Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 519: The European Championship Begins, Spain's 23-Man Squad Announced

The moment the final whistle blew, Real Madrid's players either dropped to their knees or collapsed on the field, filled with frustration and regret.

They had been so close, just a little bit more!

In the final moments of the match, Real Madrid had built up serious momentum. If they had managed to equalize before the end and push the game into extra time, they had a real chance of winning.

But there's no "if" in the real world.

Cristiano Ronaldo stood in Manchester City's penalty area with his hands on his hips, staring at the grass beneath him, motionless.

That lonely figure reminded many of Roberto Baggio after he missed the decisive penalty kick, evoking sympathy from Ronaldo's fans and neutral spectators alike.

"Cristiano really gave it his all; the blame for this loss doesn't lie with him!"

"Exactly, he scored two goals! Without him stepping up, Real Madrid would've lost much earlier!"

Ronaldo had performed brilliantly in the match. Even the fans who usually nitpicked his every move couldn't deny his excellent performance.

It wasn't that Ronaldo didn't try hard enough or that he wasn't strong enough; the problem was that his opponent was too powerful.

Scoring four goals in a Champions League final—is that even human?

And this wasn't the first time. Last year, against Barcelona, Lin Quan had already scored four goals in the final. In two consecutive finals, Lin alone had scored eight goals!

That's not human—it's a monster!

No one thought Ronaldo was weak for losing to such a player.

In fact, after this match, the criticism of Ronaldo's status as a superstar greatly diminished.

After all, if Lin Quan, the ultimate test of greatness, certified Ronaldo as a superstar, then there was no more room for doubt.

However, despite caring about his reputation, Ronaldo found no comfort in this.

His heart was filled with the bitterness of defeat, and he couldn't accept losing the title.

This was a feeling he had experienced once before—back in his Manchester United days, when he lost to Messi. And now, he had lost to Lin Quan.

Does this mean I, Ronaldo, am truly inferior to these two?

...

After last year's match against Barcelona, Lin Quan had exchanged jerseys with Messi, promising a rematch the following year.

Unfortunately, Barcelona was eliminated early by Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinals, missing the final.

Although Lin Quan didn't get to face Messi again, going up against Ronaldo was still a valuable experience.

Lin had planned to exchange a few words with Ronaldo after the game, perhaps make a gentleman's agreement for the future.

But fate had other plans. Marcelo's rough tackle had forced Lin off the field.

Although the injury wasn't serious, Guardiola had him sent to the hospital immediately after the match.

Allowing Lin to watch the rest of the game from the bench had already been a concession from Guardiola, who didn't want to risk delaying Lin's recovery any further.

So, Lin ended up watching his teammates lift the trophy from a hospital bed.

With the team having won their third consecutive Champions League title, the players—apart from a few younger ones—didn't seem as thrilled or excited as before.

After three league titles and three Champions League victories, there was no doubt that Manchester City had built their own dynasty.

Now, many of the team's veteran players were beginning to consider their future beyond these victories.

They had already earned plenty of honors; it was time to think about other things.

This summer, keeping these title-winning veterans might be Guardiola's biggest challenge.

...

After a day of rest in Milan, the entire Manchester City team, including Lin Quan, boarded a private jet back to Manchester the next day.

Along with them, they brought back the Champions League trophy!

Even though the fans hadn't been officially notified to meet the team, the airport was packed with excited supporters.

From the moment the players stepped off the plane, they were completely surrounded by the enthusiastic crowd.

Fans chanted the names of players and coaches as they followed the team bus toward the city center, looking like an army on the march.

At that moment, Manchester's sky and earth were both blue.

As usual, Manchester City held a victory parade with open-top buses and a grand celebration.

Despite several rounds of medical checks from both the hospital and the team's doctors confirming that Lin Quan's injury wasn't serious, Guardiola and the club's management still didn't let him participate in these celebrations.

It saved Lin from a lot of hassle. While the victory parade was an honor, it was also exhausting.

The first time was new and exciting, but by the second, it felt more like routine, and by the third, the novelty had worn off entirely.

Learning that Lin's injury wasn't severe, City fans finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though the celebration was missing their star player, fans were still ecstatic.

At that moment, Manchester City supporters felt like the happiest fans in England—and maybe even all of Europe!

...

"Is he really okay?"

Spain's head coach Vicente del Bosque had followed the Manchester City team back to Manchester.

After confirming the results of Lin Quan's medical examination, Del Bosque finally felt at ease.

This year's European Championship was shaping up to be tough for Spain.

Host nation France was in excellent form, having beaten top European teams like the Netherlands and Germany in recent competitions.

With the tournament being held on home soil, France had the advantage of playing in front of their own fans, and many believed they were favorites to win.

Although Spain still ranked first in FIFA's world rankings, ahead of teams like France and Germany, the undeniable truth was that with the aging of Spain's golden generation from 1984-1986, the team's strength had begun to decline.

If it weren't for Lin Quan, Spain might not even hold the top spot anymore.

When news broke of Lin's injury during the Champions League final, critics were quick to write off Spain's chances, claiming they were bound to fail.

Conquering the throne is hard; holding onto it is even harder.

Del Bosque no longer carried the same confidence he had in previous years; instead, he was constantly worried.

Spain's struggle to transition between generations remained unresolved. Veteran players were slowly leaving the team, but younger talents weren't stepping up as hoped. Their performances weren't meeting Del Bosque's or the fans' expectations.

Despite La Liga being one of the world's top leagues with many local talents, Del Bosque found it incredibly challenging to select a squad of 23 players who met his standards.

He had been working to bring fresh blood into the team since 2013, but after all these years, the results were still underwhelming.

This made him deeply concerned that Spain might soon lose to France.

Then, after France, they might lose to Germany, followed by Italy, and eventually even second-tier teams like England or Portugal.

"Yes, the team doctor says everything is fine, and the hospital's tests didn't show anything serious either."

Lin Quan, aware of Del Bosque's concerns, reassured the coach,

"As long as the team needs me, I'm ready to play!"

Hearing Lin's words, Del Bosque finally relaxed.

"Good, good! That's great news. Take your time and rest up. Even if you're okay, you should still take it easy—no rush to start training."

Compared to other players, Lin had much less rest time, having just played in the Champions League final.

Del Bosque was worried that continuous play might lead to overexertion or worsen Lin's condition, so he planned to give Lin some time off before he reported to the national team.

This special treatment was reserved only for Lin Quan.

After returning, Del Bosque quickly announced Spain's 23-man squad for the European Championship.

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David De Gea (Manchester United), Sergio Rico (Sevilla)

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Juanfran (Atlético Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Marc Bartra (Barcelona), César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Mikel San José (Athletic Bilbao), Héctor Bellerín (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Bruno Soriano (Villarreal), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Thiago Alcântara (Bayern Munich), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City), Pedro Rodríguez (Chelsea), Cesc Fàbregas (Chelsea), Koke (Atlético Madrid)

Forwards: Lin Quan (Manchester City), Nolito (Celta Vigo), Álvaro Morata (Juventus), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid)

Compared to the World Cup squad two years ago, this 23-man roster represented a significant overhaul.

Many notable players didn't make the cut, including established stars like Diego Costa.

The number of young players in the squad set a new record, leading many to speculate that Spain might be using this tournament as a chance to groom new talent.

"What is Spain doing? Are they just giving up?"

"How could they leave out Saúl, who's been performing so well, but call up Nolito and Lucas Vázquez? What's Del Bosque thinking?"

"Isco wasn't bad at Real Madrid. Sure, he had a rough Champions League final, but he's had great chemistry with Lin Quan before. Why did Del Bosque drop him?"

"The most confusing omission is Diego Costa. The guy came all the way from Brazil to join Spain's team, played one World Cup, and now he's been dropped? Poor guy!"

"Yeah, he's got looks and skill—what more do you want? Apart from Lin Quan, none of Spain's forwards are better than him. But Del Bosque didn't call him up. Why? Just because!"

"Could it be that Del Bosque knows Lin is injured, so he's given up on winning and is using this tournament as a training ground for younger players?"

"Using the European Championship to train new players? That's next-level!"

"Come on, guys, this is the European Championship—the second-most prestigious international tournament after the World Cup! No one just gives up on it!"

"Exactly! Plus, Spain is the defending champion. If they win this time, they'll achieve an unprecedented three-peat in European Championship history!"

"I just don't get it. Unless there's something we don't know about, there's no explaining why Del Bosque is doing this!"

After much debate, fans couldn't reach a conclusion and resorted to wild speculation.

As for the most reliable predictors, the betting companies were quick to respond.

After Spain's 23-man roster was released, the odds of them winning the tournament dropped.

For the first time, France, the host nation, surpassed Spain in the betting odds, taking the top spot. Spain and Germany had similar odds, ranked second and third, respectively.

Once these updated odds were published, fans took notice.

French supporters, in particular, were overjoyed. Knowing that the betting companies favored them boosted their confidence, and they boasted about beating Spain and Germany to claim the trophy.

"It's time for a new world number one! Spain's had that spot for six years; it's time for a change!"

Faced with the French fans' trash talk, Spanish supporters fired back.

Some mocked the French for celebrating too early, saying they were jinxing themselves before the tournament even started.

Others poked fun at the large number of African-born players in the French squad, suggesting they should rename the team "Africa United."

Because of historical reasons, France has a large population of African immigrants, and for decades, many African-origin players have been a key part of their national team.

Even legends like Zinedine Zidane, David Trezeguet, Thierry Henry, and Claude Makélélé were of African descent.

These players were not only incredibly skilled but also pivotal to France's success.

For example, two of France's key midfielders in this tournament, Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kanté, are of African descent. They form the backbone of France's midfield.

Compared to them, countries like Germany and Spain, which have fewer immigrants, have noticeably fewer Black players, but they're not entirely absent.

Spain has many players of Latin American descent, and Germany has a significant number of players with Turkish roots.

So, in reality, it's just the pot calling the kettle black.

Although host nation France was the favorite, the competition at this year's European Championship was fierce.

The Spanish "La Furia Roja," the Dutch "Oranje," the German "Mannschaft," England's "Three Lions," Italy's "Azzurri," and Portugal's "Seleção" were all teams to watch.

Countries from the Balkans, like Serbia and Croatia, also had the potential to be dark horses.

(End of Chapter)

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