Emperor of Football: Julien De Rocca

Châtaigner made a special trip to find Hadzibegic. "Try to control Julien's playing time. In unimportant matches, about twenty minutes should be enough."

Hadzibegic looked up from his laptop screen and nodded. He understood why Châtaigner had come to deliver this message personally rather than delegating it to the medical staff.

In the past few days, the team doctor's examination had revealed that Julien's muscle load was somewhat excessive.

Julien already had a history of two serious adductor muscle injuries. This couldn't help but make Châtaigner nervous.

Châtaigner leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly. "I think you understand what Julien means to us—to this entire club, this community. Let me put it this way: I've been making calls, speaking with contacts in the industry. Transfermarkt might update Julien's market value to eight figures by the end of the month. Eight figures, Faruk. The exact amount isn't decided yet—it depends on his performance in the upcoming French Cup matches."

"Eight figures?!" Upon hearing this, Hadzibegic's face broke into a pleased smile.

He had been there through it all—from the days when Julien was completely ignored by scouts and coaches. He had witnessed the darkest chapter, the disgraceful imprisonment that had nearly destroyed the young man's spirit and career before it had truly begun.

 And now, he was seeing the miraculous resurrection: a player whose value had skyrocketed to tens of millions of euros.

Châtaigner nodded, his expression growing more serious. "We cannot—I repeat, cannot—let Cristiano Ronaldo's story repeat itself at Bastia."

The reference transported both men back to the early 2000s, to a cautionary tale that had become legend in French football circles. Before Bastia's relegation from Ligue 1, the club had faced Sporting CP in a routine match in 2003. Their scouts had taken notice of an 18-year-old Portuguese winger named Cristiano Ronaldo. At the time, Ronaldo was considered a very promising new star in Portuguese football.

Bastia had wanted to buy Ronaldo. But when Sporting presented their asking price, the Bastia board had hesitated. The negotiations had stalled, then collapsed over what now seemed like pocket change.

Joe Bonavita, who had served as Bastia's sporting director during that period, had later chronicled the missed opportunity in his memoir "Bastia Legend.": "Someone told me this kid was very talented and could play in Ligue 1. His club wanted 800,000 euros. After discussing with the club directors and coach Gérard Gili, we refused. We thought it was too much for an unproven teenager."

The book had revealed another crushing near-miss: Bastia had also turned down the chance to sign Franck Ribéry for similar financial reasons, their short-sighted penny-pinching costing them two future Ballon d'Or contenders.

Just a few months after Bastia's refusal, Manchester United had swooped in, paying 17.5 million euros to buy Ronaldo from Sporting.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Châtaigner's gaze drifted toward the window, where he could see players beginning to arrive for training.

"I don't know if Julien has the chance to surpass or match Ronaldo's achievements," He said quietly. "But I know this much—we won't make the same mistake twice."

3:00 PM - Stade Armand-Césari

The Mediterranean sun beat down on the Stade Armand-Césari as the league match between Bastia and Amiens kicked off with all the fanfare of a routine afternoon fixture.

Julien sat motionless on the bench.

Bastia had rotated half their first-team players for this encounter, fielding a mixed squad of experienced professionals and eager youngsters desperate to prove themselves and the sight wasn't particularly impressive.

Of course, Amiens was even worse.

Their season had been a series of disasters: poor results, internal conflicts that had spilled into the public, and a sense of sickness that seemed to infect every aspect of their play.

The dressing room had become a battlefield where management and players engaged in disputes, while higher-ups in the club were involved in a pathetic game of blame-shifting.

Their fans had reached the breaking point. Many had simply stopped attending matches, unable to stomach another disappointing performance. Those who remained did so out of stubborn loyalty rather than hope.

Against Bastia's half-rotated side, Amiens' tactical approach could generously be described as chaotic.

Their defensive line seemed to exist in a state of constant confusion, while their attacking players operated in isolation, each pursuing individual glory. The midfield, supposedly the engine of any successful team, resembled more of a broken-down car splattering along a highway.

The match was decided within the first half-hour. Bastia's superior organization and individual quality were too much for their struggling opponents, with two goals establishing a comfortable lead that never looked in danger of being overturned.

There was no need for main players like Rothen, Maolida, and Julien to enter the field. The match had taken on the atmosphere of a training exercise, with Bastia controlling without ever shifting out of second gear.

In the second half, Hadzibegic took the rotation policy even further, fielding an entire defensive line composed of substitute players.

His mind was already focused on March 22nd and the French Cup clash against Rennes.

In the end, Julien didn't play.

When the final whistle blew, Bastia had secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over the bottom-placed Amiens.

The post-match interview session proved to be a small-scale version of the match, perfunctory and boring. The gathered journalists showed barely any interest in the match they had just witnessed.

When yet another reporter asked a generic question about team performance, Hadzibegic cut through the pretense bluntly.

"Since you clearly have no questions about this match, let's leave it at that,"

Back in the dressing room, Julien and his teammates hadn't even needed to shower after the match.

Maolida showed no joy from the victory; instead, he seemed nervous. "We're facing another Ligue 1 team next, how are you guys acting like nothing's wrong? Aren't you nervous? If we win, the bonus will be substantial!"

"Heh heh heh, you can be nervous by yourself - stop trying to mess with our mindset," Rothen waved his hand dismissively.

Julien also said, "If being nervous could win matches, I should already be having cramps by now."

Previously, Rothen had only thought of Julien as a technical genius but treated him like a child.

But as his contact with Julien deepened, Rothen felt that within this genius's body resided an equally mature soul.

Perhaps it was truly that one imprisonment that completely changed Julien.

Maolida pursed his lips in response to their casual confidence. Looking at the calm and collected Julien, he sighed slightly.

This confidence, he realized, came from a combination of factors that couldn't be replicated or learned. It was Julien's strength of character, his unique experiences, and perhaps most importantly, his talent.

Talent, as they say, was something brought from the womb. No amount of training or preparation could manufacture the kind of natural ability that Julien possessed, nor could it create the unshakeable self-belief that seemed to radiate from his presence.

The Next Day

Châtaigner found Julien. "The ten tickets you wanted - I've kept them for you. The seats are all close to the field."

"Thank you," Julien replied, accepting the envelope with gratitude.

These were reserved for the Mbappé family.

Châtaigner and Julien headed to the training ground together. On the way, Châtaigner once again reminded Julien, "You can't continue training at high intensity like before. Your muscle load is significant now. I can't guarantee whether your adductor muscle injury will recur."

"Mm, I understand," Julien replied, though his tone suggested that understanding and accepting were two different things entirely.

Julien was also troubled by the injury issue. Although he desperately wanted to spend every day at the training ground, improving his attributes through training, humans weren't machines.

He too would get fatigued; he too would increase his injury risk due to excessive muscle stress.

Perhaps if he wanted rapid improvement, he'd have to hope that his attribute enhancement system included relevant strengthening capabilities.

But without such enhancement abilities, he had to suppress his eager heart to become stronger and follow scientific training principles.

On the training ground, Châtaigner delivered an inspiring speech and once again emphasized the substantial bonus for winning the French Cup.

This filled Bastia's players with anticipation.

Hadzibegic capitalized on this enthusiasm, briefly explaining the situation against Rennes: "Rennes' tactical style is mainly defensive counterattacks, lacking stability. Our main strategy is to do the same - defensive counterattacks. We'll yield possession, prevent their quick counterattacks from developing, force them into positional play they're not good at. That's our opportunity."

Listening to Hadzibegic's words, some impressions of Rennes flashed through Julien's mind.

Before 2012, Rennes had frequent coaching changes, but their youth system gradually became an important pillar of the club.

This Ligue 1 team had found their way to survive - youth development.

Around 2010, the club management began emphasizing sustainable development, reducing dependence on expensive signings, instead improving competitiveness through youth training and signing potential players at low prices, then selling them for profit.

 This strategy helped Rennes achieve financial balance in subsequent years.

While many old Ligue 1 teams were drowning in debt and facing bankruptcy, Rennes lived relatively comfortably.

Currently, Rennes was still in a transitional phase: their youth system was gradually maturing, but their first team lacked breakthrough results.

They definitely wanted to win the French Cup as well.

This opponent wouldn't be easy.

But at the same time, this was also his opportunity.

Not just for victory points, but also as a platform to showcase his abilities. Trampling the strong was far more satisfying than overcoming the weak.

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