Chapter 1 July 11th

The European Cup final.

The Eiffel Tower fan zone was a sea of people.

A giant LED display screen towered at the base of the tower.

Countless tourists and neutral fans gathered.

Colorful flags fluttered in the wind.

The whole world was looking forward to the upcoming feast.

In Saint-Denis, a town in the back of Paris, the Stade de France shone brightly.

The honor guard on the green field was ready to go.

Xavi held the Delaunay Cup and placed it on the base at the exit of the players' tunnel.

Sixteen-year-old Karina Neuville played the accordion, and the melodious music floated in the sky above France.

The famous musician, David Guetta, walked onto the giant DJ booth temporarily built on the center circle.

Under the backdrop of majestic music.

The dancers on the green field spelled out the French word for "thank you":

On the sidelines, legendary referee Pierluigi Collina, who came to watch the game, had his suit covered in moths.

....

Neutral stand.

Voller couldn't help but sigh, "This scene reminds me of when I was young..."

Old Man Toppmöller said excitedly, "This ticket is worth it!"

Dino quickly chimed in, "Boss, if we are willing to go to the Spanish stand, it's free. Li has many tickets for his family and friends. Which team do you favor to win this game?"

"I'm rooting for Li!"

"Cristiano Ronaldo's knee is injured, so he may not be able to persist in the game."

"What's going on? Why are there so many moths here? It's as if some kind of witchcraft summoned them!"

"Oh! It's the moths' migration period, and the spotlights are attracting them!"

Teacher Berrenta adjusted his glasses, "Why do I feel like there's one person missing?"

Close-up stand.

The little assistant was keeping the beat with the Spanish WAGs!

....

Player tunnel.

The players on both sides were in no mood to appreciate the shocking music gala.

Ramos and Pepe hugged each other.

Diego Costa looked at them with ill intentions.

You know, when he played for Atletico Madrid, he could make Real Madrid's two super central defenders receive yellow cards in just one half.

Pique noticed the camera pointed at him and immediately pointed two fingers at his eyes.

Saul was a little nervous, after all, he was not familiar with most of the Portuguese players.

Regardless of strength, human beings will always be afraid of the unknown.

Iniesta patted the Atletico Madrid youngster on the shoulder and comforted him, "Don't be nervous, just play like you're playing in the league."

The ball boys were squeezed into the corner by the crowds.

The queues on both sides were quickly lined up.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Li Kang stood parallel, very close to each other.

His face was stern, and he stared straight ahead.

The two did not greet each other.

Each of them bore the expectations of countless people.

The time waiting to enter the arena was long, and inadvertently, they thought of the bits and pieces of the draw ceremony last season.

Cristiano Ronaldo's expression softened slightly, and he subconsciously patted the other person on the shoulder.

Li Kang smiled.

The camera happened to move over.

Cristiano Ronaldo immediately retracted his hand and resumed his cold expression.

...

Until the referee team walked to the front row.

The players on both sides separated.

The system prompt sounded quietly.

[National Team Main Quest Reminder: Conquer Europe!]

[Quest Introduction: You've finally made it here. The road...was too easy. Let the world witness you lifting that Delaunay Cup!]

[Quest Reward: ???]

...

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, viewers!"

"You are watching the 2016 European Cup Final!"

"Spain vs. Portugal!"

"A highly anticipated showdown that the world is watching!"

"Tonight, no one is destined to sleep!"

"Whichever team wins will make history!"

"Who is the King of the Iberian Peninsula? Let's wait and see!"

"I am the commentator for this game, Duan Xuan!"

"I'm He Wei!"

....

The referee team led the players out of the tunnel.

The Stade de France erupted in a tsunami of cheers, instantly drowning out the passionate European Cup theme song.

When Li Kang brushed past the glittering Delaunay Cup, he couldn't help but slow down.

For a moment, he seemed to understand the meaning of professional players' relentless struggle.

"Next, we will introduce the starting lineups for both sides!"

"Spain's formation is 4-2-3-1!"

"Goalkeeper: De Gea!"

"Defenders: Carvajal, Ramos, Pique, Juanfran!"

"Double defensive midfielders: Li Kang, Saul!"

"Attacking midfielders: Cazorla, Iniesta, David Silva!"

"Forward: Diego Costa!"

...

Live broadcast room.

The number of viewers reached the peak of this European Cup.

-[Why did Spain put Pique on? This guy is good, but he might lose his mind in any game.]

-[Don't worry, he won't lose his mind against Cristiano Ronaldo.]

-[Nonsense, he is the one who has been beaten by Ronaldo the most times.]

-[San Jose's old injury relapsed! There's no way around it, Pique is the most stable of the remaining substitute defenders.]

-[Li Mingdeng is awesome. If he lifts the Delaunay Cup as a core midfielder at the age of 18, he will definitely go down in history!]

-[I hope Little Li won't experience the pain of the Champions League semi-final like he did with his club this time. I don't want to feel that way again.]

-[Don't worry, the strength of the two teams is very different.]

...

"Portugal's formation is 4-1-3-2!"

"Goalkeeper: Patricio!"

"Defenders: Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Guerrero!"

"Single defensive midfielder: William Carvalho!"

"Attacking midfielders: Renato Sanches, Adrien Silva, Joao Mario!"

"Forwards: Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo!"

-[Why does Portugal have so many little black eggs?]

-[Dare to play with a single defensive midfielder? Aren't they afraid of being blown up?]

-[Except for Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, I don't know any other players. How can they play against the luxurious Invincible Fleet?]

-[Don't underestimate Portugal. This is a team based on the Portuguese Super League giants - Sporting Lisbon. The offense and defense are very solid. Isn't it easy for a club team to beat a national team?]

-[Got it, this game is Sporting Lisbon vs Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City!]

-[Football is round, don't be too happy too early. As long as Cristiano Ronaldo is there, it won't be so easy to lose!]

-[In a few years, when Portugal's new generation grows up, Spain will not be their opponent.]

.....

With the referee's whistle.

The European Cup final officially began.

Nani passed the ball back to William Carvalho.

He is no longer as brave as he was then.

When he was young, he was known as Cristiano Ronaldo's successor, Manchester United's Dark Heavenly King, and as a main winger, he once scored zero goals and zero assists in a season.

"Oh! William Carvalho made a mistake, he didn't stop the ball well!"

"Fortunately, Pepe controlled the ball in time."

Before Diego Costa could rush up.

Pepe passed the ball to Cedric on the wing.

The Chelsea striker did not immediately retreat, but smiled at the Martial Monk.

Every time the two meet, a story is born.

Elbows, kicks, nose blowing...

They are so familiar with each other that even a smile can be interpreted as mockery.

Pepe suppressed his anger.

No fouls, no cards.

This is the final stage!

He is fighting for the honor of Portugal!

....

After Cedric advanced a distance with the ball, he passed it to Sanches.

Not Arsenal's Sanches, but Benfica's Sanches.

The little black egg had dreadlocks and was only 19 years old.

Before Li Kang's sudden emergence, he was the most watched supernova in Europe, a candidate for the Golden Boy Award.

On the sidelines.

Mijatovic exclaimed, "Look at that kid's ball control, it's so spiritual! He's also very fast! No wonder he's called Cristiano Ronaldo's successor."

Del Bosque nodded in appreciation, "Well, his only flaw may be his physical confrontation."

There was no tense atmosphere at all.

On the Spanish bench, Morata, Isco, Koke and others were all super geniuses who became famous at a young age... Their past limelight far surpassed the little dreadlocks on the field.

On the other side.

Coach Santos stood in the command area and waved his hands excitedly.

Portugal's tactics are very simple.

The advance on the wing mainly depends on Sanches!

...

"Portugal has sounded the horn of attack!"

"The process of advancing on the wing is very smooth!"

"Spain's pressing is not strong enough, they can't let Sanches pass!"

"Dangerous!"

"The super genius from Benfica not only broke Cristiano Ronaldo's record for the youngest appearance! But also won the best MVP in the games against Croatia and Poland!"

"Immeasurable future... Oh! The ball is lost!"

The Stade de France erupted in cheers again.

Sanches was squeezed out of bounds by a figure.

The football stuck to the feet of Spain's number 6.

The audience was surprised: Is this all there is to the Portuguese genius? How is he so much weaker than Kimmich and Mbappe?

Li Kang didn't think too much.

God's perspective had already grasped the movements of his teammates in the frontcourt!

Pa!

The football drew a graceful arc in the air.

....

"This long pass is a bit random, even the most dazzling genius is inevitably a little nervous when participating in the final for the first time... Wow!"

Everyone was stunned by the parabola on the green field.

Too deadly.

Like cutting a cake, it easily tore through Portugal's midfield defense!

"The vision is too broad!"

"Like a cruise missile!"

"Long pass with extremely high strategic significance!"

"Portugal's frontcourt players can't come back to defend in time!"

"Accurately found Diego Costa in the frontcourt!"

"Li-Costa connection!"

...

In the stands.

Voller took the lead in applauding.

Dino said in surprise, "Boss, Li's long passes are very easy to lose possession of the ball..."

Old Man Toppmöller quickly interrupted, "Do you think the Spanish national team is Bayer Leverkusen?"

"Let me be the coach of this Spanish team and I can win the championship!"

...

The Chelsea striker was competing with Carvalho!

A little black egg from Sporting Lisbon.

There was no suspense in the confrontation.

No need to make any small moves.

Carvalho was carried away by Diego Costa!

"Beautiful chest stop!"

"No foul!"

"Made it to David Silva who came forward!"

"A very effective fulcrum, Diego Costa is playing like a traditional center forward in this game!"

"Oh, Fonte is thinking too much, how can he lose his position!"

.....

David Silva is not fast.

At the same time as stopping the ball,

Adrien and Joao Mario surrounded him at the same time.

It is still a positional crush.

Not to mention the "slow version of Messi"...

If you let Messi from Barcelona's youth team come, he can also break through!

"No problem."

"Beautiful dial the ball!"

"Magician in a small local space!"

The Manchester City midfielder flashed and moved, not only got rid of the opponent's double-teaming, but also attracted Guerrero and Fonte!

In the crowd.

It was like a cold light lit up!

David Silva did not break through the siege, his pass broke through the siege!

Juanfran, who came to respond, suddenly rushed out!

After receiving the ball, he burst forward!

There is a vacuum zone in front of him!

Coach Santos was stunned: How can four people not be able to stop David Silva, who has performed mediocrely in the past few games!

...

The audience was confused.

Is the gap in strength between Spain and Portugal so big?

Li Kang hasn't participated in the frontcourt attack yet?

The cooperation of the Chelsea striker, Manchester City midfielder, and Atletico Madrid full-back has broken through the Portuguese defense?

Are you kidding me?

This is the European Cup final!

....

Outside the penalty area.

Pepe's super defense can only be shown under the premise that his teammates do not lose their position.

How to fill such a big hole left?

It's very uncomfortable.

Cazorla and Iniesta also opened up the width of the attack!

There was no way, he rushed fiercely towards the Atletico Madrid full-back!

Juanfran is not a rookie, his characteristics are very rare.

As an excellent product of Real Madrid's youth training, his passing rate is very fast.

Even long passes with higher difficulty can be sent out in a very short time!

Pepe, who had killed halfway, suddenly stopped and watched the football pass over his head!

"Wonderful!"

"Diego Costa!"

"Directly facing goalkeeper Patricio! That is the super goalkeeper that made Bale sigh!"

"Beautiful!"

"This ball is in!"

Ping!

Diego Costa volleyed!

The football rotated violently and roared into the Portuguese team's goal!

1:0! ! !

For a time.

All Portuguese fans could not accept this fact...

How long has it been since the start?

We have a group of main players from the Portuguese Super League giants Sporting Lisbon, how could we be scored so easily!

That Spanish number 6 hasn't participated in the frontcourt attack yet.