Bastia's starting lineup was challenging, losing nothing in comparison even to Paris Saint-Germain's lavish spending.
Against Bordeaux, Hadzibegic had everything well in hand.
Julien watched as Belluion took the field. His most memorable impression of him wasn't his time at Manchester United, but rather that Belluion had once been a French track and field athlete. While training as a footballer, he had also participated in sprint training and won the sixty-meter dash title at the French indoor youth championships a decade ago.
Yet his speed had never produced truly stunning moments on the football pitch.
In football, speed matters greatly, but speed alone isn't enough.
Belluion entered the game.
Bordeaux's intentions were clear: attack and attempt a counter-attack away from home.
However, their first offensive move stumbled immediately. The newly substituted Belluion, wearing number 11, received the ball on the wing and prepared to attempt his signature dribbling run with explosive pace. That's when veteran Rothen seized the opportunity with a perfectly timed sliding tackle, precisely booting the ball out of bounds.
Rothen rose to his feet and muttered, "What nonsense was that?"
Bordeaux organized another attack, but Bastia's defense, while not renowned for toughness, presented an almost impenetrable wall to the Bordeaux players.
"Gillot's substitution is difficult to say whether it will work," the TF1 commentator noted. "At minimum, Belluion won't be Bordeaux's savior. He's a player even Ferguson couldn't save. Perhaps in lower divisions he might rely on pure speed, but this is Ligue 1, the top tier."
The commentator explained on Belluion's struggles at Manchester United—warming the bench, various loan spells, no permanent buyers, gradually cast aside until Nice picked him up for five hundred thousand euros.
Most critically, as Bordeaux brought Belluion on, their defense developed a problem.
On the right flank where Julien operated.
They brought on Belluion and removed Sertić. Gillot's thinking was to use N'Guemo's repositioning to shore up the right-side defense and allow Belluion's abundant energy to drop back and provide cover.
The problem was simple: Belluion went forward but never came back.
N'Guemo was pulled away by the advancing Rothen, leaving only Morris Beleré and Trémoulinas to defend against Julien on the right flank.
When Julien saw Rothen deliver the pass, he didn't trap the ball. Instead, he pushed it forward and explosively accelerated, using his pace to burst through the two-man press.
As he approached the box, Henrique rushed out in desperation. Without hesitation, Julien executed a sharp cut inside.
The ball glided smoothly across the field.
The crowd roared.
At the Stade Armand Cesari, Bastia supporters gasped in amazement. Their faces lit with smiles—watching Julien play was simply delightful.
Where other players' dribbling moves appeared awkward and stiff, in Julien's hands, the football seemed an extension of his body itself.
The last player who had evoked such a feeling was named Ronaldinho.
Moving inside to the wing position, N'Guemo hurriedly abandoned Rothen to cover, blocking Julien's further advance inside. They all knew what Julien could do—if he penetrated any deeper, it would be a left-footed long-range shot. The "greatest right winger in Ligue 1" hadn't earned that title for nothing.
Then Julien suddenly played a chip pass.
The ball soared toward the near post.
Bordeaux players instinctively tracked its flight, thinking it was for Lukaku.
No!
In that instant, they realized their mistake. It wasn't Lukaku—it was the far post!
Mané, who had only just come on as a substitute, had barely touched the ball, his presence was even less noticeable than Belluion's.
But precisely because Bordeaux's defensive focus had been drawn away by Rothen and Julien, no one noticed Mané's sudden run into the box.
Julien had seen him.
So, the ball found him.
Bastia supporters leaned forward in anticipation, hands pressed to their chests, ready to celebrate or groan in disappointment.
The ball descended.
Mané struck it without stopping, unleashing a powerful volley. Goalkeeper Carrasso had no time to recover.
The ball nestled cleanly in the net.
3-0!
Bordeaux was completely dismantled. Their players hung their heads and sighed hopelessly. The goal delivered a crushing blow, scattering whatever fighting spirit they had painstakingly built up for a counter-attack.
The Stade Armand Cesari erupted into pandemonium.
What was hell for one team was heaven for another.
Supporters waved flags and rippled their jerseys like ocean waves, flowing and surging.
Mané slid to his knees in celebration, bursting out of the field, arms spread wide toward the supporters.
This was his first season at Bastia.
This was his second goal of the campaign.
Two goals, two assists.
Not extraordinary yet, but he believed this was only the beginning.
"Bastia winger Mané scores!" the TF1 commentator announced. "He entered with Belluion. The contrast couldn't be clearer."
The commentator offered brief context: "Since his transfer from Metz to Bastia, his performances have been thoroughly solid. He's even had the opportunity to start in the Europa League."
Many Bastia supporters reflected that Mané, as the summer's most expensive signing, had at least justified the club's investment.
The crowd celebrated the goal.
Meanwhile, those closely following Julien marveled at his two assists in the match.
Zinedine Zidane, in particular, lit up, his smile widening.
Blanc, noticing Zidane's expression, spoke with understanding. "It seems you were right. He truly has the makings of a king. The way he plays demands he be the ball-carrier. Having him just run empty is wasteful."
Zidane nodded. "He played midfield in Chelsea's youth academy. I've told Didier the same thing—don't use Julien as a pure winger. It limits his talents."
He finished speaking, his gaze focused on Julien with gleaming intensity.
A player possessing wing breakthrough ability, finishing capability, and passing orchestration is typically termed a "complete winger" or "wing attack focal point."
Such players were extraordinarily rare.
After all, they not only threaten defenses through pace and technique on the flank, but can also take control through precise crossing, cutting inside for shots, or dropping back to orchestrate play. In modern football, such tactical versatility was exceptionally scarce.
Players of this type included Messi, Figo, and Giggs.
What Zidane perceived in Julien was talent that might even be equal or surpassing those players.
Blanc sighed regretfully. "It's a shame I can't manage the French national team anymore. The Euros truly bring regrets. If Julien hadn't gotten injured, what a shame."
He exhaled heavily.
As an outsider, Zidane actually felt reaching the Euros semis had already far exceeded France's realistic capabilities.
Without Julien, reaching the semis would have been nearly impossible.
Now he looked forward to seeing Deschamps and Julien together lift France to the summit of world football.
On the sideline, Gillot hung his head in dejection, a stark contrast to Hadzibegic and his assistants celebrating.
The camera captured this single frame—one man in the depths of despair, another in the heights of ecstasy.
Everyone understood clearly.
With Mané's goal, Bordeaux had completely lost their chance. The match was decided.
Indeed, as play continued, Bordeaux retreated further. In the final ten minutes, they showed no attacking intention whatsoever.
Minute 81
Hadzibegic substituted Illan for Julien.
The entire stadium erupted in applause.
Julien transferred the captain's armband to Rothen, then waved to supporters on all sides, receiving thunderous applause and cheers in return.
Walking to the sideline, Julien exchanged high-fives with Illan, then turned to leave as Hadzibegic embraced him. "Brilliant work. You played beautifully today."
At the substitute's bench, after exchanging high-fives with De Bruyne, Julien sat beside him with a smile. "How were those two assists of mine? Did they measure up to your standard?"
De Bruyne laughed and shook his head. "They can't compare. We play different positions. Wing passes are different from midfield passes."
Julien had only been teasing.
His passing attribute now stood at 81, which was hardly weak. Among forwards whose passing typically hovered in the 60-70 range, he was exceptional.
Julien didn't continue chatting. Eighty minutes was taxing; his current fitness level couldn't sustain playing ninety. More work was needed.
After Julien's departure, Bastia's attacks came primarily from the left, through Mané.
Only then did many observers realize that Mané's goalscoring capability wasn't luck—he genuinely had skill.
His defender Mariano was brushed aside. Any time Bordeaux relaxed their suffocating defense, Mané found opportunities.
Even so, Mané generated two more dangerous shots.
Bordeaux managed one counter-attack, but Belluion lost possession again.
When the final whistle sounded, the match ended 3-0.
"Bastia!"
As the referee's whistle blew, the entire stadium chanted one name.
Quite a few veteran Bastia fans shed tears: they were now top of Ligue 1!
Having played one match more, they led Marseille by one point.
Top of the table. Even a temporary ranking tasted like the summit.
For Bastia's century-long history, this was their first time occupying first place. In their hearts, the Ligue 1 title seemed closer than ever.
Close enough to touch.
Yet simultaneously, it felt impossibly distant—twenty-eight matches still remained.
If they could choose, how they wished the season would end tonight.
The lap of honor began.
When the Bastia squad approached the supporters' section, they faced a tidal wave of heat.
The supporters' fervent hearts erupted like volcanic fire beneath the ocean.
Modoso, bare-chested with a Moorish flag in hand, roared toward the players: "Thank you for letting us taste first place!
Keep going, and stay there forever!"
Stay there forever.
Every Bastia fan held this hope.
The waiting of a century-old city crystallized in this moment.
Julien, observing the supporters' passion, felt the same fire burning within.
Who didn't dream of lifting the trophy?
Returning to the dressing room, Julien observed his 101 victory points without hesitation.
He chose to exchange them for a chest.
Exchange successful!
Victory points -100, remaining: 1
Received: Victory Chest ×1
Julien opened it while showering.
More information appeared.
Opening Victory Chest ×1
Received random ability enhancement: Shooting attribute receives additional boost!
Shooting Enhancement +1: Additional effect—when shooting attribute exceeds 80, grants 50% improved goal position awareness. Without looking at goal, an additional 30% boost applies. This effect is passive, always active.
'Hmm?'
Julien's initial reaction was disappointment. This enhancement didn't seem particularly strong.
Yet upon reflection, he reconsidered.
It meant he could improve his goal-position awareness by 80% without even looking at the net.
Awareness was something unpredictable and difficult to quantify.
But as a winger and shooter, Julien fully understood how crucial this ability was.
This would dramatically reduce his adjustment time before shooting. Combined with his flexibility enhancement's ball control, in certain situations he would be nearly unstoppable.
Julien had initially thought the enhancement was lacking, but reconsideration showed that it was quite impressive.
He showered quickly and returned to the dressing room to rejoin his teammates.
At that moment, Hadzibegic was giving an interview. As expected, the journalist's questions centered on Julien.
With the Golden Boy award candidates being announced tomorrow, and Julien among the favorites, the journalist naturally raised this topic.
Hadzibegic smiled. "I know this is an excellent award, but if I'm being honest, I don't think Julien should receive it."
The journalist appeared confused.
Hadzibegic laughed lightly before continuing. "That's right. In my view, Julien shouldn't receive the Golden Boy award—he should receive the Ballon d'Or."
The journalist chuckled at this.
Hadzibegic continued, "So you shouldn't ask me this question. If you do, then in my heart, Julien deserves every award in the world. He's the greatest player alive."
Hadzibegic subsequently answered questions about Bastia becoming Ligue 1 leaders.
"This position often becomes an illusion, even a poison. It can breed complacency and overconfidence—both mistakes. So, when we look at this table, I suggest we flip it upside down. That way, we're in last place.
Our focus should be fighting for survival, not dwelling on past victories and goals. Instead, we should consider: how many victories can we achieve going forward? How many goals can we score?"
The journalist was stunned by Hadzibegic's words. Top of the table and still fighting for survival?
Reverse survival?
The journalist was left baffled, uncertain how to publish tomorrow's report.
Yet he needn't have worried.
The next day, all sports headlines were dominated by one story: the Golden Boy award candidates.
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