When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 103 Let's Go See a Miracle
"That was amazing!!! That was amazing!!!"

The commentator's passionate voice resounded throughout the venue.

“第19分钟！马赛右路进攻！看这次传中——德罗巴！！！天呐！！！这个科特迪瓦巨兽在禁区内腾空而起！1米89的身高完全压制了摩纳哥后卫！砰！！！一记雷霆万钧的头槌！！！球进了！！！球进了！！！马赛1-0领先！！！”

The commentator continued shouting, "Look at that power! Drogba is like a tank at full throttle! Monaco's defense is completely unstoppable! This is Drogba's 7th goal of the season!"

The camera then panned to the stands, where the 6 Marseille fans at the Stade Vélodrome were in a frenzy. The entire stadium resembled a boiling blue ocean, with fans waving scarves and chanting Marseille's anthem, "Droit au But" (Towards Victory).

The commentator exclaimed excitedly, "Listen to this atmosphere! This is Marseille! This is Vélodrome! The fans' passion is about to lift the stadium off its feet!"

The camera switched to the Monaco bench, and the commentator changed his tone: "Look at this tired Monaco team. Although they are unbeaten in 11 games in Ligue 1, playing on multiple fronts has exhausted the players. Today, Deschamps made a bold rotation, with Roy, Giuly, Morientes, Pedretti, and even first-choice goalkeeper Roma all absent. This reserve squad is clearly no match for Marseille's fierce attack!"

"But be careful!"

The commentator cautioned, "Although Monaco has fielded a second-string team, Deschamps' team should never be underestimated. Let's see how they respond to this goal!"

At that moment, the stadium's big screen replayed the moment of the goal, showing Drogba charging confidently toward the corner flag and performing his signature sliding celebration.

The commentator concluded, "What a brilliant goal! Drogba proved to everyone with this goal: at Velodrome, Marseille is the king!"

The stands at the Velodrome Stadium.

Roy leaned back in his seat, his black baseball cap pulled low, the shadow obscuring most of his face.

The stadium was filled with deafening roars, and Drogba's header sent the entire stadium into a frenzy.

In the 30th minute, Marseille won a corner kick.

The ball was crossed into the penalty area, causing a scramble. Fernando cleverly seized the opportunity and poked the ball into the net from close range, extending the score to 2-0.

Throughout the first half, Marseille's attack was more threatening.

After the break, Monaco finally pulled one back in the 47th minute.

Young Ribery broke through Marseille's defense on the left wing and delivered a precise cross, which Pulso tapped in at the near post, making the score 2-1.

This goal made the game suspenseful again.

The final whistle blows.

As Marseille fans sang their team song, Roy had already gotten up and left.

Wearing a dark mask, I walked against the flow of the celebrating crowd toward the players' tunnel.

The score on the big screen behind him was 2-1, and he was walking half a step faster than usual.

This was a choice made out of necessity, as Monaco was simultaneously competing in Ligue 4, the Champions League, the French Cup, and the League Cup, sometimes playing four matches in as little as 10 days in the latter part of the season.

Even though Monaco has secured qualification with three wins out of three, the prize money for each Champions League group stage victory, including television broadcasting revenue, is higher than the total prize money for the French League Cup.
The club's competitive strategy is to secure a spot in the league and also qualify for the Champions League.

It is still worthwhile to compete for the French Cup this season. The French League Cup (Coupe de la Ligue) has a much lower prestige in French football than the French Cup (Coupe de France), and some teams even send their youth teams to participate.

November 1st, Ligue 11 Round 13.

Monaco will host Le Mans.

In the 6th minute, Monaco broke the deadlock! Rothen delivered a precise cross from the left, and Morientes pounced on the loose ball in front of the goal to make it 1-0!

In the 9th minute, Le Mans responded quickly, using a fast counter-attack to equalize the score, 1-1.

In the 13th minute, Monaco took the lead again! Evra broke through on the left and cut the ball back, where Roy calmly slotted it home, 2-1!

In the 55th minute, Monaco extended their lead! Squillaci headed in a corner kick, making it 3-1!

In the 64th minute, Morientes fell to the ground in pain after a challenge with Le Mans midfielder D'Amico, clutching the back of his left thigh, and was subsequently stretchered off the field.

The initial diagnosis is a thigh muscle strain; further examination is needed to determine the specific extent of the injury.

In the 67th minute, Roy scored his second goal! Giuly delivered a brilliant through ball, and Roy sprinted forward and slid in to score, making it 4-1!

In the 85th minute, Rothen cut inside and unleashed a stunning long-range shot that nestled into the top corner, making it 5-1!

Monaco continued their hot streak this season, winning 5-1 at home against Le Mans and maintaining their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.

Roy continued his efficient performance, contributing two goals and one assist, while Rothen also played exceptionally well, scoring and assisting. Deschamps' team unleashed their full attacking firepower, dominating the opponent throughout the match and demonstrating formidable dominance.

On November 3rd, the fourth episode of "ROI's War Room" aired.

Host Gomez spoke rapidly and passionately:
"Good evening, Monaco! Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to ROI's War Room—Europe's most dangerous tactical analysis program! Because we have Europe's most dangerous devil in charge! Roy, tonight we're going to talk about—Deportivo La Coruña!"

Gomez:
“先来看数据——拉科鲁尼亚本赛季西甲前8轮豪取7胜，状态火热！但最近两轮突然刹车！第九轮，他们在主场0-2爆冷输给当时联赛排名第19的马略卡（马略卡凭借这场胜利升至第17）；第十轮，他们又在客场0-0闷平当时排名第19的穆尔西亚！两轮仅拿1分，状态明显下滑！”

"However, head coach Irureta must start with his full strength in this match! Roy, what do you think? You know, in the third round of the Champions League group stage, Monaco won 0-1 at the Riazor Stadium thanks to your goal in first-half stoppage time! Now in Group C, Monaco leads with 9 points from 3 wins, Deportivo La Coruña is second with 4 points from 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss, PSV Eindhoven is third with 3 points from 1 win and 2 losses, and AEK Athens is basically out of the competition with 1 point from 1 draw and 2 losses."

Roy's tone was flat and even:
"Gomez, Deportivo Laco's recent slump is no accident."

"First of all, their attacking linchpin Valerón has been in poor form. In the last two games, his key passes have dropped from an average of 2.3 to 0.8 per game, and he has made more mistakes. Mallorca and Murcia have both used the same strategy: compressing the midfield space and forcing him to pass back."

"Secondly, their defense has started to loosen. Left-back Romero has been beaten 5 times in the last two games, and while center-back Andrade is strong in the air, he is slow to turn; Naibette is getting old and his stamina is not enough to keep up with long, high-intensity matches. This is exactly the weakness we exploited when we scored the winning goal last time."

“Irureta will certainly field their strongest lineup; they must win to keep their hopes of advancing alive. But this also means their players are under immense physical and mental pressure. They still have a chance; they could advance from the group stage if they beat PSV Eindhoven and AEK Athens. But here, at the Stade Louis II, that won’t happen.”

Gomez's tone carried a restrained excitement:
"Accurate analysis, Roy. The data doesn't lie. Deportivo has failed to beat relegation-threatened teams in the last two rounds, yet now they're challenging the Champions League group leaders at the Stade Louis II? It's like sending an exhausted boxer to challenge a heavyweight champion in his prime."

"However, Irueta is an old fox after all. What special measures do you think he will take to deal with the weaknesses you just pointed out?"

Roy simply replied:

"You know that's useless, Gomez."

Gomez raised his voice excitedly:

"Ha! That's it! That's why the fans love listening to you, Roy! But let's put it more clearly—"

"Under the lights of the Stade Louis II, amidst the roar of Monaco fans, all tactical adjustments were nothing more than a death throes."

The day before the Champions League match.

As Roy drove his Porsche 911 into the training ground, he saw Pulso get out of his Audi A6.

He rolled down the car window and called out with a smile, "Hey, Dado!"

Pulso looked up at him, nodded, but didn't come over and pat him on the shoulder as usual.

He picked up his training bag, turned around and walked towards the locker room, leaving behind only the words, "I'm going to be late for training."

Roy's smile froze on his face.

He knew why; everything had changed since Morientes arrived.

At 187cm, Pulso is one centimeter taller than Morientes, but the Spaniard is clearly more versatile: he can receive the ball with his back to goal, win headers, pounce on opportunities in the penalty area, and set up his teammates.

In Deschamps' 4-4-2 system, Morientes became a regular starter, while Pulso could only sit on the bench.

Ironically, Roy himself had to admit that his partnership with Morientes was indeed smoother.

What upset Pulso even more was that Roy wasn't on his side.

Last season they were a well-matched pair, but now Roy is getting closer and closer to Morientes.

After defeating Deportivo La Coruña, the two even went to a business event in Spain together, and the photos appeared in the newspapers the following day.

Santander Bank, as one of the official sponsors of the Champions League, invited the two goal scorers to participate in commercial activities.

Morientes, as a Spanish international, and Roy, a product of Real Madrid's youth academy, are both players with close ties to Spain, making them ideal candidates to represent the bank.

At the event, the two forwards, dressed in formal attire and sporting professional smiles, calmly cooperated with the photographers' requests.

They held commemorative checks printed with the Champions League logo and "UEFA Champions League," symbolizing "victory brings wealth."

A series of standard promotional photos were taken.

The entire process was professional and efficient, and the two experienced players demonstrated impeccable business acumen.

The photo was published in the newspaper the following day with the headline "Champions League Hero," and was used as standard material for the event's commercial promotion.

Such business partnerships are commonplace in professional football; they are simply routine arrangements between sponsors and clubs.

Roy watched Pulso's retreating figure, wanting to say something, but in the end he just sighed.

On the emergency seat in the back was a black leather gift box containing a 1974 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, a top-tier vintage wine.

The Croatian is 29 years old this year, born on October 5, 1974, which was his birthday on the day of the match.

Roy closed the car window and slowly parked the car.

The atmosphere in the locker room is always more complicated than on the field.

On the training ground.

Morientes trained alone on the sidelines with a muscle strain, wearing a blue rehabilitation vest and gently tapping the ball with his feet.

Roy nodded as he passed by: "How's the recovery going?"

Morientes looked up, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat: "Not bad, the team doctor said I can train with the team in two or three days."

He pointed to his thigh, "It's still a bit tight."

Roy nodded: "Don't rush, come back when you've recovered."

He glanced at the training match on the field. "Right now, it's Pulso up front. He's always been reliable."

Morientes smiled and said, "He's in good shape?"

"Yeah, they just scored a beautiful goal."

As Roy spoke, his gaze shifted to Pulso, who was running on the field.

"That's good."

Morientes gently lifted the ball with his toe. "When I get back, we can take turns playing."

Roy's lips curled up slightly: "The three of us can take turns fighting."

He patted Morientes on the shoulder. "I'll head over now."

Morientes waved and continued his rehabilitation training.

Roy jogged back onto the field, just in time for the training match to restart.

In the 30th minute of the training match, Roy received a pass from Pedretti in midfield, faked out the defender with a feint, and then delivered a precise diagonal through ball.

The ball rolled perfectly through the gap between the two substitute defenders to Pulso's feet.

Without hesitation, the Croatian unleashed a left-footed shot that nestled into the far corner of the goal.

After scoring, Roy jogged over to Pulso and patted him on the back: "Beautiful shot."

Pulso wiped the sweat from his brow and, unusually, smiled slightly: "Your pass was so comfortable."

Roy approached Pulso, lowering his voice but speaking sincerely: "I'll pass you the ball more often in tomorrow's game."

He paused briefly, looking directly at the other man. "Once Fernando recovers and returns to the team, you'll have to fight for your starting position yourself." Seeing that Pulso's expression was slightly serious, Roy patted him on the shoulder again, his tone becoming more relaxed: "But none of this will affect our friendship. Remember to come to my locker after training; I've prepared some things for you."

Pullso understood the implication and smiled slightly. "I understand, thanks."

After training, the players walked towards the locker room in twos and threes.

Roy wiped his sweat and saw Ribery packing up his training vest, so he went over to him.

"Frank," Roy's voice was calm, neither warm nor distant, as if discussing today's training, "How did things go with the Migliorgio I introduced you to last time?"

Ribery rubbed his nose with his thumb, hesitated briefly, and said, "He's fine, but..."

He swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Miliajo is indeed professional, but the other party's attitude is very clear - "What you need now is the game, not your agent."

This blunt assessment reminded him of when he first arrived in Monaco, when Deschamps called him into his office, and his name wasn't even written on the tactics board spread out on the table.

Roy seemed to see through his thoughts, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "That's just how Miko talks, but he never talks nonsense."

Ribery shrugged and didn't reply.

There was a strange unspoken understanding between them.

When Ribery first arrived at the club, he almost never spoke to him alone, let alone mentioned Boulogne's messy affairs—as a child, Ribery was the winner of street brawls, while Roy always stood on the edge of the crowd, observing everything with a cold gaze.

Now, the roles have been completely reversed.

Roy is the unsung leader of the locker room; even Deschamps consults with him before making tactical adjustments.

"Deschamps is quite pleased with you lately."

Roy's voice was calm, as if stating a very simple fact:

"If Deschamps is satisfied, he will give you more playing time."

Ribery stopped tidying up his training vest and looked up at him.

"Once you get playing time, you can rack up stats. Once you have enough stats, the championship will naturally follow. That's when you really need an agent."

The young Frenchman's lips twitched slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips.

So, what I should do now is...

"Deschamps can't live without you, just like he can't live without Rothen."

Roy took over the conversation, his tone calm yet resolute.

"In future training matches, I will pass the ball more to the left wing."

The subtext of this statement is clear: I'm giving you the opportunity; whether you seize it or not is up to you.

Ribery stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly chuckled, "Alright, bro. Let's do it that way."

This nickname was half teasing and half a test.

Roy remained expressionless, simply patting him on the shoulder before turning and heading towards the locker room.

Ribery watched his retreating figure, his smile slowly fading.

He picked up his training bag, slung it over his shoulder, turned and walked toward the locker room, his back view exuding a fierce, unyielding spirit.

Roy's introduction of Miliacho to Ribery was a well-thought-out decision.

Miliacho is a top agent, especially adept at handling crises—like when Zidane headbutted Materazzi in 2006, he used a "tragic hero" narrative to sway public opinion instead of forcibly whitewashing the situation.

Ribery has a fiery temper and plays aggressively on the field, and he is also prone to trouble off the field. He will inevitably cause trouble in the future, which is why he needs an agent like this to protect him.

But for Roy himself, Miliacho wasn't enough.

It's not because he has Zidane at his disposal, but because he's too conservative and always seeks the safest path.

Roy's ambitions don't stop there; he needs collaborators who are bold, decisive, and capable of helping him take things to the next level.

Therefore, he recommended Miliacho to Ribery, which was a way of helping his former street buddy. Often, the choice is not because the person is not good enough, but because they are not a good fit.

November 5, 2003, the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League Group C.

A dark blue bus bearing the Deportivo La Coruña logo slowly drove into the underground passage of the Stade Louis II in Monaco. The sides of the bus still bore water stains from its journey from Nice Airport, and a thin layer of fog clung to the windows.

Through the glass, you can see Tristan wearing headphones and resting with his eyes closed, Valerón looking down at match data, and captain Mauro Silva talking to goalkeeper Molina, his finger occasionally pointing out the window.

After the bus came to a complete stop, Deportivo La Coruña players disembarked one after another.

Andrade was the first to step onto the carpet in the stadium tunnel. He looked up at the Champions League logo above his head and frowned – Monaco had defeated them 0-1 at the Riazor Stadium on October 21, a result that left the entire Deportivo team resentful.

In the square outside the Stade Louis II, dozens of Deportivo La Coruña fans stood in a circle, their blue and white striped jerseys standing out brightly in the sunlight.

They wore the flag of the Galicia region around their necks, and some even wore baseball caps with the team logo.

The sea breeze, carrying the salty, fishy smell unique to the Mediterranean, fluttered their scarves.

Because of the high cost of living in Monaco, many people choose to stay in Nice and then take the train there in the morning.

"Irueta definitely has a way!"

Juan stomped his foot angrily, "The last loss to Monaco was purely due to bad luck. If Tristan's header had gone in..."

At that moment, a middle-aged man carrying a daughter who looked to be about five or six years old squeezed into the crowd.

The little girl was wearing a custom-made mini version of a Deportivo La Coruña jersey, with a blue and white hair clip pinned to her blonde hair.

"Dad, can we really win today?"

The little girl looked up and asked, clutching a plush toy tightly in her hand.

"Of course, honey."

The man lifted his daughter onto his shoulders, saying, "We'll witness a miracle together, just like..."

He paused, then gave the surrounding fans an apologetic smile, "Just like these uncles witnessed Makaay's goal last year."

“If only Makaay were still here,” Carlos suddenly interjected, his eyes dimming.

He pulled out his wallet, which contained a photo of Makaay celebrating a goal last season. "The Dutchman scored 29 goals last season, including 9 in the Champions League."

A few sighs suddenly rose from the crowd.

Fernando tugged at his scarf: "Damn it, if Makaay hadn't left Bayern, we might already be out of the group stage by now."

He kicked a small pebble at his feet, "With that guy around, Monaco's defenders are nothing!"

“But we still have Valerón,” the young Luis raised his voice, trying to drown out the surrounding noise, “as long as he can control the ball, Tristan can still score!”

“The problem is that Roy from Monaco,” Juan frowned, pointing to the player highlights playing on the stadium’s big screen. “Look, that guy is as fast as lightning and has a powerful shot. Manuel Pablo was completely outmaneuvered by him last time; one man couldn’t stop him.”

“Nabet and Andrade need to keep a close eye on him,” Carlos said sternly. “Foul him if necessary, don’t let him get going, like we did against Valencia last season.”

At that moment, a fan who could read French squeezed through the crowd with a newspaper, bringing news that Morientes was injured.

Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.

"awesome!"

Fernando waved his scarf excitedly, "One less big problem!"

“Now they can only rely on Roy and Pulso,” Juan analyzed, gesturing with his fingers in the air to indicate tactics. “Rothen and Giuly are fast, but our wing defense is not bad. We also have Scaloni and Amavisca.”

“Sergio and Mauro Silva must lock down the midfield,” Fernando added, “Don’t let Monaco launch quick counter-attacks.”

"If Ma Kai were here..."

"Dad, what are they saying?"

The little girl leaned down and whispered in her father's ear.

"That's how great our team is."

The man smiled and answered, holding his daughter even more securely.

In the distance, the stadium announcement began calling for the fans to enter the stadium.

Luis led the singing of Deportivo La Coruña's anthem, and the others quickly joined in.

The little girl swayed to the rhythm and sang along with the adults in her childish voice.

The blue and white scarf fluttered in the wind, just like the surging waves of people in the stands when Makaay scored last year.

"Let's go, baby."

The man said to his daughter, "Let's go see a miracle."

He followed the crowd toward the security checkpoint, his shadow stretching long in the setting sun.

The little girl nestled on her father's shoulder, her blue and white hair clip gleaming in the twilight.

Several fans were also holding up homemade signs:

"Valeron, our magician!"

"Tristan, smash their goal!"

"Irueta, lead us to create miracles!"

Before entering the stadium, Juan patted his teammate on the shoulder:

"Remember, we've beaten Arsenal and Bayern Munich twice. What is Monaco this time?"

"Kill them!"

The crowd shouted in unison, marching onto the field with an unwavering belief in victory.

They believe that as long as Valerón can control the tempo and Tristan can seize the opportunities, Deportivo can create a miracle away from home.

--------

British media reports that Ferguson once sent special forces to monitor Manchester United players.

According to former Manchester United security chief Michael Kelly, Sir Alex Ferguson used British Air Force special forces to secretly monitor players, including tracking David Beckham 24/7 and investigating his and Victoria's travel plans to ensure he was staying near Manchester. Furthermore, Manchester United monitored several transfer targets, such as Chris Sutton, and even checked Ferguson's home to see if it was being tapped. Kelly claims Ferguson's control over players' privacy bordered on paranoia, but Manchester United ultimately did not sign some of those investigated, such as Bosnich (who was later sacked by Chelsea for drug use). Manchester United attempted to prevent Kelly from publishing a book revealing these allegations, but to no avail.

—World News Daily

Real Madrid's weak midfield exposes fatal flaw.

At the start of the season, Real Madrid repeatedly found themselves on the back foot, stemming from a lack of control in midfield. The double pivot of Helguera and Guti lacked interception ability, proving ineffective against pressing and even being dominated by Zaragoza (52% possession). Beckham's absence further amplified the problem – he was not only the passing linchpin but also the only player in midfield capable of effective tackles. Helguera's complaints after playing with an injury reflected the players' discomfort with frequent positional changes. Pavón's suspension and Cambiasso's defensive bias left Real Madrid with limited midfield options. If Florentino continues to neglect reinforcements for the defensive midfield (such as Vieira, Davies, or Albelda), the "Zidane + Pavón" policy may face a harsh winter.

—Marca

(Just a quick note, I'll post it as soon as I finish writing. There were so many goals in this match, I need to come up with something new to avoid making the same thing over and over again.)
(End of this chapter)