Chapter 1 The Savior

Yang Pan unleashed a powerful shot from thirty-five meters out, sending the football towards the goal. To onlookers, it seemed like AC Milan's last struggle, but Frey didn't dare to be careless.

He leaped, his fingertips grazing the ball, which then struck the crossbar before bouncing out of bounds!

The Veltins-Arena gasped. That was close! Milan fans beat their chests in regret, while Fiorentina fans patted theirs, calming their racing hearts.

Yang Pan tugged at his shorts and howled to the sky, more regretful and heartbroken than anyone.

"Too bad! Too bad! If Yang Pan's shot had gone in, he would have been AC Milan's hero! But Frey's performance saved Fiorentina!"

Sabbato's mouth hung open, his exclamation from Yang Pan's shot still unuttered. He turned to the equally tense Di Livio, then grinned, "I'll definitely suggest a bonus for that kid Frey! He did a great job!"

At that moment, everyone on Fiorentina's bench gathered at the sidelines, ready to rush onto the field the moment the referee blew the final whistle. Yang Pan's long shot had nearly brought half of them to their knees. Fortunately, Frey's performance lived up to the title of starting goalkeeper.

After the scare, Fiorentina's fans quickly regained their optimism, jumping and singing "We Are the Champions" in the stands.

Sabbato shouted at the referee from the sidelines, "Blow the whistle! Blow the whistle! The time's up! Look at your watch! Look at your watch!" He pointed to his wrist.

The stoppage time was a long five minutes, and Zhang Jun's third goal came in the first minute of it. For the remaining four minutes, Fiorentina retreated almost entirely, even Zhang Jun returning to the penalty area to defend against aerial balls. AC Milan besieged Fiorentina's half, bombarding their goal, Yang Pan's shot being just one of many.

But this time, things were different, because it was AC Milan's last shot of the game.

As Pirlo ran towards the corner flag to take a corner kick, the referee blew the whistle to end the match!

Fiorentina fans at the Veltins-Arena leaped from their seats, cheering wildly with their arms raised.

Fiorentina's players and coaches on the sidelines rushed onto the field, embracing the nearly exhausted players.

Bonera collapsed into Pazzini's arms, repeatedly asking, with a sob in his voice, "We won? Did we really win? Does that mean we're the kings of Europe now? Right?"

Gasbarroni covered his face with his hands, weeping uncontrollably. These weren't tears of bitterness, but tears of joy and excitement. He debuted in Juventus' youth team, then was selected for the Italian national youth team, before being abandoned by Juventus. He ended up in Fiorentina and never imagined he would become a European champion. He thought his career would end in constant transfers, an uneventful life.

Kru lay flat on the ground the moment he heard the referee's first whistle, arms outstretched in a star shape, gazing at the night sky and panting. It was the hardest, most tiring match he had ever played, nearly exhausting him.

We are the champions? We are the champions of Europe? We have the whole of Europe under our feet?

He raised his hands towards the night sky, as if to grasp the ethereal starlight. He opened his palms, then slowly clenched them into fists.

Yeah!

Sabbato hugged and embraced everyone, constantly comforting his teammates. It was laughable, wasn't it? A championship team needing comfort. But who told them to be novices? This was their first time winning this honor. The happiness came so suddenly that many didn't know how to react.

Ren Yudi and Su Fei embraced the moment the referee blew the whistle, but... they quickly separated.

Batistuta stood behind them, stunned, not quite reacting. He must have remembered his performances at the Camp Nou and Old Trafford, silencing the crowds, but none of them were in the finals. The Fiorentina he was in lacked opportunities in European competitions, and he and Fiorentina were just brief visitors to the European stage. Even when he transferred to Roma and Inter Milan later, it was the same. He never thought that five years after his retirement, this new Fiorentina would become the kings of Europe, league champions, European champions. The dreams he didn't achieve were accomplished by these young people.

Zhang Jun constantly hugged his teammates, sometimes initiating, sometimes being approached. Countless reporters surrounded him, snapping pictures. He was the best player of the match, the undisputed protagonist. Who else would they photograph?

Reporters seized the chance to bombard him with questions while he was in a good mood: "Zhang Jun! Tell us your feelings, talk about the match!"

"Nothing to say, I'm happy, excited!" Zhang Jun used that sentence to answer all the questions.

Finally escaping the encirclement, Zhang Jun searched for his target in the crowd.

While Fiorentina celebrated, some Milan players lingered on the field, unable to accept the defeat, watching the jubilant Fiorentina players with helplessness and unwillingness.

Yang Pan and Kaka stood shoulder to shoulder at the edge of the field, draped in towels, watching the lively scene inside the stadium. Just moments ago, it was their battlefield, but now it was filled with spectators and reporters, like a noisy market.

Neither of them spoke, unsure what to say in this situation.

The game had just ended, and they were undoubtedly unwilling. They had been leading until almost the end, only to be overturned. The championship was in their grasp! AC Milan ended up empty-handed, with hopes for everything but achieving nothing in the end. This had been the case for more than just a year or two.

Years ago, the media was still touting the Milan dynasty, but the sudden rise of Fiorentina had shifted the trajectory.

The two silently watched everything before them until Zhang Jun approached.

"What? Here to comfort the losers?" Yang Pan asked.

Zhang Jun smiled, "There are reporters around, so I have to put on a show. Actually, I wanted to say, it was a great match, thank you."

Kaka rolled his eyes, "Platitudes! Empty words! Hmph, that's the face of the victors."

Yang Pan laughed, "Kaka, you're too ignorant. There are so many reporters watching. Come on, learn from me." He hugged Zhang Jun, then grabbed his jersey, "Want to swap jerseys?"

Zhang Jun punched Yang Pan in the chest, "Damn it, stop pretending! You were the one who told me to come and snatch your championship."

"Yes, that's right, I said those words."

"Now I've snatched it."

"Mmm, very good. We'll take it back. You're not going to retire at the end of this season, are you, Zhang Jun?"

"Do you think I'm the kind of coward who runs away?"

"You never know," Kaka quipped from the side.

Zhang Jun glared at Kaka, "Feng Qing has mentioned my injuries more than once, but I know my own body. As long as I can still play, I'll keep playing, unless I can't even walk."

Yang Pan looked at Zhang Jun's feet, "Actually, I really hope you'll retire soon, so our Milan will have one less major opponent, wahaha! If I had known, I would have played rougher during the game!"

"Damn it! You're too bad!" Zhang Jun looked at Kaka again, then said to him, "Actually, Kaka doesn't need to be too discouraged. We still have a chance to face each other."

Kaka looked at Zhang Jun.

"Soon, very soon, in South Africa. I believe we'll meet again, but I don't know exactly when. Don't worry, we lost to you in Germany in 2006, but we'll definitely get our revenge in South Africa this year." Zhang Jun shook hands with Kaka and Yang Pan, the flashbulbs went off, and the three parted with smiles.

Walking back to the locker room, Kaka said to Yang Pan, "I believe the Chinese team has the ability now, but football is round, and strength doesn't mean everything. So before you meet us, you better not get eliminated."

Yang Pan turned to Kaka and smiled, "Don't worry, we won't lose so easily before we meet Brazil." At that moment, they weren't AC Milan teammates, but opponents in the World Cup, Brazil and China.

※※※

While the players celebrated wildly and the reporters snapped photos, UEFA staff had already set up a simple awards platform in the center of the field – a large sponsor ad laid on the ground, with a horizontal board in front of it that read:

Champions!

UEFA Champions League 2009-10.

All the Fiorentina players felt a surge of excitement when they saw the board. They were European champions, about to enjoy this honor.

They had seen such scenes on television countless times, and now it was their turn.

But they still needed to wait patiently, because first, the runners-up, AC Milan, would be awarded silver medals.

Everyone silently went up and accepted their silver medals with their heads bowed. A year ago, they had accepted silver medals in the Bernabéu as well. Winning the silver medal for two consecutive years left many feeling dejected.

The most pained was their striker Shevchenko, who had decided not to renew his contract with Milan at the end of the season and would retire.

He wanted to use the Champions League trophy as his last gift before retiring, but they still lost to Fiorentina. He didn't get a chance to play in this game, which he resented, so he wasn't in high spirits during the awards ceremony. When UEFA President Vester, who was responsible for presenting the awards, patted him on the shoulder to show his comfort.

Shevchenko politely said thank you. But after stepping down from the stage, he took off the silver medal around his neck, held it in his hand, and looked helplessly at his teammates receiving awards.

After the awards ceremony, they were expected to leave. Watching others excitedly lift the trophy was not a pleasant feeling.

When Basten was the last to go up and accept the award, Fiorentina fans started to become restless. They had been patiently waiting, and finally, the moment had arrived.

The Fiorentina players couldn't contain their excitement and began to jump and sing.

The Milan players who had finished the awards ceremony didn't all leave the field. Some stayed behind, no one knew for what reason. Yang Pan and Kaka reappeared on the sidelines. When Yang Pan went on stage to accept the silver medal, he hung it around his neck and stared greedily at the championship trophy for a long time, almost losing his composure.

Although his friends had won the honor, he was still in great pain deep down.

"Look, Kaka, a shining trophy, is it made of aluminum alloy or pure silver?"

"You're really hopeless, aluminum alloy! Do you think you're sealing your balcony like at home? I've touched it, it's silver."

"You've touched it?" Yang Pan turned to look at Kaka.

Kaka nodded, "Just now, secretly."

"...You can tell just by touching it? Why didn't you bite it with your teeth?"

"If that old man Vester was willing, I wouldn't mind. Haha, don't worry! We're only twenty-eight, aren't we? The golden age, we have a lot of time, our careers are still very long, we..." Kaka paused, "...have plenty of opportunities."

After a brief pause, Kaka asked, "Going? Our awards ceremony is over."

Yang Pan shook his head, "Wait a little longer, I want to see Zhang Jun lift that trophy up close."

So the two stopped talking and waited quietly.

※※※

The Fiorentina players went up to accept the awards one by one, and Vester hung the gold medals around their necks in turn. Zhang Jun stood below, patting his teammates on the back and pushing them up.

Xiang Tao still had a Fiorentina scarf around his neck, and he didn't take it off when he received the award. He raised the gold medal and kissed it repeatedly, then shouted loudly at the TV camera. Unfortunately, it was too noisy on the scene, and the audience couldn't hear what he was shouting.

Lip-reading: "For Youyou, for my parents! I love you!"

Kru followed Xiang Tao onto the stage, so the contrast between the two was very obvious. Xiang Tao was excited like a monkey jumping up and down, while Kru calmly went up to shake hands with Vester, then bowed his head to accept the gold medal, shook hands with other officials, and then came down to stand on the side with other teammates who had already received their awards.

But the sharp-eyed Zhang Jun, due to his standing angle, still saw the smile on the corner of Kru's mouth when he lowered his head.

The teammates went up, followed by the coaches. Sabbato was the last of the coaches to receive the award. He acted like a gentleman in front of the UEFA president, polite and courteous, completely unlike the foul-mouthed rogue he was during the game.

Vester specifically stopped Sabbato to say a few words, "Well, although you've given us a lot of trouble over the years, I have to say, you've done a good job. To be able to take Fiorentina from a relegation team to the European champions, you're amazing." Vester gave him a thumbs up.

Sabbato laughed, "Thank you for your praise, sir, all these are the efforts of those players." He pointed to the players behind him who were singing and dancing.

Vester laughed, patted Sabbato on the shoulder again, and sent him down. Next, he was going to welcome a big figure.

Yes, a big figure. As the second hero in history to stage a hat-trick in the Champions League final, and the best striker in the Champions League history - fifteen goals, just breaking the 14-goal record of AC Milan striker Altafini in the 62-63 season.

The cheers from the audience doubled, and everyone was shouting his name.

"Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun!! Zhang Jun!!"

Amidst the deafening cheers, Zhang Jun raised his arms to thank the fans, and then stepped onto the podium.

"Congratulations, Zhang," Vester smiled and shook hands with Zhang Jun, then hung the gold medal around Zhang Jun's neck, and Zhang Jun humbly lowered his head.

After shaking hands again, Vester took the Champions League trophy from the high platform next to him and handed it to Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun stared at the trophy for the first time at such a close distance. This was the highest honor recognized by the club, the European Champions Cup with a history of fifty-four years.

The hand he reached out to take the trophy was a little trembling, and Vester saw Zhang Jun's tension. He said with a smile: "Be careful, don't lose your grip and drop it on the ground."

Zhang Jun was reminded by him, and then stabilized his emotions again, and then took the trophy representing the highest honor from Vester.

Then took a deep breath, and then lifted it up hard.

Behind the backdrop, countless purple paper scraps sprayed up, accompanied by the heart-stirring classic song "We Are the Champions" played on the stadium broadcast.

We are the champions!

We are the kings of Europe!

Starting from the Netherlands, Zhang Jun was no longer unfamiliar with this music. Dutch Cup, Serie A, Italian Super Cup, Italian League Cup, European Champions Cup!

Now only the World Cup is left.

Again, the Champions Cup was held high, and the audience cheered, and the hands of the teammates were stretched out to hold up the championship trophy that they had fought for for two years. Crying loudly, laughing loudly, singing loudly. Purple confetti fluttered down from the top of the stadium, and brilliant fireworks rose from the top, blooming in the night sky.

What a feast.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the 0910 season of the European Champions Cup has come to a perfect end. Fiorentina, with their own efforts, has finally climbed to the top of European football. The Veltins-Arena tonight is a purple ocean, the world of Fiorentina, the stage where Zhang Jun is crowned king! They are the triple crown winners of this season in Europe, and Zhang Jun himself has won all the personal honors that he can win: the best scorer in the league, the best scorer in the Italian Cup, the best scorer in the European Champions Cup... For the upcoming World Cup, let us look forward to his wonderful performance in South Africa! Thank you for watching the live broadcast, the 0910 season has come to an end, let's see you next season!"

※※※

The fans had gradually left the stadium, but there were still some fans gathered at the entrance of the stadium, waiting to see their heroes. They kept shouting the names of every player in the Fiorentina team, waving the Fiorentina scarves in their hands.

At the same time, the entire Fiorentina team was still reveling in the stadium's locker room.

Ren Yudi sent Su Fei away, and then said to Batistuta beside him: "Let's go, we should go and see those players and thank them well."

Batistuta nodded.

When there was still a distance from the door of the locker room, the two heard the noise coming from inside. They smiled at each other, the madness after the victory, ha.

The two stood at the door, and Batistuta specially straightened his tie. Then they pushed the door in.

The players who were still clamoring looked quietly at the two club bosses who came in - one was the chairman and the other was the general manager.

"Well, Gabriel and I are here to congratulate you, you did a great job..." When Ren Yudi spoke, he caught sight of Zhang Jun, who had been snickering beside him.

He didn't know why Zhang Jun was laughing like that, he instinctively leaned closer to Batistuta.

"For victory, cheers!" Zhang Jun suddenly shouted, and then poured all the half bottle of champagne in his hand on Ren Yudi, and slightly, Batistuta behind him was also affected and got wet.

"Hey! Zhang Jun! I haven't finished my words..." Ren Yudi shouted while protecting his face with his hands.

"Okay, Yudi! Don't say those nonsense, don't be so pretentious, let's revel!" Zhang Jun changed a bottle of champagne and poured it down again. "woooooooow～～～"

"Damn! Dare to scheme against me!" Ren Yudi couldn't care about his speech anymore, and picked up a bottle of champagne at hand and splashed it back at Zhang Jun.

Batistuta looked at the crazy people in front of him, as if he had returned to his playing days, he felt enthusiastic and eager to make trouble with these young people, so he grabbed a bottle of champagne and joined the battle.

Sabbato poured a bottle of champagne on Di Livio's head, shouting loudly: "Come on! Come on! Crazy night! Haha!"

Di Livio also threw away his always-insisted elegant demeanor, and carried out a ruthless champagne counterattack on Sabbato.

When all the champagne and beer in the locker room were used up by the people, the carnival finally ended. Ren Yudi sorted out his wet suit, and said somewhat comically to his subordinates: "Take a shower, we will go back to the hotel, and return to Florence tomorrow, and people all over the city will welcome you like triumphant heroes."

After the players simply took a shower and changed their clothes, they stepped on the bus parked outside the stadium. At this time, there were still many die-hard Fiorentina fans guarding outside the stadium. When they saw the bus slowly driving out, they excitedly shouted, waving the scarves and jerseys in their hands, and thanking the heroes. The excited players also stood up one by one, raising their hands to thank the fans.

When the bus finally drove out of people's sight, these fans gradually dispersed.

"Arno! Haven't gone home yet?" The stadium staff greeted the colleague who was walking past him in a hurry.

The man stopped, looked back at the other party, and then smiled: "Maybe it will take some time. Those people in Fiorentina are really noisy, the locker room is too messy, I have to find a cleaner to clean it."

"Haha! Yes, tonight is their first time. Did you watch this game?"

"Of course." Arno nodded.

"Hey! It's really wonderful! The reversal at the last moment, Zhang's hat-trick, there was also a Champions League final held here a few years ago, but I think today's game is exciting enough! You know what, I was so nervous at the last moment that I almost wrote the wrong score. They are really not easy..." The "they" he said refers to the Fiorentina players or fans, no one knows.

"Yes, it was a very exciting game. This is also a perfect ending for this season, and next should be a good holiday. Well, I have to go to work quickly. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, I have to go to work too. When you are done cleaning, tell me, so I can turn off the lights." The two waved goodbye.

After the locker room was cleaned by the cleaner, Arno personally turned off the lights in the locker room, and then closed the door and walked out. Behind him, the lights on the corridor above went out one by one.

On the roof of the entire Veltins-Arena stadium, the huge floodlights went out row by row, making a bang. When the last row of floodlights also went out, the stadium re-entered a darkness, quietly waiting for the arrival of next season.

※※※

Zhang Jun did not return to the hotel where the team was staying, but after arriving at the hotel, he took Ren Yudi's private car to another hotel.

There, Hua Fang was waiting for him, and he needed to sign several new commercial contracts, including a new contract from Nike, and the compensation has been greatly improved. All this is because he led the team to win the European Championship, won the Triple Crown this season, and became the hottest star in the world football, and he deserves a more generous reward.

Nike hopes that Zhang Jun will play the leading role in the near future and shoot a promotional advertisement for their company, but Zhang Jun considered that he was about to prepare for the World Cup, so he simply rejected this request. The two parties discussed this issue for about half an hour, and finally Nike was persuaded. They agreed to shoot the advertisement after the World Cup.

The Nike representative initially urged him to shoot the advertisement out of the idea of ​​trying to use Zhang Jun as much as possible, but now he was forced to postpone it until after the World Cup, but he did not expect that it would make them the biggest beneficiary. The representative who had arbitrarily agreed to postpone the shooting of the advertisement was also promoted later, and became famous.

Of course, what can make Zhang Jun rush from one hotel to another is not these commercial contracts that can bring him generous rewards, but because in a guest room on the twenty-third floor of this hotel, Su Fei is waiting for him.

All this was arranged by Ren Yudi as soon as the game ended.

Knocked on the door, and it was Su Fei who came to open the door. Zhang Jun hugged Su Fei in his arms, and then swayed his right foot back, like kicking Dragon Soaring, and closed the door beautifully.

Zhang Jun hugged Su Fei, and his lips had already been printed on. There were only the voices of two people gasping for breath in the room. After a long time, they separated. Zhang Jun was still hugging Su Fei, and at the same time, he adjusted the indicator light outside the room door to the "Do Not Disturb" state.

"A night with just the two of us." Zhang Jun said with a smile to Su Fei, Su Fei lowered her head blushing.

The hero returns triumphantly, and everyone cheers to welcome him back home to meet his beautiful wife. This is a cliché plot in countless myths and legends, but it makes Zhang Jun feel extremely happy.

※※※

The next day, Zhang Jun and Su Fei met Ren Yudi directly at the door of the room. He personally drove to the airport to send the two off, because the team had already arrived one step ahead of them.

"You two, did you have a good rest last night?" Ren Yudi looked at the two people in front of him with a smile, blushing in front of him.

"Let's go." Ren Yudi shook the car keys in his hand, "Today, I will be a driver for our great hero."

On the way to the airport, Ren Yudi was introducing to Zhang Jun the situation that he might face when he returned to Florence later: "I have arranged a convertible bus, and the team will get on this bus when they get off the plane. Then we will start our parade tour, and finally arrive at the Municipal Square, under the statue of David, to celebrate our first Champions League title. At that time, there will be tens of thousands of people coming, and the scene will be very spectacular. You have to be prepared, Zhang Jun. Because you will be the protagonist."

"Protagonist..." Zhang Jun murmured softly in the back row, "No, the protagonist is the whole team. If it weren't for Kru's decisive breakthrough in the middle, it wouldn't have caused the opponent's foul, and there wouldn't have been that free kick opportunity. If it weren't for Xiang Tao to cover for me, I wouldn't have a chance to shoot easily. If it wasn't for Frey's save at the last moment, maybe the championship would have been Milan's now. Without the joint efforts of all the players and coaches, there would be no this championship trophy." Zhang Jun turned his eyes to the outside of the window, and his thoughts seemed to return to yesterday's game, which was really an intense and wonderful game. Even now, when he thinks about it, the moment when Yang Pan's last kick flew out of the goalpost still makes him tremble with fear.

"I'm just a striker, I score more goals, and I'm more glamorous. Football is not billiards, not track and field. It's a team sport, without the support of my teammates, I'm nothing. Otherwise, why would I only succeed now? Because I have a group of excellent teammates, a group of excellent coaches and an excellent boss."

Ren Yudi, who was driving, smiled, and Zhang Jun clearly saw his smile in the rearview mirror.

"Zhang Jun, when did you learn to flatter?"

"Cut! I won't flatter you, I'm telling the truth."

"Mmm, I like to hear the truth."

The two laughed at the same time.

When they arrived at the airport, the rogue Xiang Tao kept staring at Zhang Jun and Su Fei with malicious intentions. Zhang Jun was already used to Xiang Tao's rogue eyes, so he turned his face and chatted with Kru. And Su Fei said to Xiang Tao with a smile, if he didn't restrain himself any more, she would report him in front of Youyou when she went back. Frightened, Xiang Tao quickly made a appearance of a gentleman, and went to "talk" with Sabbato.

The departure of Fiorentina was a major event for the German football news media. The airport was surrounded by countless reporters, and the players chatted, made phone calls, and joked nonchalantly under the illumination of the reporters' flashlights, and they were already used to such scenes.

Sabbato looked at these reporters, and pouted at Di Livio beside him: "What is this? When we return to Florence later, I believe what will greet us will be an even more crazy big scene, a big scene!" He opened his arms and tried his best to stretch them out, gesticulating in front of Di Livio.

The plane went straight into the sky, taking the Fiorentina players, taking the silver-shining championship trophy, leaving Schalke, leaving this city that is bound to leave the Fiorentina people with endless memories.

※※※

When the plane circled over the long sky of Florence, waiting for the airport to arrange to run to land, the players had already surprisingly seen the dense purple crowd underneath, and it was really spectacular from the air.

"Tsk tsk... big scene, big scene..." Some people can only repeat this word.

Purple is arranged along the streets and roads, like a purple-gold line, extending from the airport all the way to the center of Florence.

At the same time, on the tarmac of the airport, officials from the Florence Municipal Government and the presidents of the Italian Football Association and the Italian Professional Football League are standing there, waiting for the Florence team that brought the highest honor back to Italian football - it is really ironic that a few months ago, they were still the public enemy of Italian football, and everyone wanted to put them to death.

When the plane was still taxiing on the runway, Zhang Jun was elected as the representative of the team, appeared in the lens cab, and then he asked the captain to open the porthole, poked his head out, and was holding up the European Champions Cup with one hand. Those who were waiting inside and outside the airport, those who were waiting in the city, saw this scene through live TV, and shouted in unison.

"Long live! Florence! You are the king of Europe!"

Even the mayor of Florence, the old man who usually looks like a human being, put on the purple scarf of Florence around his neck, and cheered with his arms raised like an ordinary fan.

Zhang Jun's body was probed outside, and the purple Fiorentina team flag tied to the handle of the Champions Cup fluttered in the wind.

That was a scene that was unforgettable at that moment.

When the plane stopped, Zhang Jun and Sabbato took the two handles of the Champions Cup and walked down the ladder at the same time, and then they raised the Champions Cup high again. This is the honor that all clubs in Europe dream of, just like the crown on the king's head. Now it belongs to Florence!

After a short speech at the airport, Sabbato and Zhang Jun held the Champions Cup and boarded the prepared bus. As Ren Yudi said, it was a convertible bus specially prepared for this parade - the kind of double-decker bus with the roof cut off.

Because the roads were full of people, although there was a police car leading the way, the speed was almost the same as walking.

Even so, the players on the bus were not tired at all, they kept raising the championship trophy and saluting the crowd on both sides, and then exchanged for waves of cheers that were higher than waves.

The convoy passed through Florence's training ground, where Zhang Jun and his companions worked hard, sweating, and spent beautiful evenings.

Then they passed the Franchi Stadium again. There was a small climax here, because there were quite a lot of people gathered here. They sang the Fiorentina team song like they were watching the ball in the stadium, shouting the names of the heroes, and setting off a Mexican wave.

"Welcome home! Heroes!" When the huge banner was unfolded, everyone's nose was sore. They worked so hard on the court to win the victory. In addition to being worthy of the salary paid by the boss, didn't they want to gain the recognition, respect and love of these people?

Zhang Jun pointed to the stadium.

This sacred Franchi has witnessed the glory and disgrace of Florence for most of a century. From the initial unknown small stadium to the large stadium that can accommodate more than 60,000 people today, she has experienced too much with the Florence football team. Wind and rain.

She has been integrated into the entire city of Florence, into the life and blood of the Florentines. She has become a proud landmark of Florence, like the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, like Giotto's Campanile, like the statue of David. It is the honor of any Fiorentina player to be able to play here.

All fans regard this place as their Jerusalem. They are fanatical and extreme about it.

After Baggio was sold to Juventus for a record price of eight million US dollars, the following year, Juventus came here to play away games, and Baggio needed bodyguards to escort him when he went to Franchi with the team. In that game, Juventus won a penalty, but Baggio refused to take the penalty. The famous German star Thomas Hassler walked to the penalty spot, and what he said later was a true portrayal of the special game atmosphere of Franchi Stadium:

"It's not like playing against a team, but facing the whole city."

"Being able to play here is a lifetime of memories that are worth remembering, and it is my lifelong honor." Zhang Jun murmured, pointing to the Franchi Stadium in the sunset.

I don't know how long it took, when the convoy came to their final destination - the Mayor's Square, the sun had already set in the west. The golden light sprinkled all over the city of Florence. This kind of scenery is beautiful under the purple crowd.

The square was already crowded with Fiorentina fans, and the entire team boarded the second floor of the town hall, and then came to the balcony to greet their followers.

Zhang Jun grabbed the championship trophy and placed it beside him. Then he made his brief speech.

"When I came here, I said I would help Florence get promoted to Serie A, and we did it. After the World Cup, there were rumors that I was leaving here, but I persevered, and now I want to thank my persistence. Thank you all."

The fans all quieted down and listened to the leader's speech.

"We come from all over the world, we have different languages, different beliefs, and different personalities, but we are gathered together because of Florence. Along the way, you have given us selfless support, encouraged us, applauded and cheered for us, and let us come to today. Now, we are the king of Europe! We are the great Triple Crown! In the years to come, we will still be with you, working hard to win any honor. Please continue to accompany us, encourage us when we fail, and cheer for us when we win! Glory belongs to Florence, glory belongs to each of you!!"

He raised the trophy again. Everyone followed him and raised their arms, shouting loudly: "Long live! The King of Europe!"