Emperor of Football: Julien De Rocca

Zidane smiled warmly and nodded at Julien, then continued focusing on signing autographs and taking photos with the Clairefontaine youth players.

Julien waited on the side.

Mbappé, positioned between their lines of sight, instinctively felt that this guy who wanted to teach him how to dribble might not be so simple.

But no matter how hard Mbappé thought, he couldn't remember meeting anyone named Loup De Rocca when he was still playing around Paris.

After waiting for about half an hour, Julien finally had the chance to meet Zidane.

Zidane exchanged pleasantries with Châtaigner and Elion.

Looking at Julien, he extended his hand.

"Hello, Julien. Elion showed me videos of your matches—you played very well."

Julien shook hands with Zidane, "Thank you."

After briefly asking about Julien's daily training, Zidane said gently, "France has many talented players, but they all failed to succeed due to various reasons. I don't want you to become one of them. Elion told me about what happened after you joined Chelsea. I've had youthful arrogance too, but I don't recommend you keep dwelling in those emotions—they will destroy your talent."

After Zidane finished, Châtaigner added, "Yes, Gourcuff is a cautionary tale of wasted potential. We don't want you to become another him."

Julien didn't mind Zidane's slightly preachy conversation. After all, he was now just a 17-year-old player with a criminal record.

Zidane's willingness to discuss these things with him already showed that Zidane genuinely wanted what was best for him.

Zidane had always been good to young French players and willing to mentor them.

The Gourcuff that Châtaigner mentioned had completely faded into obscurity after the South Africa World Cup.

Even his inclusion in the South Africa World Cup had made Henry and other veterans dissatisfied, feeling Gourcuff didn't deserve it.

The former Gourcuff had also been a talented player, initially called "Zidane's successor" when he debuted, with most European giants competing to sign him.

Zidane himself had said, "Gourcuff is a great talent. I feel a long-lost excitement from him. I'm certain he will be one of the most important players for the French team."

Unfortunately, he was just a talent burdened by titles and expectations.

His aloof personality, fragile body, and arrogant emotions—his performance after transferring to AC Milan had already determined that his career couldn't meet people's expectations.

Julien nodded, "I won't be my former self anymore."

Zidane and the others smiled and nodded, naturally not knowing the true meaning behind Julien's words.

But they had seen Julien's changes.

Châtaigner knew this best.

Zidane continued, "I'm pleased to see your transformation. The French team needs more champions. Two European Championship titles and one World Cup aren't enough to satisfy us. I hope you'll become an important member of the national team in the future. I believe you can."

Without waiting for Julien's response, Zidane continued, "Perform well. I'll occasionally follow your news from Madrid. I see a good future in you, but as I said, control your emotions and handle them well. When the time is right, I'll recommend you to Blanc. Of course, if you're willing and your ability is indeed good, perhaps I'll also recommend you to Madrid."

Blanc—the current French national team coach.

Julien looked up at Zidane.

The latter's eyes held appreciation and expectation, "Keep it up, kid. Though I've retired, I still want to do more for French football."

Châtaigner looked at the two conversing, his heart was sweet as honey—this was exactly why he had brought Julien here.

Talent would always find people willing to mentor it.

The prerequisite was that you were truly talented.

Zidane's schedule was tight—he had to return to Madrid today, so his conversation with Julien lasted only twenty minutes.

But it was enough.

At least Julien had made an impression on Zizou. What happened next depended on himself.

If his performance kept improving, Zidane naturally wouldn't mind lending a helping hand. If he didn't measure up, there would be no "then."

Zidane left.

After brief pleasantries with Julien, Elion also departed.

Châtaigner and Julien stood together. He patted Julien's shoulder heavily, "Train well. I believe in your talent—you'll definitely make the national team in the future."

Julien looked toward Clairefontaine's iconic structure—the World Cup trophy.

Today's trip had intensified his inner desire for victory and championships.

Young men should harbor lofty ambitions and strive to be first-class in the world.

Julien kept staring at the World Cup trophy, he was somewhat lost in thought.

Châtaigner said, "We will definitely win our second World Cup!"

Julien snapped back to attention and nodded, "Let's go. Get some good rest—I still need to train tomorrow."

"Haha, let's go!"

Just as the two were walking toward the parking lot, suddenly a childish voice called out.

"Hey!! Wait up!"

Julien turned toward the source of the voice—Mbappé was running over quickly.

"What's your name?" Mbappé, slightly out of breath from sprinting, caught his breath and asked again, "Where do you play?"

Julien didn't hide it, "I play for Bastia in Ligue 2. My name is Julien De Rocca."

After hearing this, Mbappé repeated quietly, then said, "I'll remember you, De Rocca. I'll watch your matches. You wait until I play professionally—I'll prove to you that speed is the best way to beat defenders! I'm going to play in Ligue 1 in the future, and I'll go to the best clubs in the world!"

"You should work on your fitness first—look how you're panting after this short run."

Mbappé protested immediately, "That's because I was excited seeing Zidane!"

"Alright, I got it. Goodbye, Kylian."

Mbappé knew he was being looked down upon, but Julien didn't give him a chance to continue talking.

"De Rocca, Rocca," Mbappé watched as Julien and Châtaigner gradually walked away, muttering to himself, "I will definitely become stronger than you!"

On the return journey, Châtaigner didn't ask much about Julien's conversation with Mbappé—in his view, it was just children's play.

He cared more about whether Julien could demonstrate better talent and ability to make a deeper impression on Zidane.

This concerned Bastia's interests.

So Châtaigner kept talking about Zidane, mostly discussing 2006—Zidane's final match before retirement.

That red card that changed the World Cup final.

What exactly had Materazzi said to make Zidane act so irrationally?

The media had their versions. The mainstream account came from lip-reading experts consulted by Brazil's Globo Television, claiming Materazzi had "greeted" Zidane's sister three times, while English experts said Materazzi used phrases like "son of a terrorist, wh*re."

Materazzi himself denied these claims. In an interview, he publicly said, "I only grabbed his jersey and let go within seconds. He turned around, looked me up and down, and mockingly said with great arrogance, 'You really want my jersey, don't you? I'll give it to you after the game.' Yes, I did curse him—that's a fact, but it was just ordinary swearword, the kind you hear on the field all the time."

Zidane also publicly responded to this incident on France's Canal+ television:

"He brought up very personal topics, mentioning my mother and sister with words that were unbearable to hear. Once you hear them, you just want to run away immediately. That was my reaction—you all saw it. I turned and walked away, but then he said it again, then a third time."

Zidane didn't reveal the specific content. He apologized to the fans: "I'm a father, and countless children saw this scene. I'm sorry—what I did was unforgivable and not worth emulating. But I don't regret it. If I regretted it, it would mean Materazzi did nothing wrong, which clearly isn't the case. I don't regret it at all."

Nearly six years had passed.

French fans still felt regret when discussing this incident.

Châtaigner was no exception.

When telling Julien about this, he repeatedly said, "If this incident hadn't happened, we might have won our second World Cup."

After saying this, Châtaigner would express his hopes to Julien. "I hope that one day, you can lead France to lift that damn World Cup again!"