Emperor of Football: Julien De Rocca

Group D of the European Championship was the most chaotic of all four groups. All four teams were tied with three points each. Unlike the other three groups, there was no clear leader.

This meant that in the final round of Group D, any team that won would advance. For all four teams, the pressure was immense.

However, the media unanimously favored England and France to advance together. But the French themselves were somewhat panicked.

France had never won against a host nation in either the European Championship or World Cup.

They were deeply afflicted by the "host nation curse."

Against host nations, they either drew or lost, and were usually eliminated in the group stage or knocked out directly by the hosts.

The only exception was the 2000 Netherlands-Belgium European Championship.

In the final group stage match, France faced the Netherlands.

The dominant French team had already won their first two matches and had advanced alongside the Netherlands.

So, they rested Zidane, Henry, and eight other key players in that match.

The result was a 2-3 loss to the Netherlands.

But they miraculously won the championship in the end.

Worth noting was that Blanc was a starting center-back at that time.

So, during a post-training interview, when a reporter mentioned the "host nation curse" to Blanc, he simply replied, "All records are meant to be broken."

This phrase reflected his true feelings.

He knew that when he announced the starting lineup tomorrow, it would certainly face numerous questions.

At least when the squad list was announced internally to the French team, it had caused quite a "splash."

"He's starting? I'm not playing!" Ben Arfa exploded with shocking words.

The rest of his teammates frowned.

The French team was already on the edge of a cliff, and despite the internal conflicts, many still wanted the prize money for reaching the knockout stages.

Even playing just one match would bring at least 100,000 euros in prize money.

Winning would mean even more.

Blanc didn't say much and directly dismissed the meeting.

But Ben Arfa continued his outburst. "Why was I substituted in the last match? There were clearly players on the field performing worse than me! And now you want to start someone who's only played in Ligue 2? Is this you, Laurent Blanc?!"

This was essentially Ben Arfa's bombardment of Blanc.

Blanc initially didn't intend to argue with him, as he hadn't planned to continue using Ben Arfa anyway.

Hearing these words, his temper flared, and he pointed at him. "And what are you? This is the French national team! This isn't a place for you to throw tantrums. If you don't want to play, go home by yourself, isn't that what you do best?"

Ben Arfa wanted to continue, while Nasri and others sneered, ready to watch the drama unfold.

Benzema frowned deeply, thinking about how to express his dissatisfaction, he had also been benched.

It was Ribéry who quickly stepped forward. He pushed Ben Arfa away. "What are you saying, you fool?! Julien starting could catch them off guard, it's a tactical arrangement. What are you thinking?"

As a veteran, Ribéry felt somewhat melancholic seeing the tragedy of the 2010 South Africa World Cup replaying in the French team.

He was no longer the rookie from 2006, playing alongside Zidane, Henry, and Vieira.

After that World Cup, France bid farewell to Zidane; after South Africa, Henry also retired from international football.

Looking at the "Four Little Swans" of the 1987 generation around him, and the 1994-born De Rocca, Ribéry finally understood the responsibility that Zidane and Henry had carried back then.

So, he stepped forward and ended this division.

The others said nothing.

At this moment, each player in the French team had their own thoughts.

The way they left the training ground in small groups revealed the situation clearly.

Julien wasn't surprised by the chaos in the French team.

If the "Four Little Swans" weren't removed, France couldn't win the championship. Later, when Deschamps took over, he dared to drop the "Four Little Swans."

Even when Benzema was performing brilliantly at Real Madrid, delivering world-class performances, Deschamps still didn't call him up.

So, for Julien, this match was more important for making French fans familiar with him than winning or losing.

Perhaps his first start would surprise people. But everything has a beginning.

The French team's internal strife was just a minor episode.

As the final round of the European Championship group stage began, with each group starting their matches, fans from every nation focused their attention on their respective teams.

There were many off-field incidents at the European Championship, not only multiple cases of racial discrimination but also several violent incidents.

Retired England star Campbell had warned English fans before the tournament: "Stay home and watch the matches on TV. Don't take risks, because you might be sent back in a coffin."

Amid all the commotion, the advancement situation of the preceding groups gradually became clear.

Group A: Czech Republic and Greece advanced, while hosts Poland and Russia were eliminated. Russia was particularly unfortunate, tied with Greece on four points but finishing third due to head-to-head record.

Group B: Germany won all three matches and advanced alongside Portugal, Denmark finished third, and the Netherlands finished bottom without a single win.

Speaking of the Netherlands, they had shown signs of internal discord from the moment they arrived at their European Championship base, which was exposed by Sneijder's comment: "The atmosphere is indeed different from 2010. We have no obligation to be friends in order to play together and win."

June 19th.

Group C's matches were scheduled for the evening, with Spain, Italy, and Croatia all having chances to advance, while Ireland was already eliminated.

Group D held their pre-match press conferences that afternoon.

"President" Blanc and "Golden Arrow" Blokhin, as opponents, each expressed their teams' determination to fight for victory at their respective press conferences.

The Ukrainians longed to go further in the European Championship, with Shevchenko having clearly stated that he would retire from international football after this tournament.

But the French were equally eager to reach the knockout stages.

That evening, Spain defeated Croatia and advanced to the knockout stages alongside Italy.

Giroud, thinking about his upcoming start the next evening, felt somewhat excited and said to Julien, "Julien, will we win?"

"Of course."

Julien gave an affirmative response while replying to a message on his phone—"Okay."

June 20th.

At 6:45 PM, after warming up on the field, the French and Ukrainian players returned to their dressing rooms to prepare.

The official match would begin in fifteen minutes.

Six of the eight quarter-finalists were already in place, with just this final group remaining.

The atmosphere in both dressing rooms was tense.

As the French players emerged from their dressing room, Blanc stood at the door, high-fiving each player for encouragement.

When Julien came out, Blanc gave him a hug and whispered in his ear. "Zidane told me last night that you're the most suitable person to become the team's core, but you're still young and need time. However, I don't have time left with the national team. This might be my last match coaching the national team."

Boom!

At that moment outside the stadium, thunder roared.

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