At the entrance to the home team's locker room, Li Shiguang and Simeone were chatting.
Simeone looked a little annoyed and whispered to Li Shiguang, "Boss, I just observed Cristiano warming up. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the transfer rumors and is in pretty good shape."
Li Shiguang was speechless.
Who is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have reached the pinnacle of football through talent and hard work, must also have top-notch mental fortitude. How could they possibly let transfer rumors in the media affect their performance?
“Diego, I remember telling you that I made this move to make Alex jealous, not to influence Cristiano, and it won’t affect him anyway.”
"Did it work, boss?" Simone's eyes gleamed with a thirst for gossip. "Boss, I just saw you and Ferguson chatting on the sidelines for a while."
He glanced at Simone.
Li Shiguang laughed out loud: "Diego, I've found that if you weren't a coach, you could definitely do very well as a reporter for The Sun. I asked you to lead the players in training, but you were either observing Cristiano or spying on me and Alex. Looks like I'll have to deduct your salary."
Simeone quickly retorted, "Boss, you taught me this. Being a head coach means being observant... Tell me, I'm really curious, what did you and Ferguson talk about? He didn't look too happy."
"What else can we talk about? Just exchanging harsh words... This old man has no sportsmanship, and his attitude towards me is clearly not as good as before."
That's a statement that sounds aggrieved.
However, judging from the bright smile on Li Shiguang's face...
Simone knew that Ferguson had probably suffered another setback in front of his boss.
····
Let's go back an hour.
After changing in the locker room, the Leeds United players, led by Rivaldo and Simeone, entered Elland Road Stadium to warm up.
Li Shiguang was at the very back. He had just come out of the players' tunnel when he ran into Ferguson.
Li Shiguang thought that Ferguson, whom he had tricked some time ago, would not pay any attention to him, but to his surprise, the Scottish old man walked over with a cold face the moment he saw him.
“Li, your hopes have been dashed. I’ve already spoken with Cristiano, and he made it clear that he will not leave Manchester United!” Ferguson walked up to Li Shiguang with a cold smile and an unfriendly tone.
Looking at the old man's expression, Li Shiguang couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hahaha, Alex, if Cristiano really promised not to leave Manchester United, then I think the news about his contract renewal with Manchester United should be flying around the clock these past two days, right?"
“We’ve already reached an agreement.” Ferguson’s face flushed slightly.
"You think I haven't dealt with Mendes?" Li Shiguang said dismissively, hitting Ferguson's sore spot. "Come on, Alex, we're all smart people. With Cristiano's performance this season, can the salary Malcolm pays him satisfy Mendes' appetite? And it's 85 million euros, are you sure Malcolm won't be tempted?"
Li Shiguang is right.
Ferguson knew better than anyone what kind of person Manchester United's owner was. Let alone Malcolm, it's estimated that any club owner would find it difficult to ignore an offer of 85 million euros.
Seeing that Ferguson remained silent.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Shiguang pressed his advantage: "And... Alex, Cristiano has been under your wing for so many years, yet he hasn't won a single significant championship. Given his personality, I reckon he's reached his limit... another year without a title, hehehe..."
"Impossible!" Li Shiguang's words clearly provoked Ferguson, and the old sir's tone instantly rose several octaves. "Li, just you wait, today I will lift the Premier League trophy on your turf! Ten days later, I will lift the Champions League trophy in Moscow!"
"Oh? Really?" Li Shiguang put on a playful smile, seemingly unconcerned about Ferguson's harsh words. "Alex, it seems you slept quite well last night!"
"What do you mean?" Ferguson was taken aback.
"Otherwise, why would you have such a beautiful dream?"
Ferguson: What the hell?!
····
After Li Shiguang finished recounting his conversation with Ferguson, Simone was practically rolling on the floor laughing.
Ignore the Argentinian who's going crazy on his own.
Li Shiguang turned around, pushed open the door to the locker room, and went inside.
And just as Li Shiguang's figure was seen.
The once noisy locker room fell silent.
The players sitting in their seats subconsciously focused their attention on Li Shiguang.
Everyone knows that.
On such an important day as today, Li Shiguang will definitely say something to everyone before the match.
With a broad smile, Li Shiguang walked to the middle of the locker room, stood there, looked around, and began his pre-match speech: "I won't go into detail about the prize money; it's the same old story!"
"The match is about to start in less than thirty minutes. Guys, I don't need to elaborate on how important this match is, right?"
“I’m not going to tell you things like this is just a regular league match and you just need to play normally. No! This is a fucking, incredibly important match!”
"Guys, I don't want you to stay calm. In a little while, the championship trophy will be placed at the exit of the players' tunnel. Staying calm won't get you that trophy!"
“Therefore, I want you to show your determination to win from the very first second the referee blows the whistle! Everyone says that Leeds United only needs a draw to win the title, but I don’t want a draw, and neither do the more than 50,000 fans in the stands at Elland Road. All we want is victory!”
"Come on, guys, today, right here at Elland Road, let's show our true strength and make the Manchesters cry their eyes out! Let's start Leeds United's Premier League dominance together! And let's get off to a great start for our treble-winning feat!!!"
Li Shiguang's impassioned speech instantly ignited the locker room.
The players were in high spirits, each one jumping up from their seats, waving their arms like a herd of wild horses about to gallop, eager to rush out of the locker room and crush Manchester United, who were standing in their way and preventing them from winning the Premier League title!
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