"Berbatov... Ah...!!" Seeing the ball fly into the Leeds United goal, the heart that had been pounding since Ronaldo broke through the defenses of Cannavaro and Alonso finally died. "Leeds United's defense has been single-handedly breached by Cristiano Ronaldo! Manchester United have taken the lead at home!"
"Dimita! Dimita Berbatov!!" The Manchester United commentator didn't share Lineker's complicated emotions. His booming voice immediately blared from the stadium speakers, "Fifty-second minute, Manchester United takes the lead!! The goal scorer is—Dimita Berbatov!!"
At this moment, Old Trafford was filled with cheers and applause from the home fans!
After scoring, Berbatov ran towards the corner flag on the sideline, spread his arms wide facing the stands, like a king, enjoying the fans' praise for him!
The other Manchester United players caught up and stood with Berbatov, facing the stands to celebrate the goal!
While the Manchester United players were celebrating, Berbatov's goal was being replayed on television.
It's clear to everyone that although Berbatov scored the goal, the biggest contributor to the goal wasn't him, nor was it Rooney who provided the assist. It was Cristiano Ronaldo who single-handedly caused chaos in Leeds United's defense!
If he hadn't drawn three defenders on the wing and passed the ball out, Rooney wouldn't have been able to lure Neuer out of the penalty area, and Berbatov's subsequent open-goal goal would never have happened!
"Damn it, I still can't stop you!" Li Shiguang spat on the ground, helplessly watching Ronaldo walk towards his own half with Rooney's arm around his shoulder.
In fact, Li Shiguang remembers it very clearly.
The 2007-2008 season was the highlight of Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United career. Kaká will win this year's FIFA World Player of the Year award, while Ronaldo will be next year's winner!
Ferguson spent four years developing Cristiano Ronaldo into one of the world's best strikers. If Ronaldo was still developing last season, then starting this season, he has completely entered the harvest phase!
That year, Cristiano Ronaldo made 38 appearances in English leagues and cup competitions, scoring 34 goals; he also made 11 appearances in the Champions League, scoring 8 goals, helping Manchester United win the Premier League title, the Champions League title, and the Community Shield. He also swept the Ballon d'Or, Premier League Player of the Year, European Golden Shoe, Champions League Top Scorer, and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, completing a grand slam of individual honors! From this season onward, world football officially entered the Messi-Ronaldo era!
"Boss, are you saying we can't defend against anyone?"
As soon as Li Shiguang finished speaking, Simone leaned closer and asked curiously.
Pointing at Cristiano Ronaldo, Li Shiguang replied irritably, "Who else could it be but Cristiano!"
“Boss, I’m not kidding.” Upon hearing Ronaldo’s name, a strange glint flashed in Simeone’s eyes. “To be honest, the media hyped him up to the skies before, saying he was a genius comparable to Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. But actually, I didn’t really like him for the past few seasons. This kid plays too flashy, always doing some incredibly fancy but useless moves.”
"Oh?" Li Shiguang looked at Simone strangely. "From what you're saying, you like him now?"
Nodding, Simeone made no attempt to hide the admiration in his eyes: "Yes! You know what, Ferguson really has a knack for it! In just a few years, he's molded this kid into what he is today. I've watched all the footage from Manchester United's first few league matches, and this kid has changed. He plays much more pragmatically now, and I really like that!"
He seemed to feel that such a simple sentence was not enough to fully describe his opinion of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Simone paused, then added, "A height of around 1.87 meters, combined with an astonishing agility and flexibility rarely seen at that height, incredible core strength for physical confrontations, changes of direction, and acceleration, and flawless technical skills. Ambidextrous proficiency, mastery of long-range shooting, poaching, dribbling, and heading—extremely fast reaction time and an innate striker's instinct. Perfect individual combat ability, while also adaptable to various tactical systems such as passing and possession, counter-attacks, teamwork, and long balls. Moreover, from what I understand, his self-discipline is extremely high, and his football intelligence is ridiculously high! Boss, this is the perfect striker template!"
Li Shiguang was well aware of everything Simone said, and these descriptions were not exaggerated in the slightest.
It's important to remember that Ronaldo currently plays as a winger for most of the time under Ferguson. Once he moves to the center forward position, he will be able to demonstrate his exceptional ability to hold up the ball!
He glanced at Ferguson, who looked quite smug, not far away.
Li Shiguang suddenly asked Simeone, "Are Diego, Raiola, and Ronaldo's agents acquainted?"
"Huh?" Simone was taken aback. "Boss, how would I know? I'm not Allen, and I don't know Raiola at all!"
"Come on," Li Shiguang said with a sneer. "Don't think I don't know about the time you went to Italy and went out with him to fool around."
"Holy crap! I'm innocent!" Simeone kept protesting his innocence, but then he suddenly realized something was off about Li Shiguang's question. "Boss, why did you suddenly ask about Ronaldo's agent?! Could it be that...?"
Li Shiguang stared intently at Ronaldo, a smile playing on his lips, and replied, "Of course, it's perfectly reasonable for me to look into the market value of a player you describe so perfectly..."
····
The television cameras also focused on Li Shiguang as he spoke to Simeone on the sidelines.
According to Lineker, Li Shiguang was probably making adjustments after falling behind in the score.
That is indeed the case.
Before the game even restarted, Li Shiguang made the first change: Xabi Alonso, who had a mediocre performance on the defensive end today, was substituted and replaced by Adriano!
Lahm moved forward to become a defensive midfielder, while Bale dropped back to become a left-back.
Leeds United also changed their formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2.
"Alonso has been substituted, and Adriano has come in to replace him!" Lineker immediately said. "Leeds United need to strengthen their attack, and with Adriano on the field, their forward line will be even more impactful!"
“That’s right.” Seeing Manchester United taking the lead, Jon wasn’t entirely comfortable either, and immediately chimed in, “But Leeds United also need to be careful. They’ve given Ronaldo too many chances today! To equalize, they have to push forward, and if their defense pushes too aggressively, Ronaldo might seize the opportunity and launch another brilliant counter-attack….”
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