"Julien De Rocca isn't just a player—this is a declaration of war!"
The fans roared the banner's message in unison, over and over again.
The Ligue 2 broadcast commentator was introducing the starting lineups: "...Bastia's right winger, De Rocca, is also the focal point of this match. In the latest national team squad, he became the only second-tier league player in coach Blanc's roster, which has sparked considerable controversy.
Now Bastia's fans are showing their support for De Rocca in their own way. This includes Bastia's mayor and the club's management, who have publicly expressed their support for De Rocca on various occasions."
At this moment, countless expectant eyes were waiting for the match to begin.
Every second felt like torture.
Boom!
Boom!! Boom-boom-boom!!!
Amid the stadium's excitement, urgent drumbeats suddenly rang out. Fans in the stands, drawn by the sound, turned toward its source.
North Stand—Ultras Bastia!
At the front barrier were several bare-chested men who, in late March in Bastia, were topless and pounding the drums before them with all their might.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
After a rapid succession of drumbeats, behind them in the North Stand, a massive TIFO was unfurled, the image appearing before everyone's eyes—
Against a blue background, a player's silhouette stood in the center, positioned on the volcanic, cracked ground representing Corsica.
Above the number 29 was the name "De Rocca," with a football at his feet and broken shackles between his legs. He gazed directly at the mainland across the sea, holding a crown marked with two letters: "N" and "B."
This represented the legendary name passed down from Corsica for two hundred years: Napoléon Bonaparte.
Beside the crown, massive French text read: "Cenere agli indifferenti, gloria al nostro re!"
Ashes to the indifferent, all glory to our king.
This scene left everyone stunned.
Shocking!
Absolutely shocking!
They could hardly imagine such treatment being given to a seventeen-year-old player.
Boom!
Boom-boom!!
The Ultras Bastia drums continued, and combined with this stunning display, everyone present felt their hearts trembling.
The Laval players, witnessing Bastia's opening spectacle, felt their legs go weak.
Many players silently complained—they had won only two matches in twelve games over three months since 2012.
And here was Bastia, currently the top team in Ligue 2, picking on weak targets like this?
On the sideline, Laval's head coach Ambroise felt bitter.
After Laval's poor New Year form, the previous coach was dismissed, and he was promoted from assistant to lead the team through the remaining months.
The result: not a single victory.
Now they faced Bastia, the Ligue 2 leaders, with De Rocca desperate to prove himself.
Witnessing this spectacle rivaling Ligue 1 standards, his heart was heavy.
Tweet!!
Finally, amid the shock, at exactly 7:00 PM, the referee's whistle signaled the start of the match!
Home team Bastia played somewhat aggressively, completely suppressing Laval in their own half.
When De Rocca touched the ball, the stands erupted with passion: "De Rocca! De Rocca! Get past them! Dribble until their mothers don't recognize them!"
"De Rocca, show them Corsica's magical footwork!"
"Rothen! Kick their balls off!"
Various shouts echoed throughout Stade Cesari.
The broadcast of this Ligue 2 match showed fans an atmosphere rivaling any Ligue 1 game.
From neutral fans' perspective, regardless of De Rocca's actual ability, his status in Bastia supporters' hearts was genuinely very high.
This made management from various clubs somewhat worried.
Particularly Juventus general manager Marotta, who, after carefully reviewing the scouting report sent by Leonardo, had made De Rocca a priority target for Juventus.
But seeing the Bastia fans' support for De Rocca now, he had to consider the player's sense of belonging to Bastia.
Many players would choose loyalty to one city because of such belonging.
Football in this era wasn't yet so mercenary. There were many one-man, one-city stories.
Familiar examples included Hamburg's Seeler, Inter's Facchetti and Bergomi, and Manchester United's loyal servants: Butt, the Nevilles, Scholes, Giggs...
Marotta worried that De Rocca, this once-wayward child, might choose to end his career at Bastia due to such belonging.
That would be a loss for European football!
"He not only deserves a place in the French national team, he should also come to Juventus! To become the new Prince of Zebras!"
Marotta declared with frustration.
His assistant, watching Marotta, shrugged. "But De Rocca's side clearly rejected us."
Marotta waved dismissively. "We'll see during the summer window. Don't lose contact with De Rocca's family."
The assistant nodded.
He agreed with every choice Marotta made—after all, Marotta had proven himself right with concrete results.
Marotta's operations at Juventus were simply astounding! He brought in players like Pirlo, Vidal, Barzagli, and Lichtsteiner, and hired Conte as head coach.
This season's divine winning streak, killing all sides, was seen by all Juventus fans as the core foundation of Juve's renaissance.
Especially Pirlo and Conte!
Absolutely inspired signings!
Such value!
The assistant fantasized about what it would be like if Marotta could bring De Rocca from across the Mediterranean to Juventus.
"De Rocca!!" came the French commentator's voice from the television, and both men immediately looked over.
De Rocca had left his defender Anthony Gonçalves behind.
The commentator continued excitedly: "Beautiful nutmeg! Every Ligue 2 defender knows De Rocca loves nutmegs, but no one can protect their legs!"
After beating one man, the fans grew even more excited: "You'll dream of De Rocca's nutmeg tonight!"
"Laval's weaklings! Defending De Rocca is like an old lady chasing a bus!"
Julien remained unaffected by external influences.
Over the past ten-plus minutes, Laval had maintained a defensive shell, and even after beating one man, he still faced two or three defenders ahead.
But what winger couldn't dribble?
Julien didn't slow down. After several previous attempts where he was stopped by fouls, he had figured out their defensive patterns and was now more composed.
In contrast, his marker Paroua grew increasingly nervous, feeling he could barely keep up with De Rocca's rhythm!
His only hope was the covering teammates behind him.
However, in one confrontation, before Paroua could even commit a foul, De Rocca cut past him.
Whoosh!
The next second, gasps filled the stadium.
The second after that: cheers!
"De Roccccca ahh!!"
________________________________________________________
Check out my patreon where you can read more chapters:
patreon.com/LorianFiction
Thanks for the support