Chapter 14
Winter has arrived in Manchester. There was light snow on the training ground, but the game was still going strong.
There is no winter break in the Premier League. Cristiano has not made any comment on this. It makes little difference to him whether he has a break or not. He would rather sweat on the training ground and then give those opposing fans who like to boo him a good beating on the field.
But it's different now.
Keane and Ferdinand could see that their young teammate wanted to dig his mouth into an oil can, and anyone could feel that the other party's resentment was about to materialize.
"What's going on? Don't you usually love training?" Ferdinand was puzzled and amused. "Weren't you recently called up to the national team? Congratulations."
"Thank you." Cristiano rubbed his cold cheeks and nose, and his face turned red in a few seconds. He explained briefly, "There is no winter break in the Premier League."
"So you miss home?" Ferdinand laughed. This was easy to understand, after all, Ronaldo was still a child. He ruffled Cristiano's hair a few times.
Cristiano did not refute. He couldn't say that he was missing his boyfriend, so he could only agree.
Ferdinand thought about it thoughtfully, and while Cristiano went to training, he and Keane discussed having a locker room party in the next two days.
Sir Alex Ferguson heard about the team's activities and said that he would sponsor a family-style meal as a token of his appreciation.
So the next day, training was over and Cristiano was packed off in the locker room.
A true “packaging”.
The young boy, who had only height but had not yet developed strong muscles, was carried up by a group of rough men. Cristiano gave up struggling the moment he was in the air.
This is the lesson he learned on the pitch and he really doesn't understand why his teammates - whether they are with the national team or the club, no matter which club - his teammates always enjoy doing this.
"Where are we going?!" Cristiano asked loudly.
"Party!" Rooney dragged Cristiano and laughed loudly, "Who told you not to attend our party? Giggs suggested it, just take it away!"
"Hey, betrayed me!" Giggs turned around and booed Rooney, but his smile was malicious.
Cristiano rolled his eyes. "Going to the club again? I'm not going!"
"Come on, I've never seen a player as chaste as you at your age." Neville patted Cristiano's forehead. "If you don't know, you'd think you're a reincarnated nun."
"Get lost." Cristiano was disgusted by this description, and then he suddenly shouted in shame, "Who grabbed my butt?"
Fanny raised his eyes: "Guess?"
Cristiano's complaints obviously attracted more booing from his unkind teammates.
The next second, he felt his waist, buttocks and thighs being pinched - of course, he could tell that this was just a straight man's trick, he muttered speechlessly, and stretched out his hands to wave at the heads of each of his teammates who were holding him up: "I guess none of you are innocent!"
The party was held at Captain Keane's home. Keane's wife Theresa had made full preparations for tonight's party, including a Portuguese home-cooked dish that Keane specifically requested.
Theresa made a Portuguese paella as the main course. She searched on the Internet and found out that this dish is a favorite of the Portuguese and one of the seven wonders of Portuguese cuisine. She hopes that the Portuguese boys in the team will like it.
Everyone else also brought a dish to enrich the party tonight - Rooney's Portuguese egg tart, Neville's dried cod, Giggs packed a sizzling grilled octopus, and Van Nistelrooy bought a bag of frozen El Aila sausages from somewhere...
"I heard it's a specialty of Portugal." Fanny shrugged, "I just happened to see it when I was passing by."
Rooney jokingly pointed out: "Where can you find a Portuguese specialty in Manchester? Or is it this kind of sausage?"
Fanny threw a big elbow.
Ferdinand borrowed Keane's kitchen and made a simple green and healthy soup, adding the sausages brought by Van Nistelrooy, kale, onions, potatoes and garlic, a typical Portuguese flavor.
Cristiano had never expected that tonight's party would be like this. He looked at his teammates in astonishment: "This is..."
"Happy holidays in advance, Ronnie," Ferdinand smiled.
Keane nodded slightly. The iron-blooded captain who led Manchester United to the highest honor of the treble showed a rare gentle smile: "Welcome to the Manchester United family. You have performed unexpectedly well this year."
When Sir Alex Ferguson initially bought Cristiano Ronaldo, Keane, as captain, was not so optimistic that the young boy could integrate with them.
He had carefully analyzed the opponent's game information before joining the team. He has a unique style of play and fancy moves. When he was in Sporting Lisbon, he often dribbled the ball alone.
For such a player, no matter how good his personal abilities are, it is difficult for him to play to his full potential in a team game.
So, after Cristiano joined the team, Keane was not satisfied.
But at Old Trafford, Ferguson is the only king and everyone else can only obey.
If the team cooperation training on the training ground surprised Keane, then in the first game of the Premier League opener, Cristiano on the field made Keane feel a strange tacit understanding, as if they had played dozens or even hundreds of games together.
——Cristiano knows their movements and even habits very well.
The feeling was strange, but he knew it was not an illusion.
Moreover, he realized that Cristiano was not the goal-oriented person he imagined.
Cristiano is very good with his feet and is also a typical opportunist. He can always run to the most suitable position and even has a more precise and sharp shooting sense than Van Nistelrooy.
It was hard for Keane to imagine how a 19-year-old young player could have such a terrible shooting sense with such unequal competition experience. He can only explain it with talent.
Cristiano Ronaldo will, sooner or later, be one of the greatest football players in history. Keane was so sure.
The young player with a keen sense of smell did not rashly and forcefully monopolize the ball, nor did he show off his beautiful skills on the field. His passes were accurate and his dribbles were quick. Even if he was tackled, he would get up quickly and would not curl up on the ground holding his legs unless he was in extreme pain.
Often at this time, the big brothers of Manchester United would take the opportunity to rush forward and ask the referee for a card. The success rate was usually very high because when the boy fell to the ground, his facial features wrinkled and he always subconsciously looked like he was about to cry or had already started crying, so it was too easy to get a card.
- Cristiano emphasized countless times in the locker room that it was just a physiological reaction stimulated by pain, and strictly speaking it could not be considered as "he was crying after being tackled", but it was useless. In post-match interviews or media reports, his teammates and reporters talked about it with relish.
"Cristiano does cry easily. To be honest, you want to protect him on the court, but on the other hand, I can understand why those guys like to target Ronnie." Giggs grinned and spread his hands, making a rare joke during the interview.
Ronnie is the nickname given to Cristiano Ronaldo by their team, because Cristiano doesn't seem to like men calling him "Cris".
Giggs later returned to the point in the interview - every time Cristiano was knocked to the ground and couldn't get up, the boos from the field almost turned the stadium upside down, whether it was the opposing fans or his own fans, the energy was explosive.
Under such circumstances, the referee is naturally under a lot of pressure and the probability of giving a card is extremely high.
When he was winning, Cristiano would grin ostentatiously and easily as he galloped across the field, as if he were the youngest crown prince of the football world;
When losing a game, Cristiano, who was crying in frustration on the field, would cover his face with his hands, and occasionally he would just pout openly. The area around his eyes and cheekbones were dyed with an intense red, and he did not hide his loss and unwillingness. His shoulders twitched because of sobs, and he was stubborn and strong-willed.
So, no one would dislike Cristiano like this.
Even Van Nistelrooy, Keane and Ferdinand, who played in the same position, understood the awkward position and relationship between the two in the team, and had some understanding of Sir Alex Ferguson's plan, but it was obvious that they also saw that Van Nistelrooy was slowly letting go of his concern for Cristiano.
Perhaps Manchester United will usher in the most glorious era of two strikers.
Cristiano never thought that he would have such a wonderful Christmas Eve right after joining Manchester United. He opened his mouth in a daze, and thanked them in a panic, "Oh... Thank you, really, I didn't expect it at all, really..."
He took a deep breath and wiped his face vigorously, he was sure that his young tear glands would soon lose their control.
Keane saw the boy's eyes flushed when he was emotional, and his slightly drooping eyes looked like a puppy, and now he looked like he was about to cry. He quickly interrupted: "Good man Ronnie, today is not the time for you to cry. If the paparazzi outside the window take a picture of this, the headlines the next day will be about the old Manchester United players bullying the newcomers."
Cristiano: “…”
Okay, that's about a 60 to 70 percent chance.
Cristiano felt that he had to act more mature, so he quickly adjusted his emotions, took two deep breaths, and changed the subject: "How about I make something for you guys, too? How about another dish?"
"You can cook?" Fanny was a little surprised.
Zheng Li O
"Of course." Cristiano raised his eyebrows. "Let me check the refrigerator."
So more than ten minutes later, the meal officially started. Cristiano brought a very authentic boiled chicken breast with broccoli and celery. The moment it was served on the table, everyone was silent.
"Ronnie, today is a party. Maybe you know what to eat at the party?" Rooney turned to Cristiano with a dull look.
Cristiano grinned: "It can be a change of taste."
"Well, Fanny, I remember the Sir Alex also brought a special dish, and Theresa left it in the kitchen. Can you go and get it?" Keane turned to Fanny.
Fanny stood up without objection, and when he took it and opened the upside-down lid of the plate, the atmosphere of the party became even more weird by the sight of a star-gazing pie.
"Oh...Ronnie, I love your chicken breast, it fills my stomach, really." Giggs covered his face.
Cristiano laughed out loud and slapped his thigh while sitting on the chair.
The party lasted until after midnight. Rooney, Neville and others drank a lot of alcohol, but only Giggs and Cristiano remained teetotal and were responsible for sending the drunks home.
"See you tomorrow." Giggs took Van Nistelrooy and Neville away. He looked at Cristiano and nodded slightly. "Stay disciplined. This is a good habit."
Cristiano smiled at Giggs: "I will."
He will always remember how Giggs taught him not to drink carbonated drinks. When he was young and frivolous, he always protected himself like a hedgehog and pierced through other people's kindness. But he is really grateful to Giggs in his heart, just as he is grateful to every opponent, teammate and coach on the court.
They may have had conflicts and disagreements, but when everything is over and the dust has settled, he is still grateful because these experiences have made him a better person.
Cristiano carried Rooney home, and by the time they returned to their residence, it was already past two in the morning.
He was lying on the bed, he took out his phone and checked the messages. Kaka sent him a text message:
【K: The club has decorated its Christmas tree today. I miss you so much Cris. 】
Cristiano grinned at the two unrelated sentences. If it wasn't too late, he would definitely call back and give his boyfriend a good kiss.
What a shame, he felt like today was just a little bit short of being perfect.
As he was thinking, there were two soft knocks on the door.
"Tap", "Tap".
Cristiano jumped out of bed holding his cell phone. Someone knocked on the door so late?
He narrowed his eyes. He had encountered some crazy fans sneaking into his room...
He walked to the door and looked out through the peephole, and saw a broad figure wearing a dark camel coat with white snowflakes falling on his shoulders.
Cristiano was stunned for a moment, and then his heart beat faster.
Oh my God, no way, no way?
He opened the door and saw his new boyfriend, whom he hadn't seen for several months, standing at the door. Cristiano gasped.
"Cris." The young man took a light breath.
When he saw the Christmas tree that the club had moved out early, all he could think of were the Christmas nights he spent with Cristiano.
He was so eager to see the other person that he almost jumped out of his chest. He impulsively bought a ticket from Milan to Manchester and skipped the party event in AC Milan tonight.
Now seeing Cristiano's obvious surprise and disbelief, Kaka knew he had done the right thing.
He hugged Cristiano tightly and sighed deeply with satisfaction: "That's great Cris, that's great."
The moment he held his lover in his arms, he felt his soul was filled.
But soon, Kaka opened his arms, he did not forget that he was still covered in snow, and Chris, his boy, even ran out wearing only a pair of boxing shorts.
Cristiano pulled his lover into the room. He looked her up and down quickly, and said with undisguised excitement: "Why are you here? Why didn't you tell me in advance? I could pick you up! God, you're so red from the cold."
He leaned forward, rubbed his palms vigorously a few times, and placed his warm palms on his lover's nose and face: "You didn't walk outside for a long time to find me here, did you?"
Kaka paused, ignored the question, and gave Chris a smile that could charm the Peninsula boy: "Cris, are you happy?"
"Is there any need to ask? Oh my God, today is the most perfect day I have ever had!" Cristiano whispered softly, leaning forward to kiss his lover's slightly cool nose tip, and then the corner of his lips.
He took off Kaka's coat and threw it aside. It was covered with melted snow marks. Seeing this, Cristiano frowned: "You feel so cold. You should call me and let me pick you up. I bet you must have walked for a long time to find me here."
Kaka grabbed his lover's hand, hugged his back gently but irresistibly, and pressed the boy tightly against his chest. His young lover would never know that he had touched a colder and more desperate temperature.
"I want to give you a surprise." Kaka said, lowering his head to kiss Cris's eyelashes, and smilingly picked up Cristo. Seeing his lover in the air, he was too flustered to put his full weight on him, so he said, "Cris, I'm fine, really, let me hold you tightly."
Cristiano leaned over Kaka slightly, his warm fingers brushing the back of Kaka's neck: "Really? It's only been a few years? Four years? Five years? It's really all over?"
"That couldn't be better, Cris." Kaka kissed his lover's beautiful blushing face lightly. He slowly moved his lips to his lover's chest and asked in a low voice, "What about here?"
"Okay..." Cristiano pushed his chest up slightly, pushing himself closer to his lover, breathing faster, "I promise, I won't ignore the advice of my family doctor again. It's very strong now."
"I love you." Kaka whispered, hugged Chris and gently put him back on the bed, kissed him gently over and over again, watching Cristiano's ears, eyes, and neck, which were gradually dyed with a very bright red.
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