When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 246 Domenech's Astrological Selection of Generals Incurs Public Anger; The Two French Kings Unite to Set the Tide
Following their match at Crystal Palace, the teams will soon be called up for the international break.

The French national team has announced its latest roster for two World Cup qualifiers at the end of March: against Switzerland on the 26th and against Israel on the 30th.

The French national team has announced its latest squad, with veteran players such as Zidane, Vieira, Makelele, and Trezeguet all included.

This French team, led by Ballon d'Or winners Zidane and Roy, and supported by top stars like Henry, boasts a lineup of unprecedented star power and appears exceptionally strong overall.

Before heading to the French national team's training base in Clairefontaine, Roy was busy preparing for his personal fragrance brand in London.

Jennifer Lopez was a great help in this matter.

Although the two did not have an intimate relationship in private, the atmosphere when they worked together was always somewhat ambiguous.

Dior is indeed interested in having Roy as the face of their fragrance, but their current spokesperson is still Johnny Depp, and it is uncertain when they will be replaced.

If Roy chooses the endorsement model, he can receive a fixed endorsement fee plus a sales commission. This model is relatively safe, with stable cash flow and immediate returns.

For example, Cristiano Ronaldo later became the spokesperson for Armani perfume, earning about 400 million euros a year, and accumulating 4000 million euros over ten years.

However, if Roy chooses to create her own perfume brand, she will need to invest a lot of money in the early stages, and it may take three to five years to start making a profit. The risk is very high, and it is highly dependent on the brand's operational capabilities.

For example, Beckham's own perfume brand lost £200 million in its first year.

However, the advantage of creating your own brand is that you can build a personal brand, which has greater valuation potential in the long run (for example, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty is valued at $28 billion), and you have the power to set your own prices, resulting in higher profit margins.

If Roy has enough ambition and confidence to persist for more than five years, the revenue potential of his self-created brand may far exceed that of the endorsement model.

Through Dior's connections, Roy visited perfumer François Demag with Jennifer Lopez.

Demag had been Dior's chief perfumer since 2006. Although he hadn't officially taken on the project yet, Dior had already been in contact with him.

Ultimately, DeMache agreed to create a perfume specifically for Roy.

After Jennifer smelled the fragrance, she couldn't help but praise it, saying, "This scent is so captivating! It's both cool and a bit flamboyant, and it really brings out a man's charm when worn."

"Thank you, Jennifer, I really don't know how to thank you enough."

Jennifer Lopez, with her years of experience in the fashion industry, provided key support for Roy's fragrance brand.

Jennifer gave him a meaningful look: "You know that."

Her tone carried a hint of reproach, clearly still resentful that the two hadn't been able to take things further.

"Then you owe me a favor!"

She made a clear collaboration request to Roy: she wanted Roy to appear in the music video for her upcoming fourth studio album, "Rebirth".

This idea stemmed from her recent business collaboration experience.

Not long ago, she participated in a Pepsi commercial shoot with Beyoncé and David Beckham.

In that collaboration, Jennifer originally intended to invite Beckham to participate in her music project, but Beyoncé was also actively seeking to collaborate with Beckham, as Beyoncé also planned to release a new album this year.

Faced with this competitive situation, Jennifer immediately turned her attention to Roy.

She believes that Roy's current popularity and market influence are comparable to Beckham's, with the only difference possibly being the accumulation of industry experience.

Jennifer firmly believes that with Roy's momentum, he will definitely become a phenomenal superstar in a few years.

After some consideration, Roy reluctantly agreed to the collaboration offer.

Subsequently, The Sun photographed the two after visiting perfume master François Demarc: 20-year-old Premier League striker Roy and sexy diva Jennifer Lopez walked out of a luxury hotel side by side.

In the photo, Jennifer is wearing a tight-fitting low-cut dress that shows off her figure.

When Roy gentlemanly opened the car door for her, she looked up at him with a smile in her eyes, her fingers lingering on his arm for a second before bending down and getting into the car.

This subtle physical contact was captured clearly by the paparazzi's cameras.

The next day, the front page headline read: "Premier League Star Dating J.Lo! Did Cheryl Know?"

Interestingly, Roy was in a relationship with Cheryl from Girls Aloud at the time, and Cheryl had sweetly declared in an interview just three days earlier that she had "met his parents."

After the photos published by The Sun sparked heated discussions, Roy and Jennifer Lopez's agents quickly issued a joint statement clarifying: "The two parties were only conducting normal business cooperation on a perfume project. Perfumer François Demag was accompanied by his team throughout the meeting. The ambiguous interpretations in the media reports are purely excessive speculation."

The statement specifically emphasized that Roy and Cheryl's relationship is stable, and that Jennifer and her husband Marc Anthony have a happy marriage.

In the final moments of his London trip, Roy took the opportunity to rest and prepare for his upcoming trip to Paris.

His perfume brand was eventually named "Horizon R," a name with two meanings: "Horizon" symbolizes infinite possibilities and a vision for the future, perfectly matching the relentless pursuit of progress by athletes.

The letter "R" is not only the first letter of Roi's name, but can also be interpreted as positive concepts such as "Rebel" or "Renaissance".

As for the name of their first perfume product, the team ultimately chose "Le Tyran" (The Tyrant).

Although Roy originally preferred to use a more impactful name like "Demon King," such words could easily trigger religious sensitivities in Catholic countries like France.

The EU has strict regulations on trademark registration. Names like "Satan" have been rejected outright in Italy for "violating public order and good morals."

Considering the brand's long-term development, they had to make compromises, and the name "Tyrant" retained a strong masculine feel while avoiding religious controversy.

On the evening of March 21, 2005, as Roy was preparing to leave London, a news report about French national team coach Domenech caused a huge uproar.

French media rushed to report on the matter, and even Duruc, a journalist from L'Équipe who had a good relationship with Roy, called to ask for his opinion, but Roy declined to comment.

Because this is just too abstract!!!

France 1 television has a well-known investigative program called "Le Droit de savoir" (The Right to Know the Truth).

This program is known for revealing state secrets and the inner workings of high society, and it airs once a month.

The February 22 program was titled "Divination and Astrology: An Investigation into the Irrational Thinking Behind Power."

This episode was hosted by renowned French journalist Darcy, and surprisingly, he turned his investigation towards Domenech, the head coach of the French national football team.

The television program revealed Domenech's obsession with astrology, and that his life was almost entirely guided by it.

Domenech's penchant for this dates back 20 years, when he was the manager of Mürhaus (the club Wenger once played for, located in Alsace, northeastern France).

With the guidance of a local astrologer, Domenech gained his first astrological understanding of his team's characteristics.

From then on, Domenech became extra cautious with players of certain zodiac signs, keeping them at a distance and even ruthlessly eliminating them.

Domenech, born on January 24, is an Aquarius. According to Western astrology, the opposite sign of Aquarius is Leo.

"When a Leo appears in my back line, my rifle is ready! I know he'll get burned one day."

This is Domenech's original statement on television news on November 14, 1999.

As a result, defenders such as Gallas, Mendy, Silvestre, and Squillaci are all Leos, and they were all repeatedly tested by Domenech before being selected for the national team, even though these tests were sometimes completely unnecessary.

However, when it comes to the zodiac sign that Domenech fears the most, it has to be Scorpio.

According to Western astrology, Aquarius is most easily influenced by Scorpio.

Domenech had already "realized" this as early as the beginning of 1987.

Despite Lyon's strong squad despite being in the second division, head coach Domenech insisted that there were too many Scorpios in the team.

“Scorpios are quite aggressive. One scorpion can revitalize the whole team, but two scorpions will fight each other! I made some choices outside of the sports perspective.”

Six years later, Domenech began to revise his "Scorpio threat theory": "It is a continuous war among all scorpions, and the basic principle is to eliminate them to the greatest extent possible."

“I had six or seven scorpions at the time, and I ended up keeping two.”

These two "lucky scorpions" are goalkeeper Lemasson and striker Capongo.

Anelka had previously revealed that Domenech had a blacklist.

Anelka, Frey, Pires, Lusin, Dakur, Sylvester and Saha are all on the list.

At first, people thought that Domenech didn't choose them because of personal grudges.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover a striking coincidence: according to astrological theory, the zodiac signs of the people on the blacklist are not compatible with Domenech's.

In his last two national team rosters, he only kept one Scorpio player—Pedretti.

Pires, also a Scorpio, has not been selected since the Cyprus vs. France match.

Frey and Anelka are both Pisces, and in astrology, Pisces is almost as badly compatible with Aquarius as Leo.

Manchester United defender Silvestre and striker Saha are both Leos, his opposite sign, so Domenech naturally won't give them many opportunities.

In this 20-man roster, there are 5 players born in the Year of the Cancer and 5 players born in the Year of the Libra.

Domenech disliked only three Leos (Gala, Henry, and Govou), and among the key players who were left out of the squad, Monaco's Evra and Nantes' Landero were both Tauruses.

However, they were absent due to injury; otherwise, Domenech's most trusted constellation would not have missed this opportunity.

Can we conclude from this that Domenech is still driven by astrology?
On Tuesday at the Clairefontaine training ground, a curious reporter once again raised the same question. Although Domenech claims he no longer uses astrology, he still revealed his beliefs on television: "I have one more standard than the average coach. Astrology is insignificant, but it is indeed effective enough."

Since last month, Domenech has refused to explain why players were left out of the national team. But if even astrological signs can be used as a selection criterion, the future of this French team is truly worrying.

Drucker stammered on the other end of the phone, "Roy, we all know how obsessed Domenech is with astrology. What do you think of his practice of selecting national team players based on astrology rather than athletic ability? Isn't that an irony of professional football? French fans are waiting for your response."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "What's your perspective as a Libra?"

Roy almost laughed in exasperation on the other end of the phone.

He knew better than anyone that it was true, and that Domenech was indeed capable of doing it.

But now he has to deny it to the death, and he has to say it hard enough to make that superstitious astrology coach understand: stop with this mysticism.

He gave it his all on the field, only to find out in the end that the national team coach was a Frenchman?

"I don't believe such an absurd thing would happen with the French national team. Selecting players based on their zodiac sign rather than their performance? Are we acting out 'Saint Seiya'? I don't know if you've seen that Japanese anime, but I absolutely cannot accept this. Are you telling me that I was selected for the national team not because I scored over twenty goals in the Premier League, but because I'm a Libra who values ​​balance and teamwork? While it might not be the coach's favorite sign, it's at least not too bad?"

“I still think this is an overinterpretation; nothing like this ever happened. I hope Domenech will come out and refute this; it's simply outrageous. That's what I'm saying: only a madman would make up such a lie. I simply don't believe a coach would do such a thing. Similarly, a coach who could do such a thing would not be able to coach the French national team.”

"Our mission is to win glory for our country, not to play tarot cards, fortune telling, or astrology games. If that really worked, why don't we just hire Susan Miller as our coach? That doesn't exist, and I'll say it again: it doesn't exist."

(Susan Miller is a famous American astrologer, known for her accurate horoscope predictions and often referred to as the "Queen of Astrology.")
Domenech appears to have found a new backer, with the new president of the French Football Federation, Escaleette, publicly expressing his support for Domenech.

Despite feeling nervous about the match against Switzerland on March 26, describing himself as "a freshman facing a major exam," he made it clear that he would support the coach regardless of the outcome.

In an interview with L'Équipe, Escalette emphasized that the French team's success requires long-term development, just as their 1998 World Cup victory was the result of 20 years of accumulation.

He specifically tried to relieve Domenech's pressure, pointing out that the results of the two matches against Switzerland and Israel would not affect his position as head coach, and praised Domenech for driving reforms in the national team and being an excellent coach with clear goals.

On March 23, 2005, when Roy arrived at the Clairefontaine training ground, he saw several teammates surrounding a familiar figure.

Domenech personally stepped forward to shake hands and exchange pleasantries with the man, displaying exceptional enthusiasm.

Seeing this, Roy smiled and raised his voice, shouting, "Zizou, you're still as splendid as ever!"

Zidane turned around at the sound, first smiling at Roy, then giving Domenech a meaningful look.

The coach's gaze darted back and forth between the two men, a slightly awkward smile on his face.

"Planning to win another Champions League title this year? Chelsea are the favorites right now. That Dutch kid Robben on the right wing is really strong, fast, technically gifted, and unstoppable when he breaks through. I heard Abramovich also wants to buy Joaquin? If you really get Joaquin, your Chelsea squad will be too luxurious, leaving no room for other teams to compete?"

Zidane turned and shook hands with Roy, and the two then naturally embraced.

Roy shrugged, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "Ultimately, my job is to play well. As for player recruitment? Of course, the stronger the better, since I'm not the one footing the bill. We can't expect Real Madrid president Perez to build a Galácticos while preventing our Abramovich owner from assembling a 'Roman Legion,' can we?"

He laughed out loud after he finished speaking.

The two exchanged pleasantries, and for a moment no one paid any attention to Domenech, who was standing to the side.

The manager originally planned to bring Zidane back to counterbalance Roy, and ideally reorganize the trio of Zidane, Roy, and Vieira so that he could take control from the center.

But the Zidane before us is clearly different from the one we used to see.

After failing to advance in the Champions League for two consecutive years, especially after being eliminated by Juventus in the round of 16, this former dressing room leader has lost his edge and even his eyes show fatigue.

"Now, turn your attention to the players' tunnel—Zinedin Zidane, wearing the number 10 blue jersey, is back in the French national team after nine months! This is the first time we've seen this legend on the field since the European Championship final at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon in July 2004. The cheers from the stands are like a tidal wave, with fans chanting 'Zizou! Zizou!'"

Zidane slowly stepped onto the pitch, bent down to adjust his captain's armband, and then looked up at the night sky above the Stade de France.

At that moment, his eyes, now 32, held both a familiar calmness and a touch of world-weariness.

Behind him, at just twenty years old, Roy had already proven himself capable of carrying the future of the French team with the Ballon d'Or and the European Championship Golden Boot.

Zidane's return to the national team is no longer to prove that France needs him, but to prove himself.

He still has the ability to compete on the highest stage.

The 2006 World Cup in Germany will be the veteran's last battlefield and another challenge he will launch against fate.

With Henry sidelined due to a left leg injury, France's attack will be led by Roy and Trezeguet.

In midfield, Zidane played as the left winger, while Giuly, who was in excellent form, played as the right winger.

During the pre-match warm-up, Giuly was particularly active, jumping around and beaming with a smile.

Roy's diminutive partner has performed brilliantly since his transfer to Juventus, even pushing Italian international Camoranesi to the bench and becoming manager Deschamps' most trusted right-wing option.

At Juventus, the left flank is anchored by the versatile Nedved, while the right flank features Giuly's agile breakthroughs and crosses. This two-wing configuration makes the Bianconeri's attack more three-dimensional.

Up front, strikers like Ibrahimovic, Del Piero, and Trezeguet had more scoring opportunities and played with ease.

Faced with Switzerland's impenetrable defense, France struggled to break the deadlock in the first half.

The Swiss defense was well-organized, and several long passes by Boumsong and Gallas were thwarted by the opposing center-back Senderos.

But the French team's left flank remains their biggest threat.

Zidane used his signature ball control rhythm to constantly stretch the Swiss defense, sometimes cutting inside to play one-twos with Vieira, and sometimes suddenly accelerating down the wing to cross.

Roy frequently dropped back to receive the ball, creating space for Zidane with his agile runs and precise one-touch passes.

In the 37th minute, Zidane briefly observed the midfield before suddenly sending out a precise through ball. The ball passed through the gap between two Swiss midfielders and accurately found Roy making a run forward.

Roy received the ball with his back to the goal, and under close marking from Swiss defender Müller, he turned with a slight flick of his right foot, instantly shaking off the defender.

Facing Senderos's help defense, he first feinted to the left, then deflected to the right, deftly breaking through the double-team.

Just as the Swiss defensive formation was disrupted, Roy, without letting the ball bounce, curled a cross with the outside of his right foot.

The ball bypassed the last defender and found Trezeguet precisely inside the penalty area.

The French striker unleashed a powerful shot near the penalty spot, but his seemingly certain goal struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced out.

In the 40th minute, Vieira intercepted the ball in midfield and quickly advanced. Facing the interception of Swiss midfielder Vogel, he suddenly slowed down and changed direction, passing the ball with the outside of his left foot to Roy, who was making a run down the left flank.

After receiving the ball, Roy faced Swiss right-back Spicher directly. He feigned an inside cut, but as Spicher shifted his weight, he used the inside of his right foot to cut the ball back to his left and then delivered a low cross.

The ball passed between two Swiss defenders and found Zidane precisely on the left side of the penalty area.

Zidane, without adjusting, took a shot and fired it into the far corner of the goal. Swiss goalkeeper Frei quickly fell to the ground and barely managed to deflect the ball out of bounds with his fingertips.

The save drew gasps from the crowd; the ball was less than ten centimeters from the post.

"Even with Zidane's return, we can still see Roy taking on the main organizational role on the field. He drops deep to receive the ball, distributes it to the wings, and makes through balls to penetrate the defense, handling almost 70% of the French team's threatening passes. This forces us to face the fact that the 32-year-old Zidane is indeed no longer comparable to the 20-year-old Roy in terms of tempo control and running coverage."

"Perhaps Domenech should try to give Roy more freedom on the left wing, just like Pires did at Arsenal, nominally occupying the left wing but actually cutting inside to the attacking midfield area to organize attacks. Meanwhile, Zidane can return to his most familiar attacking midfield position, without having to track back too much, and focus on delivering the decisive pass from the edge of the penalty area."

"This is similar to a variation of the approach used in Euro 2000: back then, Deschamps and Petit formed a double pivot to shield Zidane, and now Vieira and Makelele can protect Roy and Zidane simultaneously. Roy's running can compensate for Zidane's lack of coverage, while Zidane's experience can guide Roy in choosing the right time to attack. This is true generational succession."

The moment that broke the deadlock came in the 67th minute.

After receiving the ball on the left wing, Roy completed a simple one-two pass with Makelele.

Just as the Swiss team's defensive focus shifted to the right, he suddenly changed direction and cut inside, piercing the ribs like a sharp knife.

Three Swiss players immediately closed in to surround Roy, but just as he was about to be surrounded, he gently flicked the ball with the back of his right foot, and the ball mysteriously passed through the gaps in the defense, rolling precisely towards the open space at the top of the penalty area.

Zidane had already quietly started his attack.

He shook off the midfielder marking him and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that went straight into the top right corner of the goal.

Despite a diving save by Swiss goalkeeper Frey, the ball, as if calculated, grazed the underside of the crossbar and nestled into the net!

After scoring, Zidane pointed both fingers to the sky, looked up at the night sky, and had a faint smile on his lips.

Roy was the first to rush to him, laughing and opening his arms wide, and the two embraced tightly.

Immediately afterwards, teammates such as Vieira, Makelele, and Trezeguet gathered around, surrounding Zidane and Roy in the middle.

The Stade de France erupted in cheers at that moment.

A deafening roar erupted from the stands, with fans rhythmically chanting "Zizou! Roy! Zizou! Roy!", the sound growing louder and louder with each wave.

Some veteran fans were even moved to tears, as if they were witnessing the past and future of French football perfectly intertwined at that moment.

The French television commentator excitedly said, "We look forward to the glory of the 2006 World Cup, which will be Zidane's most perfect farewell stage. At that time, perhaps we can rightfully call him the 'King of European Football,' standing shoulder to shoulder with legends like Maradona and Pelé."

"And this 20-year-old prodigy will shoulder the heavy responsibility for the future of French football. Look at his performance today, I would even dare to say that, given time, his achievements may surpass Zidane's! The golden age of France will not end with the departure of a legend, because Roy has proven that he is fully capable of taking over this mantle."

The French television commentator suddenly choked up, his voice trembling slightly. He dared not say the rest directly: "Two kings in one country. This is a spectacle we could never have imagined."

He paused for a moment, seemingly to compose himself: "Zidane interpreted the art of football with his elegance, while Roy is writing a new legend with his energy. It is the good fortune of French football to witness the passing of the torch between two geniuses in the same era."

(End of this chapter)