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

Chapter 71 Ines's Eye Contact; Champions League Second Leg

At the post-match press conference, Pereira spoke candidly to the camera.

"Thanks for the media's reminder, but the word 'failure' is simply not in my vocabulary!"

"We have the courage and talent to continue making history!"

"As the league leaders and the sole Portuguese representative in the Champions League, we are confident in maintaining our winning streak in the league and look forward to going further in European competitions!"

Pereira, who wasn't coached by Nana, didn't generate much buzz when it came to making mistakes.

The post-match news broadcasts didn't mention the head coach much.

In contrast, Mario, with his explosive statistics and considerable popularity, directly dominated the headlines of major sports sections.

With Mendes's encouragement, the whole of Europe has recognized Mario's value, and news headlines are directly mentioning that he is borrowing money in advance for future transfer fees.

At 18 years old, with 8 goals and 4 assists in the Champions League and 17 goals and 7 assists in the Portuguese league, activating his release clause is a foregone conclusion!

"The 6000 million man slays his former club! Mario scores and assists, Porto thrashes Alvalade 4-1!"

Pereira leads his team to the longest winning streak in the league, all thanks to one more person with connections!!

Siuper Mario! A world-class goal and a pinpoint through ball, the Portuguese star twice tears apart his former club's defense.

Porto leads by 11 points! They easily defeat Sporting CP, while Benfica's slip-up puts the championship race out of the bag.

—【They showed absolutely no mercy against their former club. Mario has no conscience. Let Manchester City have them in the summer transfer window!】

—【Dude, you're really messing with me!!!!】

—【Don't mention the transfer window, it makes me grieve just thinking about missing out on €6000 million!】

—[Sporting Lisbon's top management should resign en masse after letting a talented player slip away for free!!!]

—【A 20-game winning streak in the league! This season we not only won the championship, but also broke Benfica's 40-year winning streak record. It's simply awesome!】

—【Hehehe, by using the controlled variable method, it's clear that Mario is the key player~~】

—【It has to be admitted that this is a factor; Mario is just too mature, his form is basically only up and never down, consistently delivering excellent performances in the Portuguese league!!】

In a luxury hotel in Lisbon, Mario's girlfriend, Ines, looked at the news articles praising her boyfriend, but her mood was not as cheerful as before.

Despite numerous subtle attempts and even using a fox's tail, nothing could change Mario's mind as a staunch bachelor.

She could only change the way she interacted with this football prodigy.

Using her status as a girlfriend, Ines could also raise the next generation together. With her exceptional initiative, she simply placed a pillow under her bottom to allow the seed of life to be watered a little longer.

Besides using her youth and children to help him, she also needs to make good use of Mario's fame to develop her own career.

The script sent to my email this time is good; it starts from Portugal and works steadily.

She also manages her personal social media accounts, and with her strong initiative, she directly edits the content.

"I've received a new script; this time, I can just copy his eye acting style~"

The accompanying image shows Mario's determined gaze as he stands at the penalty spot during his Champions League debut against Paris Saint-Germain!

—【Wow, I wonder if Mario's acting skills are good enough!!】

—【What kind of script did they get? It's not one of those clichéd plots where the wife becomes the mistress, is it?】

—【Studying athletes' eyes to improve acting skills? No wonder you can only be a third-rate actor. You should learn from Hollywood stars!】

—【Haha, they're a perfect match, just like Mario, they're really good at piggybacking on trends.】

—【The people closest to you hurt you the most; I can't tell if this is a hater or a fan, haha....】

As a die-hard Cristiano Ronaldo fan, Mario was very tolerant of his girlfriend's attempts to gain popularity by associating with him.

Compared to this overflow of potential, getting married is a terrible mistake.

Although Mario wasn't as promiscuous as the future England's top striker, he still made the same mistakes that any man would make when faced with overwhelming temptation.

Based on this principle, maintaining a relationship similar to that before Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina's marriage is more in their own best interest.

The following afternoon, the training ground in Porto was filled with laughter and joy.

"Jorze, to be honest, you could consider entering the entertainment industry in the future," J. Rodriguez joked with a smile.

"Hehe, you're captivated by my handsome face, aren't you?!" Mario tidied his hair and said narcissistically.

"You're so shameless! The fans are so shallow; they should be focusing on inner beauty!" Atsu quipped seriously.

Before Mario could even retort, Moutinho pulled him into a hug.

"To be honest, I can't wait to see your girlfriend's new drama!"

"I'll book the whole theater when it's released. How about we have a barbecue at my place tonight and then watch the Champions League together?"

"By the way, I've posted the new address in the group, so everyone don't go to the wrong one!"

"Damn, you've only been playing professional football for a few months, I'm so envious!!"

"Pass me more balls in the next Champions League game, or I won't be able to pay off my loan!" Mario said with a shrug and a smile.

"Go to hell!! You're a 60 million euro man, why would you need a loan?!"

Mario, who was receiving a hefty signing bonus and goal bonus, naturally wanted to share the good news of buying a new villa with his teammates.

In the evening, after enjoying Otamendi's professional Argentine barbecue, everyone watched the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 match together in the living room.

"Who do you think will advance, Manchester United or Real Madrid?"

"Of course it's Real Madrid! They have Portugal's best star!"

"Just to correct you, Portugal's best player is sitting right next to you!"

"Hey, just kidding, please be mindful of the time, I'm drinking juice!!"

Two hours passed quickly, and the score on the TV was finalized, revealing the first team to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals.

The game was completely dominated by the Portuguese players. In the 48th minute, Manchester United broke the deadlock when Nani's cross caused Real Madrid defender Ramos to inadvertently score an own goal.

Then, Nani, one of the four stars, raised his foot too high while contesting a high ball, hitting Arbeloa and being shown a straight red card by Turkish referee Cakir.

With a numerical advantage, Real Madrid immediately launched a fierce attack.

In the 66th minute, substitute Modric unleashed a stunning long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area, the ball striking the inside of the post and bouncing into the net to equalize the score.

Just three minutes later, Ronaldo received a pass from Higuain and slid in to score past his former teammate De Gea, helping Real Madrid take a 2-1 lead.

最终，10人应战的曼联1：2惜败，总比分2：3被皇马淘汰。

Cristiano scored two goals in the two legs, bringing his Champions League goal tally for the 2012-13 season to eight, the same as Mario.

Both goals were scored purely from open play, and considering both opponents and their own performance, the two players appear to be evenly matched.

But Mario was still self-aware. He broke through despite being heavily marked by the opponent, while he benefited more from the team's tactics.

Once they reach the quarterfinals and face formidable opponents, the match will definitely become very difficult, especially given that the team's individual abilities are not superior.

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