The perfect midfield: It starts with never passing the ball to Ronaldo.

The twilight in Kyiv arrives slowly and heavily.

Even before the lights of the Olympic Stadium were turned on, the entire city had already entered a state of excited convulsions.

The wind blowing from the Dnieper River, carrying the warmth of early summer, swirled through the air above Heresiatiq Street, accompanied by the songs of tens of thousands of England fans.

For Manchester City fans, this night in Ukraine was of great significance.

One hundred and twenty-four years.

The Citizens have only just come from that coal-dust-filled open space next to St. Mark's Church in Manchester's East End to today's Champions League final stage.

They witnessed Billy Meredith's glory, experienced the humiliation of falling from the top league to the third tier, tasted the ecstasy of winning the championship with a last-minute goal, and also tasted the bitterness of being eliminated from the Champions League countless times.

Aguero's 93-20 winning goal in 2012 helped them shed their "noisy neighbors" label, and the injection of funds from the Mansour Group transformed them from ordinary people into a powerhouse.

But what about the Champions League?

The Champions League remains a tightly closed door.

Fans recalled what Mario said when he joined the team.

"I'm not here to make Manchester City the Premier League champions. We're here to make Manchester City the European champions, to become another treble-winning, quintuplet-winning team in football!"

The Portuguese were indeed a powerful weapon.

In 2013, at the age of 18, he won the Golden Boy Award, which people thought was just a routine crowning for a promising young man.

No one could have predicted what would happen next.

2014 Ballon d'Or, 2015 Ballon d'Or, 2016 Ballon d'Or, 2017 Ballon d'Or.

For four consecutive years.

What shocked the entire football world even more was what he did at Atlético Madrid.

One person, twice in a row, personally shattered Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

Now, dear José, lead the Blue Moon Legion to defeat Real Madrid once again!

.....

The live commentary interrupted the fans' reverie, while the broadcast footage was already reaching every household.

Good morning, viewers! This is Sky Sports bringing you live coverage of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League final!

Let's take a look at Manchester City's starting lineup.

"Ederson guards the goal, the defense consists of Walker, Kompany, Stones, and Delph, the midfielders are Fernandinho, De Bruyne, and Mario, and the attacking trio is Sané, Jesus, and Sterling."

"For Real Madrid, Navas is in goal, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, and Marcelo form the defense, Modric, Casemiro, and Kroos anchor the midfield, and Isco plays behind Ronaldo and Benzema."

The referee blew his whistle.

Jesus kicked off and passed the ball back, and Manchester City immediately launched an attack.

Mario received a lateral pass from De Bruyne on the right wing and delivered a through ball with the outside of his foot that pierced through Real Madrid's defense.

Sané made a diagonal run from the flank, but Carvajal reacted faster, using his body to block the ball and push it out of bounds.

"Manchester City started with a high-pressing strategy, and Real Madrid's defense needs to be careful."

In the 4th minute, Mario's touch of the ball drew a low gasp from Real Madrid fans. This guy is even stronger than he was two years ago!

Casemiro and Kroos both applied pressure on him. But Mario's body remained motionless, as if rooted to the grass. He slightly turned his body, using his left shoulder to brace against Casemiro, and gently pulled the ball back with his right foot.

Kroos attempted to flank from the other side, but Mario had already completed a half-turn, facing the direction of the attack.

Sterling accelerated down the right flank, Sané widened the gap on the left, and De Bruyne was drifting towards the center.

A 45-meter long pass, accurate to the centimeter, sent the ball flying through the air in a beautiful parabola, landing right in front of Sterling.

It was Carvajal again, and he once again limited Great Britain's performance.

The midfield of this final was a back-and-forth battle reminiscent of a meat grinder.

Real Madrid's trio, like a finely tuned Swiss watch, attempted to wear down Manchester City's pressure with their passing and possession game.

In the 12th minute, Modric delivered a through ball with the outside of his foot, and Ronaldo suddenly accelerated past Varane, but Kompany anticipated it a beat too fast, and the Belgian swatted the ball out of bounds before Ronaldo could touch it.

In the 16th minute, Isco received a cross from Marcelo on the edge of the penalty area and curled a shot with his left foot, but Ederson made a diving save to tip the ball over the crossbar.

In the 18th minute, Fernandinho intercepted Kroos's cross from midfield. The Brazilian midfielder didn't hesitate and played a low through ball to De Bruyne on the right wing.

The moment the Belgian received the ball, Mario had already started his run from behind Benzema.

"Mario is running!"

De Bruyne unleashed a curling shot with the outside of his foot, bypassing Ramos's interception and landing precisely in the open space on the right side of Real Madrid's penalty area.

Mario scurried past Varane, and the French center-back reached out to pull him, but the Portuguese man's shoulder sank slightly, rendering Varane's attempt futile.

Mario receives the ball on the right side of the penalty area, with only Navas in front of him.

The Costa Rican goalkeeper covered the near post, his body spread out like a red wall.

Mario was confident in his shooting skills, and he unleashed a powerful, outside-spinning shot with the outside of his left foot.

The ball was incredibly powerful.

The ball, spinning violently in the air, traced a perfect arc before striking the inside of the near post and bouncing into the net.

1:0.

The sky-blue stands at the Kyiv Olympic Stadium exploded.

"Goal!!!"

"What an unreasonable shot!"

"With his left foot twisting outward, Navas didn't even have time to react! That's the power of the man who twice defeated Real Madrid in the Champions League final!"

In the stands, the South Stand, where Manchester City fans were located, had turned into a sea of ​​vibrant, sky-blue cheers.

A young fan wearing a Mario jersey stood on a seat, holding up a bold banner that read "King" in Portuguese.

In the VIP box, Manchester City chairman Mubarak sprang up from his seat, clapped his hands together, and then turned to hug CEO Ferran Soriano next to him.

The Real Madrid fans in the stands were constantly hurling insults.

While they acknowledge that Mario is strong, they won't applaud him because during his time at Atlético Madrid, that pesky Manchester City number 10 twice shattered Real Madrid's hearts in the Champions League final.

The camera panned across Real Madrid's substitutes' bench.

Bale sat in the far corner, his left hand on his knee. The Welshman, who was originally prepared to succeed Ronaldo, never expected to be relegated to the bench.

It's all because of these useless calf muscles.

Meanwhile, on the field, Cristiano Ronaldo was standing in the center circle waiting for the kickoff, while Cristiano clenched his right fist and slammed it into his thigh.

Although he will be fighting alongside Mario on the World Cup stage in just over a month, their friendship has been wiped out in these last 90 minutes!

Real Madrid did not collapse after conceding a goal.

This is a team that has reached the Champions League final for three consecutive years. Zidane pressed his hands down on the sidelines, signaling the team to stabilize their rhythm.

Modric and Kroos began to control the ball more, trying to steer the game at their own pace.

In the 25th minute, Modric delivered a precise diagonal pass from the right wing. Ronaldo received the ball on the left side of the penalty area. Facing Walker's defense, the Portuguese player performed two consecutive stepovers before suddenly cutting inside and curling a shot with his right foot.

Ederson made a diving save to push the ball away.

Cristiano Ronaldo angrily flung his hand in regret.

In the 31st minute, Mario received a short pass from De Bruyne on the left wing.

The Belgian's pass was incredibly accurate, and the ball landed exactly two meters in front of Mario.

Carvajal retreated, and then retreated again.

Mario's speed was on full display at this moment; his explosive power, which was disproportionate to his 89-kilogram physique, allowed him to easily overpower the Spanish defender.

Ramos came to the rescue, but Mario had already changed direction.

The fluidity of his 90-degree sudden stop and change of direction made one wonder if he had titanium alloy bearings in his knees.

Mario passed the ball into the center of the penalty area with his right foot.

The low, flat ball, incredibly fast, with a slight curve, precisely bypassed Varane's outstretched leg and landed in front of Sterling.

Happy Boys did not disappoint this time!

The ball struck the inside of his right foot and bounced into the net!

2:0.

The Ballon d'Or winner dominated the game with a goal and an assist!

In the 40th minute of the match, Real Madrid suffered another setback when Ramos dislocated his arm while defending against Super Mario.

The Blue Moon Legion will take advantage of your weakness and kill you!

Even Bale's spectacular bicycle kick in the second half couldn't create a miracle, and Manchester City defeated Real Madrid 4-2 on aggregate to lift their first-ever Champions League trophy.

"Congratulations to José, congratulations to this 23-year-old Portuguese man for accomplishing an unprecedented feat tonight."

Let's turn back time.

"In Lisbon in 2014, he made Real Madrid taste the bitterness of being defeated for the first time. People said it was luck, it was a coincidence, it was a young man's reckless gamble."

"In 2016 in Milan, he personally pushed Real Madrid into the abyss for the second time in the Champions League final. People began to realize that this young man was not a shooting star, but a rising star."

"And today, in Kyiv, at the Olympic Stadium in 2018, he helped Manchester City, the club that had waited 124 years, and the team that was once ridiculed for lacking Champions League DNA, lift their first-ever Champions League trophy!"

"Three Champions League finals, three times facing Real Madrid, and three times crushing our opponents."

"Friends, why are we so obsessed with football? Because it's more than just a sport. It's the writing of history, the symphony of destiny, and the ultimate expression of the human spirit."

"On this night, José Mario, with his feet, his body, and his 23-year-old soul, tells us the simplest truth: destiny is always in our own hands."

"Nothing ever goes beyond three times!"

"All it takes is a genius's inspiration and hard work!"

Before the fans could process the commentators' praise, the release of Zidane's resignation letter and remarks at the post-match meeting only fueled the fire.

Congratulations to Manchester City, congratulations to Guardiola, congratulations to Mario!

"This is my last time representing Real Madrid at a release conference!"

"It's a real shame that we only won the trophy once in three years and three final appearances!"

"I want to thank Manchester City for their investment in the winter transfer window, which gave Real Madrid this opportunity. Otherwise, I think the title would still belong to the team where Mario plays."

"Honestly, if I had the chance to vote for the Ballon d'Or, I would vote for Mario again and again!"

"This isn't about shifting blame after a loss; it's a heartfelt statement."

"I think it will probably be next year when you will see Mario complete his first title defense since the Champions League format was changed."

Zidane, after submitting his resignation, said a few heartfelt words. This was from an official press conference with a verifiable source, not some random news report from some unknown source by some unknown media outlet.