Chapter 70
The last round of the Premier League has finally arrived under everyone's attention.
Manchester United visited the Westdam Stadium, and with the approval of the team doctor, Cristiano secured his starting spot.
Cristiano was very impressed. This season in the last life belonged to the blue team. Under the leadership of Mourinho, Chelsea set many records. However, although Manchester United ended Arsenal's unbeaten record, their points performance was not so satisfactory.
Cristiano was jumping around in the player tunnel to warm up. His eyes fell on the green field more than ten meters away. He took a few deep breaths and suppressed the urge in his blood to run wildly on the field.
In this life, everything changed so fast. Mourinho's legend was shattered by them. Manchester United, led by Ferguson, and Cristiano, who was included as an important core in advance, were the biggest variable in the final outcome of the entire season.
But Chelsea is still so dazzling, and Manchester United's points are closely tied with Chelsea. In the eyes of the media, this season is an amazing double show and a legendary victory belonging to the two teams.
In the current standings, Chelsea has played its last game and still tops the list with an incredibly high score, Manchester United is in second place, and Arsenal is in third place with a high score.
If Manchester United can win this away game, the points will be tied, but that is not enough. They must win by at least two goals to surpass Chelsea in goal difference and finally win the Premier League title this season.
Cristiano couldn't help but jump twice again, and then Neville pressed him down and asked jokingly: "Are you nervous?"
"I don't." Cristiano retorted, but when he met Neville's eyes that knew everything, he choked slightly, "...Well, I do have a little, but this is normal."
No matter how many major competitions he has experienced, no one can avoid being nervous before the finals.
What's more, this is such a unique game. When the steps and processes have been changed, the final period becomes particularly meaningful.
So he was definitely nervous.
It's just that Cristiano is not used to making it too obvious.
——Maybe he lacks in other facial expression management, but in this aspect, he can definitely be considered the best actor.
He cannot let others see that he is the core of the team and the captain. His emotions will have a chain effect on his teammates and will also become a weapon for others to attack him and his team.
"That's right." Neville laughed, pinching the back of Cristiano's neck - which made Cristiano feel like a cat with its fur pinched on the back of its neck - Neville said, "Everyone will be nervous, let alone a young man like you. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Cristiano opened his mouth to retort, he wasn't embarrassed.
But Neville interrupted: "Nervousness is a good thing, it means you are eager to win, and this kind of motivation can push you forward to win more championships. Do you know what kind of players the club is most afraid of? Those who just want to play football for a salary."
Cristiano was amused by the sarcasm in Neville's words. He grinned. It turned out that Neville's potential to become a commentator after retirement had been revealed so early.
Neville looked at Chris: "I'm serious, this is one of the reasons why you are so special, and why the boss chose you instead of others."
"But Ronnie, I have to tell you in private, this is just a game, you won't die if you lose, just be appropriately nervous." Neville laughed, he raised his index finger to his lips and winked at Cristiano, "The boss won't like you to hear this kind of thing before the game, so don't tell anyone else that I said it to you. But I think you need to listen to it, you've been too abnormal today, and you still want to hide it? Everyone can see it!"
Cristiano touched his cheek and was slightly stunned. Is it that obvious?
"Gary is right." Keane stood in front and suddenly interrupted the topic. He said to Cristiano, "Also, there is nothing to hide. It's normal to be nervous. If this team needs you to pretend not to be nervous and put on a show, then where are we?"
He raised his eyebrows, patted Cristiano's head with his palm, and then stiffened slightly, resisting the urge to rub the hairspray on his hands onto Cristiano's jersey.
Cristiano laughed, rubbed his face and exhaled: "Well, I have to get used to this."
——He told himself that he could give himself a short vacation and enjoy the time when the big brothers were still leading the way, which would last for at least several years.
Neville and Keane exchanged glances after hearing this. They didn't quite understand what Cristiano meant, but it seemed that their little Ronnie had adjusted himself quickly.
This is also a talent, Neville complained in his heart, Cristiano's emotions seem to have a threshold, and he can control them freely within the threshold.
Cristiano walked forward with the team. He looked at himself on the reflective surfaces on both sides of the passage and adjusted his hair: "How do I look? Was my hair messed up just now?"
He asked in a low voice.
Keane walked in front and twitched his lips, rolling his eyes slightly. Was he referring to the slap he gave earlier? With that amount of hairspray, he was sure that even if Cristiano ran the entire field, his hair would still be the same as it was at the beginning.
Rooney responded to Cristiano: "No no, you look great, so can you please stop? I'm so nervous!"
"Oh, don't be nervous, the captain's words are for you as well." Cristiano patted Rooney's shoulder perfunctorily to comfort him.
Rooney almost rolled his eyes. He still remembered that before boarding the plane for the away game yesterday, Keane mobilized everyone in the locker room, asking everyone to swallow their nervousness, put fighting spirit on their faces, and said that he wanted to see everyone act like a fighter.
In short, it seems like the words just now were spoken by two different people!
Unfortunately, Cristiano was not in the locker room yesterday.
Rooney resisted the urge to tell Cristiano about yesterday's locker room mobilization.
He was afraid that if he made Cristiano nervous again, Keane and Neville, his captain and vice-captain, would hang him in the locker room and let the boss's blower blow him into a dried-up field mouse.
He forced a fake smile. "Thank you. I feel better now."
"You adjusted really quickly," Cristiano said.
Rooney: “…”
Get lost.
The two teams entered the field, the whistle blew, and the game began.
"Today is the last round of the Premier League. Chelsea is currently at the top of the standings. If Manchester United can win this game, the points of the two teams will be tied!" The commentator in the broadcast room began his commentary on today's game.
"Today's game is very exciting. If Manchester United wins, according to the goal difference principle, Manchester United must score two goals in the opponent's goal to overtake Chelsea and win the championship. Otherwise, even if they win, they will be dragged into the play-offs. And another thing is that if Manchester United wins, then Brighton will enter the relegation zone!"
"So in today's game, both teams are eager to win and must win!"
The game lasted for twenty minutes, with both teams' goals tightly shut, and the game was extremely close.
Ferguson was loudly directing the team's running and passing on the sidelines. His entire face turned red from shouting to the entire stadium, just like the clothes of the Red Devils fans in the stands behind him.
In the 28th minute of the game, Giggs shot from a small angle outside the penalty area and hit the opponent's goal, opening a gap in the game!
Cristiano ran to Giggs excitedly. He jumped for joy and was picked up by Giggs and hung on his body. Then he high-fived every teammate who ran over.
"One more goal!" Cristiano roared.
Everyone laughed out loud: "One more!"
However, in the 40th minute of the first half, Manchester United's goal was unexpectedly broken by a long shot.
Goalkeeper Howard fell to the ground, the ball slipped out of his palm and rolled into the goal.
The expressions on everyone's faces became solemn again.
"Brighton equalized the game!! Both sides scored a goal in the second half of the first half! The expressions of the Manchester United Red Devils were frozen! The pressure on them is back to square one. If they want to win the Premier League title and end the game, they must score two more goals!" said the commentator.
“I wonder if both teams will make any adjustments after the halftime break!”
Cristiano took a deep breath, and after the fifteen-minute halftime break, they returned to the court with fighting spirit on their faces.
Ferguson did not make any personnel adjustments or changes. He kept a close eye on the movements of everyone on the field, as if he was evaluating them.
Rooney tensed up. He heard that the boss was planning to buy another striker recently. To be honest, he had to perform well.
But the more nervous he became, the more he kicked the ball away, and he couldn't help but squat down with his hands on his head.
Cristiano's gaze followed the ball as it was kicked towards the audience. He retracted his gaze, closed his eyes in disappointment, then walked two steps to the side and pulled up Rooney, who was squatting on the ground in frustration.
"Don't do this, we still have time." He whispered and pulled Rooney up.
Rooney was pulled up from the ground by Cristiano. He was stunned and hadn't reacted yet. After hearing what Cristiano said, his eyes became hot and his chest felt hot.
He murmured and hugged Cristiano tightly, "Okay Ronnie."
Cristiano patted him on the shoulder.
In the 77th minute of the second half, Cristiano took a corner kick, which was cleared by Brighton's defense, and then they got another corner kick on the other side.
Cristiano still took the penalty.
He exhaled and looked at Fanny, who happened to be looking at him too.
Cristiano licked his lips, took two steps back, took a short run-up, and kicked the ball!
This time the ball he kicked landed closer to the goal. Van Nistelrooy quickly cut forward from the back position and got the first spot. His header swung in a small arc and passed over the goalkeeper's fingers!
"Manchester United 2-1! Van Nistelrooy scores with a header in the small penalty area!!"
There were less than twenty minutes left in the game and everyone was racing against time. Van Nistelrooy picked up the ball that had fallen into the net and immediately ran to the midfield to kick the ball again!
Brighton's defenders rushed forward, Van Nistelrooy pulled the ball back a bit and immediately passed it to Cristiano.
Cristiano headed the ball and then stopped it, then immediately turned around without stopping for a second and sprinted towards Brighton's penalty area with the ball.
The opposing defender rushed over, and Cristiano took small steps and quickly kicked the ball back, then passed it to Rooney, who was immediately knocked to the ground by the opposing defender.
Apparently the opponent had a bad temper and was annoyed by Cristiano’s dribbling tricks.
Cristiano's back hit the ground hard and he couldn't help but grin and wrinkle his face in pain.
Until Rooney's ball was tackled, the referee quickly blew the whistle to signal the suspension of the game.
Giggs and his men immediately surrounded them, and Fletcher and Ferdinand rushed to the defender who pushed Cristiano. God knows Chris's injury had just healed!
Cristiano reached out his hand to Rooney, who grabbed him and asked in a low voice: "Are you okay?"
"It's okay." Cristiano said. He glanced at the referee's side. It seemed like there was a lot of noise. The referee finally gave the other side a yellow card.
The injury time was given to them for four minutes, leaving them with very little time.
Ferguson signaled to all of them on the sidelines to hold the defense and reduce the attack - in the final moments, they couldn't let Brighton score a goal to equalize the score. At least now they still have the play-offs to play.
Cristiano pursed his lips unwillingly. He looked at the field and then at Ferguson. The bullfighter's blood in his bones made him unwilling to accept the current result.
The Red Devils fought and retreated, keeping the main battlefield in the midfield.
Cristiano got the ball with one minute left.
He ran two steps with the ball, and defenders came up from both sides and ran quickly towards the penalty area ahead of him - no one dared to underestimate the threat of Cristiano after dribbling into the penalty area!
Cristiano looked up quickly when he saw this. He was the only one in the front, and he had to score a goal.
He quickly adjusted the angle by turning sideways, and when he was nearly half the field away from the goal, he kicked the ball without hesitation!
"Ronaldo shot from outside the half court!?" The commentator leaned forward slightly in surprise and gasped.
Even Ferguson, who had already returned to his seat, couldn't help but half-stand up.
The black and white elf danced in a huge parabola at an extremely fast speed, and then fell rapidly in front of the goal in an incredible and strange arc!
Brighton's goalkeeper jumped up, but the ball went into the net from under his armpit in an unpredictable way!
"Oh my God!!! The ball goes in!!!!" The commentator screamed, covered his face with his hands, and jumped up from his chair in disbelief, "Such a long distance?! A half-court shot with a sports ball!!! The ball goes in!!! It's like a rocket!!"
Ferguson also suddenly stood up from his chair and rushed into the court!
The game is over! Manchester United won the final round of the league 3-1! The Red Devils surpassed the Blues in the standings and took the top spot!
The Blues defenders on the field seemed to have not yet recovered. No one expected that the ball would encounter such a shot from outside the half.
"Ronaldo's inspiration suddenly struck! Terrible power, strange arc! This reminds me of his free kicks! Isn't it just a free kick from a very long distance? Can a sports ball also be so threatening?!" The commentator was still shocked by the goal, and the screen happened to show the replay.
Cristiano excitedly fell on his back on the grass and from the corner of his eye he saw his teammates running towards him. He opened his arms, crying and laughing excitedly, catching his teammates who rushed towards him one after another.
Ferdinand grabbed Cristiano's face and held it close to him: "Beautiful! Ronnie! You are the best!"
"We have Ronaldo!" Giggs laughed and cheered. His words were agreed by everyone. Cristiano was lifted into the air almost in the next second. More than a dozen hands held him up steadily and shouted in unison, "We have Cristiano Ronaldo!"
The audience in the stadium also sang Ronaldo's name, and even Brighton fans couldn't help but stand up to admire the goal.
Cristiano covered his face with red eyes, and was quickly put down by his teammates. Then he was pressed into a chest covered with grass clippings. His hair was severely ruffled and stuck everywhere, while the reporters and photographers on the field crowded around the sidelines frantically, flashing spotlights around the Red Devils.
Neville smiled and pushed Cristiano in front of the crowd: "This is your moment!"
Cristiano was pushed forward and jogged a few steps. He touched his temples and turned his head to ask: "How do I look?"
Neville rolled his eyes and gave a thumbs up, "No one is prettier than you! Come on! Go!"
Cristiano chuckled and pulled Giggs and Van Nistelrooy over.
Giggs and Van Nistelrooy blocked many media questions for Cristiano, especially Van Nistelrooy, who was more asked about his intentions in this summer transfer window.
Van Nistelrooy replied: "I enjoy my time at Manchester United. I like Manchester United and its fans. We won today and it couldn't be a better day. There will be an answer to the summer transfer window, and I will tell you. Seriously, shouldn't we give our boy an exclusive interview today? He performed very well today."
Van Nistelrooy turned the topic to Cristiano. It was rare for the Dutchman to be interviewed with Cristiano, and this time, he did not hold back any praise: "He is the most potential I have ever seen. We have scored many goals this season, and this is thanks to the perfect integration of Ronaldo. Manchester United will be better in the Premier League, and Cristiano will also shine in the Premier League."
Cristiano was caught off guard by Van Nistelrooy's face-to-face praise. He resisted the urge to raise the corners of his mouth, and stared down at his toes, with his tongue pressing against the soft flesh in his mouth to prevent himself from laughing and being caught on camera.
Soon, the interviews with Giggs and Van Nistelrooy ended, and the two left first, leaving Cristiano behind.
"So what made you grow so fast, Ronaldo?" the reporter asked.
Cristiano cleared his throat, glanced in the direction where Van Nistelrooy and the other player left, and replied: "Maybe it's because I always keep an eye on the best players, such as Van Nistelrooy, Giggs, Keane, Figo, Costa... They are world-class players, and I can always learn a lot from them..."
The interview here is still going on, and Brighton is also conducting post-interviews. This season's league is completely over, and they, Leeds United and Crystal Palace will all be relegated.
The Brighton defender who received the yellow card recalled the game in a later interview. He couldn't help but complain to the host: "Manchester United protected their Ronaldo just like protecting their own eyes."
"Leo, Fletcher and Giggs are all my friends. We have a good relationship privately. But in that game, I just pushed Ronaldo down, and they rushed towards me in anger!"
"God knows I just pushed him, but people who don't know would think I did something terrible!"
"It was so horrible. Thinking about that scene now, I can't help but shudder. I doubt that even if I cheated on them, they wouldn't necessarily rush towards me in anger."
"Ahem, I mean, their protectiveness is somewhat excessive."
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