Chapter 146
After returning to Manchester, training and competition were all normal.
The only difference is that Cristiano needs to set aside two days to attend an awards ceremony.
Cristiano's name is on the nomination list for the European Golden Boy Award every year, but obviously, an award like this, which is voted for by major European mainstream media, has to go to some of the darling stars "within the system."
Cristiano did not plan to attend this ceremony. He has never been a good star in the system, and he does not think that this award can fall on his head.
"I've said it before, Jorge, unless I win a prize, I won't go to those ceremonies. What's the point of sitting there for hours, being watched like a monkey, and then coming back empty-handed?" Cristiano rejected Mendes' arrangement.
Mendes choked and asked, "Why didn't Cristiano think about the possibility of winning the award?"
He cleared his throat. “In fact, Cristiano, I remember you saying this.”
Cristiano rolled his eyes. Since he remembered, why were he talking to him about it? Mendes is probably idle lately.
He lay beside little Junior's crib, teasing the little fellow with a small doll through the narrow railings. Then, he saw his little Junior rolling his eyes like him.
Cristiano: “…”
Ferdinand laughed out loud.
"Ronnie, I told you that children have a strong ability to imitate! You should behave yourself in front of the child! Don't let Junior blindly imitate your expressions!" Ferdinand leaned over and pinched Junior's face. He was almost laughing like crazy. Little Junior was simply a carbon copy of Ronnie. Even the curvature of their eye rolls was exactly the same!
Cristiano thought, come on, he even questioned whether an ordinary baby could roll his eyes so properly. Obviously, this was Junior's own subjective behavior.
Do you think this doll is too ugly?
Cristiano looked down at the gray little mouse in his hand, which was given by Rooney. He probably knew why Rooney could never get a smile from Junior. It was purely a matter of aesthetics.
——Cristiano didn’t consider this perhaps because he was too naive.
He was studying mice and didn't hear clearly what Mendes said on the phone, so he just responded with "hmm".
"Cristiano!" Mendes took a deep breath on the other end of the phone. "Did you hear me?! Stop playing those childish tricks with your little Junior! Let the little brat go to sleep quietly!"
Cristiano had to move the phone away because Mendes' voice was full of energy.
Ferdinand heard it all and said with amusement, "He must have something important to tell you."
Cristiano had to give up the idea of making Junior like the little mouse. He stood up and walked to the window: "Okay, okay, what do you want to say? Or the damn European Golden Boy ceremony?"
"Yes, that's right, that damn European Golden Boy ceremony." Mendes laughed angrily. He knew that Cristiano did not listen carefully to what he said just now, otherwise he would not have reacted like this.
He said, "Cristiano, congratulations, that's your ceremony, you won the award, you won the award by crossing the last line of the age threshold. Now, immediately, right away, lift your butt, pack your luggage, I will pick you up to the airport."
The award ceremony will be in a few days, but as the winner, Cristiano has to at least shoot promotional videos and rehearse in advance.
Cristiano was stunned for a moment when he heard Mendes' words. He was a little slow to react. After all, in his eyes, the European Golden Boy was too far away from him. He had long stopped considering himself as a young player. As he said, he never thought that this award would fall on his head.
"Cristiano?" Mendes gritted his teeth this time. He had to repeat to himself several times in his heart that this was the new European golden boy, his cash cow, his dearest Cristiano. Even if his boy ignored him twice and treated his words as air, he was still his most lovely Cristiano.
"Are you listening to me?"
"I'm here." Cristiano found his voice again. He quickly responded and couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure?"
"Are you doubting my professional ability?" Mendes raised his eyebrows and asked the other party with a smile.
He had already come out of the studio, strode into the car, and while signaling the driver to drive, he said to Cristiano, "I'm coming now, you'd better pack your luggage before I arrive at Ferdinand's door."
Cristiano blinked as he listened to the busy tone on the other end of the phone. He hadn't even digested the news yet.
This was a little beyond his expectations.
"Ronnie?" Ferdinand called out. He looked at Cristiano who was standing in front of the window. After the boy ran over to answer the phone, he stood there like a statue without moving.
Cristiano turned his head and looked at Ferdinand. After a few seconds, he said, "Leo, it seems that I may have to ask Reus and others to help me take care of Junior for two days again."
"What?" Ferdinand asked in confusion. "What happened?"
"Jorge just told me that I have to go to Turin," Cristiano said, a little dreamily.
Ferdinand quickly realized what was going on. At this time, in Turin and with Cristiano, he said, "Europe's Golden Boy?! Ronnie! This is great news! Congratulations, Ronnie!"
Ferdinand jumped up from his chair, strode to Cristiano, and hugged the boy happily and vigorously: "I said long ago that this award should be given to you. I thought so last year!"
If Rooney had not been the Golden Boy of the previous year, he would have posted a social media post questioning why it wasn't Ronnie.
Cristiano couldn't help grinning when he heard this. He hugged Ferdinand back and said with a smile: "Thank you, Rio!"
"How many days will you be gone?" Ferdinand asked again.
"Two or three days? In addition to the award ceremony day, there are also some promotional video work." Cristiano explained. As he spoke, he took out Teresa's phone number on his mobile phone. He had to trouble Keane's wife again.
Ferdinand interrupted Cristiano's actions when he heard this. He tilted his head and looked at little Junior lying quietly in the crib, and had an idea.
"The next game is on the weekend. These days are just some daily training. We are all here. Maybe there is no need to send him to Theresa? It will only take two or three days. I can take the little guy to Carrington for training during the day, and come back together at night. He is familiar with Carrington. Plus, there are many staff watching him, just like we usually do. There won't be any problem." Ferdinand said.
During their daily training, little Junior would be watched by many staff members on the other side. Everyone liked this well-behaved and pretty child since childhood, and they would spontaneously help to take care of him. It was always easy and nothing went wrong.
Cristiano hesitated when he heard this. Junior was indeed very well-behaved. After all, he was not a completely unconscious baby and was very easy to take care of.
"Besides, we have to go to another city for the game this weekend, and she will have to take care of the children then. Even Theresa would be tired after taking care of so many children for four or five days in a row." Ferdinand added.
Cristiano responded: "You're right, Leo, I forgot about that. Would you mind taking care of Junior during this time?"
"Hey, I'm the little guy's godfather. We don't need to be so polite to each other." Ferdinand pinched Cristiano's neck and smiled. "It's my responsibility to take care of Junior. I'm not the kind of godfather who sounds nice in words."
Cristiano smiled, he looked at Ferdinand and curled his lips: "I know, that's why I asked you to be his godfather first."
Ferdinand accepted Cristiano's sugar-coated bullet and willingly took on the responsibility of taking care of Junior and giving up his personal time.
"Then you should go and pack your things. What time is your flight?" Ferdinand asked.
"Jorge will pick me up later," said Cristiano.
Ferdinand glanced at the time: "Then you better hurry up."
"Well, let me talk to the little one." Cristiano said. He walked towards the crib and looked at the little one who was looking at him with his eyes open. He reached out and gently touched the little one's bulging belly. "Papa is going out for a while. Leo papa will take care of you these days. Be good."
Junior nodded and touched Cristiano's big hand with his small fist.
Cristiano's heart softened when he saw this. He leaned over and kissed the little guy's sweet face.
Ferdinand urged Cristiano to pack up quickly. After Mendes came to pick up the boy, he stood at the door holding Junior, watching the car drive away. He smiled and said to Junior, "Your little papa can't bear to leave you. But it doesn't matter. We will be able to see him on TV in two days! Let's watch your little papa receive the award together?"
He whispered softly, "Junior, don't listen to what people outside say about your little papa. You just need to know one thing, he is a very, very good football player."
Junior blinked and looked at Ferdinand who was holding him. He let out an "ah" with satisfaction and joy. He liked Leo.
///
When Ferdinand brought the little guy to Carrington the next day, all the players in the Manchester United locker room were very surprised. No one expected that after Cristiano left, the little guy would be handed over to Ferdinand.
"Ronnie really trusts you to take care of the child." Neville lowered his head to look at the little guy who was sleeping soundly, and whispered in a low voice.
Ferdinand rolled his eyes. "I'm obviously very good at taking care of people. Aren't they all well taken care of in my family, whether they are big or small? You are just jealous of me, Gary."
Neville choked and didn't want to pay any attention to Ferdinand out of sadness.
——Junior really doesn’t like him, otherwise he might have a chance to be a nanny.
Alan changed into training clothes and glanced down at the little guy as he walked past the stroller. He found that the little guy looked even more like Cristiano when his eyebrows were closed.
He looked at the bright ceiling light above his head and reached out to pull down the sun visor above the stroller.
"Alan is still very careful." Rooney praised.
He carefully leaned closer to take a look. The little guy's skin was white and tender, and his nose was small and upturned. He was very cute.
"The more I look at this kid, the more he looks like Ronnie. I've been taking care of him more and more often at the training base lately, and I feel like I've become gentler, especially on the court." He muttered softly.
Ferdinand sneered, "Come on, Wazza, it's obvious that you can't run."
Rooney: “?”
Keane came over and interrupted their banter, telling everyone to go to training.
Today was a rare sunny day with warm weather, so the little guy was taken outside.
Ferguson stood under the awning beside the training ground and observed the players' condition, but soon his eyes and attention were all attracted by the little guy in the stroller next to him.
I don't know when the little guy woke up, but he didn't make any noise. He just stretched out his arms to play with the small football decoration on the stroller. His pair of dark eyes were like grapes.
When the Manchester United main players finished a round of training, they saw their hair-drying head coach with a cheerful smile, playing with a football in the stroller with little Junior.
When Ferguson noticed his players looking at him, he slowly straightened his lips and looked at them expressionlessly: "Have you finished training?"
Taking advantage of the situation to spy on him?
"Yes, Boss." Manchester United's iron-blooded captain Keane replied.
Ferguson: “…”
This is a lack of tact.
Ferguson put down the football regretfully, and that’s all for today’s babysitting.
"There will be an award ceremony tomorrow night. Take Junior to watch it and let him see his father win the award." Ferguson added.
"That's exactly what I was planning, Boss." Ferdinand said after hearing that. He politely and hypocritically said, "If you want to watch, you can come to my house."
"Okay, I don't have anything planned tomorrow night anyway," Rooney agreed.
Alan nodded: "I don't have any plans either."
Giggs: "Will Junior watch TV? But I also want to watch the awards ceremony tomorrow night. Maybe Ronnie will cry again."
Neville: "I bet."
Van der Sar: "Hey you two! I'll follow one too."
Alan: “…”
Keane said jokingly, "If Ronnie knows you guys made a bet with him, he will definitely play a prank on you guys when he gets back."
"By the way, Theresa plans to make apple pie tomorrow, so I'll bring some over. She also wants to visit Junior. Leo, do you have anything to eat?" The captain made the final decision and decided on the activities to be done after the evening training tomorrow.
Ferdinand: “…”
The good time between father and son was broken up by just one sentence from him? Damn it. Don’t these people know how to be polite?
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