At the training ground's edge, the setting sun stretched the silhouettes of the departing group into long shadows.
Hadzibegic and assistant coach Dominique were seeing off Julien, De Bruyne, and the other internationals as they left Bastia to report to their respective national teams.
Hadzibegic had spoken privately with each player. When he finally faced Julien, his expression turned complex.
This month's World Cup qualifiers were crucial—especially for France.
The match against Spain at the end of the month would essentially determine first place in the group and direct qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. A genuine top-of-the-table clash.
Understanding the stakes, Hadzibegic looked at Julien with particular gravity, placing a hand on his shoulder.
After a heavy sigh, he said: "I know Deschamps needs you. France needs you. These two national teams matches determine World Cup qualification, the honor of Les Bleus.
As a professional, I understand the desire to represent your country, the weight of expectations from millions in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and beyond. You're France's jewel, Deschamps' trump card. That's undeniable.
But I need you to protect yourself!!"
That last sentence carried tremendous force. Hadzibegic stared at Julien, seemingly awaiting a response.
Julien nodded.
He'd always known that if possible, Hadzibegic would prefer he skip national team duty totally. It was the classic club-versus-country conflict. Too many examples existed of players getting injured on international duty, then recuperating at their clubs, while the clubs continued paying their wages and bearing all the costs.
Seeing Julien's acknowledgment, Hadzibegic's expression softened slightly. He continued: "Your body isn't made of steel. Think about Bastia. Think about our shared dream—the Ligue 1 title, and the Europa League. Without you, Bastia's volcano of dreams will go extinct!
I know this is selfish: asking you to think about the club even while fighting for your country. But you understand, don't you? Bastia, this island, this team, these fans—they've staked everything on you. You're their light, their hope. Your health isn't just yours alone—it's our lifeline.
Go. Go fight for France! Show the Spanish what a Corsican storm looks like!
I'll be waiting for you to return! Bastia will be waiting!
Come back healthy, come back victorious, and lead us through the final, most difficult battles of this season!"
Seeing the worry in Hadzibegic's eyes, Julien smiled slightly and embraced him. "Don't worry, boss. I'll be fine."
Hadzibegic looked at Julien almost like a father watching his son. Now it felt like he was sending his boy on a long journey.
As Julien turned toward the waiting bus, Hadzibegic remained standing in place.
The sunset gilded his upright figure in gold, elongating that heavy, inexpressible worry into shadow.
The sea breeze carried its briny scent, matching his complex, indescribable emotions.
The bus swayed along the coastal road toward the airport, the dying sun painting the sea in vivid colors that reflected through the windows onto every passenger.
Julien chatted with De Bruyne. "You guys still haven't lost, right? Top of the group should be comfortable?"
De Bruyne nodded slightly. "Pretty good. The other five teams in Group A aren't much trouble except Croatia. Last match we drew 1-1 with them away, and right now we're level on wins, so we still need to fight for it."
Julien nodded. Belgium's situation mirrored France's—both had one direct competitor whose quality far exceeded the rest of the group, making the head-to-head fixtures critical.
However, De Bruyne's Group A differed from France's Group I in one key respect: Belgium and Croatia's next direct clash wouldn't come until October.
France faced Spain imminently—a second showdown.
Returning to Clairefontaine, Julien encountered several new faces this time around. Deschamps had never stopped searching for promising young French talent.
Paul Pogba, for example.
This was his first call-up to the senior national team, earned through impressive performances at Juventus. Given France's dire midfield shortage, Deschamps had observed him for a period before decisively adding Pogba to the squad.
When Pogba saw Julien, he seemed slightly uncomfortable.
Though Pogba was actually a year older than Julien, even in Italy he'd been seeing constant news about him. Julien's fame in France had reached unprecedented heights—he seemed untouchable.
That fame created an aura around him. Others couldn't help but view Julien through a lens colored by "genius" and "France's future."
According to media speculation, Deschamps intended to make Julien the future national team captain. Previously, Deschamps had continued Blanc's decision to keep goalkeeper Hugo Lloris as captain.
Pogba didn't dare act casually.
He knew Lloris had become captain partly by circumstance. In the November 2008 friendly against Uruguay, barely 22-year-old Lloris made his international debut under Domenech. That France team was in its most turbulent post-Zidane era—a dressing room full of infighting.
Lloris, focused purely on football without engaging in politics, had been a refreshing presence.
He'd seized the opportunity to become the starting goalkeeper. Despite becoming the first French keeper ever sent off in an official match in September 2009, Lloris made crucial saves in both legs of the playoff against Ireland to drag France back from the brink—though they only advanced through Henry's controversial handball assist.
Lloris's first major tournament saw France depart South Africa in disgrace.
After Blanc took over, with Henry and other veterans departing the international scene, France entered a rebuilding phase. Blanc, like Deschamps, recognized the core problems. He boldly promoted youth, and just over three months into his tenure, directly appointed Lloris captain—a controversial decision at the time.
Blanc had needed to establish his authority and control the dressing room in that chaotic moment.
Now, France's personnel continued changing rapidly. Deschamps had cycled through several different groups over recent call-ups.
But one thing remained constant: Julien's position grew increasingly unshakeable. Pogba understood perfectly—barring catastrophic career-threatening injury, Julien's status in the French national team was unassailable for the foreseeable future.
The captain's armband would come from his own merit!
Because Julien rarely gave interviews, Pogba didn't know him well. He'd expected such a prodigy might be somewhat aloof.
But before he could speak, Julien spotted him and broke into a warm smile, approaching with open arms: "Hey, Paul."
Pogba felt almost overwhelmed, stumbling slightly over his words. He tried desperately to appear normal, "Hello, Julien."
Julien shrugged casually. "Relax. I've talked with your brother. He told me you weren't happy at Manchester United—that Ferguson didn't trust you. He said when you left United, you'd make them regret it. Looks like United's people should be regretting it right about now."
Julien gave Pogba an approving thumbs-up.
When the conversation turned to himself, Pogba's confidence surfaced. He was precisely the type with powerful self-belief and self-awareness.
That's why he dared attempt high-difficulty actions on the pitch: elaborate skills, long-range strikes, intricate passes. It extended to social media and personal image—he showed his personality without restraint.
Pogba smiled. "Yeah, United didn't trust me. I'm very happy at Juventus now. They've taught me so much—Conte, Pirlo, Buffon..."
Julien made an impressed expression, then asked, "That's wonderful. Pirlo's a world-class midfield maestro. But I'm curious—does he really sleep as much as they say?"
Julien continuously steered the conversation forward.
Pogba followed his lead naturally, and soon the initial awkwardness vanished. He felt like Julien truly understood him—knew he needed trust, knew he didn't enjoy defensive duties.
Meanwhile, Julien was thinking: he'd managed to motivate Lukaku into relentless running on the pitch—handling a young Pogba would be child's play.
Though Pogba possessed strong "self-centered, performative personality traits"—craving attention and enjoying the spotlight, he also harbored a certain submission to authority.
The key was whether he recognized that authority.
At Juventus, for example, his performances were sensational.
Why? Because as a newcomer, he was surrounded by Pirlo, Buffon, Chiellini, Bonucci—a collection of world-class stars and legends.
These players possessed not just ability but exceptional professionalism and absolute dressing room authority.
Pogba showed tremendous humility, eagerness to learn, and work ethic around them. He willingly integrated into the team and absorbed everything they could teach.
He respected their ability + achievements + professional standards + leadership qualities.
Julien also knew that in his previous life, Pogba had been a core player for France's national team because Deschamps, a World Cup-winning legendary coach had and got immense respect. More importantly, Deschamps trusted Pogba completely, made him the tactical nucleus, and gave him freedom on the pitch.
Simultaneously, that World Cup-winning France squad included Lloris, Griezmann, Mbappé, Kanté—teammates whose quality and status were unquestionable. In that environment, Pogba typically stayed focused, performed excellently, and respected both coach and teammates' authority.
The starkest contrast came at Manchester United.
Ferguson's absolute authority was unquestionable, but Pogba had been too young during his first United stint—that was one thing.
Under Mourinho, though Mourinho was undeniably elite, his philosophy, emphasizing discipline, defensive priority, demanding absolute obedience clashed completely with Pogba's free-spirited nature and desire for a central role.
Later, the "leak" incident and falling out with Mourinho occurred partly because Pogba probably didn't believe Mourinho's tactical system maximized his talents. Combined with Mourinho's public criticism, the relationship ignited.
Similarly, United's dressing room then lacked the kind of absolute leader-level players who could keep Pogba in check, unlike Juventus.
After the club chose to support Pogba in that conflict, it only reinforced these personality traits.
Under Solskjær, the relationship started smoothly. Ole's approach was primarily "accommodating," giving Pogba core status. Pogba initially performed brilliantly.
But when results declined and Solskjær's authority and tactical competence came into question, Pogba's focus and performances wavered too.
He needed someone he could genuinely respect.
Soon the two were chatting and laughing. Pogba felt Julien was genuinely kind—a core player helping him integrate quickly into the squad, making him feel respected.
Julien led Pogba deeper into the training complex, introducing him to more teammates.
Then he spotted Raphael Varane.
Julien's face lit up immediately. He walked toward Varane with arms spread wide, embracing him tightly, "Look who's here! Raphael!"
Varane was equally delighted to see Julien again: "I think with you here, we're set this time. I watched all your Europa League matches, and I was so excited afterward I kept searching for news articles. Congratulations—I hope you win the trophy."
Julien clapped his shoulder again. "You deserve congratulations. You've established yourself at Real Madrid. Keep performing, and you'll be France's starting center-back soon enough."
Varane flashed his bright smile and nodded firmly!
Shortly after, Olivier Giroud arrived at the complex. Seeing Julien and the others, he came over to greet them. Giroud said to Julien, "Dibu won't stop telling me how good he has it at Bastia. Haha, I think he doesn't even want to go back to Arsenal. Makes me want to be your club teammate too—I know how comfortable it is playing alongside you."
Julien smiled. "National teammates are still teammates. Anyway, here comes Didier."
Deschamps and his coaching staff entered the training facility. The first thing he did was greet each player individually.
Finally, he addressed everyone, "Get good rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll begin proper training and tactical preparation for these two matches. We'll also work on building chemistry since our squad composition has changed significantly. But regardless of personnel changes, our core tactical approach remains consistent..."
With that, he dismissed everyone to their accommodations.
The players returned to their rooms, chatting amiably. Some continued socializing. Julien, for example, invited Giroud, Kanté, Matuidi, Pogba, Varane, and several others to a common room to hang out.
Nobody refused.
They all understood perfectly—Julien was gathering the younger players.
Declining might mean permanently losing the chance to enter this circle.
France's national team tradition had always required someone capable of getting everyone's respect—a true core. They all recognized Julien absolutely had that qualification.
Though he still lacked many club honors and individual awards, they were willing to follow Julien's lead.
Perhaps beyond recognizing Julien's immense potential, another crucial reason was simply that being around him felt comfortable, enjoyable.
The conversation flowed wonderfully.
At first, Julien actively guided the discussion, helping everyone engage with each other. Gradually, as everyone relaxed and enjoyed themselves, his direction became unnecessary.
Julien watched this harmonious atmosphere with deep satisfaction.
France never lacked talented players.
What they lacked was someone who could make those talents orbit around them—a true core!
Platini had been that.
Zidane had been that.
Their eras had been French football's most glorious.
As Julien's thoughts wandered, perhaps... perhaps the next glorious era of French football would be his own.
The next day, everyone rose early. After breakfast, they gathered in the common room to read newspapers, chat, and rest for nearly an hour before the day's team meeting, where Deschamps would outline tactics for the March 22nd match against Georgia.
These two national team fixtures were relatively favorable for France—both at home. No exhausting travel. They could wait comfortably while their opponents came to them.
After greeting teammates, Julien casually scanned today's papers. One L'Équipe article caught his attention—it concerned Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema.
The paper had published a poll: Should Benzema return to the French national team?
The question arose because some voices advocated for Benzema's recall, arguing his solid Real Madrid performances meant France shouldn't waste such a player. Several commentators had echoed this sentiment.
However, L'Équipe's poll results showed 78% of fans believed Deschamps should not recall Benzema—it was a landslide rejection.
The most direct cause was a recent interview that had generated controversy. Benzema's refusal to sing the French national anthem before matches—something he'd consistently done while with Les Bleus had drawn media criticism and fan disapproval.
As widely known, like Zidane, Benzema was of Algerian descent. Media speculated this was among the reasons he wouldn't sing La Marseillaise.
In one interview, Benzema had expressed his feelings bluntly. "I've never sung La Marseillaise on the pitch. Even after scoring a hat-trick, I still won't sing it."
However, Benzema insisted he deeply loved the national team. "I love France. Playing for the national team is my dream. I've always worked toward getting back into the squad. But I don't want to be forced to sing the anthem. I don't see what's wrong with that. Zidane didn't sing La Marseillaise before matches when he was with the national team either."
Julien felt no strong reaction reading this.
For him personally, Benzema was definitely less useful than Giroud and far more dangerous. The man was a walking dressing room bomb, and everything he did carried undercurrents.
He also noticed wide coverage about Spain—it was understandable, since everyone knew Spain was France's greatest threat.
French media had reported widely on Spanish football matters in the pre-match buildup.
Tons of coverage, including the hottest controversy in Spanish football recently: Mourinho versus Casillas.
Mourinho had claimed he'd been cheated in FIFA's Best Coach voting—that votes rightfully his had been fraudulently attributed to Vicente del Bosque instead.
Del Bosque had responded. "I don't want to be angry, nor will I laugh. I take my responsibilities extremely seriously. Mourinho's behavior is childish.
Right now, I'm only thinking about Finland—how we'll play the match, how we'll train properly. I have many friends who've advised me to stay silent.
We should only discuss football, discuss unity—not create division every day. I don't want conflict with anyone.
I've said before that there are two types of head coaches: one more passionate and intense, another calmer. I didn't mention specific names.
At a certain awards ceremony, Mourinho and I sat at the same table. I was the first to congratulate him.
The best role models require good manners and behavior. A society without proper upbringing creates lasting harm.
In my voting, I chose Di Matteo, Guardiola, and Prandelli."
Of course, more relevant to Julien was Spain's squad composition: Xavi had been selected despite carrying an injury, while Carles Puyol missed the squad due to right knee surgery. Casillas hadn't been included due to his recovery period.
Spain would first host Finland at home, then travel to face France. A single dropped point could see them overtaken by France and forced into the playoffs.
To prepare for these two crucial matches, Del Bosque had called up the recently-recovered Xavi despite Barcelona's objections and Barcelona's medical staff had been powerless to prevent Xavi from reporting to the national team.
All of this was good news for France.
Del Bosque's interview also addressed these injury concerns. Julien skimmed through it before jumping to the conclusion.
Del Bosque had discussed Spain's World Cup qualifying situation, "Deschamps has excellent players, especially De Rocca. In the second half of our first encounter, the French players proved they're every bit as good as Spanish players—I can even say they were sometimes better than us.
We're confident in our players, but we must show maximum respect to France and all opponents.
I am indeed wary of this matchup. I have tremendous respect for France. Right now, the gap between our teams is minimal. France's players are as good as ours, and they'll be extremely motivated facing us.
The French have their pride. Obviously, they'll give everything to beat us. Our objective is to maintain control of matches, dominate possession, and not let opponents dictate the game.
It's difficult. We all understand that."
As Julien absorbed these articles, he became somewhat engrossed, not noticing Deschamps had approached from behind.
Suddenly, Deschamps spoke, "Actually, you don't need to worry about them. Just express your abilities fully—I believe nobody can stop you. Tottenham and Inter Milan have already proven that."
Hearing the voice, Julien turned and smiled slightly. "Maybe."
Deschamps patted his shoulder. "France is under enormous pressure right now. I've used many new players. I'm still searching for the combination that can become champions.
You know France is in a transitional period—caught between generations. But there's one thing all French fans and I are certain of: in this era, you are France's only superstar."
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