Chapter 159
The atmosphere among AC Milan fans was so depressing and suffocating.
This is their home ground, but they completely lost the qualification to compete for the Champions League here.
What is most despairing is that they realize that their home team has played their best and given everything, but they still lose competitiveness.
"Barcelona is unstoppable." After the game, the club's manager said in an interview, "Our players have played at a very high level, but this Barcelona team is very strong. We can only try our best to play a wonderful game."
"Although we have temporarily left the Champions League stage, we will be back next season."
The club manager's attempt to save face only made the fans more angry.
Angry fans block the team's training base every day, and there are also undercurrents within the club, with the trend of player changes becoming increasingly obvious.
Cristiano did not know the result of the match until the next day.
He slept in Junior's room the whole night, and was almost in a light sleep the whole time. He could notice when the little guy turned over. He took Junior's temperature every hour or so, and it was not until almost dawn that Junior's temperature completely dropped.
Cristiano felt as if his head was filled with cement, but when he saw Junior regaining his spirits and sucking milk from the bottle with a great appetite, he felt as if he became more energetic too.
Ferdinand propped up his chin and watched the two Cristianos eating breakfast, and said with a smile; "If you don't know, you would think it was you who had a fever and was sick last night."
Cristiano yawned loudly, took a napkin and wiped the corners of Junior's mouth after drinking milk, and muttered: "Taking care of a child is much more tiring than being sick, Leo, you will understand when you have your own child."
Ferdinand rolled his eyes. He stood up and cleared the tableware. He said to Cristiano: "Okay Ronnie, good dad, just do me a favor and take a nap during the day, okay? You look like you played a game and then went clubbing all night."
Cristiano: “…”
This description really gives people a feeling of sudden death.
"I'm going to Carrington. I'll bring you paella when I come back in the evening?" Ferdinand grabbed a coat and put it on, then turned to look at Cristiano.
Sure enough, the boy's eyes lit up and he immediately became energetic: "Great, Leo! This is what I look forward to all day."
"Remember what I said, take a nap during the day," Ferdinand warned.
Cristiano nodded.
Ferdinand decided to come back early today. He was worried about Cristiano's condition today. Besides, he couldn't let Ronnie wait too long.
After Ferdinand left, Cristiano was busy taking Junior's temperature again. Seeing that the temperature was within the normal range, he breathed a sigh of relief and kissed Junior's forehead: "Okay, open your mouth and let papa take a look at your little teeth."
Junior blushed. He wasn't really a child, but he still opened his mouth obediently. Little white spots appeared on his little gums, making his gums itchy and a little painful.
Cristiano gently pinched the little guy's chin and looked left and right, whispering, "It looks like a grain of rice, Junior."
Junior protested with an "Ahhh".
"Your gums are a little swollen, but it shouldn't be a big problem. I'll take you to the dentist later and let a professional take a look." Cristiano decided.
Junior felt that there was nothing wrong with him, but his father apparently took his fever last night seriously and insisted on seeing a dentist.
Cristiano was packing his gear for going out later—you always need to bring a well-equipped backpack when you go out with a baby—and the TV that served as the background sound for breakfast was playing the commentary of yesterday's Champions League knockout match.
"AC Milan was unfortunately eliminated. Kaka left without accepting any interviews from reporters after the game..."
Cristiano paused and walked quickly to the TV, where he saw the replay of Barcelona's two consecutive goals.
"The Prince of San Siro refused to be interviewed by reporters after leaving the field. The result of AC Milan's elimination and the opponent's performance have made the transfer rumors about this Ballon d'Or, which have been circulating for some time, more and more intense..."
Cristiano cursed inwardly and quickly went to look for his cell phone. After searching for a long time, he finally found it in Junior's room upstairs. There was only 4% battery left. He had turned the phone to silent mode when Junior had a fever last night so as not to disturb the little guy who was already feeling unwell.
He focused almost all his energy on the little guy last night and had no time to pay attention to his phone, so he missed several calls from Kaka.
Cristiano took the charger and went downstairs to see Junior. After charging his phone, he immediately called Kaka back.
"Hey Kaka." The call was connected quickly. After Cristiano said a few words, he didn't know how to comfort the other party.
Everyone will lose the game.
But no one will ever get used to losing a game.
Kaka quickly spoke up: "Cris, I couldn't get in touch with you last night--"
"Junior had a fever last night, and we were busy for most of the night to bring his fever down." Cristiano explained with a hint of apology in his voice. He was very sad that he missed the opportunity to be with Kaka after the game yesterday. He should have given Kaka strength. He should have been there, at least to hug Kaka in space.
He added: "I watched your first half and the position and quality of that free kick were very high..."
"Wait, Junior has a fever?" Kaka interrupted Cristiano and took a breath. "What's wrong?"
"He has grown teeth, his fever is gone and he's in good spirits, but I plan to take him to the dentist later," said Cristiano.
Kaka felt relieved when he heard this. He knew very well how anxious it was to have a sick child. He especially knew how much Cristiano cared about Junior. He whispered, "Oh my God, Cris, last night must have been very difficult for you."
When Cristiano heard the worry in Kaka's voice, his nose and eyes suddenly felt sore. Last night was not an easy night for both him and Kaka.
He whispered hoarsely, "Don't just talk about me, tell me about your situation. You didn't accept the post-match interview? Now they are talking about you."
"Let them say whatever they want. I also want to do what I really want to do and refuse to play the role of a good guy." Kaka said with a smile. He sighed softly and heard the hint of guilt and worry in Cristiano's voice. He said, "We are fine. We are just a little unwilling to lose in our home court. And the fans."
"Cris, you know me. We have faced many wins and losses. Although it is unacceptable, this is reality and I can only accept it as soon as possible." Kaka said, "For me, what makes me more nervous is that I can't contact you."
Cristiano listened to Kaka's gentle and low voice on the phone, which made people feel at ease. He sniffed and showed a trace of helplessness that he had pretended before in front of his lover.
He whispered, "I'm sorry Kaka, I was really scared last night. I couldn't look at my phone or anything else. I only cared about Junior... He was in my arms, so small and so fragile. They have always been so healthy since they came into this world. I thought they would always be like this..."
Kaka listened to Cristiano's opening words and knew that his lover had finally relaxed.
He listened quietly until the other party slowly slowed down his voice, as if tired, and then he spoke up to take over the conversation.
The two of them talked on the phone for nearly half an hour. If it weren't for the fact that the dentist's appointment was about to start, Cristiano could have continued chatting with Kaka.
He quietly ended the call with Kaka, and before hanging up, he said, "Kaka, I'll answer your call next time, don't worry, okay? I'm sorry, I don't want you to run into these all the time."
"Okay Cris." Kaka smiled. He felt warm all over because of Cristiano's words, but at the same time, a slight pain rose in his heart.
He knew that their emotions influenced each other, and his hidden uneasiness was always sensed by his sensitive lover, which made Cristiano cautiously and meticulously considerate of him. He didn't want Cristiano to have unnecessary worries and hardships because of these.
He said seriously, "This is not something we can control 100%, Cris, don't think too much. I can hear that you are almost exhausted. Have a good rest when you come back."
"Okay, Kaka." Cristiano smiled, and he bit the end of his voice unconsciously, with a hint of softness and coquettishness, "Then I'll hang up?"
"Okay, be careful on the road." Kaka chuckled and waited for the boy on the other end of the phone to hang up before putting away his hot phone.
…
After losing the qualification to compete in the Champions League, AC Milan only has to hold on to the league title this season to avoid a dismal season with nothing.
AC Milan won three consecutive league games, which finally calmed the fans' anger.
On the other hand, Cristiano missed three Premier League games and the FA Cup semi-finals.
But the good news is that Manchester United has one draw and two wins in the league, and is still closely following first-placed Arsenal in the standings, with Manchester United having played one game less than Arsenal. In the FA Cup, they also successfully secured a ticket to the final.
In the FA Cup semi-final, Cristiano and Ferdinand were both in the stands watching the game - Ferdinand was unable to participate because he missed a drug test, and was scolded by Ferguson so much that he walked out of the locker room in a daze - the two of them were wearing Manchester United's velvet black training sweatshirts and standing in the VIP box on the second floor closest to the sidelines.
Seeing Chelsea's striker rushing into their own penalty area with the ball, both of them hugged their heads at the same time, in sync like a mirror.
Cristiano held his breath stiffly, staring at the field, leaning forward slightly with his back arched, like a drawn bow, as if he would rush onto the field in the next second.
Fortunately, Keane flew over and made a tackle to block the ball out of the goal in time, defusing the goal crisis. The surrounding fans were screaming and cheering.
Cristiano put down his arms and breathed a sigh of relief. Watching the game was more stressful than playing on the field himself.
"I must play in the next game, otherwise I will get rusty!" Cristiano muttered loudly.
"You have to get the boss's approval." Ferdinand looked at the unhappy and complaining boy next to him and smiled, "But the boss hasn't been in a good mood lately, so your request will most likely be rejected."
"Then I will sit in front of the boss's house to protest." Cristiano said, "I will roll around until he agrees."
Ferdinand: “…”
Junior, who was sitting in the baby chair behind them: “…”
- Cristiano did get the chance to come on as a substitute for 15 minutes in the warm-up game, but that's a story for later. Everyone knows that with Sir Alex Ferguson, there will be no toys that Cristiano wants but can't get.
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