When one person says such words, you might think he's crazy.
When two people say it, especially two of the team's absolute key players, everything changes.
At that moment, the joking expressions on many players' faces disappeared, replaced by determination.
Rothen, the old veteran in the twilight of his career, was the first to stand up, patting his chest. "I don't know if I can help the team achieve this goal, but I think this old machine can give it one more season!"
Angoula also stood up. "When I was eight years old, thrown out by my family and living on the streets, I never imagined that one day I could become the pride of a team's fans. The moment I heard the stands chanting my name, I decided I would run for Bastia until I could run no more."
Watching their declarations, Cahuzac's eyes burned with fighting spirit. "I can't help you in attack, but I'll burn everything I have in defense!"
Lukaku was still confused. "Are you all serious?"
Choplin put his hand on Cahuzac's shoulder beside him, smiling. "There's no serious or not serious. At least last season, if someone had told me the team would eventually win a treble, I would have thought he was crazy! This moment is just like that moment. I want to be that madman too."
Palmieri's eyes misted over at this point. He thought about leaving Bastia when they were relegated, about his years of wandering.
He exhaled deeply, his voice trembling slightly. "I want to be that madman too."
Julien watched as his teammates stood up one by one. His chest rose and fell more dramatically.
He stood in the center of the dressing room and extended his hand. "When the team was playing in the regional leagues, I didn't have the chance to participate. In Ligue 2, I only played a dozen matches.
But I want to say—sometimes climbing slowly from the depths is more inspiring than standing directly at the peak. How do we know the result without trying? We all need to become that madman—the madman who will do anything for his dreams!
Come on, for Bastia, for each of our professional dreams!"
De Bruyne moved to Julien's side, placing his hand on top.
Kanté had been silent throughout, but almost simultaneously with De Bruyne, he added his hand.
Julien glanced at Kanté. The latter simply returned his characteristic honest smile.
Lukaku shook his head as he approached. "What a bunch of madmen. You've got me convinced. This is completely irrational... count me in."
"Hahaha, a bunch of reckless madmen," Rothen joined the circle.
Choplin gathered around, followed by Cahuzac, Palmieri, Mané, Sidibé, Klose—all the players formed a circle.
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "What a coincidence—I want to be that madman too."
Julien looked over. It was Chataigner.
The players laughed and made room.
Behind Chataigner came Hadzibegic, Dominique, and other coaching staff members.
They all joined in.
When everyone was gathered, Julien shouted, "3, 2, 1—"
"FORZA BASTIA!!"
The Next Day
Various media outlets reported on the conclusion of Ligue 1's second round.
The most attention-grabbing was naturally PSG.
After spending over €100 MILLION in the summer transfer window, they had drawn both of their first two matches, leaving Ancelotti facing considerable criticism.
L'Équipe used the headline "PSG: Built with Euros, But Missing a Soul."
The report noted that despite superstars like Ibrahimović and Silva joining, the team lacked cohesion. The first two rounds exposed "the fragility of checkbook football."
The criticism read: "Ancelotti's tactical board remains incomplete. The new signings are like scattered puzzle pieces—expensive but lacking chemistry."
France Football ran "0-0 vs Ajaccio: PSG's Midfield Lost," criticizing the Verratti-Motta midfield partnership: "Dominating possession but creating no threatening passes, over-relying on wing play. Ancelotti's 4-3-3 system looks clumsy in Ligue 1, with opponents easily neutralizing their attacks through compact defending."
Many more reports followed, all questioning PSG.
Fans also mocked PSG for spending the most money to draw the most games.
Surprisingly, Bastia's news coverage rivaled PSG's in terms of attention.
Bastia's local media naturally went overboard praising their team:
"This is Bastia's strongest moment in history. Julien has brought the strongest reinforcements. Kevin De Bruyne will become Bastia's midfield core, and paired with Julien, they can tear apart any defense."
Even Parisian media had to acknowledge: "Bastia, a newly promoted team, showed incredible ambition in the summer window, even mortgaging all the club's assets. After two rounds, their signings have completely proven their worth. The best value signing was defensive midfielder Kanté from Boulogne."
"After two Ligue 1 matches, Bastia doesn't look like a newly promoted team. Will they become dark horses again? But Bastia isn't without concerns—without Julien, their strength drops significantly. Now Julien is caught up in injury troubles, and this hot French international seems to have a glass body."
Compared to the external excitement, Bastia players quietly continued their training routine.
Last night's victory and that "madman's declaration" had brought all the players closer together.
It seemed that after that night, the barriers between them had disappeared. They were no longer strangers gathered from different corners of the world.
They were companions—companions fighting for an unrealistic dream!
That day, during a training break, De Bruyne suddenly asked Julien, "Are you planning to stay at Bastia forever?"
Julien looked puzzled. "Why? I haven't thought about anything else for now."
De Bruyne said seriously, "With your ability, you could easily return to Chelsea. Come back to Chelsea with me."
"Chelsea?" Julien was confused about why De Bruyne had such thoughts.
"After this season, I'll definitely return to Chelsea. I want to play for Chelsea; I want to be a starter in the Premier League. I think you're very strong—we could continue being teammates at Chelsea."
De Bruyne spoke earnestly.
Julien suddenly smiled. "So, Chelsea isn't the most important thing—the most important thing is that you want to be teammates with me, for us to continue playing together?"
De Bruyne didn't deny it, continuing, "Don't you want to stay buried at Bastia, buried in France forever? With your talent, you should go to a bigger stage."
Julien looked toward his other teammates.
Today they were all training much harder.
"I will leave eventually, but I won't think about it before we win trophies."
Julien turned to look at De Bruyne. "Kevin, remember what we said last night? To be that reckless madman."
"Alright."
De Bruyne nodded, seeming like both a promise and a casual remark. "I'll help you."
When training ended, Chataigner arrived.
He addressed everyone: "You focus on training and preparing for the next match against Rennes. I'm going to Monaco."
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