Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 113 Atletico Madrid's Bad Luck
Meanwhile, at the Bentegoti Stadium.

Rome was also celebrating excitedly, with people shouting and jumping around, everyone releasing their excitement.

However, they cannot relax yet, and the club has not arranged a championship celebration.

After the awards ceremony, the team laughed and joked around in the locker room before returning to Rome.

Upon returning to Rome, they immediately began preparations for the Europa League final three days later!
They immediately began training the next day.

Everyone in the club was talking about the final. Some players weren't nervous at all, like Shan Yongzhuo and Mexes, who were the two most thick-skinned players on the team.

The others were different. Before they could even savor the joy of winning the league title, Totti and his group were already training with grim expressions.

Then, the day before the match, the whole team flew to Hamburg, Germany, where the Europa League final would take place at the Nordbank Arena.

After arriving in Hamburg, they checked into a hotel in Rome to rest before regrouping and training at a stadium assigned by UEFA.

To ensure the team's performance, Spalletti declined interviews, and he himself only attended a brief press conference.

"We are very well prepared, and everyone is looking forward to tomorrow's game. It will be a new chapter for Roma, and we all hope to win the treble!"

"We're here with only one goal: to defeat Atletico Madrid and win the Europa League!"

"..."

Spalletti rambled on at the press conference, while the Roma players rested in their hotel; maintaining good form is crucial before a big match.

Dan Yongzhuo lay in bed, but was too excited to sleep.

Mexes, who was in the same room, was equally excited.

Mexes has never reached such heights in his career; his best achievement was reaching the Champions League quarterfinals with Roma.

Reaching the Champions League quarterfinals sounds like a pretty good result, but the quarterfinals are just that—the quarterfinals. The same goes for the Champions League quarterfinals; they can't compare to the championship.

The Europa League champion is also a European champion!

More importantly, if he performs well, he could make it into the French national team and participate in the South Africa World Cup, which would be the happiest thing for Mexes.

"Philip, it seems your career isn't all that great, you can't even make the national team." Shan Yongzhu rolled his eyes at Mexes, pouring cold water on his enthusiasm.

“What do you know!” Mexes said bitterly, “I can’t make the national team, it’s all that bastard Domenech’s fault!”

Then, Mexes told Shan Yongzhuo in detail about his grievances with Domenech over the years.

When Mexes debuted at the age of 18, he became a highly praised prodigy and was called the new Blanc of France. He was selected for the French national team in 2002.

However, with the arrival of Domenech, Mexes was left out of the 2004 European Championship and also failed to participate in the 2006 World Cup. Although Mexes was already hailed as the future leader of the French defense, he still failed to earn Domenech's high regard.

Even Marcello Lippi, the Italian national team coach at the time, said: "If Mexes were Italian, I would definitely take him to the World Cup in Germany."

Mexes personally believes that Domenech was unhappy with his transfer to Serie A, because everyone knows that Domenech hates Serie A, but what's done is done and there's nothing that can be done.

The World Cup has become a lingering obsession for Mexes. Now, with the new World Cup approaching, this may be the first and last chance for the 28-year-old Mexes. Domenech's presence at the Italian Cup recently excited Mexes, and winning the Europa League with Roma would greatly improve his chances of joining the French national team.

After listening to Mexes's rambling, Shan Yongzhuo couldn't help but sigh: "Well, if someone like you is called the future leader of France's defense, it's no wonder that French football has declined. But even if you get in, France doesn't have much hope this year."

"..."

Mexes was speechless. If he hadn't been wary of Shan Yongzhuo's weakness, he probably would have already thrown a punch.

Shan Yongzhuo wasn't looking down on Mexes; the guy's defensive ability was undeniable. Perhaps his ground defense was a little weak, but he was absolutely formidable in the air. Tony was a very strong aerial bombarder, but even he struggled to gain a significant advantage against Mexes in team training.

However, this guy has two fatal flaws. One is that he is prone to rashness in defense and is sometimes too reckless. The other is that he has the heart of a striker and often can't help but push forward to attack.

However, Shan Yongzhuo still supports his friend's dream.

Mexes is a very nice person, with a very easy-going and cheerful personality, and is easy to get along with.

Shan Yongzhuo had some friends in Rome, but his relationship with Mexes was always the best. Although they were almost ten years apart in age, they could often joke around freely.

"Don't worry, Philipp. I can't guarantee the national team, but the Europa League is absolutely no problem. You'll definitely win that title."

Do you also think I will perform exceptionally well?

"No, what does it have to do with you, a defender? It's because I'm here."

"..."

Mexes suddenly didn't want to talk anymore, but then he thought that if Roma wanted to win the championship, they really would have to rely heavily on Shan Yongzhuo's goal.

But this guy is way too confident.

Shan Yongzhuo was certainly very confident and excited, but for a different reason than Max.

His excitement stemmed from a simple fact: he knew he would be the center of attention in the final because today's training had boosted his shooting accuracy to 100 points!
In other words, it's a sacrifice!
"Sorry, Atletico Madrid, you're just as unlucky as AC Milan!"

Shan Yongzhuo also felt immense sympathy for Atletico Madrid.

Atletico Madrid is by no means a weak team. The team has last season's European Golden Boot winner Forlán and Argentine prodigy Aguero. The team also finished fourth in the league last season and qualified for the Champions League, but they suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Chelsea and Porto. They were able to reach the Europa League thanks to their head-to-head record with APOEL Nicosia, which can be considered a stroke of good fortune.

However, they completely transformed in the Europa League, successively eliminating Turkish Super League champions Galatasaray, Portuguese Super League powerhouse Sporting Lisbon, La Liga strongman Valencia, and Premier League giants Liverpool, making their way to the final.

However, no matter how strong Atlético Madrid is, it's hard to say they are stronger than Inter Milan and AC Milan. Faced with the relentless onslaught of powerful kicks, Shan Yongzhuo believes Atlético Madrid will have a hard time turning the tide.

"By the way, Shan, are you really going to Manchester City? Is it for the money?"

Lying in bed, Mexes asked the question that concerned her most.

"Yes." Shan Yongzhuo was quite frank with his friend. "Philip, you only have one year left on your contract, right?"

“Yes,” Mexes sighed. “However, my contract renewal with the club is not going well, and I may leave at the end of next season.”

"So where will you go?"

"Who knows? Maybe I'll go back to France, or maybe I'll stay in Italy."

Mexes suddenly said with a touch of melancholy, "That's how it is for professional players; wandering is our theme. How many guys like Francisco and Daniele can you find?"

After thinking for a moment, Shan Yongzhuo gave a very sincere suggestion: "If you really can't make it here, you can consider going to China to play football. I'll show you the best of Chinese cuisine then."

"My God, even China has a football league? It's so unfair for a star like me to play in a league of this level!"

"Moreover, a handsome guy like me going to China is a disaster for you Chinese men, because your girls will fall madly in love with me," Mexes said smugly, making a very arrogant expression.

"Philip, I bet you want a taste of fists!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)