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Chapter 507: Marching Toward a Champions League Three-Peat!
🕑 Added 2024-12-23 22:31:00 +0000 UTCChapter 507: Marching Toward a Champions League Three-Peat!
When the final whistle blew, Real Madrid fans both online and in the stadium erupted in celebration. It had been 14 years since they last reached the Champions League final. Now, they felt their 10th Champions League trophy was within reach! They only needed to overcome Manchester City in the final to lift the coveted trophy.
However, this last hurdle was clearly much tougher than any they had faced so far. Despite this, the Real Madrid players were full of confidence and showed no fear of Manchester City.
After the match, Cristiano Ronaldo posted on Twitter: "There can only be one champion, and that's Real Madrid!"
Madrid fans were thrilled by this tweet and quickly flooded the comments with support:
"He's the real deal. If anyone dares say my Ronaldo isn't a team player, I'll slap them!""Now THIS is what a true team leader looks like! A certain other player could learn a thing or two!""Real Madrid, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and renew his contract with such an amazing player!"
Even Real Madrid's board was pleasantly surprised. They hadn't expected Ronaldo to show such responsibility and leadership at a crucial moment. It was unexpected but deeply appreciated.
"It seems like he's really matured," they thought.
A true leader doesn't just care about personal stats but carries the responsibility of leading the team forward, even making sacrifices when necessary to help the team win.
While Ronaldo's personal abilities and statistics were impressive, he hadn't always fulfilled the duties of a true team leader. Although he was the star of Real Madrid, the real leaders had been Iker Casillas and now Sergio Ramos—players who weren't as famous or statistically dominant as Ronaldo.
If Ronaldo had embraced this role of responsibility sooner, perhaps Real Madrid could have lifted their 10th Champions League trophy earlier.
Just as Florentino Pérez's view of Ronaldo was improving, Ronaldo posted another tweet that left him speechless:
"The best player is also only one, and that's me, Cristiano Ronaldo!"
Ah, there it was—the familiar confidence of the man who once declared himself the world's best, second-best, and third-best player.
"Ronaldo is amazing!""Ronaldo, you're a legend!""Charge into the final and destroy Manchester City!"
Ronaldo's fans loved his bold declaration and showered him with praise, practically putting him on a pedestal.
Of course, some couldn't resist stirring the pot.
"What kind of fans you have reflects the kind of player you are!""Haha, birds of a feather flock together!""Hey, should we send Ronaldo's tweet to Lin Quan and see what he thinks?"
Some mischief-makers quickly copied Ronaldo's bold statements and sent them to Lin Quan's social media. A few even messaged him privately, flooding his inbox.
Lin Quan was amused by the situation. What was the big deal if Ronaldo wanted to talk? It wasn't like Lin could stop him. When asked what he thought of Ronaldo's tweet, Lin responded jokingly, "I'll lie down and read it while playing on my phone. That's the real key here!"
Lin Quan initially had no plans to respond. After all, Ronaldo's words—while a bit arrogant—weren't directed at him by name. If Lin responded, it would seem like he was turning the final into a personal battle for the title of "world's best," when football was about much more than that. Besides, Lionel Messi was still in the mix, and many other great players existed as well. It felt arrogant to crown himself or Ronaldo the "best in the world" in a game that involved so many people.
More importantly, football was a team sport, and the Champions League final was about two entire squads, not just two individuals. Ignoring the contributions of 20 other players would be highly disrespectful. So, Lin chose to ignore the noise and didn't respond to Ronaldo's tweet.
But just because Lin stayed silent didn't mean the media would let it rest. The media, always eager to create headlines, seized the opportunity to hype up the upcoming Manchester City vs. Real Madrid final. They framed it as not just a rematch but as a showdown between Ronaldo and Lin Quan to determine who the world's best player was—and who would win the Ballon d'Or.
Journalists swarmed Manchester City's training ground, determined to get Lin's reaction to Ronaldo's words.
"Lin, Ronaldo said he plans to defeat you and your team in the final. What's your response?""Lin, you and Ronaldo are neck and neck in the Champions League top scorer race. Who do you think will win the Golden Boot this season?"
Currently, both Lin Quan and Ronaldo were tied at 16 goals each in the Champions League. The media and fans were not only interested in who would win the trophy but also in who would claim the top scorer's award.
Eventually, tired of being pestered by reporters, Lin realized they wouldn't give up unless he answered them. While he wasn't interested in playing their game, he also didn't want to appear timid or let his silence affect his teammates' morale.
With a smile, Lin finally responded:
"I'm not thinking about individual awards like the Golden Boot or Best Player. As long as I can help my team win the championship, losing those honors wouldn't bother me."
He added, "Real Madrid is a great opponent. The last time we faced them, it was an amazing experience. I'm looking forward to beating them again."
Lin's calm but confident reply quickly made headlines. His reference to their previous encounter—when Manchester City had dramatically defeated Real Madrid at the Bernabéu—brought back painful memories for Madrid fans.
In the 2013-2014 Champions League semifinals, Madrid had led 3-0 with a man advantage, only for Lin Quan to single-handedly lead a comeback and knock them out of the competition. That loss shattered their dreams of winning the title that season. If Madrid had won that game, everything might have turned out differently. But Lin's remarkable free-kick in extra time sealed their fate, forcing them to watch as City marched on to the final.
By bringing up that fateful match, Lin had poked at one of Madrid's deepest wounds.
After delivering his message, Lin no longer paid attention to the media's attempts to stir up controversy. He focused entirely on preparing for the upcoming Champions League final, along with his teammates.
At the same time, the Premier League season was drawing to a close, and Manchester City still had two league games to play before the Champions League final. On top of that, the FA Cup final would take place just before the Champions League showdown. These matches provided Guardiola with three opportunities to fine-tune his squad.
He wasn't going to waste those chances.
On May 8th, in the second-to-last Premier League match, Manchester City hosted Arsenal. While City had already secured the title, Arsenal were still fighting for a top-four finish and a Champions League spot.
Arsenal were third in the standings with 67 points, but fifth-place West Ham United had 62 points, just five behind. If Arsenal lost both of their remaining games and West Ham won both, Arsenal could slip out of the top four.
As a result, Arsenal approached the game cautiously, focusing on defense and aiming for at least a draw. With a goal difference advantage of eight over West Ham, a draw would suit them fine.
Earlier in the season, Guardiola might have punished such a conservative approach. But with his key players feeling the effects of a long campaign, he chose to rest many of his regulars. Lin Quan, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, and Sergio Agüero all sat on the bench, chatting and laughing as they watched the game.
City's backup lineup, including Son Heung-min, Nasri, Gabriel Jesus, and Leroy Sané, still had plenty of attacking firepower. In the eighth minute of the first half, Sané converted a pass from Jesus to open the scoring.
"Is this what it means to be an English giant? Is this it?"
After easily breaking through Arsenal's defense, City's younger players couldn't help but question the difficulty of facing such a well-known club. However, Arsenal responded just two minutes later with an equalizer from Olivier Giroud, reminding the young City team that overconfidence could be dangerous.
In the 54th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min sent a cross into the box. Jesus cleverly let the ball pass, and Nasri was there to finish it off, putting City back in the lead.
Guardiola was pleased with how his substitutes were performing. These young attackers showed great promise and, with time, would surely become stars.
But just as he was praising them, City's defense made a costly mistake. In the 61st minute, Arsenal launched a quick counterattack. Alexis Sánchez broke down the wing and cut inside for a shot. Rüdiger's attempt to block failed, and Kimmich's sliding tackle brought down Sánchez, ball and all, inside the penalty area.
The referee showed no hesitation in awarding a penalty and giving Kimmich a red card. However, replays showed that Kimmich had gotten the ball first, suggesting the decision might have been a mistake.
Kimmich, feeling wronged, tried to explain to the referee, but his protests fell on deaf ears. With no other choice, he lowered his head and walked off the field, looking like a defeated rooster.
"Don't worry. You're young, so you'll learn from this. With more experience, you'll handle situations like this better," Guardiola reassured him.
Kimmich had braced himself for a scolding, but instead, he received comforting words from his coach. Even his teammates offered encouragement, and Virgil van Dijk took the time to discuss defensive strategies with him.
Sánchez converted the penalty, tying the game at 2-2. Despite making substitutions to try to win the match, neither team could find another goal.
Arsenal got the point they needed, and with West Ham losing 4-1 to Swansea, Arsenal secured a Champions League spot for next season.
Once again, Arsenal had finished in the top four, earning the nickname "The Kings of Fourth Place." Their poor start to the season had been overcome by a strong second half, securing their usual place in the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Manchester United, City's neighbors, were in far worse shape. Despite starting the season with two straight wins, United had collapsed, ending the second-to-last matchday with just 60 points, five behind Arsenal. This meant United would miss out on the Champions League for the second time in just a few years—a shocking fall for a club once dominant under Sir Alex Ferguson.
United's decline had been rapid and dramatic, even by Premier League standards. Yet despite their struggles, the club's vast resources and global fanbase allowed them to maintain their status as a football giant.
But City no longer cared about their noisy neighbors.
They had bigger ambitions now—a Champions League three-peat!
(End of Chapter)
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