Chapter 187 FIFA Ballon d'Or
Mourinho's plan to bring in a center forward is not going smoothly.
It's inherently difficult to make big deals during the winter transfer window. Most teams only fill gaps and make up for lost opportunities during the winter window, saving their major deals for the summer transfer window.
Mourinho originally wanted to bring back Van Nistelrooy, who had transferred from Real Madrid to Hamburg on a free transfer last winter. Van Nistelrooy was also willing to return to his old club. However, Hamburg rejected Real Madrid's offer. Are you kidding me? Do you think we, the King of the North, are fast food vendors? Coming and going as we please?
After failing to reach an agreement, Mourinho had to look for new targets, and it wasn't until the winter transfer window was about to close that he finally signed Adebayor on loan from Manchester City.
The day Adebayor reported to the locker room, Benzema's face was even darker than the young African man who came to report. In the first half of the season, he was firmly relegated to the bench by Higuain and didn't get many opportunities to perform. He had hoped to take advantage of Higuain's serious injury to gain a starting position, but the coach brought back another traitor.
After the Christmas holidays, Kaká finally passed Real Madrid's medical examination and returned to Real Madrid's winter training.
Despite Real Madrid's team doctor's assessment that "Kaka is as strong as an ox," Fino was still uneasy. A former Milan veterinarian had also said the same thing about Kaka. However, Kaka suffered from a series of injuries in his last season at Milan, which even laid the groundwork for a major injury after his transfer to Real Madrid.
Fino took Kaka to a medical institution he partnered with for a comprehensive and thorough examination. Fino sponsored this institution with a large sum of money every year, and the institution had never betrayed Fino's trust. Only after receiving confirmation that Kaka had fully recovered did Fino feel relieved.
After La Liga resumed, Real Madrid's first opponent was Getafe. Kaká was included in the match squad and came on as a substitute in the 70th minute.
This was Kaká's first appearance of the season, and despite Real Madrid playing away, Kaká still received applause from all four stands after coming on.
Whose guest is that with a jade-like face and white robes? It turns out to be a stunning beauty arriving amidst the snow.
Who can resist Kaka?
Real Madrid secured another 3 points in this match. Although Kaka did not score or assist, he ran hard and showed a positive attitude. His physical condition was also good, which reassured many of his followers.
In the 18th round of the league, Real Madrid hosted Villarreal. Kaká came on as a substitute again in the 70th minute and scored a goal with a shot after receiving a pass from Fino a dozen minutes later, extending Real Madrid's lead in the final moments of the game.
This was Kaká's first league goal in nearly a year. An excited Kaká pointed both fingers to the sky and ran along the sideline.
The enthusiastic cheers of the Merengues surged toward Kaká, who, with tears in his eyes, waved vigorously toward the sea of white in the stands.
After suffering frequent injuries last season and missing half of this season, he has finally returned healthy.
After the match, Fino flew to Zurich on Real Madrid's private jet. The next day, January 10, the FIFA 2010 awards ceremony was about to begin.
On December 5th, FIFA announced the three shortlisted candidates for the FIFA Ballon d'Or: Fino, the attacking linchpin of the World Cup-winning team, and winner of both the Ballon d'Or and Golden Boot; Sneijder, the midfield maestro of the treble-winning team and Champions League assist leader; and Xavi, the midfield maestro of the La Liga-winning team and World Cup runner-up.
Following El Clásico, the public opinion swayed by certain individuals was quickly reversed by Italian media, Real Madrid's PR department, and Mendes' team, who portrayed the Barcelona trio as deserving of the top three spots, with only Xavi ultimately making the cut.
The final winner is theoretically kept secret before the awards ceremony, but both Florentino and Mendes had their own connections. On the day the three nominees were announced, they received hints that Fino had a very, very high chance of winning.
This is the first award ceremony since the official merger of the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. The ceremony was planned to be very grand, including a red carpet event, a nominee press conference, and the award presentation will be broadcast in more than 150 countries.
Just as Fino had predicted, he resumed his daily routine of trying on clothes, accessories, and styles after training. Moreover, as his personal reputation and commercial value rose to a new level, the amount of luxury "equipment" he received this year was even greater than last year.
Fino was very cooperative; he was just a human-shaped display stand for the sponsors, and he was used to it.
"Do you have a female companion?" Julia asked abruptly. "Some brands we work with are interested in sponsoring evening gowns and women's jewelry."
Fino shook her head. There really wasn't one.
"Do you need me to find you one? Models, actresses, hosts—no pretty girl could refuse such an opportunity for exposure, especially with such a handsome male companion."
Fino shook his head violently. He'd have to be crazy to find a female companion. Alonso would look at him with those pitiful, wet puppy eyes again. He had already realized that Alonso was acting, but he really fell for it.
Julia was a little disappointed, but Fino suddenly had an idea: he wanted to invite the Maldini family to walk the red carpet together.
A few days later, Maldini and Adriana arrived in Madrid and stayed at Fino's home. The children were left in Milan to attend school and training.
Maldini has his own partnered brands, so he doesn't have to worry about it, while Adriana immediately immersed herself in the fun of changing clothes.
After each outfit was completed, Adriana would come over to show it to Fino and Maldini, wanting to get their opinions. Fino and Maldini naturally kept nodding and saying it looked good. After a while, Adriana realized that these were two useless men, so she stopped giving them glances and only communicated with the stylist.
When Real Madrid's private plane took off, the Maldini couple did not accompany them. Although Florentino Pérez warmly invited them, Maldini's Milan connection was too strong, and he did not want to cause any public controversy.
Fino arranged a private jet for the Maldinis, with Julia accompanying them to Zurich.
Because the Copa del Rey quarter-final match against Atletico Madrid was just two days away, apart from Fino, Mourinho (who was nominated for World Coach of the Year), Casillas (who was selected for the Best XI), and Ronaldo, the rest of the locker room staff did not attend the awards ceremony.
However, Real Madrid's lineup was not weak, with club executives such as Florentino Pérez and Padres, as well as legends like Sanchez, Hierro, and Zidane, all on Real Madrid's private jet.
Florentino also wanted to invite legendary figures like Di Stefano and Paco Gento to lend their support, but unfortunately, those men were too old and rarely appeared in public anymore.
Florentino did not suddenly go mad.
On the one hand, this is the first award ceremony after the official merger of the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year, which is of great significance. On the other hand, Fino, the candidate with the highest probability of winning, is also a player he likes very much. After returning to the Bernabéu, he brought Real Madrid a superstar who won the Ballon d'Or twice. This is a real achievement and it deserves to be widely publicized.
On the other hand, before the three-man shortlist was announced, media outlets revealed internal Barcelona information that if the Barcelona trio successfully swept the top three spots, Barcelona would form a massive group of nearly 70 people to travel to Zurich. Even in terms of numbers, Real Madrid couldn't afford to lose!
At 3 p.m. on January 10, the FIFA Ballon d'Or nominees and the Best Men's Coach nominees appeared at a press conference. Fino stood with Sneijder and Xavi, and accepted interviews from the media.
The red carpet event took place from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the media had already set up their cameras and microphones, waiting for the football celebrities to make their appearances.
When Fino walked down the red carpet with his female companion, the fans waiting outside gasped in surprise. They hadn't expected that Fino, who had been single for many years, would bring a female companion at this time; they thought he had finally made something of himself.
The media rushed to raise their cameras, flashes going off one after another, trying to capture the most exciting interaction between Fino and his female companion, already drafting headlines in their minds.
However, they soon showed expressions of disappointment.
The woman arm-in-arm with Fino was Maldini's wife, Adriana. Maldini followed them a few steps behind as they walked down the red carpet. When they stopped to take photos, Maldini did not stand with his wife, but rather on the other side of Fino.
? ? ?
Maldini, what's wrong with you?
Last year, he stayed at Fino's house for over ten days, causing a huge stir in Madrid before casually returning to Milan without a word. This year, he even brought his wife along. Are you trying to stage a "The Dreamers" or "Midnight in Barcelona" movie?
When Florentino Pérez stepped onto the stage as the presenter, the final winner of the FIFA Ballon d'Or was already decided.
Florentino opened the gold envelope in his hand and smiled as he read out Fino's name.
Numerous cameras had already been positioned in front of Fino, waiting to capture his reaction, whether one of surprise or elation.
However, to the media's disappointment, Fino remained calm and composed throughout, smiling as he rose to shake hands with Sneijder and Xavi beside him, and embraced Maldini and Adriana, walking step by step towards the stage amidst applause.
After receiving the trophy from Florentino, Fino began his speech.
"Good evening, distinguished guests. Thank you to FIFA and France Football for the invitation, which allows me to witness this most prestigious football event in history. Thank you to the national team coaches, captains, and media friends who voted for me, allowing me to lift this FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy."
At this point, Fino raised the trophy in his hand, and after the applause from the audience subsided, he continued, "I want to say to Igor and Cristiano sitting in the audience right now, I know you voted for me, don't worry, I'll treat you to a meal."
Casillas and Ronaldo appeared on the big screen, and the two smiled and applauded.
"My connection with football began in the summer of 1998, during the World Cup in France. I saw Paolo on TV for the first time. No one could resist Maldini's charm, including me when I was not yet 10 years old. So I came to AC Milan and officially started my youth training career. I thank Paolo; you guided me into the world of football..."
Maldini wore a knowing smile as he gazed with affection at Fino, who was speaking eloquently on stage.
"I thank AC Milan, Milanello nurtured and shaped me; I thank Mr. Ancelotti, it was your discerning eye that allowed me to start my journey at the San Siro; I thank every Milan teammate, it is your selflessness and kindness that made me who I am today; I thank the Italian national team, it is the combined efforts of the coaching staff and all my teammates that allowed me to lift the World Cup trophy in South Africa..."
Fino turned to look at Florentino beside him.
"I thank Mr. Florentino, for making me a knight in shining armor; I thank Real Madrid and all the staff, for making me feel at home in a foreign land; I thank Mr. Mourinho and my teammates, for uniting me closely to create a brilliant and great future..."
When Fino finished his speech, the audience erupted in the loudest applause.
Fino smiled as he looked at the applauding crowd below the stage. At this moment of great attention, a faint regret rose in Fino's heart. He missed Alonso, who had stayed in Madrid, more than ever before.
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support~ [Let me see...]
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