Emperor of Football: Julien De Rocca

In the days leading up to the French Cup Quarter-Final between Bastia and Rennes, an unusual silence fell over the Bastia training complex. The entire team had jointly decided to refuse all interview requests, creating an information vacuum that only served to heighten the anticipation surrounding the match.

The players remained peacefully at their training base, waiting for match day to arrive.

Outside their protective bubble, however, the world was buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

Bastia's media had already analyzed all the advantages the team would have against Rennes before the match.

The headlines grew more dramatic with each passing day: "Antonetti vs Hadzibegic: Can Bastia Slay the Ligue 1 Giants?" and "The Corsican Dream: One Match from History."

Television studios hosted heated debates between former players and tactical experts, each offering their own theories about how the match might unfold.

At the Sunset Coffee Bar, Bertrand once again brought out his activity of discounts whenever Julien scored.

Bastia's most hardcore and loyal fan organization "Ultras Bastia" used the Sunset Coffee Bar as their headquarters, they were planning how to give everyone a shock in this French Cup match.

Ultras Bastia was one of France's earliest and most authentic ultras organizations, their approach was directly inspired by the passionate supporter cultures of Italy and Southern Europe.

Their philosophy went far beyond simple support—they emphasized fanatical loyalty, visual impact, and collective identity.

The organization carried additional complexity due to Corsica's unique position in French political and cultural history. The island's separatist tendencies, its fierce independence, and its complex relationship with mainland France infused the fan culture with political traces that occasionally attracted unwanted attention from authorities.

The French Football Federation had launched multiple investigations into the group's activities over the years, concerned about chants and displays that drifted into political territory. But rather than dampening their enthusiasm, this scrutiny had only strengthened their resolve and sense of identity as defenders of Corsican pride.

"The pre-match tifo session must be rehearsed properly. Let's have a spectacular appearance in the French Cup!" UB leader Mordoso emphasized again. "I don't want to see anyone drop the ball. You must keep an eye on the tifo materials - don't cut corners."

"Of course!"

"No problem!"

"We won't let you down!"

Mordoso looked at the other UB core members' responses, smiled, and raised his glass. "Come on, for Corsica, for Bastia, for Julien! Cheers!!"

"Come on, for Corsica, for Bastia, for Julien! Cheers!!"

The response was thunderous: "Cheers!!"

Every glass in the room was raised in unison.

After downing their drinks with gusto, the entire group erupted in their traditional battle cry: "Forza Bastia!!"

While the ultras planned their visual spectacle. The gambling enthusiasts who never missed an opportunity were in a state of uncertainty.

The match presented a fascinating paradox for those who liked to put their money where their mouth was.

Logic and conventional wisdom said that the smart money should be on Rennes—a stable Ligue 1 club with superior resources, greater depth, and more experience in high-pressure situations.

The bookmakers' odds reflected this reality, offering attractive returns for those brave enough to back the underdog.

But past experience had taught seasoned gamblers to be extremely cautious whenever Bastia was involved. The wildcards in any equation involving the Corsican club was the presence of Julien De Rocca, whose individual brilliance had single-handedly turned desperate situations.

Experienced punters shared their wisdom: "If De Rocca plays—and I mean really plays, not just makes a cameo appearance—then Hadzibegic's tactical board would definitely read: 1. Give the ball to De Rocca, 2. Get on your knees and pray, 3. Celebrate!"

"I really don't dare to bet on any combination involving Bastia," said one veteran gambler. "De Rocca has driven me absolutely crazy. Just when you think you've got the match figured out, he pulls something out of nowhere at the last minute."

But for every cautious voice, there was an equally passionate advocate for taking the plunge. "Listen to me—bet everything on Bastia, If we win, we'll be dining with club beauties; if we lose, we'll be working on docks for the next six months!"

The sentiment was infectious, spreading through the gambling community like a virus.

"Right, let's go for it!" became the rallying cry of those who chose heart over head.

The match had attracted attention from far beyond France. And scouts from Italy, England, and Spain had all arrived. They came with their respective purposes, gathering in Bastia.

Among the most notable arrivals was Zinedine Zidane, who had specifically taken a day off from his duties at Real Madrid to make the trip to Corsica. he understood better than most that highlight videos and statistical analysis could only tell part of a player's story—sometimes, witnessing a performance in person could reveal qualities that would never show up in video footage.

From Turin, Leonardo had received authorization to make Julien a priority recruitment target in the French market. He had been monitoring the young star for months, but this match was a crucial opportunity to evaluate his performance against higher-level opposition.

Meanwhile, Arsène Wenger, though unable to travel to Corsica due to prior commitments, had made sure the date didn't escape his attention. In his office at the Clairefontaine training center, he had circled March 22nd on his calendar with red ink, noting simply "Julien, 7 PM" beside the date.

As for Elion, he had already settled in a semi-permanent state in Corsica.

The match hadn't even begun, but it had already generated the kind of attention typically reserved for major international fixtures.

March 20th, Afternoon

Mbappé contacted Julien, saying his family had arrived in Corsica.

Julien made time to meet them and gave them the tickets.

"I often hear Kylian mention you, saying you're now one of his idols too." Wilfrid, accompanied by his family, smiled gratefully upon meeting Julien. "Thank you for bringing us these tickets."

Mbappé stood beside his parents looking somewhat reserved.

Next to him was an even younger child who bore some resemblance to Mbappé - this was his younger brother, Ethan Mbappé.

Further over were the wife and children of Jires Kembo Ekoko, along with other friends who had made the journey to Corsica. Exactly ten people.

Unfortunately, Julien's schedule didn't have much time for a long social visit. After exchanging pleasantries, he excused himself to return to the training base.

As he walked back to his car, Julien's phone buzzed with a text message from Kylian: "My family are all fans of Jires, but I hope you're the winner this time."

The message brought a smile to Julien's face. He composed a brief response: "Thank you."

Sometimes, the most meaningful conversations required the fewest words.

Back at the training base, Players moved through their routines. Every training drill had been carefully designed to simulate the conditions they would face against Rennes.

Rothen saw Julien smiling and checking the Rennes squad information that Hadzibegic had provided.

"What are you laughing about?" Rothen asked curiously.

Rather than launching into a detailed explanation of his thought process, Julien simply replied, "I'm happy, so naturally I'm smiling."

Maolida, watching from the side, became even more envious of Julien's mindset.

The entire Bastia team didn't accept any interviews during their preparation period.

 It wasn't until the pre-match press conference on the 21st that Hadzibegic, accompanied by Rothen, accepted reporters' questions.

The reporters were obviously most concerned about whether De Rocca would start in this match.

"In the last match against Amiens, De Rocca was rested and didn't play," began the first questioner, a journalist from L'Équipe. "Was this preparation for this match?"

Hadzibegic's shook his head and said. "No, it was simply because Julien trains too hard and his muscle load was excessive. We need to manage his playing time carefully to prevent injury. As for this match, you'll find out tomorrow."

The answer provided just enough information to satisfy the immediate question while revealing nothing about tactical intentions.

When reporters pressed him repeatedly about his confidence level for the upcoming match, Hadzibegic fell back on his standard approach.

"We're just a Ligue 2 promoted team, while Rennes is a consistently stable top-ten Ligue 1 team. This is an objective fact that we can't ignore. When we're fighting for relegation in the division, they're striving for Champions League qualification. Of course, I have confidence in my players, but we must be realistic about the challenge we face."

Anyway, Hadzibegic never made bold statements - reporters and fans were used to it.

Even opposing fans thought this Bosnian old man was a sly fox, talking about relegation while sitting first on the table!

While Bastia prepared in relative privacy, Rennes faced their own media responsibilities and internal pressures. On paper, they were clear favorites to advance to the semifinals, but football had a way of making paper predictions look foolish.

Their Head coach Antonetti was also interviewed.

Antonetti had deep ties with Bastia - he was from Bastia and began his football career at Bastia's youth academy.

Starting with his 1979 transfer from Bastia B to Vichy, Antonetti moved between various clubs. Whenever he failed to perform, it was always Bastia that welcomed him back.

Finally, Antonetti retired from Bastia in 1990.

In his eleven-year professional career, though lacking in natural talent, he had intermittently played for Bastia's first team for three years.

After retirement, he began coaching Bastia U19, officially starting his coaching career.

From 1990 to 2001, these eleven years - except for one year coaching Gamba Osaka in Japan - he gave all ten remaining years to Bastia. Besides the initial four years coaching youth teams to gain experience, the following six years were all spent coaching Bastia's first team.

Calling him a legendary coach of Bastia wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"Bastia was once everything to me," Antonetti said during his press conference. "Perhaps having me be the one to end Bastia's journey would give me more peace of mind—at least it wouldn't be another team defeating them. That's a scene I honestly wouldn't want to witness."

When the conversation turned to Julien, Antonetti said. "This is the most talented young player I've ever seen at Bastia," he said without hesitation. "He's breaking many of the club's historical records. If possible, I would have preferred him to emerge when I was coaching Bastia. Then my record at the time might have been significantly better.

My biggest regret at Bastia was coaching for six years without bringing them any trophies. We came close several times, but close isn't good enough in football. Trophies are what people remember, and I wasn't able to deliver them."

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