When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 42 With this kid around, what are we afraid of? (Please read on!)

Monte Carlo, Monaco, April 8, 2003.

The Monaco players gathered in Giuly's living room, their eyes glued to the television screen, watching the Champions League showdown – the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final at the Bernabéu Stadium.

The match is in the twelfth minute.

On the television screen, Figo received a pass back from Zidane on the left wing, seemingly with no shooting angle left.

"Figo! He's near the baseline! What can he do from that position?!" the commentator exclaimed.

However, the Portuguese magician gently flicked the ball with the inside of his right foot, and the ball drew an eerie arc, as if controlled by an invisible hand, bypassing Barthez's fingertips and heading straight for the far corner!

A gasp erupted in the living room.

Roy jumped up from the sofa and yelled, "I love Figo! He didn't even look at the goal when he chipped the ball in that shot!"

Giuly chuckled, shaking his beer can. "That's Figo for you guys. He doesn't use his eyes, he uses his feet."

"Don't watch the door, watch God."

Rothen stared at the replay and muttered, "Brown was beaten like a log."

Max stuffed a piece of pizza into his mouth: "If you ask me, Butters is positioned too far forward."

Squillaci immediately sided with his friend, arguing, "No one could have made that save! That arc—"

He gestured with his hands, "It turned at least five meters!"

Squillaci is from Toulon, and children throughout Provence grew up listening to the story of Barthez's clean sheet victory over AC Milan in the 93 Champions League final.

The camera cuts to the Bernabéu stands, where Real Madrid fans collectively raise their arms, forming a white wave, while Figo simply kisses his fingers and points to the sky.

"Golazo!" roared the entire Bernabéu crowd.

(Golazo, a Spanish football term, specifically refers to a technically difficult and visually spectacular goal.)
In the thirty-eighth minute, aliens arrived.

When the "alien" got the ball in midfield, the air in the living room froze instantly.

Ronaldo takes off! He's like a supercar that suddenly shifts into fifth gear, swerving past Brown with a single move. Ferdinand fights and retreats, while Neville comes to cover from the flank.

"It's over, he's going to outmaneuver three opponents!"

Pulso's beer cans were suspended in mid-air.

Ronaldo twisted the ball with his right foot and flicked it with his left, causing Ferdinand's center of gravity to shift in the wrong direction. Neville scrambled to intercept, but only managed to kick air.

Juli murmured, "My God, that explosive power!"

Roy's pupils contracted slightly as he imagined what it would be like if he were facing the defense of these two. He knew he could never do that.

Giuly suddenly slapped his thigh and burst into laughter: "Look at Ferdinand's expression! He's questioning his existence!"

When the "alien's" final shot was weak and ineffective, everyone burst into laughter again.

Max shook his head: "He was probably exhausted after dribbling past everyone."

In the 28th and 49th minutes of the match, Raul scored twice to defeat Manchester United.

The atmosphere at the Giuly family became complicated when Raul calmly scored twice.

Television cameras captured his signature celebration as he charged toward the corner flag – grabbing the team crest on his chest with his right hand and bowing to kiss the Real Madrid badge.

The Bernabéu stands instantly transformed into a boiling white sea, with 70,000 fans chanting "Raúl! Raúl!" in unison, the roar almost lifting the roof off.

Rothen, somewhat envious, poked at the potato chips with a sour look: "Manchester United's defense is like paper. The way he kissed the team crest was like he was kissing his own life."

Roy stared at Raul's runs: "He always gets stuck in Brown's blind spot when he starts running. (He chuckled immediately upon hearing Rothen's words) Come on, I bet he did the same thing when he was 14 in Atlético Madrid's youth academy."

The others laughed, but their eyes held awe.

Giuly suddenly paused the video with the remote: "Notice his shoulder feint before he touches the ball, absolutely textbook level."

Pulso leaned closer to the screen: "Is this guy a Manchester United killer? It was him three years ago too. (Raul scored twice in the 99/00 season, eliminating Manchester United away from home)"

In the 52nd minute of the match, Beckham was the last stand of the Red Devils.

When Beckham's precise long pass led to the goal, the Monaco players in the living room had various expressions.

Squillaci whistled: "That pass is worth 5000 million euros."

Rothen scoffed, "We should have played like this from the start! Why were we dribbling so recklessly up front?"

Roy suddenly asked Giuly, "Between him and Zidane, who would you choose?"

Giuly tilted his head back and took a swig of beer: "Zidane makes my game easier, but Beckham makes the whole team look better."

"Come on, he'll just make you look uglier!"

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the commentator on the television exclaimed, "I bet Ferguson would rather take a flying boot himself than let him go!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

The laughter grew even louder.

Every time Zidane gets the ball, Giuly points and says, "Look at Zidane's turn, he doesn't even need to look at his teammates' positions. Without Veron, Manchester United's midfield control is terrible. Don't move around, you little rascal!"

Giuly's four-year-old son, Diego Giuly, was playing in the living room when he suddenly imitated Zidane's movements, almost knocking over Giuly's coffee.

Everyone burst into laughter again.

Pulso muttered, "Does Zidane have eyes in the back of his head?"

When Carlos unleashed a powerful shot with the outside of his foot, Max leaned back in shock: "What if that foot hit someone?"

Squillaci added sarcastically, "They could be sent straight to the ICU." The final whistle blew.

When the score was 3-1, Giuly turned off the TV, and the living room fell into a brief silence.

Rothen stretched: "Manchester United won't have Scholes and Keane next round."

Pulso suddenly put down his beer can: "What if we face Real Madrid in the Champions League?"

The living room suddenly became quiet.

Roy crossed his arms behind his head and stretched.

“Think about something practical, Dado, like our match against Marseille next week.”

However, his eyes remained fixed on the black-screen TV, still recalling Raul's feint before his second goal.

Juli crumpled the empty beer can: "Kids, remember tonight. To become like them, you have to understand them first."

He tossed the beer can at the trash can from a distance, but his aim was terrible, and it looked like he was about to miss.

Roy instinctively stretched out his foot and flicked it in the air, causing the beer can to fly off course and into the trash can.

Make a muffled sound.

"With this kid around, what are we afraid of?"

Juli raised his eyebrows.

"That kid is cunning. Even when he scores, he'll hold his hand down and not celebrate, just to win over the Bernabéu fans!"

Rothen, a little drunk, put his arm around Roy's neck and yelled, "If that day ever comes, you have to kiss the team badge for me! In front of Raul! And in the stands, in front of Perez!"

"Just something I said offhand!"

Canal+'s "Téléfoot" and France 3's "Stade 2" are two authoritative pre-match preview programs, bringing fans professional tactical analysis, player interviews, and match predictions every week.

Former French internationals Jean-Michel Larquet and Christophe José took to the Canal+ studio to dissect each team's formation using a dynamic tactics board.

Host Natalie Reyna went live from the training facility and gave Roy a pre-match interview: "My goal is to give the opposing defenders nightmares."

Larke comments on Monaco's youth revolution: "Deschamps has turned the locker room into an incubator for geniuses!"

"Stade 2" emphasizes that "Monaco's counter-attacking speed is the best in the league" and shows clips of Roy breaking through three players in succession during training.

Guest Eric DiMeco warned: "Ajaccio's defense is slow to turn and will be torn apart by Roy."

The program also issued a tactical warning: it marked the defensive zone of Ajaccio left-back Greguair with a red circle, predicting that "Giuly will create a dangerous situation in this area."

Finally, a picture of Roy was posted with the caption: "Monaco's new genius's cold-blooded declaration: 'Who's next?'"

2003年4月12日，摩纳哥客场5比2横扫阿雅克肖。

In the 5th minute, Giuly opened the scoring!

Ajaccio's midfield pass was misplaced, Rothen made a clever interception, and Monaco's three fast horses instantly started their run!
Rothen dribbles forward and passes diagonally to Roy!

Roy, like a blade drawn from its sheath, accelerated past Greguar and calmly slammed the ball across the field before being double-teamed!

Giuly made a ghostly run into the penalty area and fired a low shot into the top corner with his left foot! 1-0!

"BUUUUUT! Monaco's counterattack was as precise as a scalpel! Giuly, Roy, Rothen! A three-pronged attack, and Ajaccio's defense was torn apart!"

In the 14th and 19th minutes, Pulso scored twice!

In the 14th minute, Roy drew the defense and passed the ball to the wing. Rothen crossed the ball, and Pulso pounced on the opportunity to score!
In the 19th minute, Max made a long pass from the backfield, and Pulso held off the defender, turned and fired a shot to score again!
"3-0! Monaco's attacking onslaught! Deschamps's army is unstoppable!"

In the 27th minute, Roy's cold-blooded art moment!

Max made a run and chipped the ball to Roy, who received it outside the penalty area and faced the defense.

A feint to break through! The defender's balance was fooled!

Emergency stop! Create half a step of space!

A right-footed chip shot! The ball arced perfectly into the top right corner!

"BUUUUUUUT! Roy! Monaco's new genius! That shot—cold, precise, and deadly! 4-0! Ajaccio's defense is like paper in front of him!"

In the stands, Monaco's die-hard fans waved their flags wildly, and the commentator shouted, "Who can stop this Monaco team?!"

The second half saw a dramatic turn of events, but Roy sealed the victory!
Ajaccio pulled back two goals (58' Martial Robin, 68' Lacombe), but in the 72nd minute, Roy sealed the victory!
Giuly initiated an attack, but Pulso's shot was saved!

Roy appeared like a ghost, volleying a follow-up shot—the ball bounced off the ground and into the net! 5-2!

"BUT!!! Roy! A cold-blooded killer! He keeps his word!"

League Standings: Monaco is unstoppable!
After this match, Monaco achieved a third consecutive league victory and continued to hold the top spot!
Roy has scored 4 goals and provided 3 assists in his last 3 games, and Deschamps praised him after the match: "His rate of growth is terrifying."

Die-hard fans chanted, "Roy! Roy! Who's next?!"

The commentary quoted Roy's interview:
"Who's next? I don't know! All I know is that a new winning streak is about to begin! Let's look forward to it!"

"Whoo~"

The narrator breathed a sigh of relief.

As the final whistle blew, the Ajaccio players left the field with their heads down, while the Monaco players embraced and celebrated.

This young team is sweeping through Ligue 1 with lightning speed!

(End of this chapter)