On November 9th, after returning to London, Maël boarded a plane to Paris, France, to participate in his first national team training camp.
He felt a sense of anticipation about going to a new place and meeting a new group of teammates and coaches.
That afternoon, he arrived in Paris. Naturally, he wasn't traveling alone; Harry and Safina had come along to provide massage and physical therapy after each training session.
They took a bus from the airport to Clairefontaine Football Town, where the French team usually holds most of its training camps.
In addition, Clairefontaine is also home to a world-renowned football academy.
Top players like Henry, Anelka, and Saha all emerged from here, and it has cultivated countless talented players for the French team.
Looking further ahead, Mbappé, the future king of the French team, is also one of its famous graduates.
Maël arrived at Clairefontaine around six in the evening. He said goodbye to his two therapists and walked into the fresh-aired football town, looking for his accommodation, which was a dormitory with five-star hotel amenities.
On the way, he encountered several players who stared at him, but unfortunately, he didn't recognize any of them.
After arriving at his room, he organized all his belongings and prepared everything.
That night, Deschamps organized a meet-and-greet, which was Maël's first time meeting the French team players.
Maël arrived at the venue five minutes before the meeting started and found that most of the players were already seated. Looking around, he quickly spotted several familiar faces.
Among them was Nasri, the leader of the French Four Little Swans, a former Arsenal teammate he had met a few times before.
Nasri glanced at him, and after a moment of eye contact, turned his head away.
Maël shifted his gaze, nodded slightly to the other teammates, and then walked to the back row, sitting next to Koscielny.
"You're fast."
He put down the chair, sat on it, and said, "I wanted to ask you to come with me."
They were the only two Arsenal players called up to the French team for this training camp, so naturally, they became the first choice for sticking together.
"I forgot to tell you," Koscielny said apologetically, smiling. "I wanted to come over last night and accompany the family to train again."
Maël nodded in understanding, not saying much. He could hear some whispers coming from the front row.
"18 years old..."
"Be careful, Ribery."
"15 goals in the league this season."
"Heard he's hard to get along with."
Since they were speaking relatively quietly, Maël could only hear fragments, but he still got a basic understanding of the team's players' opinions of him.
As the sound of footsteps approached, Deschamps quickly walked in and sat in the speaker's position.
As the newly appointed coach of the French national team, he appeared extremely capable, with firm steps and an undeniable look of confidence on his face.
He wore the Gallic Rooster team uniform with a star printed on the chest, pulled the microphone towards himself, and prepared to say something, his every move full of style.
If Maël hadn't scored 3 goals and 2 assists against his team in 2 games, he might have been fooled by him.
However, he wouldn't underestimate this Basque, he was still convinced that he was the best candidate to lead the French national team... because he could manage the locker room.
Like the Netherlands and Belgium, the French team was also prone to internal strife, always causing trouble during major tournaments.
Whether it was between players and coaches, or between players, or between various parties and the Football Association, there were all sorts of strange things happening.
Just over a year ago, at the South Africa World Cup, team star Anelka had a heated argument with then-coach Domenech, and the former was subsequently kicked out of the national team.
After confirming their shameful exit from the group stage, Manchester United star Evra had a big fight with the fitness coach, and then the French team collectively went on strike to protest the Anelka incident, causing a great uproar.
This was a team full of big-name stars, a team that was difficult to manage.
To lead it well, tactical aspects were actually secondary; the coach must first be able to control the team!
And in this regard, Deschamps, the old captain who led the French team to win the 1998 World Cup, was undoubtedly the best choice.
During his playing career, he was the team's big brother; as a coach, he was the boss of the locker room.
His leadership and the honors he had accumulated made him extremely prestigious, at least in the eyes of French players.
"I don't need to introduce who I am, I'll only say three things today."
Deschamps began to speak, his voice not loud, yet it commanded everyone's attention. "First, you must all understand the importance of the first training camp under a new head coach.
"Starting from this point, I will rebuild the French team in my mind. Only those who contribute to the team will continue to appear here next time.
"With my predecessor, Blanc, leading the team to successfully reach the 2012 European Cup, our goal is clear: to prepare for this tournament and achieve good results."
His gaze swept over several players, all of whom had previously had conflicts with Blanc.
Including Manchester United star Evra, and the 'Four Little Swans' of French football: Nasri, Mene, and Benzema.
Deschamps' gaze carried a warning, the meaning clear: now that there's a change in leadership, don't bring out the old tricks for him.
One of his goals upon taking office was to complete the transition of the French team.
He would definitely use the 'Four Little Swans' who had won the U17 World Cup, and he would try to use them well. He didn't want to strain the relationship between the two sides.
"Second, we were originally scheduled to have two friendly matches this period, but unfortunately, the USA Team canceled their trip. We will only play one match against Belgium.
"That match is scheduled for November 16th, which is seven days from now. I believe that's enough time for us to get to know each other."
After saying this, Deschamps got up from his seat, turned on the media projector, picked up a tactical pen, and stood beside it. "The third point is about my main formation, I'll only talk about one, for the friendly match in seven days.
"I won't waste any extra words. First, accept my main tactical ideas, and you will understand the rest implicitly."
Maël sat in the audience listening. Deschamps' opening remarks were decent. At least every French player looked serious, no one was slacking off or showing any other emotions.
"The basic formation is 4-2-3-1."
Deschamps tapped the screen with the tactical pen, and a 4-2-3-1 tactical board appeared. "Speaking from back to front, I don't need a goalkeeper with a large control range. I prefer the goalkeeper to stand firmly on the goal line to avoid danger.
"The configuration of the two center-backs should be the same as your configuration in the club: one intercepting center-back and one sweeping center-back.
"In the position of full-backs, I generally don't deploy two attacking full-backs or two defensive full-backs. I prefer balance, except for a few individual cases, of course."
After saying this, he pointed the tactical pen to the midfield position. "The configuration of the two defensive midfielders: one is responsible for interception and sweeping, and the other needs to rotate up and down frequently, increasing the number of attacking or defending players in our area, tending to be all-rounders.
"Let's talk about the three people in the frontcourt together. First, starting from the wing, I need a pure Inside Forward who directly launches an attack towards the most threatening position of the opponent with the ball. This will be the sharpest sword in my hand.
"Whether it's on the left or right, I need such a player to increase the offensive threat, and he will get more possession."
As the words fell, Maël raised his head slightly. He basically played the left Inside Forward position at Arsenal.
Although he is still a winger in the official formation, his responsibility has always been that of an Inside Forward, sometimes closer to the center and the penalty area! It can be said that the Inside Forward position in the French team is the position he needs to compete for.
His competitors are Ribery from Bayern Munich, and Mene, one of the 'Four Little Swans'.
The latter is often injured this season and is in average condition. As his team member Safina said, Ribery is his only competitor.
He glanced towards Ribery on the right side of the front row. The other party leaned his head back and looked at him with the corner of his eye. Both knew it, but neither avoided it.
Maël understood that if there was anyone in the French team who could not be his friend besides Nasri, it would be Ribery.
The national team is different from the club. There are no generous bonuses and high salaries to be earned here. Everyone only fights for important honors.
At this time, the relationship between competitors is impossible to be harmonious... unless the two are very good friends themselves.
Something like 'I support 'so-and-so' in the same position to start because he can bring us more' will not happen in the national team, especially in European countries where the sense of national honor is not strong.
They fight for themselves, for their careers!
If their own strength is average, it's fine if they can follow the team to win important honors and championships.
But for a superstar of Ribery's level, it is impossible for him to accept the identity of a 'mixed bag'. He will only pursue honors and championships in a core position!
If he can't play, can't prove himself on a higher stage, and can't play better to improve his worth and value.
Then why is he here? He can completely vacation elsewhere and doesn't need to waste this time.
"Knock knock."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Deschamps tapped the tactical board to signal everyone to concentrate. "In addition to this Inside Forward, I need an organizing core in the frontcourt. He can be the winger on the other side, or he can be this central attacking midfielder.
"He needs to have excellent overall vision and awareness, excellent passing skills, and is one of the important roles in the frontcourt.
"If he is a central attacking midfielder, then the other side can be a pure winger, or a Cut Inside winger.
"If he is a winger, then in the central attacking midfielder position, I will choose more based on the opponent's defense."
After speaking, he simply closed the tactical board. "I believe you can all find your place in it. People who are not suitable for this system are not on this training camp list."
Deschamps's face turned serious, and he emphasized, "In the end, everything about this French team is up to me. Apart from the media, no one will help you, not even Le Graët."
"Meeting adjourned. Training starts at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Anyone who is late will be immediately removed from the training camp."
A scattering of sounds arose as all the players began to leave in an orderly fashion.
Maël and Koscielny walked towards the back, neither of them speaking along the way, but rather thinking about their roles in the national team.
"I have faith in you."
Before parting, Koscielny turned to look at Maël seriously, smiling slightly, "15 goals in 12 rounds, so what if Ribery is worth a hundred million? Your current form is better."
Maël was a little surprised. His relationship with Koscielny at Arsenal wasn't particularly close, and he didn't expect the other man to say that.
"I have faith in you too." He patted Koscielny on the shoulder, "Good luck, I hope we can fight side by side on the international stage."
Koscielny nodded, observed Maël for a moment, and reminded him, "Let me tell you something, if there are Tottenham players or Manchester United players, don't get too close to them."
After hearing him, the first face that came to Maël's mind was that of Manchester United star Evra.
He originally wanted to ask why, but then he figured it out, because he remembered what a former legend had said later.
—"I am very envious of the current national team, the players can get along in harmony, this is the best era, but we couldn't at that time, club rivals would not speak in the national team."
It should have been said by an English legend, he had forgotten who it was, and it seemed that the French team should be in the same situation.
"I understand."
He nodded, here, there would still be club positions, Koscielny was kindly reminding him.
The next day, Maël followed the team to start training. The content of the training was similar to when he was training at Arsenal at the beginning of the season, almost all tactical and technical training.
On the first day of training, he had no private conversations with any other players except for a private exchange with Koscielny.
On the second day, Ligue 1 team Montpellier's center forward Giroud took the initiative to talk to him during dinner, "You are the kind of player I envy the most."
Maël could guess the reason, but still politely asked, "Why?"
"Talent."
Giroud pointed to his head and said truthfully, "You are the group of people who can play at the age of seventeen or eighteen, while we have to wait until we are twenty-five or six to slowly emerge."
"I'm lucky, few of my childhood playmates are still playing."
Maël nodded with a frown, he didn't know how to respond to this kind of talk.
"To be honest, I envy those who go to big clubs." Giroud sniffed and said with a simple smile, "I also want attention, I want a high salary, but I can only be in a mid-range Ligue 1 team."
Maël looked at him, wanting to say yes, it is possible that we will soon become teammates, but he couldn't say it.
From then on, the two of them were considered to know each other. Although there would be no private activities, there was much more communication on the training ground.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In the shooting training on the third day, Maël showed his extremely excellent shooting skills, which was a preliminary shock to the French team players.
"Thump, thump, thump!"
In the strength and explosiveness training on the fourth day, he gave many French players a physical lesson with his extremely violent Speed and Strength.
However, since these were all known to everyone, no one had too many unexpected expressions. At most, it was the shock of seeing it in reality instead of on TV.
In fact, many people in this team had played against Maël.
For example, Bayern Munich's Ribery, Newcastle United's Cabaye, Marseille's Valbuena, Mandanda, Manchester United's Evra, etc.
And coincidentally, he performed very well against these teams, so no one felt contempt for him.
But not looking down on him doesn't mean they will be very friendly to him, dissatisfaction is still common.
At the end of training that day, Maël ran to the next playground to do extra training. His Ball Control was at the last moment of upgrading, and his actions caused dissatisfaction among many people.
"Giving us intensity?"
Manchester United defender Evra looked at Maël's back and sneered to the person next to him, "Does he think that the club's set can also be used in the national team? Will Deschamps use an 18-year-old?"
He turned his head to seek recognition, and was slightly embarrassed to see that Nasri was standing next to him, and rolled his eyes slightly.
Compared to Arsenal players, he hated Manchester City players even more, especially 'former Arsenal' Manchester City players.
Turning his head to look at Ribery, he felt a little better, "Right?"
Ribery shook his head, neither nodding nor denying, and said nothing.
"Be careful of getting beaten up." Before leaving, Nasri left a meaningful sentence, not knowing whether he was mocking Evra or Maël.
"Tch." Evra laughed dismissively, turned his head and stared at Nasri's back, "These young people are too arrogant, I think they need to be disciplined."
At night, they held a meeting in the conference room. With the game approaching, the personnel for some positions had already been confirmed.
In the goalkeeper position, Lloris from Lyon had basically secured the starting position, followed by the central defenders Sakho and Koscielny.
Compared to his predecessor Blanc, Deschamps seemed to prefer Koscielny more, willing to give this young man with a mediocre national team resume a chance.
In the full-back positions, Manchester United star Evra was undoubtedly the first choice, and on the other side, he chose Debuchy from Lille.
As for the midfield, the only ones who could be confirmed were the center forward Benzema and one of the defensive midfielders, Matuidi, while the other positions were yet to be determined.
"Buzz..."
Before the meeting even started, a noisy sound suddenly rang out in the locker room, and the players gathered together in small groups.
"Transfermarkt has updated the prices!"
Soon, everyone knew the news and took out their phones to browse the latest Transfermarkt prices.
Maël was the one who didn't need to check. The moment he picked up his phone, he saw congratulatory messages from Peter and Emilia of the Football Record newspaper, as well as Safina, Harry, and others.
45 million euros! This was his new price, an increase of 15 million euros compared to the last time!
Without a doubt, this was the most significant price increase of his career so far. The Premier League and the European Champions League had brought him a lot of attention.
His performance in these two competitions greatly increased his value, bringing his price to an astonishing figure.
——"Keep going."
Maël replied to everyone, a smile on his face, and he was clearly in a good mood.
From 8 million to 20 million to 30 million, and now to 45 million.
He saw the results of each step he took, and saw a value that was very meaningful.
Currently, player prices had not yet inflated, and this 45 million euros was extremely valuable.
If it were in later generations, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it would be close to 100 million!
"This is the last time this year."
Koscielny was sitting next to him, still foolishly enjoying the Transfermarkt news, "I wonder how much I'll be worth, and how much you'll be worth... Let me see, first place Messi 130m, second place Cristiano 100m, third place..." "Sixteenth place, Maël." He suddenly looked up at Maël, his pupils shrinking slightly, "Maël, 45m?!"
Koscielny opened his mouth wide and exclaimed, "You're worth 45 million euros?! What the f*ck! Only second to Van Persie in the team, this is the highest price for players over 90, right?"
His voice was loud, quickly attracting many French players to turn their heads.
Giroud in the front row asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Maël's new Transfermarkt price is 45 million euros! Quickly calculate what number it is in our team." Koscielny said with a big laugh. He was really happy for his teammate and proud that they were both Arsenal players.
45 million! This was a sky-high price! Moreover, Transfermarkt's prices are generally underestimated. When Maël's Transfermarkt price reached 45 million, his transaction price would be over 60 million euros! A 18-year-old kid, 60 million euros, this was simply like science fiction.
"Oh!" Giroud held his head, also with a look of amazement, and looked at Maël, "One of you can buy three of me, haha."
Everyone this time clearly heard that Maël's price was 45 million, and suddenly, the entire conference room was filled with noise.
It was a very small noise, you could hear everyone talking, but you couldn't hear clearly, as if you were back in the classroom during student days when class was over.
"Benzema has dropped, he's much lower than Maël."
"What will the Real Madrid superstar think?"
"Haha... He's still a Real Madrid superstar?"
"So, besides Ribery from Bayern, Maël is the highest-priced player in the team?"
"Just a young player premium."
"Don't talk nonsense, I think his stats this season are worth this price."
"What else do you count for young players besides age? Didn't you add a young premium when you were young?"
They chatted animatedly, not at all like the superstars of their respective clubs, mainly because the price was too astonishing.
If memory serves, 18-year-old Messi and 18-year-old Cristiano were worth around 40 million and 22.5 million euros, respectively.
Even Neymar, the Santos youngster currently pursued by all of Europe, the recognized successor of Samba football, was only worth 32 million.
Maël, a player only in his second season as a professional, was worth 45 million?
In the front row, Evra watched his own value drop by a million or two euros, then looked at Maël's price tag, and felt a pang of envy.
However, he only looked grim and didn't openly show anything at this time.
Ribery stared at his phone, looking at the name only four places below his in the valuation rankings, a sense of urgency welled up in his heart, making it impossible for him to concentrate.
He took the initiative to find Evra and asked, "Who do you think Deschamps will use?"
"You," Evra, who was itching for a place to vent, immediately leaned over and said, "Don't worry, it's definitely you. That kid hasn't experienced big games, he's bound to be a softie in major competitions."
Seeming to realize that this didn't sound right, he added, "I mean major competitions, not just important games."
He almost dragged his own team, Manchester United, into the mud, which was a big no-no.
"Quiet."
Deschamps quickly walked in from outside, ending the players' uproar.
He didn't say much at the meeting that day, just emphasized the frequent problems in training, and outlined the training plan and requirements for tomorrow.
...
November 14th. That afternoon, Maël, who had been taking time to train various skills, finally ushered in another moment of upgrading.
His ankles and knees, as well as his hips, and even some parts of his waist and shoulders, all experienced a sense of lightness.
It was just a momentary feeling, then it immediately disappeared, as if it never existed.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
But when Maël played with the football again, the football seemed to be glued to his feet. His legs couldn't help but make extremely fast pushing, pulling, stepping, and jumping movements, and his body also swayed quickly, "Pa, pa!"
His change of direction became extremely fast, his Ball Control had a significant improvement, and his affinity with the football increased again.
He had a feeling that no matter how fast he wanted to flick or buckle the ball, his feet could keep up.
No matter how fast he changed the direction of the football, the football would obediently follow him!
lv4 had arrived!
[Skill: Dribbling lv4]
[Proficiency: (1/5000)]
[Effect: After mastering Ball Control, you gradually begin to pursue some large-scale change of direction movements, small-scale flexible escape movements, and have the ability to Dribbling past people!]
Dribbling!
Dribbling past people!
This symbolized that his Dribbling ability had ushered in a strong improvement, and the success rate of getting past people would be greatly enhanced.
When he only mastered Ball Control skills before, his success rate of getting past people was actually not low. It was conceivable what kind of performance he would put on the field after upgrading 'Ball Control' to 'Dribbling'.
"Let's upgrade Rhythm quickly."
Maël's satisfaction in the corner of his mouth was mixed with greed. Once the additional skill Rhythm was also upgraded, his Dribbling would be infinitely close to those Dribbling masters.
Perhaps not as strong as Messi, who was at the historical level of Dribbling, nor as dazzling as Neymar and Ronaldinho, who had fancy skills.
But it should be on par with the type of Dribbling of Eden Hazard?
His Speed and Strength were stronger than the Hamburger King, so he should have a more amazing success rate of getting past people.
"Always talking about preliminary all-around."
Maël remembered what he had said before and couldn't help but sigh, "When Rhythm is upgraded, and Heading and Fancy are upgraded, it should be intermediate all-around, right?"
"I really can't imagine what kind of player the ultimate form of all skills at lv5 will become."
He didn't think anymore, took the football to the equipment room, preparing for tomorrow's training. The day after tomorrow might be his national team debut.
...
November 15th evening, meeting room.
Deschamps held the tactical board, his expression as usual, "Tomorrow we will play against the Belgium team on the Clairefontaine pitch. There will be quite a few youth training players coming to watch, but not too many media reporters.
"The following is the starting lineup."
As the last words fell, most of the players' faces became tense. Even though everyone would play, the starting lineup definitely represented a different status in Deschamps' mind.
Tomorrow is also Deschamps' debut for the national team. The starting lineup he sends out must be the strongest lineup he believes in, his main lineup for the future!
"Goalkeeper Lloris."
Deschamps said the first name. His direct line player Mandanda originally had a little fantasy, but now he was completely withered.
"Center backs Sakho, Koscielny, left back Evra, right back Debuchy."
As the words fell, several people excitedly poked their heads out, and several people lost the look in their eyes, and even the eyes looking at Deschamps were not focused.
"Defensive midfielders, Matuidi, Cabaye."
He continued to read on. Cabaye was the first to not hold back. Hearing his name, he laughed and applauded with the person next to him to celebrate.
"Attacking midfielder, Nasri."
When Deschamps read here, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room reached its highest point.
Maël stared at him intently, as did Ribery on the other side, including Nasri, Evra and others, they were determining the Inside Forward position.
"Left winger, that is, Inside Forward."
Deschamps raised his head, his eyes swept across the meeting room, and finally landed on one place, "Maël."
He said the name that was without suspense in his mind. There was no pressure. He thought so before taking office in the national team.
Just as he said to Le Graët, the chairman of the French Football Association, he only believes in his own eyes and only believes in his own feelings! He doesn't care about the price, he doesn't care about the accumulation of honors, he only values his own judgment of players.
Then the answer is undoubtedly that Maël from Arsenal has a higher priority than Ribery from Bayern Munich! "Phew"
Hearing his name, Maël breathed a sigh of relief. After a week of training, Deschamps deliberately distanced himself from him, making him unable to be sure of his current status in Deschamps' mind.
Now it seems that it's okay, the other party should still remember the shock he brought to him in those two games!
This old boy... has been keeping a distance from him, does he want him to forget the seven xi [seven goals]?
This is impossible. Even if Deschamps, who will win all honors in the future, is in high spirits, he will lean into the other party's ear and say - do you still remember why you took this position? Maël's side is relaxed, he is thinking about having a child as soon as he gets married, but the other side is different.
The moment he heard the news, Franck Ribery's face instantly darkened, and it was not an ordinary expression of disappointment, but an obvious, deliberately wanting people to see black face.
He slowly tilted his neck and kept looking at Deschamps' direction, with both disbelief and a bit of questioning.
Nasri and Evra quickly turned to look at him, the former with a chuckle on his face, and the latter with shock on his face.
What is Deschamps thinking?
Doesn't he care about the old players at all? They are not worried about whether Ribery can play... but the meaning is to let the veterans give way to the rookies.
"Right winger Ribery, center Benzema."
Deschamps didn't pause at all, read the last two names, and put down the tactical board, "The others are on the bench, waiting for my arrangement."
Of course, he noticed the expressions of several old players, and he was already used to it.
The days are still long... If someone doesn't fu [submit to] him, then they have plenty of time to pengpeng [test each other].
He asked Le Graët, the chairman of the Football Association, for all the power. Now this French team can only take him as the standard! Centralization!
This is Deschamps' proposition for controlling the French national team. He will only distribute power to a few people who are useful to the team.
Soon, everyone left in silence, the atmosphere was a little depressing.
Maël was different from them. He came to Deschamps, as if he had something to ask.
Deschamps looked at him, and was a little surprised for a while, the two looked at each other.
"That." Maël seemed a little difficult to speak, paused for a moment before saying: "The friendly match has media reporters, right?"
"Yes." Deschamps nodded in response, still not understanding what Maël meant, "But you can't record or take pictures after the game starts, and my team members will record the data."
Maël smiled and nodded, "Can I stuff a media reporter in?"
Deschamps was even more surprised, what kind of request is this... He really wanted to ask why, but he held back for the sake of his image, "One can be promised to you, do you want a press pass? I'll go get it with you now."
"Okay."
Maël's voice immediately perked up with a bit of energy. He followed Deschamps all the way to an assistant coach's office, got a media pass, and then left.
After he left, the assistant coach watched his back, hesitated, and frowned as he asked, "What's wrong, Deschamps? Is your most valued player going to change positions?"
"Get lost."
Deschamps glanced at him, and they both chuckled. In private, their way of interacting was still different from how they treated the players.
"Do you feel awkward interacting with him now?" the assistant coach asked after laughing. "The guy who helped score eight to zero against you in two games, creating five goals single-handedly."
Deschamps's mouth twitched. He went up and grabbed his shoulder. This guy really knew how to hit where it hurt. "If you mention this again and awaken that memory in others, I'll strangle you."
As his hand slowly tightened, a series of ghostly wails quickly echoed in the office.
ps: It won't be long, we'll be back at the club soon. The updates are out of control. I said one chapter of 6k, then 7k, and now it's 8k+. Asking for monthly tickets!
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