I changed football.

1 month 9 day.

Monaco, pouring rain.

Temperatures of 7 degrees Celsius combined with heavy rain.

The wind was biting cold.

This was the 20th round of Ligue 1, with Monaco hosting Ajaccio.

In this match, Li Yuan and Mbappe were still on the bench, chatting in a corner.

"Have you signed a contract?" Mbappe asked quietly, covering his mouth.

"It was signed yesterday."

"Then they'll probably announce our signing tomorrow."

"I think so."

The two chatted casually.

The main reason is that the game was a bit boring.

Monaco took an early lead, going up 1-0 against Ajaccio just 10 minutes into the first half.

Ajaccio, on the other hand, seemed to lack fighting spirit and didn't actively press for the ball.

So the scene became quite ugly.

"Sometimes I think those haters are right."

"What is it?"

"Some haters of Ligue 1 call it a peasants' league."

Why did you suddenly think of this?

"Look at Ajaccio, a relegation-threatened team. They're already in the second half of the league, and they're still playing so lazily. They have no sense of urgency at all. Anyone who plays against them will get three points. There's no suspense in a match like this. Look at the stadium. It's a full stadium with more than 2 people and it's not even full."

"Killian, are you going to be the president of Ligue 1? You seem quite concerned about Ligue 1 matters."

"I'm French, of course I want Ligue 1 to do well. You know, the top stars of the other major leagues usually play in their own country's league, or at least during their peak years, but Ligue 1 has never done that. Serie A has been the world's best league, La Liga has been the top league, the Premier League has been, and the Bundesliga was for a time, but what about Ligue 1?"

"Have you ever played in the Bundesliga?"

"Of course, back when Hamburg was able to win the Champions League."

"Oh right, looking at it this way, it's true. Ligue 1 has only won the Champions League once, right?"

"That incident was also quite controversial."

"What exactly are you trying to say by suddenly going on and on about all this? I feel like you should post these opinions in the team report."

"I just feel that Ligue 1 needs new things, a new atmosphere, and new blood."

"Okay, so you're saying we need a young guy like you to play, right?"

"Yeah, look at this game, it's so boring. The players are just passing the ball back. If we could come on, at least we could make things a little more interesting."

"Alright, the coach just wants to play it safe in the league right now. After all, we're only 6 points ahead of fourth place, which seems like a lot, but there's still half a season left. Especially in the second half, we're competing on multiple fronts. Let me try to analyze the coach's thinking for you. If we're still leading 1-0 in the second half, do you think the coach will bring on attacking players to try and extend the lead, or bring on defensive players to stabilize the current score?"

Li Yuan has raised a very interesting question.

"I think it might be like this: he'll bring on an attacking player first, and then a defensive player. Because he's not the kind of player who plays extremely conservatively, but he's constrained by the current points situation, so he has to play it safe. But he doesn't want to play it safe, so he'll bring on an attacking player."

"So, which one of us do you think he'll replace?"

As a result, neither of the two players was substituted in; Jardim replaced Lemar.

They assigned him to play as a shadow striker.

The final score was 1-0.

A very boring match.

Monaco's performance after the match drew criticism from the media.

The editor-in-chief of RMC Sports published a long article immediately after the match, which began by criticizing Monaco's head coach, Jardim.

"It's unbelievable that Jardim didn't choose to play his team's two stars in either of the two league matches spanning 20 days, not even for a minute. Jardim should be thankful that Monaco won both matches. Although they won, the performance was terrible. The number of fans in the stands speaks volumes. The fans' chants for Mbappe and Li Yuan after the match say it all. When you're third in Ligue 1, facing a relegation-threatened team, you shouldn't be performing like this. Only 5 shots on goal the entire match—what is this? Was your opponent Marseille? Or Paris Saint-Germain? Your opponent was Ajaccio, who are at the bottom of the league this season! In their last match against the bottom team, Ajaccio conceded 9 shots on goal!"

Meanwhile, L'Equipe also criticized Monaco's recent performance.

However, the criticism wasn't as harsh as RMC's.

When Li Yuan returned to his dormitory that evening, he had just leaned back on the sofa when he received a link from Mbappe, containing just these two news items.

About six or seven minutes later, Mbappe sent another message.

Do you think we'll get playing time in the next league match?

"have no idea."

"As promised by the coach when he spoke with us, we will start in the French Cup match after the next league game."

"The opponents in the French Cup are not very strong."

"They're definitely not strong; they're a mid-to-lower tier team in Ligue 2."

The two chatted for a few more meaningless minutes before ending the conversation.

Soon it was time for the 21st round of the league.

Despite playing away from home, Li Yuan and Mbappe were still selected for the 18-man squad.

He was still not in the starting lineup and spent the entire game sitting on the bench.

Li Yuan recalled the smiles he had shared with Mbappe a few days earlier when they stood together in the Monaco president's office for a commemorative photo of signing their first professional contract.

Looking back now, Li Yuan and Mbappe probably both wore professional smiles back then, but deep down they couldn't truly be smiling.

The player remained seated throughout the entire match.

Li Yuan's mentality can't be said to have collapsed, but it's definitely quite bad.

But Mbappe's side exploded.

The one who was exposed was his mother, Fazai Ramali.

Fans familiar with Mbappe will certainly recognize her.

She had criticized Monaco's director, Campos, and warned Monaco's head coach, Jardim.

He even criticized the former head coach of Monaco's youth team.

This time, she publicly stated in an interview with Team News that her son's talent was being limited.

That's what I said.

"Our primary goal has always been to sign with Monaco. Killian told me not to discuss any conditions, just sign him directly because he likes it here. I listened to my son and chose to sign with Monaco. But look at what Monaco did. The day before the signing, my son sat on the bench for 90 minutes. After signing, he didn't get a single minute of playing time in a single game. What I want to say is that Killian's talent has been recognized by French football. Before we signed with Monaco, many teams wanted him, but Killian resolutely chose this place. However, his efforts were not rewarded; instead, they were trampled on. Look at Li Yuan; he's a foreigner who came here—did he come here just to sit on the bench?"

Li Yuan didn't expect that Mbappe's mother would mention him at the end.

After this report came out, it has to be said that the atmosphere within the team became strange for Mbappe.

Although no one calls Mbappe "mama's boy" to his face—yes, that's a term used in France and Monaco—Li Yuan has heard his teammates calling him that behind his back.

However, it must be said that Eriksen has a very strong mentality.

He didn't take any of this to heart, at least not outwardly.

Li Yuan looked at Mbappe, who was chatting and laughing with him.

I thought to myself that I should learn this kind of mindset.