Chapter 133

Pique was loaned out by Sir Alex Ferguson shortly after the start of the new season. He seemed to have known his arrangements for a long time and it was not too surprising.

"Ronnie, I'm going back to Spain." The first person he informed was Cristiano.

Just as Cristiano first extended his hand to him at Manchester United, Pique hugged him and whispered: "I will always remember our days at Manchester United. Thank you, Ronnie, I will miss you."

He didn't get many playing opportunities at Manchester United. As a defender, he was not outstanding at Manchester United, not to mention that Ferguson bought Evra this year.

In contrast, being loaned to the Spanish team Zaragoza for a season is a good choice.

Cristiano patted Pique on the back. He couldn't help laughing when he heard the sadness in Pique's voice. He truly felt that the Gerard Pique of this world was a young man who was just twenty years old. If it were the Pique of the future, he would not show such a side of himself.

He said soothingly, "I will miss you, too."

He added in his mind that he would miss seeing Pique like this, it was so rare.

"Maybe we will meet again as opponents on the field. The ball is round, Gerrard, don't be sad." Cristiano said, "Besides, I can also go to Spain to find you. The distance is not far."

Pique's mood immediately improved after hearing this. He looked at Cristiano, as if he had selectively heard only the second half of the sentence: "Really? When are you coming over?"

Cristiano: "... not now, Gerrard, not now."

The big golden bear drooped down again, which made Cristiano laugh: "Gerrard, you will have more than one friend. You will make new friends in different clubs and national teams. Then you won't be so eager for me to come over."

"No, you are different, Ronnie, and there will be no similar days in other teams during this period." Pique looked into Cristiano's eyes and whispered.

Pique has a pair of beautiful blue eyes. The eyes of young Pique are filled with the rare sincerity that young people possess.

He knew very well that there would never be another like Cristiano.

——As a superstar in the starting lineup, he showed goodwill and friendliness to a newcomer who had just arrived and had no achievements. In a place with a clear locker room system, he protected a rookie who had no vested interests.

When he returns to Spain, when he returns to his comfort zone, he may meet teammates who take care of him, but everything will be different.

"People change, Ronnie, and there won't be times like this again anyway."

Cristiano paused after hearing this. He didn't say anything else, but just looked at Pique: "Then remember this period of time. Like you said, Gerrard, remember it well, and I will remember it too."

Pique pursed his lips tightly, hugged Cristiano again, lowered his head and took a deep breath: "I don't like separation, Ronnie, next time I will stay in a club and never leave."

"You will." Cristiano patted Pique's shoulder with a smile. Pique showed rare childishness in front of him, which always gave Cristiano the illusion of taking care of a child.

He looked at Pique, subconsciously slowed down his voice, and his eyes were gentle and soft: "Gerrard, you will stay in your favorite club until you retire with honor. You will win many honors for your favorite club and win championships for your country."

Pique was stunned when he heard this and stood there in a daze. No one had ever said this to him so seriously and with such certainty, as if he was so strong. A heat surged in his heart and made his eyes hot.

Something seemed to be choking his throat, making him unable to speak for a moment.

"…Thank you, Ronnie, these words mean a lot to me." Pieck said, his voice so soft that it was almost a whisper.

Cristiano didn't hear clearly. He made a puzzled nasal sound and tilted his ear: "What did you say?"

"I said, thank you, Ronnie," Pique said again, exhaling and grinning like a child.

Cristiano said "Oh" and patted Pique on the shoulder: "I'll go to the airport to see you off on the day you leave?"

"No, I'm afraid I'll be even more sad." Pique curled his lips again and looked at Cristiano, "Why don't you tell me in advance next time you come to Spain, and I'll pick you up at the airport."

Cristiano: “…” Pique is really diligent.

Cristiano suddenly had a nasty thought, what would Pique's expression be if he knew that the next time he went to Spain, he would go to Barcelona's derby rival club?

It must be exciting.

When Cristiano and Kaka talked about this, Kaka thought of the time when Pique was in the club derby in his previous life. Whenever Cristiano encountered a conflict, he was always the first one to rush up fiercely.

The scene was always chaotic, but he had no time to observe what the other party was doing.

Cristiano laughed softly on the phone, shaking his head and speaking softly, "He was just pretending, and he looked fierce when he rushed over, but in fact he always separated his teammates from me. Pepe thought he was going to do something at first and almost beat him up."

Cristiano recalled some old times, his eyes narrowed: "To be honest, he did do some of the things he promised, which was not easy for him."

Kaka smiled slightly and said: "Yes, after all, he is Pique. But it is also because you are Cristiano. Cris, people are always mutual, so in my opinion, this is not too surprising."

He thought to himself that this time he would definitely observe carefully in the derby. Gerard Pique better do what he promised.

///

Cristiano recently compiled a list of tickets to give away, and he prepared several sets of annual tickets.

One for the goalkeeper at the training base, because he always stayed with him until the end before closing the door and leaving; one for his daily purchaser, because of his excellent work ability and his timely and satisfactory supplies, and he always cleaned up the dishes in the kitchen sink for him...

There was also the child I had visited in the hospital earlier who needed heart surgery.

That kid had the same heart problem as him and the same dream of playing football as him.

And now, little Arthur has been out of the hospital for a while, and his rehabilitation doctor has announced that he has fully recovered and can play football like any normal child.

After Arthur was discharged from the hospital, he kept up the habit of corresponding with Cristiano. The little boy would send him a handwritten letter almost every week, with a daily report attached, telling Cristiano that he insisted on physical training in order to join the youth training team, and other detailed diaries.

And then there was the World Cup, with the child's innocent yet pretentious words of comfort, and his family's gratitude and support.

Cristiano was somewhat surprised to receive Arthur's persistent communication habit. He sent the boy an annual ticket for the new season and welcomed him to watch his games.

Arthur jumped for joy when he received Cristiano's reply and the package ticket attached to the letter.

He never thought he would receive such a gift from his idol. Even the occasional reply made him excited and happy.

"I'm going to watch the game!" he cheered.

As soon as the holiday came, Arthur immediately dragged his family and set off.

He wrote to Cristiano early on, asking if he could keep a jersey from that game as a souvenir.

Cristiano was very happy when he wrote back, because he could see from the boy's letter that he was racking his brains, using the few words he knew to appear as solemn and careful as possible.

He gave the boy a positive response and told him that he would show the boy their locker room that day.

Arthur collected all the letters Cristiano sent him, and was so happy that he seemed to hear the sound of his own heart beating.

The weather was not very good when he brought his parents to Old Trafford. It was gloomy and rainy, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the fans at all.

The game is between Manchester United and Liverpool.

On the day of the game, the outside of the stadium was dyed red with team flags and filled with excited fans. Arthur was held tightly by the hand for fear of being separated by the crowd.

Cristiano asked his bodyguards to go outside the stadium to pick up Arthur and his family.

Cristiano himself hid in the player tunnel on a whim, and when Arthur was looking around curiously and entered the field, he suddenly jumped out and gave the boy an unexpected huge surprise.

"Cristiano!" Arthur shouted happily, then he quickly covered his mouth and looked left and right, afraid of being discovered by other fans.

Cristiano was amused by the boy's appearance. He laughed, put his arm around the boy's shoulders, and high-fived Arthur: "You look a lot taller."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to indicate the boy's height to his chest and blinked in surprise. This head jumped up really fast.

Arthur blushed slightly, and his golden hair seemed to be brighter. He looked up and followed Cristiano's gaze: "Because I have been exercising! I want to become a professional player. We agreed on that, right?"

There was a hint of urgency in the boy's voice, as if he was in urgent need of a response from Cristiano. He hoped that Cristiano still remembered their original agreement, which was not just the casual talk of a big star.

Arthur pinched the corner of his clothes nervously, fearing disappointment but also expecting something.

Cristiano raised his eyebrows when he heard this: "Of course, didn't you say you would pass me a lot of balls?"

As he spoke, he held out a fist, just as they had agreed to do in the hospital, and waited for the boy's little fist to touch.

Arthur's face turned even redder, and he excitedly bumped his fist into it, almost screaming in his heart - his idol remembered it! I even remember what he said! Still remember their original agreement was to bump fists!

"I will!" the boy said loudly, as if the louder his voice was, the more likely God would hear it, and then his wish would come true.

Cristiano grinned, he put his arm around the boy's neck and said to Arthur's parents: "Welcome to Old Trafford, then I'll show you around?"

"Thank you very much!...If it's not too much trouble for you..." Arthur's parents said awkwardly and cautiously.

Cristiano waved his hand and said with a smile: "Let's go and take a look at our locker room. There are many big stars here."

Arthur nodded and stretched out his hand. Cristiano smiled and took the boy's hand and led him to the locker room.

As they walked, he said to the boy, "Arthur, if you want to be a good player, you have to watch how those players play and what they do in their daily lives. There are many things to learn."

Arthur responded, but thought in his heart that he only needed to look at Cristiano, Cristiano was the best midfielder. He was not only a midfielder, he could also shoot.

——Cristiano has everything he should learn.

The boy thought proudly in his heart that his idol was the best.

Cristiano brought the boy to the locker room. He had already told his teammates that a child would come today, so no one was surprised.

"You know them, right?" Cristiano lowered his head to tease the boy who was obviously more shy and introverted. He pinched Arthur's ear.

Alan happened to walk in from the door. Seeing Cristiano and a boy blocking the door, he raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Is this the kid you were talking about?"

"Yes!" Cristiano turned around and narrowed his eyes.

Alan looked down at the boy and felt that he looked familiar. He thought for two seconds and suddenly remembered: "Is this the child you visited in the hospital before? The one who had heart surgery?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Cristiano was a little surprised. He nodded and rubbed Arthur's head twice. "It's him. Now he has recovered and can play football like us."

Arthur puffed out his chest and immediately stood straight next to Cristiano when his name was called.

"I was wondering why this kid looked so familiar!" Neville said.

"It turned out to be him." Keane suddenly remembered.

He still remembered that he searched for the documentary to learn about Ronnie's heart problems, and then saw the boy and the conversation between Ronnie and the boy. As a result, he almost lost sleep for most of the night because of the content of the conversation.

And it's not just him, Giggs, Ferdinand...

Most people in the locker room showed familiar and understanding looks.

"Grown taller."

"My voice has changed a bit."

Cristiano scratched his hair in confusion: "How do you all know this?"

Ferdinand flicked Cristiano on the forehead.

He turned to the little boy, bent down, propped his hands on his knees to look at the little guy, covered his mouth and asked in a low voice: "Who is your favorite basketball player?"

"Cristiano." The boy answered subconsciously in a low voice.

Ferdinand hummed, and nodded: "You have found a good role model, kid, then you have to learn from him."

Arthur's eyes sparkled, and he grinned subconsciously: "I will."

Ferdinand rubbed the boy's blond hair. The short blond hair was as smooth and cool as silk. Ferdinand raised his eyebrows. No wonder Cristiano always liked to rub the boy's head.

Cristiano could clearly hear the "whisper" between Ferdinand and the boy. He coughed lightly and raised the corners of his mouth with some pride.

Arthur got the autographs of all the players in the locker room, as well as a group photo, but it was obvious that the boy wanted a solo photo with Cristiano more. He looked at Cristiano eagerly, making everyone else laugh.

"Ronnie, he is your biggest fan. So many of us can't compare to taking a photo with you alone." Giggs joked with a smile.

Cristiano laughed, hugged the boy and took several Polaroid photos, signed his name, and then said: "Don't be jealous of me, he is mine."

Arthur carefully hid his autographed photo, his mouth almost unable to close.

"Okay, go to the audience and get ready to enjoy today's game." Cristiano ruffled Arthur's blond hair and pinched the boy's soft and fair face. "I'll keep your jersey for you. After the game, you can come directly to the locker room to get it. I've talked to the staff and they will allow you in."

"Okay! Thank you!" Arthur responded happily. He turned around and hugged Cristiano's waist, saying happily, "Good luck in the game! Cristiano! I will cheer for you! Don't listen to those bad things, just hear my voice cheering for you!"

After he finished speaking, he pulled out a large speaker from his backpack and motioned to Cristiano.

——Although he is small, his voice can definitely reach most corners of the stadium.

Cristiano's eyes widened slightly. He never expected that Arthur's bulging backpack actually contained a big speaker.

He kept nodding his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, while his teammates beside him almost fell down on the bench laughing.

"Thank you, Arthur." Cristiano covered his eyes and smiled helplessly.

"You're welcome!" the boy answered loudly and crisply, puffing out his chest with great pride, his blue eyes full of fighting spirit. He will fight for Cristiano!

Xi Zhengli