Chapter 1 Before the Match

Before the match even started, both Charlton and Arsenal were dreaming sweet dreams, hoping for a last-minute comeback to cap off their rollercoaster seasons with a perfect ending.

Arsenal fans, especially, were so preoccupied with the other game that they could barely focus on their own. Everyone was straining their ears, listening to the radio broadcast of the other match.

They were waiting for news of a Charlton goal to come crackling over the airwaves.

But five minutes passed, and there was nothing.

It must be too soon. However complacent Liverpool might be, they weren't likely to concede a goal to Charlton within five minutes, were they?

Yes, that must be it. So, let's just be patient a little longer…

Many Arsenal fans were thinking just that when a high-pitched "goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooAL!!!" suddenly erupted from the radio.

Everyone's spirits lifted!

Had Charlton scored?

"herooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" the commentator roared, drawing out the name.

The hearts of the Arsenal fans sank to the bottom of their stomachs at the sound of that name…

All the home fans at Emirates Stadium stood frozen in place, dumbstruck.

They had finally gotten news of a goal, but it was Liverpool who had scored, not Charlton…

The commentator in the broadcast, completely oblivious to the feelings of the Arsenal fans, continued to shout, "Chen Hero has scored! Only six minutes into the game, and he's already scored! Absolutely amazing! This is the last league game of his career, and he's off to a flying start!"

※※※

Arsenal's coach, Hall, also heard the news of Liverpool's goal immediately.

He leaned back weakly against his seat on the bench.

He suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Finally, he didn't have to fight so hard anymore.

This season's league title didn't belong to Arsenal, but to Liverpool.

Chen Hero's goal had completely freed him from the endless war.

He had no desire for anything in this match. Win, lose, or draw, he could accept any outcome.

Having no desires sounded good, but the unpleasant truth was… he had lost his fighting spirit.

If the coach had lost his fighting spirit, how could the Arsenal players on the field be any better?

The players on the field also quickly learned of Liverpool's goal from the fans and the substitutes on the bench.

Instantly, they felt as if all their strength had been drained away, and they were reluctant to run on the field.

They knew what Liverpool taking the lead at home meant.

It meant they definitely wouldn't lose this game, not even draw. There was only one possible outcome: a win.

If Liverpool won, then no matter how many goals Arsenal scored, it would all be meaningless.

The Arsenal players felt like their efforts were a joke when they thought about that.

The Arsenal fans thought the same thing. Emirates Stadium fell silent.

※※※

Emirates Stadium was quiet, but at Stanley Park Stadium, it was a completely different scene.

The giant banner that could cover the entire stand had been taken down; now it was time to watch the game.

The stands were packed, and fans were waving their arms, screaming and cheering.

This cheering wasn't really for the fact that they were leading or that Liverpool had a great chance of winning the league title. It was something else entirely.

Before the game, some media outlets had said that Chen Hero and Gerrard had both gone missing and only returned late, so they believed that Liverpool were arrogant and complacent, and thus, were likely to lose to Charlton at home, giving Arsenal an opportunity.

It wasn't that no Liverpool fans were worried; some were.

But most Liverpool fans were indignant. They felt that the media was insulting Liverpool—how could their captain and coach make such a low-level mistake? With the league title almost in their grasp, how could they be arrogant and complacent?

Although they were indignant, they couldn't refute the media. They could only place their hopes on the team, expecting them to take action to slap the media in the face.

Now that Chen Hero had delivered a resounding slap to the media's face, these fans felt great.

That's why they were cheering so loudly.

Stanley Park Stadium had become a volcano where Liverpool fans could vent their emotions.

Charlton's coach, Hill, was sitting on this erupting volcano and feeling very uncomfortable.

He shifted in his seat on the bench, as if his hemorrhoids were acting up.

Before the game, he had confidently told his players that Liverpool were complacent and that this was their chance to disrupt Chen Hero's farewell party.

Now it seemed that every word he had said was like a slap in the face, stinging him.

His face was burning with pain.

Liverpool wasn't complacent; Charlton was!

He felt ashamed.

He didn't know how to face the rest of the game and didn't want to see the confused looks in the eyes of the Charlton players.

※※※

Chen Hero, who had scored a goal, wasn't satisfied. After the game restarted, he continued to lead the team in a fierce attack on Charlton's goal.

Seven minutes later, he scored again.

Those media outlets said he was complacent and did everything they could to find fault with him, just to smear his name. How could he let them get what they wanted?

So, he had to use an outstanding performance in this game to prove that going out to play the day before the game had no impact on him at all!

Scoring twice wasn't enough!

※※※

Chen Hero scored twice, and Liverpool scored three goals. Carlton Cole had also scored one.

In the first twenty minutes, Liverpool had a three-goal lead, and the game had completely lost its suspense.

Charlton wasn't struggling anymore, and Arsenal had long stopped fantasizing that they could still make a comeback to win the league title.

Liverpool's fifteenth Premier League title was in their hands. They had surpassed Manchester United and become the team with the most league titles in Premier League history.

Chen Hero's ultimate mission… had finally been accomplished!

But he didn't stop there. He continued to move forward.

Not long after the second half started, he scored another goal!

A hat trick!

"Chen Hero, who is almost forty-one years old, has completed a hat trick in his last league game! Can you believe he's really almost forty-one years old? He's running tirelessly on the field, his movements are powerful and agile, and his shots are deadly… It's hard to believe that such an excellent player is about to retire! His condition is even better than those players in their prime!"

After completing his hat trick, Chen Hero wasn't satisfied either. He charged into the goal and picked up the soccer ball.

His actions caused a stir in the commentary box: "God! He's still not satisfied!"

"How many goals does he want to score?!"

"Poor Charlton… Those reporters who said Liverpool were arrogant and complacent before the game, I wonder what they're thinking now?"

Many people in the press box were silent.

Only reporters who were pro-Liverpool and pro-Chen Hero were cheering.

Some people were deliberately taunting those silent reporters: "This is what you call being in bad shape? This is what you call being arrogant and complacent? Then show me someone who isn't arrogant and complacent!"

"This is the price of offending Chen Hero! Not only do you lose the right to interview him, but you also get humiliated by Chen Hero. Haha, serves you right!"

"Some people are self-righteous, and as a result, they get slapped in the face by Chen Hero… But these people still don't learn their lesson. Hasn't this kind of thing happened often enough in Hero's twenty-year career? Alas, the old generation of idiots dies, and a new generation of idiots rushes up one after another… It's the law of nature!"

Faced with the sarcasm and veiled insults of their colleagues, these people could only play possum.

Yes, wasn't this Chen Hero's best trick? How could they have forgotten?

Or did they think that Chen Hero was old and about to retire, so they underestimated him?

※※※

In the VIP box, the guests invited by Liverpool Football Club and Chen Hero also stood up like ordinary fans and applauded Chen Hero's hat trick.

Old Hartson was sitting in a wheelchair and couldn't get up, and he couldn't even clap, but the smile on his face was very bright.

It was like watching his own child grow up little by little and finally stand alone, that sense of accomplishment filled his heart.

It made him feel especially warm.

Old Hartson's son, Little Hartson, was standing next to him, clapping desperately, trying to make up for his and his father's applause.

Not far away were the members of the CROWD group and the players from the old Liverpool team.

Besides admiration, they had no other thoughts about Chen Hero's hat trick.

At this age, he could still be in such great shape to score three goals…

"I always think maybe he shouldn't retire…" Suarez said. "He can still play. Why give in to the rules of the world and retire at a certain time? What if you don't retire? As long as you can play and want to play, then keep playing!"

"Maybe he can't find the motivation to continue playing. He's won so many championships…" Skrtel said from the side.

Suarez sighed when he heard this: "That's a problem. For ordinary people, winning just one of these championships would be enough to make them lose motivation, but Hero has persisted for so many years. We really can't ask him to do more or better."

"Hey, what do you guys think Hero will be like if he retires?" someone suddenly asked.

Everyone suddenly fell silent.

Many people simply looked up at the ceiling.

No matter how hard they tried to think about this question, no one could imagine what Chen Hero would be like after he retired.

Perhaps the impression he had left on people on the field in the past twenty-four years was too deep.

Like an ordinary middle-aged man staying at home with his wife and children?

They always felt that Chen Hero might get tired of such a life in a few days.

He seemed to belong to the soccer field, to the sport of soccer.

If Chen Hero didn't play soccer anymore, would he still be so popular?

Perhaps many of his strengths would become weaknesses and be unacceptable?

Just like when Maradona hadn't retired, although the media also paid attention to his drug scandals, more people focused on his shocking soccer skills.

One example best illustrates the problem—in the World Cup in Mexico, Argentina played against England. Maradona first used the Hand of God to score a controversial goal. At that time, everyone was criticizing Maradona's despicable behavior, especially the English commentator, who was furious.

But when Maradona then scored one of the most classic goals in World Cup history, even the English commentator couldn't help but sing praises to Maradona. Everyone forgot about his previous immoral goal.

And after Maradona retired, every time he appeared in the media, it was accompanied by various negative news, such as tax evasion, pointing a gun at reporters, and being hospitalized with a serious illness…

If Chen Hero, a similarly controversial person, retired, he would probably face the same fate.

The reason is that the tough things in Chen Hero's character allow him to be at ease on the field and win victories and cheers. But the soccer field is a place full of the law of the jungle, it is another world, and it is not the same as real life.

What he does on the field may not be suitable for him to use in life.

The consequence of being so tough in life may be death without a burial place.

Thinking that Chen Hero would become like this after retiring made his former teammates very sad.

They felt that such a great player as Chen Hero should not be surrounded by such things.

But what else could they do?

They couldn't do anything, so they all hoped that Chen Hero wouldn't retire, just keep playing, keep playing until he couldn't play anymore.