When playing football, you should call it GOAT.

Chapter 233 Ragnarok and Dawn of the Gods
Late at night on December 19, 2004, Barcelona president Joan Laporta sat alone in his office at Camp Nou.

Two days ago at the Champions League draw in Nyon, Switzerland, when UEFA officials pulled Chelsea's name out of a glass tank, he still remembers the feeling of suddenly forgetting to breathe, as if he had been punched in the face.

An assistant brought over a videotape of Chelsea's matches this season, which was currently playing repeatedly the scene of Roy dribbling past five Arsenal players. The blue light from the television screen flickered on his face.

Marca reported the draw results immediately, and as they predicted before the match, Barcelona indeed drew an English team, failing to avoid the top title favorites, Chelsea.

Marca used the word "Gordo" to describe the draw.

Gordo is a Spanish lottery known for its high difficulty level.

Barcelona were indeed unlucky in this draw. Being drawn against Chelsea means that one of the two title favorites will have to say goodbye to the Champions League early.

What's even more troublesome is that Chelsea manager Mourinho has a long history with Barcelona; he worked at Camp Nou for a full year in 1996 when he was Robson's assistant coach.

The Catalan newspaper Diario Sport commented that although Barcelona anticipated potentially facing a Premier League team, drawing Chelsea was still the worst possible outcome. According to the schedule, Barcelona will first host Chelsea at Camp Nou on February 22nd or 23rd, followed by the second leg at Stamford Bridge in London on March 8th or 9th.

The headline in Mundo Deportivo was: "Barcelona vs. Chelsea, a terrifying clash."

According to Laporta, Abramovich's massive investment has transformed Chelsea into one of the top teams in Europe. Their midfield maestro, Lampard, is one of the best all-around midfielders in Europe, while Drogba's role as a target man in attack is extremely threatening. The wing duo of Duff and Robben are arguably the strongest wingers in Europe, and the defense of Maicon, Terry, Carvalho, and Abidal is well-rounded in both attack and defense.

The most fearsome player is Roy, the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner, who is averaging nearly two goals per game this season and is almost unstoppable.

AS described this Chelsea team with highly dramatic flair:
"The conquerors from London—Roy and his blue-clad cavalry are sweeping across Europe!"

"When the blue storm of Stamford Bridge and the talent of the Ballon d'Or winner are perfectly combined, this formidable winning machine is born. Roy is like a medieval knight-errant, leading his steel legion—Lampard's long-range cannon shots, Drogba's savage charges, Robben's lightning breakthroughs, and the wall of sighs forged by Makelele, Terry, and Carvalho."

"The team that Camp Nou is about to face is not a football team, but a modern cavalry armed to the teeth with rubles and Mourinho's wisdom. Their tactical discipline is comparable to the Roman phalanx, and their attacking efficiency is like a blitzkrieg - their terrifying average of 2.8 goals per game this season makes every opponent's defense tremble before the battle even begins."

"The most lethal weapon is still that number 10 demon king: Roy scored 5 goals and provided 5 assists in 5 Champions League group stage matches. Last season, Roy proved his finishing ability with 17 goals, and this season his performance has gone even further, not only maintaining a high goal-scoring rate but also demonstrating amazing all-around ability. Barcelona must answer a cruel question – who can stop the iron hooves of this conqueror?"

Laporta led Barcelona to a revival with his business acumen, but he is now facing serious challenges.

Barcelona, ​​who missed the Champions League last season, were also eliminated early from the UEFA Cup.

His minimum goal this season is to reach the Champions League quarterfinals, and ideally, the semifinals.

If the team suffers a humiliating elimination, it will not only affect the club's crucial banking financing plans, a vital pillar of its revival blueprint, but will also invite fierce attacks from its political enemies.

Barcelona's squad this season is quite excellent.

The team's star striker, Eto'o, is in red-hot form, firmly holding the top spot in La Liga's scoring charts and considered a top striker in Europe.

Head coach Rijkaard tailored a flexible 4-3-3 formation for him: the technically gifted Aimar on the left wing, and the young star Villa, brought in from Zaragoza, on the right wing. Larsson, who shone in the European Championship this year, was already getting old when he joined Barcelona.

The midfield is anchored by Deco and Xavi, while the defensive midfield position is occupied by the experienced Max, who happens to be Roy's old partner during his time at Monaco.

In defense, Van Bronckhorst and Puyol lead the way, partnered with Brazilian center-back Edmilson and right-wing specialist Belletti.

The goal was guarded by Valdes, a young goalkeeper who came from La Masia's youth academy.

From a realistic perspective, it's difficult for Barcelona's current squad to achieve the true glory of the "Dream Team II." Although they've led La Liga all season, this was largely due to opportunities presented by the internal turmoil at Real Madrid. The void left by Ronaldinho's absence is simply unfillable; without his magician-like ability to tear apart defenses with individual skill, the team's attack always falls short.

Eto'o is indeed a top striker, but the problems on the wings are too obvious: Aimar has good technique but can't get past people, and the young Villa can't handle the level of competition in the Champions League.

Villa showed his top striker potential in the 02-03 season when he was still playing in the Segunda División and won the league's Golden Boot.

After transferring to Zaragoza, he quickly proved that he could score goals in La Liga as well.

He and Eto'o would make a good pair. Eto'o likes to use his speed to attack behind the defense, while Villa is better at roaming the flanks of the penalty area and looking for shooting opportunities.

However, in the end, Villa was far from reaching his peak at this time.

Although he can indeed operate on the wing, he is essentially a striker who is more accustomed to moving towards the penalty area, unlike pure wingers who are good at one-on-one breakthroughs and crossing from the byline.

It's unrealistic to expect him to completely fill the void left by Ronaldinho or Giuly on the wing in history.

Iniesta, a product of the youth academy, has shown talent since the Van Gaal era, but his slender 68-kilogram frame is a disadvantage in the physical knockout stages of the Champions League.

Laporta originally planned to sign Roy, which, if successful, would give Barcelona's squad a significant boost.

In his view, apart from lacking a superstar like Roy, the team is fully capable of competing with strong teams like Chelsea in other positions.

But Roy's public rejection of Barcelona, ​​and even his statement that he "would never consider joining," completely slapped Laporta in the face.

Now he has to face reality: the hole in the left winger position must be filled.

Monaco's young winger Ribéry came into view, and he even considered poaching Arsenal's star player Henry.

But everyone knows that with Barcelona's current finances and appeal, signing these top attackers is an extremely difficult task.

Laporta finally realized that the Barcelona revival he had been planning day and night was far more difficult than he had imagined.

There is an ironclad rule in the world of football: the rise of a great team must be paved with championships.

If Barcelona misses this window of opportunity in the next few years, they may face a slump that could last for a decade or even longer.

He calculated that this Barcelona team must lift the Champions League trophy within the next ten years.

The question is, where is the "true savior" who can lead Barcelona back to its peak?
On the training field, 17-year-old Messi is dribbling the ball around, his changes of direction and acceleration making it difficult for defenders to keep up.

On December 7th, this young man also got his first Champions League start in an away game against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Unfortunately, Barcelona lost that match 0-2, and Messi's first Champions League start was not a perfect experience.

During a training break, Aimar pulled Messi aside.

He picked up a ball, gently pushed it with the inside of his foot, and the ball traced an arc along the grass, precisely bypassing the cones.

“Look, Leo,” he said, pointing to the rolling ball, “you can’t pass this ball with brute force. Relax your ankle, press down a little when you touch the ball, like you’re scooping soup with a spoon.”

Messi nodded and tried it immediately.

Although the ball wasn't fully in place, it clearly had an arc.

Aimar laughed: "Yes, that's how we train. Next time Deco makes a forward run, feed him one of these."

Messi is a man of few words, always training quietly with his head down.

After Aimar learned that he was the shy boy's idol, he took extra care of him as a fellow countryman and gave him advice from time to time.

Deco also recognized Messi's talent and often played a few kicks with him during extra training sessions.

But to be honest, there's only so much Aimar can teach.

He's not a magician like Ronaldinho, after all.

Many technical details, such as how to find a passing route when surrounded by three people, or how to maintain balance when breaking through at high speed, Messi can only figure them out himself over and over again.

No one can share the pressure of growing up for him. If he wants to become the best, he has to walk this path step by step on his own.

For Messi, his talent has long been beyond question.

But even the greatest talent can't overcome the mental hurdle; his true opponent is the part of himself that isn't ruthless or tough enough.

Messi will never know that Roy sees him more deeply than he sees Roy.

Roy's assessment of this future top football player was straightforward: In terms of talent, Messi is definitely one of the best, but compared to those truly formidable players, such as Michael Jordan...

However, his heart was not strong enough.

Ultimately, Messi is more like an ordinary person with extraordinary talent; his confidence and strength are built on his exceptional talent.

But talent is ultimately an external thing.

Roy noticed that he lacked that most primal, animalistic instinct: the bloodthirstiness to tear a piece of flesh from the opponent even knowing he would lose, the madness to do anything for victory.

Roy provides an example to illustrate Messi's paradoxical nature in relation to this argument.

Psychologists have found through research that, from a physiological and psychological perspective, women generally have greater resilience to stress (such as the ability to regulate cortisol and the speed of emotional recovery).

However, in real life, men often perform much better than women when dealing with stress.

This contradiction mainly stems from:

Men have long relied on physical advantages (muscle strength, athletic ability, etc.) as a psychological defense mechanism.

This dependence reveals its fatal flaws when illness, aging, or accidents cause a decline in bodily functions.

Strong muscles are like a thick layer of armor, making one's heart more resilient.

A strong fist makes you speak loudly. Thick arms make you less likely to back down in the face of trouble. But if that strength were to suddenly disappear, the unease hidden within would surface all at once.

For a player like Messi, his extraordinary football talent is like a natural protective shell.

Few guards can completely stop him one-on-one.

Interestingly, sometimes making him "disappear" from the game doesn't necessarily require defensive players to relentlessly mark him, but rather through another method:
For example, if the opposing team scores two or three goals in quick succession at the start of the game, Messi's performance will often decline significantly throughout the match.

It's not that he doesn't try, but when the outcome of a match seems to be a foregone conclusion, his fighting spirit unconsciously diminishes.

For example, if Messi fails to dribble past a player several times in a match, you'll notice that his subsequent dribbling moves are noticeably weaker.

His steps weren't so resolute, and his change of direction was hesitant.

At this point, the opposing defender only needs to do one thing:

You must never let him psychologically label you as a "noob".

Once he gets the thought "this guy is easy prey" out of his mind, you're in for a world of hurt.

But if you can withstand his first two drives, making him wonder, "This guard is something else..."

At least you won't become a tragic background character in this match.

Ultimately, even the greatest talent needs fighting spirit to ignite it.

Roy made a potentially controversial comment about Messi:

"In terms of football talent alone, Messi is like Dafei in the e-sports world, or even better. But in terms of personality, he is more like Knight: top-notch skills, a quiet personality, and lacks Dafei's ruthless spirit of 'fighting to the death against all odds'."

On the football field, Messi is like a fully developed mage in a game. If you let him stack up his "kill streak" and continuously dribble past opponents or score goals, once he gets into that mode, your entire team will be overwhelmed by him like a monster.

The only solution at this point is to force him to use his "invulnerability" ability. Once he activates his self-protection mode, his threat level will decrease.

At the 2022 World Cup, putting aside the controversial penalty decisions, Messi did indeed show a mental transformation unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

In that tournament, he scored almost all of Argentina's key goals (7 goals and 3 assists), a performance he had never achieved in his previous four World Cups.

It was as if he had finally realized that this might be his last chance to lift the World Cup trophy.

He used to be invisible in a few World Cup matches, but in that World Cup, every game felt like he was playing his last game.

After training, Messi would always stay alone in the locker room, repeatedly playing Roy's game videos on a CD player.

The Frenchman in the picture is only two years older than him, but he can already make the most accurate choices in the most intense confrontations. His changes of direction, passing, and shooting are all clean and efficient.

He stared at the screen, watching how Roy, surrounded by three defenders, still managed to keep his head up and observe the situation, and even before falling to the ground, managed to get the ball to the most dangerous position.

Although they have never met, the way this French prodigy plays has become Messi's most frequently studied template in private.

Roy became the target that all young players wanted to emulate.

Not only Lionel Messi, but also players like Lewandowski, Aguero, Higuain, and Benzema, who were not yet famous at the time, were all quietly watching this youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history.

He is like a towering mountain, inspiring every young person who aspires to success to look up to him.

But the higher the mountain, the more people want to climb it.

These newcomers are all striving to grow, and Roy must run even faster to avoid being overtaken.

After Roy won the Ballon d'Or, Gazzetta dello Sport stated that it marked the arrival of a new era.

Legendary stars like Ronaldo and Zidane have begun to show signs of fatigue, while Henry and Ronaldinho, who are in their prime, are finding it difficult to compete head-on with Roy for various reasons.

A new era is brewing, but the media can't say for sure who can truly challenge Roy's dominance.

However, this is how the world of football has always been: new players replace the old, and matches without competition are ultimately less interesting.

So when Roy won his first Ballon d'Or, many people began to wonder: who would be able to rival him?
The ways people create gods are always pretty much the same.

Even if only one champion is needed, a group of seemingly formidable opponents must first be arranged for him, and then he must defeat them one by one to finally reach the top. This formula has remained unchanged throughout history.

At the end of 2004, a brand new era of football quietly arrived.

Like the rising sun breaking through the clouds and trekking towards the heavens, though the road ahead is long, its brilliance is unstoppable.

Roy sat on the living room sofa, holding a glass of ice water.

He looked at Claire across from him and analyzed calmly, "The Golden Globe we just won can't just be a trophy; it has to be turned into a cash cow. It has to be turned into hops; that's the source of everything."

“Players who haven’t even been nominated can call themselves ‘future superstars.’ We have real trophies in our hands, and it would be a waste not to make the most of them.”

"Commercial endorsements are just the foundation; what's more important is to let the 'Ball of the Year' title permeate every aspect—interviews, advertisements, social media, and even the daily discussions among fans. This award from 2004 should be remembered for ten years."

"If you can win awards consecutively, it can't just be icing on the cake; each Ballon d'Or should be like pouring gasoline into a fire. In 05, we should hype up the 'youngest player in history to win consecutive awards,' and in 06, it must be upgraded to a 'three-peat.' We need to make the media unconsciously follow this formula when writing articles: first, write about what record Roy broke, and then add in small print, 'By the way, the second best player currently is XX.' We need to create this kind of atmosphere so that there are two kinds of discussions about football: talking about Roy's era of dominance, and talking about other players' pursuit."

Claire quickly took notes, the pen scratching across the paper.

She would occasionally glance at Roy, the young genius who was talking animatedly about his plans.

The most reassuring thing about working for Roy is that he always keeps his promises.

You can keep bragging, and he'll have the ability to make the results catch up and deliver on his promise.

It's like the border of the Tang Dynasty chasing after Tang Sanzang as he ventured abroad.

"Renegotiate the terms with Nike. LeBron is still too green. Unless he can win a championship and MVP within two years, he's not worthy of being my equal in a collaboration. Next time, either we'll team up with Federer—I'm optimistic about his performance in the near future—or we'll directly invite Jordan to come out of retirement. I don't want to be some 'rising star duo,' I want to do 'kings crossover.' Kobe is fine, after all, he already has three championships. Remember, my 'youthful dominance' persona must remain scarce. As for LeBron, I'll occasionally cooperate with him."

Claire noticed that Roy had subtly marginalized his former partner, James.

Although Roy still sends James victory cards as a courtesy and wears the new sneakers sent by James in public, things have changed since he won the Ballon d'Or and signed major contracts with Nike and Coca-Cola.

James, his former marketing partner, now seems more like someone who's just trying to ride on his coattails.

Roy's brand recognition in the US market no longer needs to rely on his partnership with James.

Now he just needs to wait for a World Cup where he can showcase his individual heroism. He doesn't even need to win the championship; just being able to portray a lone hero on a globally watched stage is enough.

While American audiences may have limited interest in soccer, they always maintain a strong desire to consume stories of superstars' individual heroism.

Claire closed the proposal, a confident smile on her face: "Congratulations in advance on winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award."

Roy raised an eyebrow: "The final winner hasn't been announced yet."

"Who else could it be? Those old men at FIFA aren't blind."

On the morning of December 20, 2004, the French newspaper L'Équipe broke the news ahead of time: Chelsea's Roydo would be officially crowned FIFA World Player of the Year the following morning. This was only seven days after he won the Ballon d'Or, but no one was surprised.

He beat Henry and Shevchenko, while Ronaldinho, who should have won in another timeline, didn't even make the top three.

This is related to Manchester United's marketing strategy.

Manchester United already had star players like Van Nistelrooy and Giggs, and later added rising stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney. They didn't put all their resources on Ronaldinho like Barcelona did.

Without Laporta's sweeping purge and the overwhelming "football genius" marketing at Camp Nou, Ronaldinho's stats, though impressive, lacked the star-studded aura he once enjoyed.

In contrast, Roy was the only royal flag bearer on Abu's ruble-powered warship.

The selection rules for this year's FIFA World Player of the Year have undergone new changes. In addition to the votes from national team coaches, the votes of national team captains have been added, making the final vote count more complex.

In addition to the Men's Best Player award, FIFA will also present awards for FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, Best Futsal Player, and Best National Team.

France is undoubtedly the big winner this year.

This team, which won the World Cup in 98 and the European Championship in 00, was already at the center of public attention.

This summer, Roy single-handedly led the French team to win the 2004 European Championship.

In contrast, his teammate Henry performed poorly, Ukraine's Shevchenko was limited by the overall weakness of the national team, and Ronaldinho failed to show enough competitiveness.

Given such a stark contrast, Roy's election was almost a foregone conclusion.

凌晨，2004年世界足球先生评选结果出炉：切尔西的法国球星罗伊以785分的高分强势登顶，阿森纳射手亨利以552分排名第二，AC米兰的舍甫琴科（253分）、曼联的小罗纳尔多（220分）和皇马的齐达内（150分）分列三到五位。

Although most national team coaches and captains voted for the European Championship-winning core player, some still chose stars who had achieved fame earlier – this was due to Roy's relatively short tenure at only 20 years old, as well as his rebellious personality.

The voting for the FIFA World Player of the Year has always favored seasoned veterans, but Roy's sudden emergence has clearly broken this unwritten rule.

The voting for FIFA World Player of the Year is indeed influenced by a lot of personal bias.

For example, on the Chinese national team side, head coach Arie Haan and captain Li Weifeng had the same votes: Roy first, then Kaká, and then Adriano.

Choosing Roy is fine, but putting Kaka, who was still growing at the time, and Aldridge, whose performance was inconsistent, in the top three is a bit puzzling.

It's worth noting that last season, the performances of these two Brazilian stars were far from being among the top three in the world.

The 2004 FIFA awards ceremony was held at the Zurich Opera House in Switzerland.

With the results announced, Roy, with a high score of 785, became the 10th FIFA World Player of the Year winner in the award's 14-year history.

Arsenal striker Thierry Henry finished as runner-up for the second consecutive year with 552 points, while AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko came in third with 253 points.

This marks Roy's completion of a grand slam of individual honors in 2004. After winning the Ballon d'Or on December 13, he then won the FIFA World Player of the Year award just eight days later.

This Chelsea star became the first player since Zidane in 1998 to win both of the highest individual honors in football in the same year.

The grand finale of the awards ceremony arrived. Roy, Henry, and Shevchenko, the three nominees, took to the stage in sharp black suits, bathed in sunlight.

20-year-old Roy stood in the most prominent position in the middle.

His tall, 184cm frame made the suit look exceptionally sharp, his black hair was neatly combed, revealing his angular face.

His eyes gleamed darkly under the light, and a faint smile played on his lips, exuding a roguish confidence.

Henry on the left lowered his head slightly, his broad shoulders giving him a composed look.

Shevchenko stood ramrod straight on the right, his blond hair gleaming faintly under the light.

But everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to Roy in the middle. This young man exuded an irrepressible sharpness just by standing there, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

Former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah stood in front of the microphone and slowly unfolded FIFA's citation card.

"Thirry Henry, Arsenal's legendary striker. He led the Gunners to an unbeaten Premier League title with 30 goals, making history. For the French national team, he was the most reliable striker, contributing 4 goals and 2 assists at the European Championship, playing a crucial role in Les Bleus' ultimate victory. This elegant attacking master redefined the standard of a modern striker with his speed and skill."

"Andriy Shevchenko, AC Milan's Ukrainian striker. Last season, he won the Serie A Golden Boot with 24 goals, helping the Rossoneri win the league title. In the Champions League, his consistent output has kept Milan competitive. As a representative of Eastern European football, he perfectly combines power and technique."

Henry and Shevchenko exchanged a glance, while Roy simply raised his hand to rub his nose, a smile playing on his lips.

George Weah glanced at the young man, then lowered his head and continued reading the comments.

"Roy, this name completely rewrote the perception of European football in the 2003-2004 season. In his first full season with Monaco, the 19-year-old shattered the half-century-old Ligue 1 top scorer myth with 45 league goals, and helped the team secure the title eight rounds early with his incredible dominance. In the Champions League, his crazy performance of 17 goals not only broke the single-season Champions League goal record, but also led Monaco to the top with a perfect record of winning all the group stage matches. When the European Championship came, he broke Platini's tournament record with a terrifying efficiency of 10 goals, almost single-handedly carrying the French team to the top of Europe."

From Ligue 1 to the Champions League and then to the European Championship, Roy completed a conquest unprecedented in modern football history, winning the Golden Boot and three major trophies in the three competitions, while also taking home the inaugural European Golden Boy award. This young man from Boulogne proved in the most brutal way that he is the most perfect football talent born on the European continent. When he runs, you don't see a rising star, but a milestone rewriting history.

When FIFA President Blatter began to applaud, a wave of applause erupted throughout the Zurich Opera House.

On the large screen, gold light flashed, and the name "Roy" appeared prominently.

At that moment, all the star players, coaches, and football celebrities present stood up to congratulate the newly crowned World Player of the Year.

Henry looked up at the big screen, his eyes slightly red.

Roy turned around and hugged Shevchenko first. The Ukrainian patted him on the back with a sincere smile. He had always been easygoing.

When it was Henri's turn, his French compatriot's arm visibly stiffened for a moment.

At this time last year, Henry was on stage congratulating Zidane on his victory, and he had a vague feeling that this Monaco kid would become his formidable rival.

The prophecy had come true, and his forced smile still carried a bitter aftertaste, but the force with which he patted Roy's shoulder remained solemn.

On the awards stage, FIFA President Blatter solemnly handed the gold trophy to Roy.

Meanwhile, Beckenbauer awarded the silver medal to Henry, while George Weah presented the bronze medal to Shevchenko.

Throughout the opera house, flashes of light and applause filled the air.

Roy raised the gleaming gold trophy with both hands, gesturing to the audience below.

He released one hand and gently tapped the microphone to test the sound; the hall immediately fell silent.
"Thank you FIFA, thank you to all the coaches and captains who voted for me. This award belongs to every teammate in Monaco and the French national team; without them, I wouldn't have scored so many goals."

In the audience, Deschamps and several of his former Monaco teammates, such as Giuly and Rothen, clapped their hands particularly loudly.

French coach Domenech and captain Vieira were also applauding enthusiastically in the front row, showing the friendly atmosphere of "they are our own people" in front of the camera.

He paused, then turned to look at Abramovich and Mourinho in the audience:

"Of course, I also want to thank Chelsea for giving me the opportunity. Some people say I'm too young, but football never forgives mistakes because of age, so I just have to keep scoring."

Finally, he raised the trophy, a signature roguish grin spreading across his face.

"I will be standing here again this time next year."

This short sentence exploded like a bomb in the meeting room.

The audience fell silent for a moment, everyone was stunned, even the hands that were clapping froze in mid-air. Then an even louder uproar erupted.

Abu laughed so hard he almost fell over, slapping his knees hard.

Deschamps and his former Monaco teammates exchanged knowing glances, thinking, "This kid is still as arrogant as ever."

Domenech shook his head with a wry smile.

Henry's hand, which he had just lowered, hovered in mid-air again, and he shook his head helplessly.

The press box erupted in chaos, with the sound of camera shutters instantly tripling in intensity.

No one expected that the 20-year-old's first acceptance speech at the moment of his coronation would be a blatant declaration of defending his title.

Zidane, sitting in the guest seats, raised an eyebrow when he heard this, then gave a thoughtful smile.

He turned his head slightly and whispered to Beckham beside him, "Do you know why I retired?"

"If you ask me, you shouldn't have retired at all. Your achievements are yours, and his achievements are his. Even if this kid wins more trophies than you in the future, it won't change the fact that you will be greater than before. Think about it carefully, Zidane."

He gently nudged Zidane's shoulder. "Like an '82 Lafite, it's always more precious than the new wine of that year."

This seemingly ordinary polite remark struck Zidane like a heavy blow to the heart.

Looking at Roy, who was full of vigor on the stage, he suddenly realized how ridiculous his idea of ​​giving up in advance was.

As Roy stepped down the stairs with the trophy in his hand, his girlfriend Cheryl rushed over and gave him a passionate kiss.

After exchanging brief pleasantries with a few old acquaintances, Zidane walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"How do you feel?" the French legend asked with a smile.

Roy looked down at the trophy in his hand, then looked up at the brightly lit venue, and replied with a smile, "It feels like a dream."

Zidane nodded: "Like a dream? I know that feeling."

Roy gazed at one of the kings of the previous era and whispered, "I wish I could stay drunk forever and never wake up."

Zidane paused for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled knowingly.

The moment their eyes met, it was as if a relay race across eras had been completed. The former champion looked at the spirited young man before him, while the new champion saw the shadow of his predecessor in his eyes.

"Would I rather be drunk forever and never wake up?"

Zidane repeated the poem softly.

French sinologists have been translating Li Bai's poems for a century, and this line often appears in literature courses discussing the theme of "seizing the day."

"Qu'il nous soit permis de nous enivrerà jamais sans jamais nous réveiller!"

(May we remain forever immersed in this state, never to awaken.)
Roy wasn't the only one unwilling to wake up from this illusion.

(End of this chapter)