When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 50 Roy possesses both (Please continue reading!)

"After your hat-trick against Malta, L'Équipe called you the 'new Papin.' How do you view this label?"

This is a test of the media's attitude towards idolizing celebrities.

The Fourth Power narrative's favorite game is shaping and breaking.

Can you please stop with all this "new" stuff?!

Have you considered how Yorkshire would feel seeing "Xinxiang"?

"Papin? That's a great name. But..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I would prefer L'Équipe to call me 'the first Roy' at the end of the season."

Then Marciano began to probe Roy's prospects with the national team.

"After France's elimination in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup, the public had many doubts about the new generation of players. How did you rebuild trust?"

"The best way to rebuild trust is to destroy the doubters, and the 2003 Confederations Cup on home soil would be a suitable stage."

"Platini said, 'France doesn't need new idols, it only needs 11 warriors.' Do you think he's afraid of being surpassed?"

frown.

What kind of warrior? From "Legend of the Green Field" to "Anti-Corruption Storm"?
Isn't this supposed to be reducing five channels to one? How did it get involved with military channels?

“I think he’s right!” Roy nodded.

The former French football star, who is currently preparing to run for the next UEFA president, recently publicly criticized the club in the media, saying: "If Real Madrid cannot improve the club's financial situation within three years, UEFA should remove it from the Champions League. I would be very disappointed if UEFA does not have this courage."

Real Madrid has indeed been caught in a media storm recently. On the one hand, they are facing a financial deficit, and on the other hand, they have suddenly and publicly announced their intention to sign England superstar David Beckham.

Former Manchester United star Eric Cantona recently complained in an interview with Italian media: "Real Madrid's behavior during the Beckham transfer rumors was utterly unsportsmanlike. These rumors prevented Manchester United from focusing on preparing for the Champions League quarter-final. Real Madrid probably had no interest in Beckham at all; their behavior can only be described as 'ugly'."

In Spain, Real Sociedad coach Denuel also criticized the government, saying, "Every time Real Madrid has a huge financial deficit, the government steps in to cover it."

Marciano: "Zidane suggested you go to Real Madrid, Henry suggested you go to Arsenal, and Petit advised you to stay in Ligue 1 for now. Whose words carry more weight?"

Roy: "Zidane's Real Madrid, Henry's Gunners, Petit's advice. These are all great voices. But right now the loudest voice is in Monaco—in every training session, in every game I play. Transfer rumors? They're like the Mediterranean wind, they come and go. And what I have to do is make the Monaco flag fly higher in the wind."

"When the time comes, the answer will be as clear as a football on a penalty spot. But right now, all my thoughts are on how to take this team further."

Marciano didn't believe it; he believed he would know the answer within three months.

Marciano: "With the newly established 'European Young Player of the Year' award by Tuttosport, you will likely be one of the top contenders. Do you know anything about the other nominees? Rafael van der Vaart of Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie, Arjen Robben of Groningen, Wayne Rooney of Everton (who was already playing like an adult at seventeen), and Cristiano Ronaldo of Sporting Lisbon."

"Van der Vaart's curve is indeed beautiful, I've seen his videos. Robben? Groningen's prodigy! I heard he's very fast. Rooney? A household name, the youngest goalscorer in the Premier League, ending Arsenal's 30-game unbeaten run! Arsenal's nemesis! He was sent off with a red card for a reckless tackle against Birmingham. The youngest player to be sent off in the Premier League, hmm, very tough!"

"The last one."

Roy's expression turned serious: "I'm sorry, I haven't heard of him. I only follow two Ronaldos. There's another one, and I'll be facing him soon."

This special interview was relatively "well-intentioned".

This is just part of the campaign to help Roy win the inaugural Golden Boy award.

Clubs, media, legends, and even half of the French football world all hope that Roy will exercise his "right of first night" for this award.

Because the first will always be remembered, and in fact, Van der Vaart certainly did.

Migliacio hopes this award will pave the way for Roy's future commercial value and solidify his status as a "new flag bearer of France".

Even the French media hoped that Roy would become synonymous with the "Golden Boy" award, just like Platini was to the Ballon d'Or and Zidane was to the Champions League final.

The media hype has already begun.

Although Tuttosport has not yet released its official prediction list, there are only a handful of young leaders in each league.

L'Équipe recently featured a front-page article titled "Roy: The 18-Year-Old Phenomenon, the Future of French Football" (with a photo of Roy volleying at the Monaco training ground).

The core rhetoric: "He was more precocious than Henry and more lethal than Zidane."

"If the Golden Boy award had been established ten years earlier, Henry and Trezeguet would both have had to wait in line."

L'quipe's statistics column published key data on "Roy vs. European Peers" (comparing Van der Vaart, Robben, Rooney, and Ronaldo).

Except for key passes where he was behind Van der Vaart, he was far ahead in everything else.

The conclusion is: "Comprehensiveness + Efficiency = True Golden Boy".

Canal+ plans to produce a short documentary, "Roy: Professionalism at 18," after the French Ligue 1 season concludes, following his training, diet, and post-match recovery. The script includes:

We practiced shooting at 6:30 a.m.

Reject carbonated drinks, only drink customized protein shakes.

Studying his opponent's video while taking a post-match ice bath.

French legends have also begun to endorse him, with Zidane commenting in an interview: "Roy reminds me of myself at 18 in Cannes, only he scored more goals."

Despite his reluctance, Henry stated, "If he doesn't get the Golden Boy award, then the award is meaningless."

Even French coach Santini commented: "Some players are born to break the rules, and Roy is one of them."

It's foreseeable that during the crucial period before the vote, the French media will start digging into things like "Rooney's volatile history," but unfortunately, Van der Vaart's "The Wife-Swapping Scandal" is still a long way off.

The only drawback is that Roy only played well for less than half a season, and his statistics are currently behind Van der Vaart, but French media believe:
If Roy's stats in just half a season are comparable to Van der Vaart's stats in the entire 2002/2003 season, then if Roy had joined Ligue 1 earlier, this award would have been a foregone conclusion.

Moreover, the Golden Boy award is calculated based on the calendar year, not the season, so Roy still has a chance to catch up in terms of statistics next season before the award ceremony.

Van der Vaart? He's just the longest river in the Golden Boy competition; the highest mountain is Roy.

----------

RMC Radio Debate Topic:
Topic: "Should the Golden Boy Award go to the strongest or the most promising?"

The program begins.

Host Gomez: "Good night, listeners! Tonight we're going to dissect a 'trolley problem' in the football world—should the Golden Boy award be given to the best young player right now, or should we gamble on a talent with an even higher potential?"

即战力派代表：“看看数据！罗伊本赛季法甲9场11球6助攻，联赛杯半决赛2球1助，范德法特在荷甲早刷了半个赛季数据罢了！荷甲防守强度就像幼儿园过家家！”

"Rooney is indeed as strong as an ox, but Roy's football IQ is at a PhD level! He can get past you in three ways and then taunt you in a fourth."

A representative of the potential generation said: "Gentlemen, football is a marathon! That kid named Cristiano's flexibility and agility are a once-in-a-decade phenomenon, and Robben's speed will still be unstoppable five years from now! Roy? His playing style relies too much on explosive power; after 28..."

The host suddenly interrupted.

Gomez: "But that's ten years from now!"

"I mean, his explosive power will only increase after he turns twenty-eight!"

A neutral expert said: "A true golden boy should be like Roy – he can carry Monaco to victory in Ligue 1 now, and he will likely have two more Ballon d'Or awards than Van der Vaart in five years!"

"I propose the following formula: Golden Boy Value = (Current Data × League Coefficient) + (Potential Valuation × Club Development Ability). According to this calculation, Roy is far ahead in total points!"

At the end of the program, during the audience call-in segment, a Marseille fan angrily called in and said: "Golden Boy? Learn not to dive in the penalty area first!"

Gomez strikes the tuning peg:

"After 135 minutes of heated debate, we declare – Roy is the 'Schrödinger's cat' of football!"

"He can kill the game with a goal today, and he has the potential to make Wenger want to sign him for ten years! As for the others?"

Conclusion: "Strongest immediate combat power + most insane potential = the one and only true golden boy"

The second conclusion: "Roy possesses both qualities."

— Radio Monte Carlo (RMC Monaco).

"A draw left both sides dissatisfied."

Three matches were played in the 30th round of La Liga. In the highly anticipated "El Clásico," Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Barcelona at home, with former clubs Ronaldo and Enrique each scoring a goal. Barcelona's performance was astonishing, creating five excellent scoring opportunities within just the first 10 minutes, while Real Madrid posed virtually no real threat to Barcelona's goal until the 63rd minute. Ronaldo's goal in the 16th minute only proved that Real Madrid had good luck.

In the 34th minute, Zidane elbowed Puyol while shielding the ball on the left wing, and then shoved and argued with Enrique. During the chaos, Makelele pulled Motta's hair.

The match was only able to continue after the referee intervened.

—Marca

Lyon drew 0-0 with Lille at home, further widening the gap with league leaders Monaco.

索肖也在主场0比0同甘冈互交白卷，南特主场1比1战平巴黎圣日耳曼，尼斯客场2比2战平雷恩，欧塞尔主场1比0小胜勒阿弗尔，巴斯蒂亚主场1比2不敌蒙彼利埃，色当在主场凭借卡马拉的帽子戏法4比0大胜垫底的特鲁瓦，波尔多客场6比1狂胜阿雅克肖，葡萄牙前锋保莱塔上演帽子戏法并以20球排列射手榜首。

—Canal+ Ligue 1 Focus (Téléfoot)

(End of this chapter)