Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 334: Making History

"I think Bruno's performance has significantly improved since last year's Champions League final. Although he was already very skilled, he's been exceptional this past year. This period has been his breakout phase: 14 goals and 5 assists in 8 Champions League games, 39 goals and 29 assists in 38 Serie A matches, 2 goals and 1 assist in the Italian Super Cup, 2 goals and 2 assists in the European Super Cup, 6 goals in 2 Club World Cup matches, and 13 goals and 4 assists in 13 matches for the Portuguese national team. Bruno is simply a superman!" Sky Sports commentator Gary Lineker concluded.

His co-commentator, Rio Ferdinand, agreed, "This transformation is likely due to the rigorous training in the Champions League. Playing in such high-stakes matches, especially the final, has elevated his game. We thought Bruno had already reached his peak, but from his performance in this European Championship, it's clear he still has room to grow."

Lineker suddenly asked, "Rio, I've heard that Manchester United's new manager Mourinho is interested in signing Bruno. Is this true? Do you have any reliable information?"

As July began, the summer transfer window officially opened, and transfer rumors were flying everywhere. Bruno, the recent Ballon d'Or winner, leaving Udinese to find a bigger stage seemed almost certain. Consequently, Europe's top clubs were all linked with him. Among them, Manchester United, newly backed by Middle Eastern oil capital, was one of the favorites to sign Bruno according to bookmakers.

Moreover, since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, Manchester United had been struggling, failing to win the Premier League for three consecutive seasons and missing out on Champions League spots in two of those years. This was unacceptable to United fans.

The new manager, Mourinho, shared the same nationality as Bruno, and they even had the same agent. Given the close connections, this possibility seemed even more likely. However, United's lack of a Champions League spot cast a shadow over the potential transfer.

Ferdinand smiled and said, "Of course, every team and every coach wants a player like Bruno. But from what I've heard, Bruno is very close to signing with Manchester United."

Lineker was surprised, "Is that true?"

Ferdinand nodded, "Absolutely, my sources are reliable."

With Ferdinand's confidence, Lineker believed the news and commented, "Then other clubs and their fans are going to be very disappointed."

When the match resumed, France didn't come back stronger. They were shell-shocked by Portugal and didn't know how to respond. Their coach, Deschamps, was also at a loss since the game was unfolding completely differently from his expectations.

He decided that with less than ten minutes left in the first half, he would wait until halftime to make adjustments. Surely, Portugal couldn't score a third goal in the remaining time, right?

Even Santos hadn't expected his team to play so well in the first half. He thought one goal would be great, but to score two in quick succession was beyond his wildest dreams. Overwhelmed with happiness, he decided the best course of action was to do nothing and let things continue as they were.

Despite their disappointment, French fans continued to support their team. Whenever Portuguese players had the ball, the boos were loud, especially when Bruno was in possession, the boos were deafening.

French players were now only focused on surviving until halftime to regroup and listen to Deschamps' strategy, hoping to understand why Portugal was still so strong despite their difficult circumstances.

Bruno felt he was in excellent form today. Despite not resting well, his body was surprisingly energized. But he knew a 2-0 lead was not safe. If France scored once, it would become 2-1, and the momentum could shift dramatically.

So, a 3-0 lead was the safest, providing enough cushion to handle any sudden onslaught from France. Bruno kept pushing for another goal.

As the match approached the 40th minute, there were still about seven or eight minutes left in the half, plus an expected three minutes of injury time due to Ronaldo's earlier substitution.

French fans hoped the first half would end quickly as it was a torment for them. But Bruno wasn't ready to let them off so easily.

"Here he comes again! Bruno!" shouted the commentator as Bruno intercepted Pogba's pass near the center circle.

Pogba saw Bruno charging towards him and instinctively jumped to avoid the tackle, only to regret his cowardly reflex immediately. But it was too late; Bruno had already won the ball and was heading towards the French penalty area.

Everyone knew Bruno was dangerous in the middle because he could shoot powerfully from distance, distribute the ball to the wings, or make a lethal through pass. French players were tense as Bruno advanced.

One, two, three! Three French players converged on Bruno, hoping to dispossess him.

"Pass! Beautiful!" the commentator exclaimed as Bruno, instead of trying to dribble through, quickly passed the ball between two French players to Quaresma.

Quaresma received the ball, took a step forward, and shot!

It was a high-quality strike—fast, powerful, and well-placed. Hugo Lloris leaped and stretched his right hand but couldn't reach it. The ball flew over his fingertips but struck the crossbar hard!

"Oh no!" sighed the commentator, disappointed that such a brilliant shot didn't result in a goal.

"Wait!" The ball rebounded off the crossbar and landed in front of Bruno, who had anticipated the shot and followed through, appearing alone in front of the goal without any French players around.

All the French players had been focused on Quaresma's shot. When he struck, those running back had halted, waiting to see the outcome. No one noticed Bruno's run into the box.

Now, with only an empty goal and the fallen Lloris in front of him, Bruno had the perfect chance.

"Bruno!" yelled the commentator as Bruno leaned forward, pushed off with his legs, and dove to head the ball into the net.

"Hat-trick! Hat-trick! He did it! Bruno has a hat-trick in the European Championship final!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"

"3-0! Unbelievable! Portugal leads France 3-0 in the European Championship final!"

"Goal!! Brilliant! Bruno completes a hat-trick! And this is a first in European Championship history! Against a strong French team, Bruno's hat-trick silences the entire stadium!"

"This is Bruno's 8th goal in the tournament, just one short of Platini's record of 9 goals set 32 years ago!"

"Platini is in the stands today, witnessing firsthand as Bruno nearly breaks his record and single-handedly crushes his beloved French team!"

"For the Portuguese, this is the perfect revenge!"

"Thirty-two years ago, Portugal reached the semifinals of their first European Championship but were stopped by Platini's France. They fought to extra time and led 2-1, but Domergue and Platini scored two late goals, reversing the result and leading France to their first major championship."

"Today, 32 years later, in front of Platini and 50,000 French fans, Bruno's historic hat-trick completes the revenge!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, Portugal will lift their first major trophy!"

...

Commentators from around the world were ecstatic.

(End of Chapter)

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