When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 126 Then we have to listen to them.
Pintus kicked the sound system switch, and the entire training ground was instantly engulfed in a deafening roar.

German, Spanish, and English profanities mixed with sharp whistles exploded from all directions, so loud that the grass vibrated.

"Listen! This is the welcome song that the Munich fans are giving you!"

He roared through the loudspeaker, "You all turned into cowards the other day because of these bastards' insults!"

At just the right moment, a string of Bavarian insults burst from the speakers, sounding so realistic it seemed to be coming from the south stand.

As Roy dribbled the ball, Pintus suddenly turned up the volume, bombarding him with alternating shouts of "Fucking diver!" in English and "Hijo de puta!" in Spanish.

Giuly, annoyed by the noise, misplaced a pass, immediately drawing a roar from Deschamps: "Can't take it already? Bayern isn't going to turn off the horn and wait for you to calm down!"

The most rigorous training was corner kick drills.

Every time Morientes took his run-up, Deschamps would have the sound of metal stands being stomped on played, mixed with a chorus of German "Scheie!" (shit) curses.

"Now you know why all our set pieces were wasted last time, right?"

He watched Squillaci's header go wide with a cold smile, "Nobody's going home until we score ten goals amidst this noise!"

The sparrows on the wire fence on the sidelines had long been frightened away, and even the team doctor silently put on earplugs.

But Deschamps and Pintus stood motionless beside the speakers, his roar piercing through all the noise: "Either be crushed by the insults, or kick their goal to pieces—choose!"

"Remember this, everyone! Don't give up the attack, even if we're down by five goals, we must score one!"

He pointed to the penalty area line and roared, his voice drowning out the boos from the fans playing from several speakers around the training field.

Abidal and Squillaci immediately stuck to the second team's Pulso and Ribery like glue.

Deschamps rushed onto the field and grabbed Squillaci by the collar: "Watch closely!"

He demonstrated by using his body to trap Ribery, his right elbow seemingly unintentionally pressing against the other's waist.

Ribery winced in pain, but Deschamps remained unfazed: "Just defend like this!"

On the other side, Pedretti and Bernardi chased after Zikos, who had the ball, like two mad dogs.

Just as he was about to intercept the ball, Deschamps suddenly blew his piercing whistle: "Interception failed, get back on defense!"

Zikos then passed the ball out.

The two immediately turned and sprinted back to defend, with Bernardi noticeably lagging behind.

"Are you fucking taking a walk?!"

Deschamps' roar instantly drowned out the deafening boos and curses coming from the speakers.

Roy and Morientes exchanged a glance from a short distance away.

At this moment, Plasil of the second team had dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area, and Abidal made a flying tackle to clear the ball out of bounds.

Deschamps' expression softened slightly, but he immediately roared again, "Everyone, get your act together! Bayern won't be this gentle!"

On the training ground, Deschamps' roar once again echoed across the stadium: "Maicon! Are you chasing butterflies again?!"

The young Brazilian full-back lunged forward, but Ribery easily fooled him with a feint, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

Deschamps, his face dark, stopped training and dragged Maicon to the sidelines: "Look at your positioning just now!"

He pointed to the marks on the grass, "Blindly rushing in to tackle an attacking player from three meters away means they can get past you ten times with a single change of direction!"

Maicon had his head down, the back of his jersey soaked with sweat.

In the subsequent scrimmage, problems were exposed one after another: Maicon made a beautiful breakthrough down the wing and crossed the ball, but because he failed to track back in time, Ribery from the second team easily broke through the right flank; a few minutes later, he made an overly aggressive move while challenging for a header, accidentally bumping his elbow into Bernardi and receiving a stern warning from Deschamps.

After training, Deschamps kept Maicon behind for extra practice. He instructed the assistant coach to pass the ball forcefully from various angles, requiring Maicon to control and pass with his left foot.

"Nobody in Munich will tolerate your right foot!" Deschamps's roar echoed through the empty stadium.

Deschamps pulled Maicon aside and patted him hard on the shoulder: "Today you're going to the second team, specifically to mark Roy. I want you to defend him with all your might, but don't try any dangerous tackles like flying tackles."

Turning to Roy, he yelled, "You go and beat him to a pulp! Just pretend you're Ze Roberto from Bayern Munich!"

At the start of training, Roy easily shook off Maicon with a simple change of direction.

Deschamps immediately shouted from the sidelines: "Beautiful! Ze Roberto has created another chance!"

Maicon wiped his sweat, his gaze becoming focused.

In the second confrontation, Roy dribbled inside, and Maicon tightly marked him, his right hand subtly gripping Roy's jersey. But Roy suddenly stopped and changed direction, causing the Brazilian to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Deschamps' roar rang out again: "Another one! Ze Roberto has broken through!"

The most serious incident occurred at the end of training.

Roy was thrown to the ground by the shovel, rolling twice before coming to a stop.

Maicon stood there for a moment, then went out and reached out his hand.

"sorry"

He apologized in a strained voice, but when he looked up, his eyes were still bloodshot.

Roy slowly got up, his knees covered in bits of grass and blood.

He raised his eyebrows, staring intently at her, and said, "Cisenado (Maicon), this kind of defense makes no sense."

He touched the scrape on his elbow and added, "I can get a red card too."

Maicon opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he closed his mouth and nodded.

Deschamps then stormed onto the field, his face ashen as he scanned the two men.

The entire training ground was completely silent, except for the boos that were still playing on a loop from the speakers.

"Do you understand? Now."

He suddenly looked at Maicon and said, "We're now fighting with ten men!"

He was then punished by running ten laps around the track.

While running laps, Maicon glanced at the sidelines every now and then and saw Deschamps gesturing and explaining to his assistant coach: "His ball control is still too careless. Did you see that? That last kick bounced two meters away again."

after come back.

He began to adjust his strategy and stopped making rash moves.

When Roy dribbled forward again, Maicon kept a meter's distance, ready to turn around and chase back at any moment.

Roy's feint didn't fool him this time, and Maicon seized the opportunity to poke the ball out of bounds.

"Well done!"

Deschamps offered a rare compliment.

Maicon gradually found his rhythm, anticipating Roy's movements and compensating for his lack of speed with physical confrontation. Although he was still frequently beaten, his defensive success rate was increasing.

After each breakthrough, he would immediately summarize the experience and adjust his position.

By the end of training, Maicon was covered in sweat, and his jersey was covered in grass clippings.

Roy came over and handed him a bottle of water: "You've made great progress today."

Maicon shook his head with a wry smile: "But I still can't stop you."

That's normal.
At 22, Maicon was exceptionally talented but inexperienced and impetuous. He was reckless in defense, slow to track back, prone to emotional outbursts, and technically rough. It wasn't until under Mourinho that he transformed into a world-class right-back.

November 28, 2004, Ligue 2, Round 26.

Monaco will play Toulouse away from home.

Monaco rotated some of their key players for this match. Deschamps maintained the 4-3-3 formation, with Evra and Maicon on the left and right wing-back positions respectively, and Roy, Pulso, and Caniggia forming the attacking trident.

Toulouse, on the other hand, deployed a 4-4-2 diamond midfield, with Didot as the attacking midfielder responsible for organizing the attack.

Despite Deschamps rotating some key players in this match, Monaco's 4-3-3 system still firmly controlled the rhythm of the game.

Although Caniggia is no longer young, his football intelligence and passing ability remain key to Monaco's attack.

He frequently moved inside behind Pulso, forming a double attacking midfield position with Gallardo to help the team organize the midfield.

Roy continued to attack down the left flank, while Caniggia roamed down the right, sometimes crossing from the wing, sometimes cutting inside to form a triangular combination with Pulso and Gallardo.

Toulouse's 4-4-2 diamond midfield collapsed into a defensive formation, but Monaco's patient passing still kept them running around.

However, goalkeeper Revol performed brilliantly, making numerous saves to thwart Monaco's threatening crosses.

37 minutes.

Toulouse seized a counter-attack opportunity while on the back foot! Monaco made a passing error in the attacking third, Toulouse intercepted the ball in their own half and quickly advanced, Emana broke down the left flank and passed back to Dido, who received the ball on the edge of the penalty area. With a clever feint, Dido shook off Plasil and then fired a low shot!
The ball skimmed the ground and flew straight into the top corner, beyond the reach of Roma!
Monaco, who were behind, quickly launched a counterattack.

42 minutes.

Roma launched a long ball, which flew high into the air towards the front of the field.

Pulso leaped up and, sandwiched between two defenders, gently tapped the ball towards the center circle with his forehead.

Roy had already started moving! He rushed towards the landing point like a cheetah, and at the moment the ball bounced, he gently tapped it with the outside of his right foot, controlling the ball as if it were glued to his foot.

"Roy has the ball! Danger! Look at this attack!" The commentator's voice suddenly became tense.

Toulouse's defense was thrown into chaos! Four defenders rushed in from different directions, with Balmont leading the charge. Roy, his eyes fixed ahead, suddenly flicked his right foot away the moment the defender stretched out his leg.

"Crotch puncture! Beautiful!" the commentator shouted excitedly.

The ball went precisely between Balmont's legs, and the defender, propelled forward by inertia, stumbled and nearly fell.

Roy had already changed direction; his explosiveness made the dribble clean and decisive, without any hesitation.

Emana hurriedly filled in, but Roy's speed caught him off guard.

The commentator's voice almost cracked: "Too fast! The Toulouse defense can't keep up with his pace at all!"

Emana immediately covered, and Roy suddenly rushed forward two steps, stopped abruptly just as the opponent stretched out his leg, and gently flicked the ball with his left foot, changing its direction obediently!
Emana staggered and lost his balance, sliding in at an angle! Roy, however, had anticipated this and flicked the ball with his toe—the ball drew a beautiful arc, just clearing the opponent's desperately outstretched leg!
"My God! That lob! Roy is practically toying with the defender!"

Suddenly, everything opened up before him! Roy's muscles tensed instantly, and he shot out like an arrow!
His sprint shook the grass, and grass clippings kicked up by his cleats flew through the air!

Ober tried desperately to catch up, but Roy's speed was devastating! Three long strides, two body lengths!

"That's Roy!" the commentator screamed. "He's like he's been struck by lightning! The Toulouse defenders are practically chasing a supercar!"

The penalty area was right in front of him! Clement made a desperate sliding tackle!

In a life-or-death moment, Roy subtly flicked the ball with his right foot, and as if by magic, the ball shifted precisely half a step to the side, just avoiding the sliding tackle!

Before the ball could even come to a stop, Roy had already unleashed a powerful left-footed swing!

"Shot—!!!" The commentator's voice cracked completely!

Bang! The ball exploded with a loud bang and flew straight into the top left corner of the goal!

Revol leaped into the air, but could only watch helplessly as the ball grazed the underside of the crossbar and slammed into the net!

“BUUUUUUUT!!!”

The commentator went absolutely wild, "Roy! Roy! Roy! From his own penalty area to the opponent's goal, he single-handedly tore apart the entire defense! His speed was like lightning! His composure was like a frozen lake! That shot was like a precision-guided missile!"

The second half began, and Monaco continued their relentless attack!
Roy received the ball on the left wing and accelerated past the defender.

He dribbled into the penalty area, and just as the opposing defender rushed to block him, he flicked his ankle and passed the ball to Pulso in the middle.

Pulso received the ball with his back to goal, made a clever turn to get rid of the defender, and then passed it across to Caniggia who was making a run down the right flank!
"Kanigia! An opportunity!" the commentator shouted.

Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, the veteran calmly made a shooting feint, causing Revol to lose his balance before deftly slotting the ball into the far corner!

"Goal! 2-1! Monaco takes the lead!" the commentator exclaimed excitedly. "Caniggia is still got it!"

In the 57th minute, Deschamps made a substitution.

"We saw Ribery standing on the sidelines as Roy was substituted."

The commentator was somewhat surprised, "It seems Deschamps is saving his energy for the upcoming Champions League match."

Roy jogged off the field and high-fived Ribery.

The traveling fans on the sidelines stood up and applauded, paying tribute to the hero who scored a solo goal in the first half.

As the match neared its end, Monaco scored again!
Giuly and Rothen continued their offensive pressure after coming on.

In stoppage time, Pulso received a cross from Rothen and headed the ball past the defender to score!

"3-1! The match is over! Monaco takes all three points away from home!" the commentator summarized. "Although the process was a bit bumpy, Deschamps' team has shown great strength and depth."

As the final whistle blew, the Monaco players high-fived each other in celebration.

Deschamps nodded in satisfaction on the sidelines and turned to walk toward the locker room.

The Toulouse players left the field dejectedly, their boos echoing through the stadium from the home fans. On March 1, 2004, outside the Dior Homme show at Paris Fashion Week, Roy appeared calmly in a sharply tailored black suit.

As the brand's newest spokesperson, she exudes elegance in every gesture.

Under the flashing lights, Roy walked unhurriedly across the red carpet with a smile on his face. He nodded slightly to the media, his long, slender fingers casually adjusting his cuffs.

Upon entering the show, he skillfully shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with the fashion editors who approached him.

When Roy sat down in the front row, he found that the famous movie star Jean Reno was sitting next to him.

He nodded slightly in greeting.

Jean Reno smiled warmly: "Roy! I'm a huge fan of yours. Your goal against Toulouse last week was simply incredible. That nutmeg was like magic."

“You’re too kind,” Roy smiled modestly. “But I’d rather talk about your movies than football. I’ve watched Léon: The Professional at least ten times.”

“Really?” Jean Reno set down his champagne glass. “That film was truly special. You know, director Luc Besson insisted on using that plant.”

"Is it that evergreen plant?" Roy immediately chimed in. "The scene where you carried it through the hallway was so moving. The way you handled it so carefully, like you were holding the most precious thing in the world. How did you capture that emotion?"

Jean Reno took a sip of champagne and said slowly, "That potted plant was Lyon's only light in the darkness. Before he met Mathilda, all his tenderness was given to that plant. Watering it, wiping its leaves—these actions were the only remaining proof of his humanity."

"Even in the most dangerous moments, he would take it with him when he fled for his life."

His voice grew lower, “because it represents his longing for a stable life, a place where he can put down roots, a place he can call home.”

"So that's why Matilda said 'Now you have roots' when she planted it in the ground," Roy asked thoughtfully.

“Yes,” Jean Reno nodded, “that was Lyon’s unfulfilled wish. A wandering assassin finally found his eternal home through that plant.”

During halftime, supermodel Naomi Campbell walked gracefully in.

The two rose slightly, and the waiter promptly served them champagne.

“Roy, darling,” Naomi lightly touched his glass, “I never imagined that the lightning on the football field could be so dazzling in the fashion world.”

Jean Reno joked, "Looks like we need to be careful; he's not only good at football, but also at chatting."

The three chatted happily, with Roy handling this crossover conversation with ease, just like executing a perfect play on a football field.

The flashbulbs kept going off, capturing this rare moment of being together in one frame.

Throughout the entire show, Roy maintained a polite smile.

When the designer took his final bow, he stood up and applauded, and then patiently cooperated with various media outlets to complete all the interviews.

As he left, a reporter asked him how he balances football and fashion. Roy simply smiled and said, "Just like on the pitch, stay focused and enjoy the process."

2004 3 Month 4 Day.

Roy was lying on the sofa in his apartment watching the NBA.

On the television screen, the game between the Rockets and the Lakers is reaching its climax.

The camera first focuses on O'Neal, whose massive frame acts like a mobile fortress under the basket.

On the first play of the game, Kobe made a beautiful bounce pass, and O'Neal caught the ball and slammed it home with a dunk, knocking Cato back and making the basket rim tremble.

But the broadcast cameras quickly captured his embarrassing moment during the free throw – the basketball bounced off the front of the rim and he shook his hand in frustration.

The scene shifts to the Rockets' half, where Yao Ming takes his place with steady steps.

He received a pass from Francis, faced O'Neal's defense, and with a deft turn and hook shot, the basketball arced perfectly into the net.

The Chinese giant's movements are fluid and graceful, a stark contrast to O'Neal's violent aesthetics.

The second quarter became Yao Ming's personal showcase, as he hit consecutive mid-range shots, including a fadeaway jumper over O'Neal where the ball grazed O'Neal's fingertips and flew into the basket, prompting the commentator to exclaim, "That's practically poetry!"

Kobe's figure appeared from time to time.

He no longer focused on scoring, but instead transformed into a court commander, repeatedly tearing apart the Rockets' defense with surgical passes.

The most spectacular play was a behind-the-back no-look pass, assisting Payton for a three-pointer that sent the arena into a frenzy. But the cameras also captured his fierce defensive intent, including a chase-down block on Mobley that sent the ball swatting straight into the stands.

In the decisive moment, Walton became the unexpected hero. He received a pass from Kobe and calmly sank a three-pointer from the corner; the sound of the ball swishing through the net could be clearly heard on the broadcast. The Rockets then launched a counterattack, with Francis making a lightning-fast drive and dishing the ball to Jim Jackson, who hit a go-ahead three-pointer from a 45-degree angle, sending the cheers nearly lifting the roof off.

With 31 seconds left, Kobe Bryant took a one-on-one shot. He dribbled between his legs several times, then suddenly pulled up for a jump shot. The ball bounced twice on the rim before finally falling into the net. This near-game-winner sent the Lakers' bench into a frenzy, with Shaquille O'Neal waving a towel excitedly. On the Rockets' side, Yao Ming was forced to the three-point line, and his hasty shot bounced off the rim. His dejected expression as he looked up at the sky was captured on camera for a long time.

As the final buzzer sounded, O'Neal laughed and hugged Yao Ming. The two giants were covered in sweat, their jerseys clinging tightly to their bodies.

Kobe walked to the scorer's table, pointed to the scoreboard during the interview, and his eyes were full of the pride of a victor.

"Say it," Roy muttered suddenly, lying on the sofa, his eyes still glued to the screen, "say that without me, Shaq is nothing."

"Hurry up and say into the microphone, if it weren't for that fat, lazy walrus rummaging around in the paint, I'd have five rings by now. Look at him, panting like a broken-down steam engine. He's too lazy to even do shuttle runs in practice, and you expect me to feed him twenty alley-oops every game?"

At this point, Roy suddenly burst out laughing, "Oh right, don't forget to thank Shaq for using 300 pounds of fat to screen for you, although most of that fat is on his chin."

The Rockets players lowered their heads and quickly left the court. Francis angrily threw his towel on the ground, while Yao Ming silently walked towards the locker room tunnel. His 33 points were in vain.

“Damn Houston Circus, trash team doesn’t deserve to be a real fighter,” he muttered to the blacked-out screen. “You deserve to be rotten for another twenty years.”

Just then, the phone rang; it was the agent, Miriam Jo.

"Hey Roy, you've been invited to FIFA's centennial celebration. Why are you turning it down?" The voice on the other end of the phone was cautious.

"Mico, Pele didn't pick me for the 100 again."

Roy answered with a smile.

“Haha, you haven’t played for long enough,” Miliacho quickly explained, “In a few years, no one will exclude you from any list.”

“I was just kidding, Miko.”

Roy paused the video and sat up straight: "But the Champions League is about to start, and there's a match against Guingamp this weekend."

"But you're already leading Lyon by a lot of points in the standings."

“That’s precisely why we can’t let our guard down.” Roy’s tone became serious. “Thank you for the invitation, but I need to focus on the game.”

On March 4, 2004, FIFA's "3 Greatest Footballers" selection, spearheaded by Pelé, sparked huge controversy.

The list, initially planned for 100 people, later expanded to 120, and finally temporarily increased to 125, has been questioned by many parties due to its chaotic selection criteria and unfair regional distribution.

Brazil, as a five-time World Cup champion, only had 12 players selected (later increased to 14), fewer than France and Italy, which sparked strong dissatisfaction from Brazilian Football Confederation President Teixeira, forcing Pelé to urgently add legends such as Rivelino before the awards ceremony.

Maradona publicly mocked the selection as a "friendship show between Pelé and Blatter" and refused to cooperate with the publicity; even stars like Van Basten almost failed to be selected because they boycotted the filming.

Even more embarrassingly, Pelé deliberately ignored his 1970 World Cup-winning teammates, prompting Gelson to publicly tear up the list in protest.

FIFA's official website also made a basic error by mislabeling Maradona's former club as a Brazilian club.

This centennial celebration, which should have been a grand occasion, ultimately degenerated into a farce filled with political compromises, historical misperceptions, and personal grudges. Pele's explanation of "balancing countries with a global perspective" appeared weak and powerless under the barrage of criticism from all sides.

The most outrageous thing was Pelé and Henry's ridiculous "political correctness performance" on the topic of women's football.

Henry praised the women's team for having "better technique than the men's team," while simultaneously being invited by FIFA officials to join the women's football committee. He was like a top student suddenly being praised by the teacher in class, his face clearly showing his embarrassment that he was "just saying it casually."

Pelé's performance was even more absurd: the football king, who had just offended half of the football world with his "Top 100 Footballers" selection, suddenly transformed into a spokesperson for women's football. While spouting official rhetoric about "women's football creating job opportunities," he symbolically stuffed two American female players into his 125-player roster (emphasizing "this is my decision"), just like a cunning old fox secretly stuffing steak into a vegetarian salad.

The two, working in tandem, turned a serious discussion about the development of women's football into a farcical act of "political correctness." Henry provided the flattery, and Pelé embellished it, while the real sport of women's football was nothing more than a gilded football used to decorate their image.

On March 5, 2004, in the 27th round of Ligue 3, Monaco played away against Guingamp.

After the match started, Monaco's defense once again faltered.

In the 20th minute, Guingamp striker Dagano seized the opportunity to score, marking Monaco's second consecutive match where they conceded the first goal.

Coach Deschamps on the sidelines shook his head and sighed, clearly dissatisfied with the team's defensive performance.

However, Monaco quickly regained their form.

In the 31st minute, Roy showcased his speed advantage on a quick counter-attack. He cleverly cut between two defenders, successfully beating the offside trap and creating a one-on-one opportunity.

Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, Roy suddenly accelerated and changed direction, easily cutting past the goalkeeper before unleashing a powerful shot into the empty net.

After scoring, Roy excitedly jumped into the air and pumped his fist in celebration, a goal that completely ignited Monaco's attacking firepower.

Just three minutes later, Roy broke through on the right wing and passed the ball across to Giuly.

Giuly showcased his signature quick, short dribbling, repeatedly shaking off defenders before delivering a precise diagonal pass, assisting Morientes to easily slot the ball into the net and put Morientes ahead 2-1.

In the 41st minute, Monaco once again produced a brilliant combination.

After four quick passes, the ball reached Roy on the left wing. He made a slight adjustment and unleashed a low shot that flew straight into the near corner, leaving the goalkeeper helpless. Before halftime, Monaco led 3-1, with Roy scoring twice and becoming the biggest contributor.

After the start of the second half, Monaco continued to control the pace of the game.

In the 65th minute, Deschamps made substitutions, replacing three key attacking players—Roy, Giuly, and Morientes—to give them a rest and conserve their energy for the upcoming Champions League match against Bayern Munich.

In the 72nd minute, substitute Ribery showcased his individual skills on the left wing.

He dribbled inside, made several changes of direction to get past two defenders, and then unleashed a powerful half-volley into the net, making the score 4-1.

In the 83rd minute, right-back Maicon showcased his attacking talent, dribbling the ball from midfield and unleashing a sudden long-range shot from outside the penalty area. The Guingamp goalkeeper managed to save the shot, but substitute striker Pulso cleverly followed up and scored, sealing the final score at 5-1.

Monaco secured a resounding away victory against Guingamp, while also conserving the energy of their key players for the upcoming crucial Champions League match.

Roy, Giuly, and Morientes stood up from the bench and walked onto the field with the other substitutes.

Although they were substituted shortly after the start of the second half, their jerseys were still mostly soaked with sweat.

Roy walked in front, adjusting his jersey as he went.

Suddenly, a unified shout came from the stands.

At first, there were only a few scattered sounds, but they quickly coalesced into a deafening roar:

"Give the Germans a taste of their own medicine!"

"Give the Germans a taste of their own medicine!"

The sound quickly spread from the south stand to the north stand, and eventually the entire stadium echoed with the slogan.

Juli jogged a few steps to catch up with Roy and nudged him lightly with her elbow: "Did you hear that? They're talking about us."

Roy looked up at the stands, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Then we have to listen to them."

Morientes also came over, and the three of them stood side by side near the center circle, waving to the fans in the stands.

The fans' shouts grew more unified and louder.

Roy bent down, picked up a scarf that had been thrown into the field, gently patted off the grass clippings, and then tied it around his neck.

This action drew cheers from the stands.

Giuly and Morientes followed suit, wearing the scarves and hats thrown down by the fans.

The two looked at Roy simultaneously. He was elegantly wrapping a scarf around his neck and casually smoothing his sweat-dampened bangs, looking like an opera singer taking his final bow.

"He always does that."

Jiu nudged Morientes with his elbow and rolled his eyes.

The Spaniard, who was awkwardly putting his baseball cap upside down, burst out laughing when he heard this: "After the last game against Nantes, this bastard even blew a kiss to the main stand."

Juli shrugged and said, "Never mind, at least it proves we don't have to rely on our looks to make a living."

The cheers from the fans reached their peak as the three players walked toward the players' tunnel.

Security personnel on both sides of the passage had to form a human wall by holding hands to prevent excited fans from rushing into the stadium.

Roy walked into the tunnel, and before going in, he turned and bowed deeply to the stands, which drew even louder cheers.

Maicon was at the back, and he slowed down after hearing the shout.

He gave a thumbs-up to the stands, which drew even louder cheers.

Several young fans leaned on the railing, desperately reaching out to give him a high five.

Maicon went over and fulfilled their wish, also casually tossing an autographed ball to a child in the stands.

Deloitte released its ranking of European club revenues: Manchester United retained its top spot with £1.68 million, surpassing the New York Yankees. Juventus ($1.46 million) and AC Milan ($1.34 million) ranked second and third respectively, their Champions League performance bringing substantial profits. Real Madrid ($1.29 million) ranked fourth, and Bayern Munich ($1.08 million) fifth. The Premier League has five clubs in the top ten (Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Chelsea), Serie A has three (Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan), and the Bundesliga and La Liga each have one. This list demonstrates the commercial dominance of the Premier League, with Manchester United continuing to lead in commercial revenue.

—Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited

FIFA has ruled that Real Madrid must pay Inter Milan the remaining £1900 million (including interest) owed in the Ronaldo transfer within 30 days, or Inter can choose players of equivalent value to settle the debt. This sum will bolster Inter's summer transfer activity and could be used to pursue targets like Stam. Real Madrid's appeal has backfired, potentially allowing Inter to acquire Figo.

— Gazzetta dello Sport

切尔西以1200万英镑签下20岁荷兰新星罗本，合同5年周薪10万欧元。这位左路突破好手被誉为“奥维马斯接班人”，已在荷兰队4场2球。虽其父倾向曼联，但埃因霍温因切尔西报价更高放人。罗本将穿11号战袍，成为切尔西第8位荷兰球员。埃因霍温从430万欧买入到1200万镑卖出获利颇丰。

—The Guardian

(End of this chapter)