Chapter 219
When Van Nistelrooy returned to the starting lineup, Cristiano was the first to greet him: "I really missed you!"
A sweet-talking puppy. Van Nistelrooy thought amusingly in his heart that he didn't see Cristiano thinking about him at all, but he was also very clear that Cristiano had been having a hard time during this period.
Not exactly for those fly-like reporters.
Van Nistelrooy knew very well that Cristiano was not the kind of person who would be bothered by the opinions of other irrelevant people, but what would really make the boy sulk and worry were some annoying mistakes, missed shots, or goals being disallowed.
He hugged Cristiano and rubbed the back of the boy's head twice: "Me too, Ronnie. I'm glad I'm back."
Van Nistelrooy looked at his players, nodded and smiled, then shook hands and fist-bumped with each of them as a greeting.
Van Nistelrooy's return to the starting lineup meant that someone had to make room for him, and Bale sat on the bench again.
But Bale did not show any emotion. Van Nistelrooy was more famous than him, had better statistics, and had a smoother integration with the team. He expected Van Nistelrooy's return.
What he can do is to perform better and more attractively in the few rotation appearances, so that he can gradually become Mourinho's first choice.
Van Nistelrooy's first match after his return was not an easy one.
In the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, they once again faced Barcelona.
At the Nou Camp, Real Madrid and Barcelona drew 1-1.
Benzema passed the ball back, but Cristiano did not choose to shoot directly. Instead, he passed the ball inside, assisting Van Nistelrooy. He completed a beautiful shot in the penalty area and equalized the score, making a first appearance after his return a solid proof - Van Nistelrooy was in full swing.
Even Van Nistelrooy himself didn't really think he could score in his first game after returning before the game.
Scoring a goal is not like cabbage on the roadside that can be obtained whenever you want, but he did not expect that this opportunity would come so soon and be so crucial.
After he scored the equalizing goal, the entire stadium was cheering and screaming. Amid the cheers, he ran to the sidelines, knelt excitedly on the grass, left a long mark, and raised his arms vigorously.
He knelt on the ground, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently, then turned to Cristiano, raised a big smile, waved at Cristiano and shouted: "Ronnie! Come here!"
Cristiano smiled with his eyes narrowed, waved at Van Nistelrooy, and ran over quickly.
Van Nistelrooy stood up from the ground and almost skillfully hugged Cristiano who jumped up. He held Cristiano's thigh steadily, turned to the fan area in the stands, and roared as if to vent his anger, as if he was showing something.
Cristiano always had the illusion that he was going to fall. Van Nistelrooy clenched one hand into a fist, and only one arm was holding his leg, so he had to hold on tighter.
——It was the first time I climbed a tree and I was so scared, he thought and laughed at the same time. He lowered his head and hugged Fanny's neck, laughing so hard that his eyes almost narrowed.
Van Nistelrooy quickly put Cristiano down. He panted and slowly calmed down his excitement. He looked at the boy and whispered, "Ronnie..."
He knew that Cristiano could have shot the ball himself. The angle and distance were not a problem for Cristiano. The possibility of Cristiano scoring the goal was at least 90%, or even more.
Cristiano happily put his arm around Van Nistelrooy's neck. He was only concerned with waving to Kaka and the others to come over and celebrate with him, and he totally ignored the words Van Nistelrooy was about to say beside him.
After the game, during the post-match interview, Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano sat together, and the media reporters handed the microphone to them -
"Cristiano, you assisted Van Nistelrooy's first goal after his return. Did you score this goal specifically for your teammate's return?"
"Yes, please tell me about this! The goal equalized the score in the first leg against Barcelona..."
Cristiano interrupted the reporters in front of him who were talking nonstop and asking questions at a fast pace. He patiently raised his hand to signal the reporters in front of him to be quiet: "This goal was scored by Luther himself. I made a cross to assist. That's it. Would you ask other players whether their goals were given to them?"
"Ruud's position is better than mine, his vision is wider, his shooting angle is more suitable, and I also trust him to seize the opportunity to score, so yes, I trust my teammates, I can't think of any reason why I shouldn't pass the ball to him?"
"I gave the ball to him and he scored the equalizer and the crucial goal." Cristiano lowered his eyes and looked at the reporters in front of him, saying bluntly, "Luther is back in the game and he is in great shape. This is the key to this game."
Van Nistelrooy looked at Cristiano, who curled his eyes slightly and smiled.
Mourinho glanced over here, and seeing that the interview was over, he clapped his hands and simply ended the post-interview, then left the post-interview area with his players.
"Very good." Mourinho said this as he walked past Cristiano and Van Nistelrooy. It was unclear whether he was referring to the interview just now or Van Nistelrooy's performance in this game.
Ramos suddenly leaned on Cristiano's back and said with a click of the tongue: "This is the first time I've heard you speak so much for another player in front of reporters, Cristiano, you're so obvious."
Cristiano raised his eyebrows, shook his shoulders, and threw Ramos aside: "What's obvious?"
"The double standards and bias are too obvious," said Ramos.
"Oh, when he was in Manchester, there were always tabloids saying that his favorite teammate was Van Nistelrooy." Kaka smiled and said, "What did they say? He would be the first to run to Van Nistelrooy to celebrate after scoring a goal? He was like Van Nistelrooy's little tail."
"Are you very clingy?" Kaka asked Van Nistelrooy.
Cristiano's ears suddenly turned red. He hit Kaka and muttered quietly: "Nonsense! The English tabloids are always exaggerating like this. I didn't always run to Luther to celebrate."
Cristiano stared at Kaka, then he smiled brightly and teasingly as if he had suddenly realized something. He winked at Kaka, and a mischievous smile flashed across his eyes, which seemed even greener under the light of the car lights.
Kaka understood the meaning behind the boy’s evil smile—are you jealous?
Kaka pinched Cristiano's cheek, and a small bag appeared on the fleshy face, which felt very good.
Van Nistelrooy did not answer Kaka's words. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled without saying anything.
Oh, he didn't want to get involved in the relationship between these two people.
Ramos clicked his tongue, looked at Van Nistelrooy and then at Kaka, and he knew that the tabloids were right - Cristiano liked Van Nistelrooy, Cristiano liked Kaka, Cristiano liked every good-looking guy equally.
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