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Chapter 229 One Hundred and Sixty-Five Years of Waiting
Jon Berg and Tang Lin pushed open the door of the Miners' Bar and saw that it was already full of people, with the bar almost completely packed.

Mr. Berg led Donald to the seats that Robbie Dixie had reserved for them and asked the guys who were drinking and chatting, "Where are we now?"

“The Golden Globe,” Ryan replied.

“Oh, that’s coming soon. The Golden Globe is just the final step…” Mr. Berg finished speaking, then turned to Harry Collins, who was looking at them from the bar, and held up two fingers, which meant two glasses of light beer.

Collins nodded and turned to get back to work.

Berg and Tang Lin sat down together.

Dixie pointed to the wall behind them and asked, "Did you see that when you came in?"

Berg and Tang Lin turned around at the same time and were surprised to find that the wall had changed.

"Where are those three decorative paintings? Hmm? What are those?"

Berg squinted, unable to see clearly because the wall was a little far away. He could only see two small pieces of paper on it, but he couldn't make out what was on them.

"Ha!" Dixie handed his phone to Berg. "Zoom in."

The phone screen showed a photo of the wall that Dixie had taken. Berg took the photo and zoomed in to see what was posted on the wall:
It's the league standings for the first and third rounds!
He paused for a moment, then laughed: "Ha! The boss took my joke seriously!"

"Isn't this a good thing?" Dixie countered.

Berg handed the phone back to Dixie and looked up at the wall in the distance.

The wall wasn't actually that big, but after removing three decorative paintings and only pasting two palm-sized pieces of paper, it still looked empty.

He squinted again, and the wall in his field of vision changed. Palm-sized sheets of paper appeared out of thin air and automatically pasted onto the wall one after another.

He mentally simulated how many leaderboards of the same size could be displayed on this wall.

Robbie Dixie continued his conversation with his tablemates about the topic they had just discussed.

Tang Lin sat in his seat and started scrolling through his phone.

The bar's television was showing close-up shots of Ronald Nascimento, but hardly anyone glanced at the screen.

They've gathered here today, packing the Miners' Bar to capacity, not to witness Ronaldo win his fifth Golden Globe.

※※※

Ronier Nascimento sat in the front row, right in front of the main stage.

No more than two meters in front of him, a photographer stood with a camera, pointing the lens at him.

Ronnie smiled at the camera.

He knew he would be the star of the day.

At this very moment, a highlight reel of his best performances this season is playing on the big screen on the stage.

His passionate commentary, coupled with his various goals, made for an exhilarating viewing experience.

Actually, this video wasn't just about his amazing performance; it also featured two other people: Arthur Eloun and Ramon Van Dijon.

These three people were the final three nominees for the Golden Globe Award.

This has become the norm in recent years.

Two of the three finalists for the Golden Globe Award each year are always the same two: Roni Nascimento and Arthur Elohn.

The final result will be chosen from these two people.

The third nominee changes every year; he's basically just there to make up the numbers and has absolutely no chance of winning the Golden Globe.

If the Golden Globe Awards weren't divided into three categories—Golden Globe, Silver Globe, and Bronze Globe—the final shortlist would likely have been two rather than three nominees.

In other words, if a player in the football world can finish third in the annual Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards, then it can be considered that he has performed his best, that is an achievement to be proud of, and that he is the number one player in the world of football besides Ronaldo and Arthur.

Ramon Van Dijkhan reached a new peak in his career by scoring 32 goals in the Premier League last season, winning the Premier League Golden Boot for the third time in a row.

Even so, it poses no threat to the positions of the top two.

Van Dijk himself was well aware that he was just there to make up the numbers.

However, he is only 25 years old and has already won the Premier League Golden Boot for three consecutive seasons. Now, all he needs is a Champions League title.

When Ronaldo and Arthur's careers begin to decline, the future of football will belong to him.

He will definitely win the Golden Globe.

So he wasn't in a hurry and had a very good mindset.

When he appeared on camera, he had a smile on his face and was very charming.

Arthur Eloun, who appeared in the shot behind him, was also smiling.

However, his smile was merely to display his composure, and certainly not as serene as Van Dijk's.

If he wins the Ballon d'Or this year, he will have matched Ronaldo's achievement of winning the Ballon d'Or for three consecutive years.

As a result, at such a crucial moment, he lost to his arch-rival.

Not only did he lose the Ballon d'Or, but he also helped Ronaldo win another Ballon d'Or.

He already led Ronaldo with five Ballon d'Or wins compared to Ronaldo's four. If he wins the award again this time, he can extend his lead to two Ballon d'Or awards.

Now, however, Ronaldo has equaled his number of Ballon d'Or awards, with both players now having five Ballon d'Or awards.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo also surpassed Ronaldo's four FIFA World Player of the Year awards with six.

It can be said that he was outmatched in every aspect in his contest with Rooney.

That's why Arthur was so down at the end of last season.

He lost more than just a season's championship; he also lost a golden opportunity to leave Rooney behind.

After the highlights of the three candidates were played, the host and special guest, Brazilian legend Filho, returned to the stage, where the two of them—or rather, Filho himself—would reveal the final result.

It's just a formality; the outcome is already a foregone conclusion.

Prior to the awards ceremony, the media had already publicly reported that Roni Nascimento would win his fifth Golden Globe Award.

The choice of the award presenter is also strong evidence – UEFA's selection of former Brazilian football star Filho as the presenter indicates that the winner is definitely a Brazilian player!

Of the three candidates, only Roni Nascimento is Brazilian.

Filho's full name was Matthews da Silva Mendes; "Filho" was his nickname.

He was a Brazilian superstar active in the world football scene during the first decade of this century, leading the Brazilian national team to victory in the 2010 World Cup.

The most glorious period of his career was when he played for Atlético Barcelona.

Like Ronaldo, he is Brazilian and also a legend of Atlético Barcelona.

If he's allowed to present the award, then who will win the Golden Globe? Isn't it obvious?

As expected, after taking the stage, Fello first made some polite remarks, such as "Every player who makes it to the Ballon d'Or shortlist is excellent," "Whoever wins the Ballon d'Or, it's a victory for football," and "Every player who gave their all last season should be proud of themselves"...

After speaking, he opened the envelope he was holding, glanced at it briefly, then smiled and looked up to announce the winner's name:

"Ronal Nascimento!"

The audience erupted in applause, and music began to play.

As Ronier buttoned up his suit jacket, he got up from his seat.

Under everyone's gaze, he walked onto the stage.

※※※

Seeing the triumphant black face on the screen, Tang Xingmei said to Wang Lie, "Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards, but he still can't forget you. I don't remember him being this resentful after losing to you back then."

The two have been on the phone ever since.

Knowing that his wife wanted to watch the lottery ceremony live, Wang Lie decided to chat with her on the phone while watching the live stream with her.

Before the draw ceremony, there was an awards ceremony for various awards from last season, with the Ballon d'Or being the highlight and naturally placed last.

Hearing his wife's question, Wang Lie laughed and said, "It's precisely because he has five Ballon d'Or awards now that he's still so resentful about losing to me back then. Think about it, the more successful a person is, the more they want others to not know about their embarrassing past, right?"

Tang Xingmei laughed as she thought about it: "Ha! It really is! But it's not just a minor dark history; it seems that the time you defeated him was unforgettable for him..."

"That's normal. After all, if he had beaten me that time, he would have been a football king even if he hadn't won the World Cup. Winning the Champions League, the Ballon d'Or, and the FIFA World Player of the Year four times in a row would have been unmatched by anyone... But unfortunately, he met me. You could only say he wasn't lucky."

Tang Xingmei joked, "If I were UEFA, I would put Tyne and Atlético Barcelona in the same group. That would be so much more newsworthy!"

Wang Lie chuckled and said, "Four teams in one group probably won't be enough; we need to reform the competition format."

"Eight teams in one group?"

Wang Lie shook his head: "That's still not enough."

"Why not just have 32 teams in the league? That way you won't miss a single enemy."

"Then the Champions League needs to be expanded first."

Tang Xingmei was speechless: "Do you have that many enemies?"

After laughing heartily, Wang Lie recited a line of poetry: "Do not worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world does not hate you?"

"You're quite proud of yourself..." Tang Xingmei retorted. "Of course. The fact that so many people consider me an enemy means I really pose a threat to them. Otherwise, who would hold a grudge for so long over a roadside ditch?"

Wang Lie was genuinely proud, and he wasn't joking. Given his personality, he didn't want friends all over the world; in fact, he'd rather have enemies all over the world.

No matter how many enemies there are, it's just a matter of playing one match at a time; he just needs to win each match.

As the two were talking, Ronier had already walked to the microphone, and at the same time, Filho took the Golden Globe trophy that the hostess had brought and handed it to him.

After accepting the trophy, Ronnie hugged Filho and the host, then stood alone in front of the microphone.

“I’m delighted to win the Ballon d’Or; it’s the best reward for my past season. I want to thank my family and my team, everyone at Atlético FC, and my fans…”

Listening to the simultaneous translation, Tang Xingmei complained, "Ronal's speech is quite normal, like he's reciting a prepared speech... How come he was so outspoken last time?"

She was referring to the time after Wang Lie's signing ceremony when a reporter interviewed Ronier and asked him what he thought of Wang Lie's words.

Faced with this obviously provocative question, Ronaldo blurted out, "Of course he won't win the championship, because I will beat him!"

Caused an uproar.

The battle between Wang Lie's fans and Ronier's fans is just one part of the whole...

“That’s normal. Ronier isn’t a mad dog. He still needs to have some basic dignity…” Wang Lie said.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ronier said the final words:
"For me, five gold medals are just the beginning."

He held up a hand gesture.

"I will continue to work hard, and I hope that this time next year, I can still be standing here!"

After a brief moment of surprise, polite applause rang out in the hall.

Tang Xingmei laughed heartily: "Who said that just now? It seems Ronier is really going after you!"

Ronier's last words sounded arrogant; he hoped to be standing here again this time next year. Wasn't that just a slightly more subtle way of saying, "I hope I'll still win the Ballon d'Or next year"?

Wang Lie said he would win the Champions League, and Ronaldo said he would win the Ballon d'Or. Isn't that just another version of his previous statement, "Of course he can't win the championship, because I will beat him!"

The meaning is the same, only the attack power is slightly weaker. After all, this is the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, and Ronaldo really can't directly attack Wang Lie.

Although he did not name names, the media can surely guess what he meant.

After all, these media outlets are experts at stirring things up, and they're not to be trifled with.

Therefore, Tang Xingmei could actually imagine how the media and online public opinion would hype this matter after the awards ceremony ended.

It was inevitable that her husband would be involved.

However, judging from her husband's personality, he might not be averse to being involved...

That's why she laughed and told her husband that she was just joking.

"That's fine too. Anyway, if you're going to win the Champions League, the defending champion is someone you can't avoid. He always feels like he was beaten so badly by me back then, and I have a score to settle with him too," Wang Lie snorted.

For Ronier, perhaps the main reason he still harbors resentment is that he was utterly humiliated by Wang Lie in that Champions League final, which made him a laughingstock around the world.

Wang Lie and Ronaldo's story is set in the 2034 Saudi Arabia World Cup. Wang Lie led the Chinese team to a defeat against Ronaldo's Brazil in the round of 16, and they were eliminated.

If he hadn't failed, this elimination would have been the biggest regret of his life, leaving him forever trapped in the mire of failure, affecting his mental and physical health.

As far as Wang Lie was concerned, Ronier's claim of having a score to settle was just pretentious; Wang Lie himself was the one with the real deep-seated hatred.

On a smaller scale, the defeat to Brazil was related to his honor, ideals, and physical health.

On a grander scale, the future of Chinese football will be rewritten because of that match.

Therefore, Wang Lie's debt is the heaviest.

But unlike Ronier, he didn't go around spreading the word in a roundabout way.

He simply waited silently, waiting for the moment he would meet Ronier again.

※※※

Will Foster, seated in his chair, gave Ronier a polite round of applause for his remarks.

He didn't actually understand Ronaldo's hidden meaning because his mind wasn't on the Golden Globe Awards ceremony at all.

If UEFA hadn't insisted on putting the awards ceremony before the draw, he wouldn't have stayed here for so long, his butt aching from sitting, just to be a supporting character for some people who have nothing to do with him.

If UEFA had held the draw ceremony first, he guaranteed that he would leave immediately after knowing the results and then fly back to Newcastle on a private jet provided by his boss.

Who wins the Ballon d'Or, who wins the Silver Ball, who wins the Champions League Best Midfielder award, who is selected for the Champions League Best XI, who wins the European Golden Boot... it's all meaningless to him now, it has nothing to do with him.

His only concern this time was which three teams his team would be grouped with in the draw.

Because this will determine how far Tyne can go in this season's Champions League.

Wang Lie made his impressive statement at the signing ceremony, and as the club's management, they naturally hope the team can achieve good results in the Champions League.

Winning the championship is too far away, perhaps unrealistic, but at the very least, we can't just go home after playing only the group stage, right?
Foster hopes that Lady Luck will be kind to Tyne, who is participating in the Champions League for the first time, and that he will be placed in a group with weaker opponents and less intense competition.

Amid applause, Arthur Eloun and Ramon Van Dijon took to the stage to receive their respective trophies.

Then the three winners stood on the stage, holding their trophies, and posed for photos with the reporters in the audience.

After the photo session, the three took turns being interviewed by UEFA's official media in a designated area.

Meanwhile, the others in the lobby either rested or went to the restroom.

We're just waiting for the Champions League group stage draw to take place soon.

※※※

After finishing his interview with the official media, Ronier left immediately.

The subsequent Champions League group stage draw was unrelated to the players; their schedule ended after the awards ceremony.

Next, they will return to their respective clubs.

Ronier, along with his agent and closest family and friends, boarded the waiting van.

They will go directly to the airport and take a private plane back to Barcelona.

Inside the van, Ronaldo held the Golden Globe in front of him, then raised his phone. His agent, Jago Luisão, and his friends behind him all crowded around, smiling.

Ronier pressed the camera shutter button and took this group selfie.

Then he put down the Golden Globe and posted a social media message with this photo.

After he finished doing all that, his agent, Jago Luisão, who had been smiling and cooperating with him just moments before, frowned and said, "You shouldn't have said that last sentence on stage, Ronier. This is an official media interview now. Once all the reporters can interview you, they'll connect that sentence with Wang—you just got yourself into trouble for blurting that out, and now you're saying this again..."

Unexpectedly, Ronier chuckled and said, "That's perfect, that's exactly what I wanted them to think that way."

Jago Luisão couldn't understand Ronald's line of thinking.

Ronaldo explained to him, "Yago, if I want to win the Ballon d'Or next year, shouldn't I at least win the Champions League?"

Louisson was speechless when asked the question.

Next year is a World Cup year, and performances at the World Cup will be very important. However, this does not mean that club results are unimportant.

If a player performs exceptionally well at their club and achieves outstanding results, they also have a chance to win the Ballon d'Or.

2034 is also a World Cup year. That year, Ronaldo led the Brazilian national team to the World Cup final, but lost to the French national team, whose overall strength had no obvious weaknesses.

Although he didn't win the World Cup, Ronaldo still won the Ballon d'Or that year.

Because he led Atlético Barcelona to a treble, winning the league title, the Champions League title, and the domestic cup title.

Seeing that the agent didn't speak, Ronier continued:
“If I’m going to win the Champions League, Wang will definitely be an opponent I have to beat. So what if they think I’m targeting Wang? I was talking to him anyway, Yago. I bet he was watching it on TV.”

While Louis XIV remained silent, Ronier's friends behind him laughed:

"Ronaldo, are you kidding me? How could Wang threaten your Champions League title? I'm not saying Wang is no good, I'm saying Tyne's team is no good, they're nowhere near as good as Atlético Barcelona! Ha!"

Ronaldo didn't laugh along, but instead seriously corrected his friend: "João, if you really didn't think Wang was bad, you wouldn't have said that. Without Wang, Tyne and Atlético Barcelona are indeed far behind, but this Tyne team can definitely pose a threat to us."

Hearing his words, his friend was surprised: "Didn't you say before that he definitely couldn't beat you? I thought you thought Tyne couldn't rely on Wang alone... Do you think so highly of Tyne?"

Ronier chuckled, "Just you wait, those who look down on Tyne will pay the price."

※※※

"Here it comes! The lottery ceremony is about to begin!"

Someone shouted in the miners' bar, and the previously noisy and chaotic bar immediately fell silent.

Those who were drinking, chatting, and laughing all turned their attention to the television screen.

They waited so long, enduring all those award ceremonies that had nothing to do with them, just to witness this moment:
This is Tyne's first time participating in the Champions League group stage draw.

They had waited for this moment for over an hour.

Tyne FC waited 165 years.

One hundred and sixty-five years after its founding, this great ship finally sailed from the River Tyne into the sea.

(End of this chapter)