Bastia's Press Conference
At Bastia's post-match press conference, Hadzibegic appeared with Rothen beside him.
He'd originally wanted to bring Julien, but Julien had said he would address the Bastia fans in another way—directly to them, not through media filters.
Hadzibegic accepted that.
He sat with hands folded on the table, facing the dense wall of cameras and microphones, voice steady and clear.
"First, I want to express respect to Benfica and their coach Jorge Jesus. They are a great team. Tonight's result..." He paused deliberately. "...represents the most brutal side that football sometimes reveals."
He then discussed the match itself.
"Many will talk about the 6-0 scoreline. But for me, this match wasn't about the score—it was about answers.
We spent an entire season answering every doubt thrown at us.
People said we were lucky. Said we were a collection of failures and castoffs—luxury club scraps and role players scraped together from smaller leagues. Tonight, we gave the most resounding response possible in ninety minutes.
Before kickoff, we knew Benfica would press high. They'd try to control the game. Our answer was simple: discipline, patience, and lethal efficiency.
Julien—his performance tonight transcended anything you can draw on a tactics board.
The path he's walked carries more legend than any trophy. He's never been a perfect player, but he's used the purest talent and the most resilient heart to shatter every doubt.
When you have a player born for these moments, your job is to believe in him and build a platform where he can shine.
Tonight, he repaid everyone's trust in an almost science-fiction manner.
Thirty-five years ago, Bastia lost a championship in the Netherlands. That shadow hung over this club for decades.
Tonight, we came to the Netherlands—not to erase history, but to write new history.
This trophy honors the old generation who never stopped believing. It's also a textbook on hope and perseverance for the new generation of fans."
Inevitably, Hadzibegic had to address the team's future.
This was the tragedy of small clubs.
Lukaku and De Bruyne, who'd performed brilliantly, would return to Chelsea when the season ended. And Julien? He was already viewed as belonging to the elite.
"The football world never stops turning," Hadzibegic said calmly. "Tomorrow the sun rises, and new challenges come.
Tonight, we celebrate victory.
But I know some players are destined for bigger stages. My job isn't to chain down genius—it's to help them fly.
Whatever the future holds, tonight's glory will forever belong to Bastia. To Corsica. This is an indelible page we've written together."
He concluded: "Right now, what I want most is to return to that locker room and be with my players. They are tonight's heroes. Thank you."
He nodded slightly, giving reporters no opportunity for follow-ups.
Rothen's comments were equally restrained—he knew how to handle media.
Benfica's Press Conference
Benfica's press conference was brief. Jorge Jesus had no interest discussing the match.
"I am the head coach," he said flatly. "All tactical arrangements, all mental preparation—the responsibility is mine alone.
This catastrophic defeat? I bear it completely. The players gave everything. They shouldn't be blamed.
We need time to process this loss. It hurts. But true elite clubs must learn to rise from ruins.
Finally, I apologize to all Benfica supporters. We failed your expectations. We put you through this painful night. Your support didn't deserve this repayment.
We will return. Thank you."
Jesus left immediately.
He genuinely needed to process this humiliation. As did every Benfica player and supporter.
As time passed after the final whistle, media coverage multiplied exponentially. They rushed to report the result with breathless urgency.
Global newsrooms detonated simultaneously around two keywords: "Bastia" and "6-0."
Tomorrow, sports sections worldwide would be dominated by this epic match.
But tonight, the headlines were already flooding in:
"Bastia Destroy Benfica 6-0, Crowned Europa League Champions! Julien De Rocca's Hat-Trick + Assist Hat-Trick: A Night of Apotheosis"
"The Julien De Rocca Show: Bastia Win Europa League with Record 6-0 Margin, Complete Epic Journey"
"SPECIAL REPORT: From Ligue 2 to Europe's Summit—Bastia's Two-Year Miracle: Complete Retrospective"
"Cold! Brutal! Historic! Bastia Humiliate Benfica 6-0, De Rocca Directly Involved in All Six Goals"
"Julien De Rocca: The Super Talent Who Shattered Every Prejudice"
L'Équipe went all-out promoting Julien. While other outlets published brief dispatches, L'Équipe released a full feature article.
It was clearly written in advance—
L'Équipe Feature: "The Soul of France!"
Julien De Rocca Descends as a God, Creates Six Goals as Bastia Obliterate Benfica 6-0 to Win Europa League! National Team Captain's Hat-Trick + Assist Hat-Trick Achieves Immortality! First Player in European Competition History! From Prison to Europe's Peak—He Made All of France Tremble!
The Amsterdam night sky was torn apart by blue flames!
When Julien De Rocca—the 18-year-old deity wearing the France national team captain's armband produced an epic 3 goals and 3 assists in the final, leading Bastia to a savage 6-0 demolition of Benfica, all of European football trembled beneath his feet.
From the first minute, Julien was an unsheathed blade carrying the glory of Les Bleus and Corsican ferocity, ruthlessly piercing Benfica's defensive lines.
Three goals in fifty minutes—but that was only the beginning!
He followed with three assists for De Bruyne and Lukaku, completing an unprecedented Europa League final assist hat-trick!
"He's not just a striker—he's a commander!" wrote our on-site correspondent. "When he wore the Bastia captain's armband and charged forward, all of France's will burned in his eyes!"
Who could have imagined that this French national team captain—who now drives France into frenzy wore handcuffs into prison on his 17th birthday?
That lost teenager from the streets of Fontenay-sous-Bois. That problem talent discarded by Chelsea's academy. That convict imprisoned for robbing a few dozen euros—through the cruelest self-redemption, he's written football's greatest phoenix legend!
2011-12 season: He led Bastia to the Ligue 2 and Coupe de France double.
2012-13 season: As the new national team core, he led Bastia to consecutive Trophée des Champions and Ligue 1 titles.
Until tonight—as captain, he lifted the Europa League, completing his career's perfect coronation!
France manager Didier Deschamps witnessed everything live. Afterward, he stated: "Julien showed me the answer for French football's future. He possesses not just talent, but a forged soul. He deserves this championship."
"The path he's walked carries more legend than any trophy," coach Hadzibegic said emotionally. "He's never been perfect, but with the purest talent and most resilient heart, he's shattered every doubt."
Now, Julien is no longer just Corsica's lone hero—he's the banner carrying all of France's hopes.
"He makes every French child believe: No matter how humble your origins, you can touch the stars!" said French Football Federation President Noel Le Graët with emotion.
He came from the streets of north Paris. He endured prison's crucible. He now wears the national team captain's armband—he is Julien De Rocca, French football's greatest phoenix legend!
Tonight, all of France boils for him!
Simultaneously, the internet became another boiling point for Bastia supporters.
Countless people left comments, posts, and replies. The web connected everyone.
Post 1:
"In 1978, my father sobbed uncontrollably in the Netherlands rain.
35 years later, I can finally shout at his photograph: 'Dad, we won it back! And we did it 6-0!'
This trophy is so heavy—it crushed Benfica, but it filled the heartbreak of two generations in our family.
Julien isn't just playing football. He's stitching up history's wounds for all of us."
Post 2:
"Yeah, through every knockout round, they said the dark horse story always has an ending.
But Julien turned the miracle into mythology. From group stage domination of Atlético, to knockout annihilation of Inter and Chelsea, finally nailing Benfica to the pillar of shame with 6-0.
This wasn't a campaign—this was a divine judgment tour!"
Post 3:
"I held my son through the entire match. He asked why I was crying.
I said: 'Son, you're witnessing the greatest hero in Corsican history.'
Every goal Julien scored landed like a sledgehammer, smashing the prejudice that 'small island clubs have no future.'
This trophy is the most solid foundation he's left for every Corsican kid!"
Post 4:
"I was screaming at my screen in Melbourne. My neighbor cursed me for being crazy.
But how could I not be? Every time Julien scored, I could smell Bastia's pastis.
He let expats thousands of miles away finally hold their heads high and say 'I'm from Bastia!'"
Post 5:
"I cried and laughed simultaneously.
I know this might be Julien's final gift to us—with a performance like this, how could the top clubs not circle?
But that's exactly what makes this trophy precious.
He said goodbye in the most extreme way: Not slipping away quietly, but taking all of Corsica to Europe's summit!"
Post 6:
"Screw tactical analysis! Screw data comparison! Right now, I just want to strip naked and dive into the sea!
Julien reminded everyone that football isn't a numbers game—it's blood, it's tears, it's 35 years of waiting exploding into 6-0!
THIS is football!"
Among these countless posts, one titled "If There Must Be a Farewell, Let It End in Perfect Wholeness" became the top post on the Bastia supporters' forum.
"If There Must Be a Farewell, Let It End in Perfect Wholeness"
When Julien raised that heavy Europa League trophy beneath Amsterdam's glittering night sky, when he wore the blue battle colors and completed an epic double hat-trick, when all of Bastia screamed his name—
I stood in the night sea breeze with tears streaming down my face.
I knew this might be the last time we'd see him create miracles wearing Bastia's colors.
My connection with Julien began two years ago on a drizzly afternoon.
My son Antoine was the same age as Julien.
In June 2011—I can't remember the exact date, Antoine saw Julien play in a Nantes youth match.
"Dad, Nantes' number 10, Julien De Rocca, is a genius," He told me excitedly on the phone. "His dribbling moves are as unpredictable as sea wind."
Later, sporting director Chataigner brought back from Nantes the boy Antoine had adored—a kid, professional clubs had abandoned, written off as finished.
But fate is cruel.
Five months later, my Antoine was taken from us forever in a car accident. Almost simultaneously, the newly arrived Julien was sent to prison for that stupid mistake.
For a long time, I couldn't watch football—it represented losing both my son and hope.
Until this year, at Chataigner's insistence, I reluctantly returned to the stadium. I saw that figure starting over.
He wore the number 10 jersey my son had once praised, running desperately on the pitch as if trying to outrun all doubt and regret.
In that moment, I suddenly understood: Some redemptions need witnesses.
So every home match, I sat in the South Stand's second row—the seat where Antoine and I used to watch together.
I watched Julien grow from stumbling to unstoppable, from Ligue 2 golden boot to Ligue 1 champion, until tonight—when he made all of Europe tremble.
When he dribbled past defenders with his skills and buried the ball in the net, I could almost hear Antoine cheering in my ear: "See, Dad? I told you he was a genius!"
Elite club offers will flood in like the tide.
I know this boy from Paris's suburbs is destined for bigger stages.
But this time, I won't cry.
Because Julien has already given us the perfect farewell gift—not cold transfer fees, but a championship trophy that makes Bastia's name echo across Europe.
Not a quiet exit, but standing on top of the world making everyone remember: Corsica has a club called Bastia, and they conquered Europe!
He came from Fontenay-sous-Bois in the Paris suburbs, was abandoned by everyone, yet found rebirth in Corsica.
This championship is his most heartfelt goodbye.
So, if we must say farewell, let this night become an eternal monument.
Go, Julien!
Go conquer the Bernabéu, shine at Old Trafford, tear through the Allianz Arena, make all of European football fall at your feet.
Corsica will forever be your harbor. Bastia will forever be your brightest lighthouse when you look back.
No matter which elite club's colors you wear, whenever sea winds brush Corsica's mountains, we'll always remember: Once there was a Paris boy who grew into a true king here.
Farewell isn't the end—it's another form of companionship.
This championship isn't an ending—it's the launchpad for your flight.
Thank you, Julien De Rocca.
Thank you for making me love football again. In every roar after your goals, one will always belong to Antoine.
And thank you for giving us the most complete ending possible."
This article left not only Bastia supporters in tears—Julien saw it too.
At 2 AM, after intense celebrations with teammates, staff, and family at the hotel, he returned to his room physically and emotionally exhausted.
He opened his laptop and navigated to the Bastia supporters' forum.
The first thing he saw was that top post.
After reading it, Julien wanted to respond. He typed words in the reply box, then deleted everything.
He knew he needed to say something more substantial.
He sent an email to Dinard, the Bastia Evening Post journalist who was also a devoted Julien fanatic, asking if he could have a separate interview segment while filming the championship documentary.
He had many things to say to Bastia's supporters.
These words could be preserved in the documentary or published in print.
After sending the email, he was surprised to receive an immediate reply: "Of course!"
Julien asked why he was checking emails so late.
Dinard replied: "My God, do you think anyone's sleeping tonight?!"
Julien smiled.
Right. How could anyone sleep tonight?
After saying goodbye, he opened a Word document. He would also write an article.
An article about saying farewell to Bastia.
This would become the first post on his new website, The Player's Tribune. Later, he'd publish pieces from other Bastia players, Zidane, and more.
What should he write?
Julien suddenly thought of that forum post he'd just read.
He typed the title:
"To Antoine"
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