Camp Nou.
It was still the familiar stadium, and the familiar atmosphere. For the match at 5pm, the home Barcelona fans entered the venue early, sat in their seats expectantly, and had great expectations for the players who were already warming up on the field.
Go Inter Milan! ! Fuck Mourinho! ! !
Every warm-up of the Barcelona players in different events would cause them to cheer.
There is still an hour before the game starts. The visiting team players have just arrived at Camp Nou on the team bus and they have not yet gone on the training field.
At this time, the stadium staff pushed a basket of footballs, and along with it, there appeared a figure wearing a vest and a red referee uniform underneath.
The bright red color made it hard for him to go unnoticed.
Some of Barcelona's less virtuous fans noticed him and immediately booed him.
The staff member who came with Ivan was a little embarrassed. The referee was greeted with an impolite welcome as soon as he entered the stadium. He hoped that the other party would be magnanimous and ignore it.
However, his calculations were obviously in vain.
Ivan gave him a cold look and said, "You'd better take appropriate measures, otherwise I will write it in the post-match report, so that your team will not be punished by UEFA for disrespecting the referee."
The staff member was startled and quickly asked his colleagues behind him to help maintain order.
He smiled awkwardly and said nice things to Alvin.
Are you kidding? UEFA bans players at will. This kind of punishment is not fun.
Because of the fans' noise, all the Barcelona players on the field, including the coaching staff, noticed this side.
Messi, who was standing on the left and right of Ibrahimovic doing simple off-ball training, looked up and saw the fourth official walking towards them.
Seeing an acquaintance, Alvin nodded at him as a greeting.
Messi smiled apologetically at Ivan for the uncivilized booing from their fans.
Ibrahimovic next to him noticed this scene and said with great interest: "Do you know each other? Leo?"
Messi nodded: "Yes, he is Ivan DeWitt, you should know."
Ibrahimovic suddenly realized: "I remember Zlatan, it turned out to be him, what a coincidence."
Valdes was eager to try. The ball was here and they could do some training with the ball. He couldn't wait to get familiar with the feeling of saving the ball.
The Barcelona coaching staff approached Ivan and waited for him to finish checking the ball so that they could do some ball training.
This game is very important. They lost 1-3 to Inter Milan at home in the first leg. They are still under a lot of pressure in this game and must score at least two goals to ensure their advancement to the Champions League final.
Barcelona's assistant coach has already walked forward. Seeing that the fourth official has arrived early, he is ready to ask the other party whether they want to hand over the starting lineup.
Ivan looked at the well-prepared paper handed over by the other party and waved his hand: "It's still early, give it to me later."
Barcelona's main players have basically not changed, he is very familiar with them, and confirming the players is just a formality.
He took the ball out of the basket. It was obvious that the Barcelona players couldn't wait, their eyes were almost glued to the ball.
Ivan squeezed the ball in his hand, then changed a few and looked at them. If he thought they were okay, he handed them to the young substitute assistant referee behind him.
The young man behind him is about the same age as Alvin, but he seems more nervous than Alvin. This is his first time to experience the Champions League, and it is a semi-final.
"Qualified? Then I..." The young referee's voice sounded a little dizzy.
"Well, put it away first. I'll check it again later." Alvin said, checking the balls in the basket at an extremely fast speed.
The Barcelona crowd watching: "..."
Guardiola wanted his disciples to disperse and continue basic training, but in a blink of an eye, the fourth official had checked all the balls efficiently.
The assistant coach walked up and, thinking he was done checking, wanted to ask the referee for the ball.
However, before he got over to the ball, the young referee picked up the balls that the substitute assistant referee had packed and started to tossing them one by one.
Barcelona assistant coach: “…”
Guardiola: “…”
Barcelona players: “…”
Is this so dedicated?
Oh my god! The fourth official personally checked the ball!
Everyone looked confused, and suddenly remembered something that seemed to have caused a stir on social media recently.
Ibrahimovic asked Messi with interest: "Is he sure he wants to go to the World Cup?"
Messi shook his head. The Spanish media had reported on this, but it would not be as crazy as in England. After all, in the eyes of many people, referees participating in the World Cup is itself nonsense.
"Hmm." Ibrahimovic stroked his chin, his interest growing.
Well, the fourth official is more rigorous. He wants to confirm it in this way, and no one can stop him. It’s still early.
Guardiola wanted to signal the players not to stare at the referee in a daze, as they had a heavy task in this game.
However, what made him unhappy was that the people who had always been obedient actually ignored him.
He felt a little unhappy, and then turned to look in the direction where everyone's attention was focused.
Isn’t it just retired players serving as referees? Is it that beautiful?
After seeing the result clearly, he was speechless.
The fans at the scene were also confused. What the hell, did they see it wrong? The referee was actually showing off his skills on the court in front of their expensive players?
Damn, look at the basic training, look at his ball sense, and even if he changes his clothes and blends in with these Barcelona players, there is no sense of incongruity at all!
The Barcelona fans who had just been warned did not dare to boo, and in fact, they forgot to boo.
"Cool," Ibrahimovic gave a thumbs-up, "Zlatan wants to be friends with him."
Messi: “…”
Messi silently watched Ivan go through the individual ball training they would be doing soon, still very quickly. For the second time, he picked out a few balls that he was not satisfied with and threw them directly back into the original basket.
Everyone at the scene followed his move. They watched silently as Ivan kicked the ball over his head, caught it with his heel, and kicked it back, pausing with his chest. After confirming that it was correct, he passed the ball to the substitute assistant referee and then took down another one.
The young and inexperienced substitute assistant referee couldn't even hold the ball steadily.
#Mom, I seem to be working with a big shot, what should I do, I’m so nervous.
Ivan felt that the ball was not up to standard, so he just bounced it twice, frowned slightly, and kicked the ball directly back to the original basket.
Every kick was accurate; even the height of the ball when it bounced in the basket did not change to the naked eye.
Although the distance was only two meters, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the ball kicked by Ivan landed at an extremely clear point, almost hitting the same spot in the basket.
Everyone: “…”
They suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
At this time, the World Football recording crew also arrived at the scene early. They had just put down their equipment when they witnessed this scene.
"Brother Duan! Look!" The photographer excitedly picked up the camera and called out to Duan Xuan.
"Do you want to cut this in?" the photographer asked.
"Yes!" Duan Xuan was excited. They had done their homework before coming. The fourth official, Alvin DeWitt, had a Chinese grandmother. Plus, he had recently become a hot topic in Europe, so they had originally planned to include Alvin in the copy of "World Soccer".
Refereeing the World Cup, regardless of whether it is successful in the end, is itself a great fun in the football world!
Write! Of course you have to write it!
"Really amazing!" Several Chinese reporters sighed. With such qualifications, he could only be a referee in football powerhouses like Europe. If he were in China...
Damn, in Europe, there is a referee who plays football no worse than the Chinese national football team players!
When they remembered Ivan's original identity as a player, their eyes lit up even brighter. They must spend more time on Ivan!
The photographer was having a lot of fun taking pictures, and Duan Xuan just stood there watching. He only came to his senses after Ivan finished checking and handed the ball he thought was qualified to the Barcelona staff.
"Look at his movements just now. Do they look familiar to you? They are very similar to a traditional entertainment activity of scholars in our country!"
"What?"
"Toss the pot!"
“…”
Then Alvin must be someone who would never be caught writing poetry or drinking as a punishment.
The atmosphere in the stadium reached a small climax when Inter Milan's players entered the field to warm up.
At the same time, several Barcelona forwards took a few simple free kicks to warm up.
Valdés enjoyed the save.
Everything is going on in an orderly manner.
Until a small incident happened, which shocked everyone in the stadium.
Ibrahimovic, who has always been casual, made a few casual shots and then walked towards Ivan.
He had an impression of Alvin's sleepy ball. After all, when Alvin first kicked this ball, it was very famous in Europe. Everyone from players from various clubs to children who were just learning to play football were vying to imitate it.
Of course, few succeeded in the end.
As a fan of magical balls, Ibrahimovic once admired this ball very much. Now that the real owner is here, he certainly hopes to see Ivan kick it with his own eyes.
Then, make friends with each other.
Awesome people must have good friends.
Besides, doesn't Alvin want to join the national team? There are many reporters outside the stadium. If Alvin kicks this ball in front of everyone, it should be easier for him to gain the favor of their national team.
"Hi," Ibrahimovic said, holding the ball and smiling very friendly, "This is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Zlatan likes your football very much and wants to be friends with you. Can I watch you show off your football?"
Ivan was just about to go and get the roster from the coaching staff of both sides when he was interrupted by Ibrahimovic's invitation.
"Zlatan?" Ivan was amused by this interesting self-proclaimed name.
Ibrahimovic smiled sincerely: "Yes, Zlatan is very happy that you call him Zlatan, then we are friends."
Ivan raised his eyebrows and took a liking to this Barcelona player with his distinctive and straightforward style.
He knew Ibrahimovic, but the latter had been playing in Italy and only joined Barcelona this season, so he and he just knew each other.
"I'm Alvin DeWitt." Alvin stretched out his hand and shook hands with the other party.
"So, Zlatan, can you have the honor to see you kick a ball?" Ibrahimovic bowed in the direction of Valdes.
Since Ivan didn't refuse immediately, Ibrahimovic knew that the other party was somewhat moved.
Ivan glanced at the player tunnel over there. The referee had not arrived yet. He turned to look at Ibrahimovic and said, "The referee will not allow me to do this."
"That's easy," Ibrahimovic laughed. "Zlatan will tell him you're checking the quality of the football."
Ivan: “…”
very good.
It seems difficult to refuse at this point, so I'll just give him a kick.
Then, everyone present, including Inter Milan players, looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"Sir, look!" Mourinho was stopped by his disciple and looked in the direction of the other's finger.
The madman's eyes widened.
He saw his disciple Alvin, whom he had praised so much before the game, standing in the position where the Barcelona players were going to take the free kick!
The madman held his breath for a long time without knowing what to say, but he didn't look away. He muttered, "...this brat."
Inter Milan's assistant coach was standing next to him, listening to his words of disgust, yet he also heard a hint of boasting in his tone. What's going on? !
As expected of a madman's disciple, he is just as mad.
Did he forget that he was still wearing his referee uniform?
Guardiola was also confused. Ibrahimovic took the fourth official and said something to Messi, and Messi gave up his seat. What was going on?
Are you sure to win or is the referee just floating?
Duan Xuan outside the court also held his breath. When Ivan and the Barcelona players asked for two balls, his heart started pounding.
Do you really want to play football? !
This trip was not in vain!
The photographer was urged by him and started recording in a hurry.
At this time, the reporters were all excited. Oh wow, there’s big news! Witness the moment of miracle!
Ivan moved the ball on the spot and put it on the grass.
He took a few steps back.
Sky Sports' broadcast had just begun, and Andy was just about to passionately create an atmosphere when he was shocked by the scene before him.
He choked on himself and quickly stopped talking on the microphone and started coughing.
Richard took his place: "Dear viewers, now we are broadcasting the second leg of the Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Inter Milan at home... Well, something interesting is happening on the scene..."
The message board was a blast, especially since Ivan took a few steps back in the shot.
"What the hell! Is Xiao Tiantian going to take a free kick?!"
"They don't give us any peace of mind, my God!"
"God! I can't bear to watch it!!!"
Andy calmed down and said in shock: "This! This is!"
Valdes' throat moved in front of the goal. He still didn't understand why Messi in front of him was replaced by Ivan.
The memory of the door being broken into suddenly flooded his mind.
He looked at his teammates for help, but Messi shrugged, indicating that he could do nothing to help.
Valdez had no choice but to look at Ivan.
The same eyes, the same aura!
QAQIsn’t Inter Milan their opponent?
What happened, is this Mourinho's tactic? But didn’t Alvin retire?
Alvin is running!
From slow to fast, a familiar figure!
"Bang!" The ball flew out and Valdes was in a daze, not making any move to save the ball.
It was not until the sound of the ball hitting the crossbar that he woke up from his dream.
Oh... Alvin has already kicked the ball.
Well, the ball didn't go in.
But with that force just now, he thought the ball would go in.
The arc remains the same, the force remains the same.
Valdez felt that he was the first person to witness Ivan's comeback.
He is well aware of his position as a goalkeeper, but others don't think so.
The Nou Camp erupted in laughter. They thought this English referee was so great and he put on quite a show, but what was the point if it only looked good but didn't work? The ball didn't go in at all!
Look how good our goalkeeper is. He realized early on that the ball would not go in and had no intention of saving the ball.
The two Sky Sports commentators were explaining excitedly, and those who didn't know would think they were the ones who kicked the ball: "This ball! Beautiful! Oh! What a pity, the ball was a little high..."
In order to cater to the emotions of the majority of English fans, they of course had to praise the good side: "Did you see that, audience friends? This is the curve of the sleepy ball! The sleepy ball was almost copied completely!"
"Yes! I seem to see the former demon star waking up!"
Mourinho on the sidelines smiled playfully, revealing dimples similar to those of his disciple Alvin.
The camera was very powerful, it was cut in half in an instant, and Mourinho and Ivan appeared on the TV at the same time.
The female fans covered their chests. They never noticed before that the madman is actually very handsome!
The camera playfully added another person, and that person was Guardiola. He was obviously very dissatisfied with this scene... although he knew that was his players releasing pressure.
But he was actually secretly worried in his heart, as he was afraid that goalkeeper Valdes' condition would be affected.
Others thought that Valdes was completely disdainful of saving the ball, but he could see clearly that Valdes was distracted.
He frowned, and the atmosphere of the entire Camp Nou was aroused. Except for Valdes, other Barcelona players and Inter Milan players applauded.
Their thought processes are very simple and they have absolute respect for the strong.
Mourinho glanced at his old rival Guardiola, his smile carrying an indescribable sense of pride.
In his opinion, Alvin was indirectly helping him to attack Barcelona, although he knew that his upright disciple Alvin would not think so.
Ivan's name may have determined everything. His name means "justice" in English.
It was just a coincidence that I ended up becoming a referee.
The madman shook his head. Putting this aside, Alvin was good in everything before except that he lacked adventurous spirit and was too obedient and calm.
Seeing that the other party accepted Ibrahimovic's invitation, he was very happy.
Every step Alvin takes is actually a risk. It was rare to see the disciple willing to take risks, as he was generally the type of person who rarely made inappropriate moves.
——His actions in the past week have been completely testing FIFA's bottom line.
If I fail, I will die. At worst, I won't be able to play football and I won't be able to be a referee.
No one knows better than Mourinho how much Irving loves playing football.
It simply became his religion.
Because they are the same kind of people. In addition to the "chicken complex" of the disciple he discovered personally, Ivan better meets Mourinho's requirements for players.
Under the rational appearance, there is a passion for football——
Football is not about life and death, but it is above life and death.
Irving was not born for football, he is equally good in other aspects. But if there is an opportunity, he will definitely be willing to fight for football to the end.
Before the Barcelona fans had finished their laughter, they saw the person they were mocking take another ball from the nearby.
Oh shit! Is this the rhythm of continuing to play?
Could you please stop making a fool of yourself? !
You want to participate in the World Cup with this level? Just be a good referee and stop trying to put on a show all day long!
Just enforce the law honestly and go back to your England!
The players obviously thought differently from them. They regarded this as a way to relax before the game. Moreover, they were experts and unlike laymen, they could see the trick at a glance.
The kick just now was obviously a warm-up.
Alvin leaned over and positioned the ball. He didn't feel any discomfort with the previous shot, which was expected because he had recently tried it on the small football field at home.
But this is obviously different. Standing on the real court and standing off the court are two completely different feelings.
He turned a deaf ear to the jeers and boos from the home team. In front of excellent players, the boos from opponents are actually the best compliment to them.
Those who were watching attentively held their breath, as if they were expecting to witness something.
Valdes jumped a few times on the spot, and his eyes met with Ivan's.
The other person looked at him quietly, then gave him a friendly smile.
That is to encourage him and also to convey a message to him.
——Sorry for taking up your training time, thank you for your friendly training.
Valdez: “…”
He leaned down and became serious.
The message board was still, the commentary stopped, and those who supported and those who opposed it all fell silent at the same time, and in the end they all acquiesced to such madness.
When asked to describe it afterwards, they couldn't say it was natural. Perhaps they had respect for such players.
Ivan kicked.
As soon as he kicked it, he knew he had it.
"Evan...Evan!!! goooooal!!! Beautiful!"
Valdes jumped high, but he obviously couldn't reach it. When the ball got close, it made an unusual change of direction and flew in the opposite direction of his save, straight into the upper left corner of the goal!
Valdes looked at the ball still bouncing vigorously in the goal, and he felt that his emotions and state were completely mobilized.
He was not shocked at all because when he jumped up, he felt that he was extremely close to the ball!
If he had the chance a few more times, he even felt that this ball would not be that difficult to save!
Ivan just didn't have the chance to play in front of people a few times, but that doesn't mean there is no solution. It's just that the opponent retired before they could figure out the result!
Apart from the camera, only Valdes, who was facing the opponent, could see it. The moment the opponent kicked the ball, his eyes were surprisingly bright.
It was like there was a never-extinguished fire burning in the pupils, yet it was more restrained, cleaner and purer than that overly hot flame, and as clear as a light in the darkness.
Valdés vaguely remembered what he once said to the media: "When darkness comes, I will hide in it and leave no trace."
But this long-awaited fight with the opponent made him waver in his sentimental, pessimistic and desperate thinking.
Ivan is telling him with his actions——
When darkness comes, lights will be lit in the endless night.
Dazzling and shining, never extinguished.
And I am that light. Light up yourself and you can also light up others.
Valdes bent down, picked up the ball, and applauded Ivan.
The players all applauded. Their spirits were so high that they obviously didn't need any pre-match mobilization from the coach.
The silence of Camp Nou was broken. As if hesitantly, or as if driven by the high emotions of the players on the field, they started clapping.
The applause grew louder and louder.
Ivan was a stranger to them, but that did not prevent them from being conquered by the opponent's goal.
They began to take a new look at the Englishman who had been a joke to them just seconds ago.
Guardiola fell silent. Deep wrinkles appeared on his forehead. He looked at the players in front of him with an innocent expression and gave up the idea of continuing to protest.
He looked at Mourinho who was sitting comfortably next to him. Coincidentally, the other person turned his head and the two men looked at each other.
The two men met each other and had to give a fake yet polite smile at the same time.
snort.
Guardiola secretly thanked Mourinho for his good luck, but was also very rude to him for his negligence towards the players.
If it were him, and he had such a good seedling in his hands, he would feel that he would help the other party grow well and safely step by step.
As expected, the Premier League has the most football hooligans.
After kicking the ball, Alvin nodded to the applauding crowd, returned the ball, and continued to walk towards Inter Milan coach Mourinho to ask for the roster.
The camera fell on his face, and his expression didn't change much, except that the hair on his forehead was a little wet due to exercise.
But the color of his eyes appeared soft under the light.
All this shows that the Englishman is in a very good mood.
The people at the scene were just clapping, but the people in England who were watching this scene were feeling more complicated.
Ivan's kick gave them more hope.
I don’t know if Capello watched this game, and I don’t know if he noticed Ivan.
Premier League fans are very idle, they were eliminated early, so they all have time to watch the live broadcast calmly.
I used to be very calm, but now I can no longer be calm.
Especially Chelsea fans, they were more excited than seeing their team score a goal in the game.
What game are we watching? Our home team isn’t on it. Go to Twitter!
I can't calm down at all! Eager to share our feelings at this moment with others!
Then they found that they were not the only ones excited. The scene being broadcast brought all the news about Ivan in the past week to a climax.
He went up in a low profile, kicked the ball, and left the field in a low profile to continue his duties.
But his high-profile actions are bound to attract everyone's attention.
He left everyone with a vivid back view, and the red referee uniform looked different on him.
He added a dazzling touch of color to the green grassland.
The jersey is as red as flames and the eyes are as blue as still water.
He walked away calmly, but his movements made people feel the heat coming towards him.
Like rebirth from Nirvana, the king returns.
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