years.

"Okay, I understand. Don't rush."

Dennis responded in a low voice.

When the call finally ended, the mattress next to her sank, and a male voice lazily asked, "What's wrong with that old man now?"

On Roy's end, he hung up the phone and let out a long sigh of relief.

He wasn't entirely without offering Domenech a perk: Santini had just resigned from Tottenham and was a European Championship-winning coach; Domenech, a candidate with no senior team experience, could be easily replaced by the French Football Federation should any team performance falter, with the most suitable replacement in mind.

If you want to hold onto this position, you need to achieve results and have people supporting you. Think about it carefully.

Roy dialed Makelele's number, his voice unusually sincere: "Claude, this is Roy. Are you still willing to do what we talked about in London last time? The national team needs a veteran like you to anchor the team; we haven't won enough championships yet."

Makelele readily agreed over the phone: "I will make a public statement at the appropriate time. If I am called up, I am willing to continue to play for the French national team."

Roy breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, "Hopefully, nothing else goes wrong this time."

The following day, after arriving at the Clairefontaine training ground, Roy spoke to reporters about the controversy previously caused by Aragonés.

The incident stemmed from a training session last month in preparation for the World Cup qualifier against Belgium, during which 66-year-old Aragonés, while instructing the Spanish players, compared them to Henry and used the term "nigger".

This statement immediately caused a huge uproar, and Aragonés subsequently faced widespread criticism.

The Spanish Football Federation subsequently issued an official statement, stating that Aragonés had apologized and emphasized that his remarks were not intended to offend anyone.

Roy responded to the incident in an interview.

"Thierry is my comrade-in-arms, my brother. Everyone who wears the French national team jersey is family. Mr. Aragonés's remarks are unacceptable; this is not how football should be."

“In our locker room, nobody cares about skin color. We only care about the tricolor badge on your chest. Such insulting words should not come from anyone's mouth, let alone from a senior coach.”

"I am relieved by the Spanish Football Federation's apology, but it is far from enough. Football should unite everyone, not fuel this kind of sad prejudice. Thierry deserves everyone's respect, just like every player who fights for their dreams."

"If anyone thinks they can say such things casually, then they don't deserve to stand on the football field."

Now, he has to protect the entire French team under his wing.

Including Thierry.

(I had some errands to run today, so there will be fewer updates.)

(End of this chapter)