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Chapter 269 My Football God
The Champions League match between Tyne and Milan is indeed the most important thing right now.

In fact, before this, Tyne had already filmed a promotional video for their first Champions League home game.

The promotional video briefly reviewed the stadium's history and then featured several representative Tyne players in different locations on the stadium.

The video camera is shooting upwards from the field, and a figure is standing on the upper level of the stands behind the goal.

The camera zooms in, switching from a telephoto lens to a close-up.

Only then did everyone realize that the figure was Wang Lie.

The camera then switched to a view from behind Wang Lie, in which he was holding onto the railing with both hands, looking down at the entire stadium.

The video ends by indicating the two teams and the time of the match:

TYNE FC VS MILAN CITY
2037.10.07
This video was already prepared, as the players featured in it participated in the filming in late August.

At that time, no one knew which opponent Tyne would face at home, so they only filmed footage.

We'll do post-production after the Champions League group stage results are released, adding the match opponents and times.

It's clear how long the Tyne club has been looking forward to this home game.

However, it is difficult to completely separate the online discourse surrounding Tyne and Sofia United from the Champions League matches.

Because this world is not a pre-programmed system that allows you to switch forms with a single click.

It's impossible for Wang Lie to simply say that everyone should focus on the Champions League and it would be like flipping a switch, causing the entire team, or even the whole world, to switch to Champions League mode and make everything revolve around the Champions League.

The person most affected by the mockery of Sofia United was not Vitini, who was the first to like the post, but Miguel Ribeiro of "Factos".

Because he charged ahead, he attracted the firepower of Sofia supporters. If these Sofia fans were to face Wang Lie directly, they might hesitate and waver, after all, Wang Lie was once their hero, and they have some emotional attachment to him.

But when it comes to Ribeiro, a complete outsider, they are completely unreserved and show no restraint.

In an attempt to quell Ribeiro's arrogance, they dug up his past when he left Milan for Tyne, trying to prove that Ribeiro was a despicable and low-class person.

With the upcoming match against Milan City, the attacks targeting Ribeiro quickly escalated.

Now it's not just Sofia fans who are criticizing Ribeiro; Milan fans have joined in too.

However, Milan fans have ample reason to criticize Ribeiro – his actions in leaving Milan were indeed unethical and hurt the feelings of many Milan fans.

In the eyes of Milan fans, Miguel Ribeiro is a scumbag.

With the Champions League match between Tyne and Milan City just around the corner, this major battle was imminent. As a result, Milan City fans replaced Solskjaer United fans as the main force besieging Ribeiro online.

Even Ribeiro's ex-girlfriend was brought up by the media and interviewed, where she tearfully complained about Ribeiro's heartlessness, saying he discarded her like a piece of clothing he had worn.

This then aroused widespread sympathy among netizens:

You just throw away such a beautiful woman like that? Miguel Ribeiro, you're a real scoundrel!
The fact that such a despicable man could become a key player for Tyne shows that the values ​​of Tyne's team are extremely low.

So I hereby declare that, starting today, I will forever hate Tyne!

※※※

"Fortunately, Ribeiro and his girlfriend were quite loving during their relationship, and there were no scandals involving infidelity or domestic violence. Otherwise, I estimate they would have really forced Tyne to internally suspend Ribeiro..."

During a video call with Wang Lie, Tang Xingmei talked about the current situation of her husband's team.

Aside from the League Cup match against Sofia United, Ribeiro is currently the most talked-about Tyne player online.

Even Tang Xingmei, who was far away in China, knew about the gossip related to Ribeiro.

"...I knew before that he went on strike to come to Tyne, but I really didn't know that he broke up with his girlfriend to come to Tyne..." Wang Lie also found it unbelievable after reading the reports from the Italian media.

When Ribeiro's ex-girlfriend gave an interview, she tearfully recounted the detailed process of how Ribeiro broke up with him for Tain, things that Wang Lie had never heard Ribeiro mention before.

Wang Lie offered a sharp comment on this:

"It's obvious his ex-girlfriend isn't a bad person, just very naive and innocent. She actually used her relationship with Ribeiro as leverage to try and stop Ribeiro from transferring..."

The reason I say she's not bad is that at least this girl didn't talk nonsense in front of the media.

If she falsely accuses Ribeiro of assaulting her, Ribeiro's career could very well be over... Even if it turns out to be a false accusation, Ribeiro probably won't be able to compete normally until the truth is revealed.

Not to mention that even if they are later proven innocent, the impact of the rumor has already spread. By then, many people will only know it's a rumor, but won't know how to debunk it.

At that point, Ribeiro will be branded with infamous names like "domestic abuser" by those unaware of the truth. Whether it's Tyne FC or any other club, even if they recognize Ribeiro's ability, they might hesitate to give him a chance for fear of damaging their club's reputation and public opinion.

Ribeiro's achievements will be far from what they were before he was framed.

It's fair to say that his career was essentially ruined.

So thankfully, Ribeiro's ex-girlfriend wasn't the kind of rotten, despicable woman who gave birth to children without an anus. Her feelings for Ribeiro were genuine, which is why she didn't spread rumors or slander him.

She was considered naive and foolish because she blindly believed that her love for Ribeiro was strong enough to withstand any hardship and that Ribeiro would stay in Milan for her.

Doesn't she understand that, as a professional athlete, her own career is the most important thing?

His wife, Tang Xingmei, had a different opinion: "There are many examples of people doing things that are detrimental to their careers for the sake of love... Moreover, from the girl's perspective, if a boy who made vows of eternal love suddenly abandons her for a vain dream that she doesn't understand, runs off to another country, and cuts all ties with her... Isn't that a complete scumbag?"

"Of course, it's a bit extreme and unwise for this girl to threaten him with his idol. But we can't expect everyone to be able to make the best rational solution in every situation... such people simply don't exist. It's like if the two of them had calmed down and communicated and analyzed the situation rationally, they could have found a way that would be acceptable to both of them, one that wouldn't lead to their breakup and would allow Ribeiro to transfer to Tyne. But the reality is that they didn't do that, so the perfect ending didn't happen."

Wang Lie was willing to listen to his wife, even if her ideas contradicted his own.

However, he didn't want to discuss this issue in depth with his wife, as it wasn't his area of ​​expertise, so he said, "Maybe... but that's Ribeiro's own business, and it's none of our concern."

Tang Xingmei agreed with her husband's opinion; it's best not to discuss other people's affairs. After all, they weren't involved in Ribeiro and his ex-girlfriend's lives and didn't fully understand what had happened between them. They were only making judgments based on snippets of media reports and the ex-girlfriend's side of the story. It was fine to chat about it casually as gossip, but there was absolutely no need to discuss it as a serious topic and present arguments to support one's own points.

The reason they talked about Ribeiro's gossip was because, as the team's main striker, Tang Xingmei was worried that off-field factors would interfere with Ribeiro's performance in Wednesday's Champions League match.

So she wanted to ask her husband how Ribeiro had been doing lately.

Is something wrong with Ribeiro?

Wang Lie shook his head: "It's normal. He even came to me for morning exercise this morning."

Tang Xingmei pressed further, "He's been causing quite a stir these past few days, practically a regular on the trending topics list. How can he be so calm about it?"

"Who knows? I didn't see anything different about him."

“Okay…” Tang Xingmei decided not to talk about Ribeiro anymore. She asked her husband, “Milan City is a strong team. Can you get three points at home?”

Wang Lie answered decisively: "Of course!"

Tang Xingmei laughed at such a confident answer, and then said, "It's a pity I can't go see it in person..."

It's the National Day holiday, and she has to stay in the country with her child.

She can only come to Newcastle to be with her husband after the National Day holiday, by which time Tyne's Champions League match against Milan City will have already finished.

Wang Lie comforted her, "It's okay, it's not just this one Champions League match. You can come watch our Champions League game against Ruhr United." "That's an away game..."

"So what if it's an away game? I'll have Fernando go with you. Everything's been arranged for you. All you have to do is send your people."

Tang Xingmei thought about it and realized that Ruhr United's head coach was Heldon. It would be quite meaningful to witness her husband playing against Heldon in person.

After all, when Tyne beat Sofia United 9-0 at home last season, he could only watch the live broadcast from his home in the country and could not witness it in person.

She used to watch live TV at home, but after going to watch games in person at the start of this season, she found that she still preferred watching games live.

Although her mother is a teacher of academic subjects at a football academy, and her husband is one of the world's top players, her understanding of football is actually quite superficial. Compared to the exquisite tactics and technical details that are more apparent when watching live television broadcasts, she prefers to experience the atmosphere of a football match.

What could be more exhilarating than watching a game live?

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll be looking forward to watching your away game against Ruhr United!"

※※※

Although he had privately discussed Ribeiro's current state of mind with his wife, Wang Lie did not ask Ribeiro about these things when they were alone together during his morning exercise.

What do you think about those who skipped training to come to Tyne and now have to face their former employer?

Will his performance be affected by his ex-girlfriend revealing all the gossip behind his transfer to Tyne?

Wang Lie didn't ask any of these questions.

Asking about this is pointless; people can just make up an excuse. What they say isn't necessarily what they think.

As for what he was thinking... Wang Lie believed he could see it with his eyes.

After all, Ribeiro is only twenty-four years old. How many people at that age can keep their thoughts hidden deep inside?
He doesn't believe what others say, but he believes what he observes.

Based on his observations, he believed that Ribeiro's mindset was indeed unaffected by those external events.

Although we don't know how this young man managed to be so resolute, he did it nonetheless.

Wang Lie chose to believe Ribeiro.

※※※

Lawrence Dadomo made his move just before Tyne's match against Milan City.

This troll posted on his social media account:

"I did some research out of curiosity. This fan, who went on strike, betrayed his former club, and abandoned his girlfriend, transferred to Tyne for £75 million and quickly became a key player for Tyne. After playing seven league matches, one Champions League group stage match, and one League Cup match, a total of nine official matches, what kind of performance has he delivered?
Appearances: 9
Goals: 0
Assists: 3
"Yes, gentlemen, you read that right. This Portuguese prodigy that Tyne poached from Milan at a high price hasn't scored a single goal so far."

"Was it because Miguel Ribeiro was greatly overrated? Did his agent collude with Tyne Club to deceive them? Did Sam McNeil take a kickback in this transfer?"

"No, none of that. In fact, just last season, Miguel Ribeiro delivered an outstanding performance for Milan, scoring seventeen goals and providing seven assists. Looking at those stats, you can understand why Milan is unwilling to let him go, right?"
"Therefore, Ribeiro's current statistics are abnormal and do not represent his true ability. So why is it that this winger, who scored seventeen goals last season, has not scored a single goal so far this season?"

“I noticed a detail: Ribeiro’s three assists in Tyne all pointed to one person.”

"I think those who regularly watch my channel have already guessed it. That's right, it's Wang! Miguel Ribeiro's three assists all came to Wang."

"So I think we may have found the reason why this former Milan striker is not adapting well to Tyne:"

"As everyone knows, Wang is the offensive core of this Tyne team, and all offensive tactics must be designed and operated around him. In this tactical system, all other players besides Wang are just cogs in the machine. No matter how well you performed before, you absolutely cannot overstep your bounds and steal Wang's thunder in Tyne."

“We all know that Miguel Ribeiro is a fan of Wong. In an interview after arriving in Tyne, he said that the reason he came to Tyne was because he was inspired by Wong’s call to action at the contract renewal ceremony at the end of last season.”

"He may have thought he was there to fight alongside his idol, but I wonder if he realized that all his idol needed was a cog in the machine or a tool."

"The facts are right here. Those who criticized and attacked me before can think for themselves whether I was wrong in my judgment of Wang."

"I said that Wang's success was built on the sacrifice of the rest of the team. He used his teammates as stepping stones and ruthlessly exploited each of them."

"Isn't this right? How are Wang's fans attacking me? They say I'm badmouthing their idol, but I'm just repeating what their idol did. How is that badmouthing? Obviously, Wang's fans know better than anyone what their idol's flaws are..."

"Tyne has scored 33 goals this season, and Wong has scored 16 of them, half of the team's total! Wong is forcibly binding Tyne and the entire team to him with his goals. McNeil's tactics completely sacrifice the goal-scoring ability of others, relying entirely on Wong to score. But let's not forget, Wong is already 38 years old. At such an advanced age, how can he guarantee that he can maintain such a good form? Once his form fluctuates, who can Tyne rely on then?"
"I know many people laugh at me, saying that Wang hurts the team by scoring goals. But every word I say is supported by data. Doesn't that count as hurting the team by scoring goals?"

"It's okay, those who laugh at me can continue to laugh at me, but they can't change anything. The data is right here, the data is objective, and numbers don't lie. Whether Wang's fans accept it or not, this is the truth!"

※※※

The afternoon before the match against Milan, after finishing training, the entire Tyne team took a bus to their hotel in the city.

They will rest here for one night, and then travel together from the hotel to the competition venue the next day.

When their bus arrived, the Tyne fans, who had been waiting outside the hotel for a long time, cheered.

The cheers at the scene were deafening, especially after Wang Lie got out of the car.

Some were even shouting, "King! Please bring us another victory!"

Wang Lie gave a thumbs-up in response, praising the other party.

Then, just as he was about to reach the hotel entrance, a reporter in the media area shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! What is your opinion on Dadomo's article?! Do you think he makes sense?! Your Majesty! Please answer my question!"

When Wang Lie heard the reporter's heavily accented English, he knew that this was an Italian media outlet specifically trying to stir up trouble before the match.

He couldn't be bothered to argue with the other party. As the captain, his every move was under scrutiny, and there was no need to give attention to such a troublemaker.

For this reason, after making that phone call to the live broadcast announcing that Tyne's season goal was to win the Champions League, he never spoke to Lawrence Dadom again.

Because he knew this person was just making a living by piggybacking on his popularity.

Even just glancing at him once is considered giving him face.

Seeing that Wang Lie didn't want to talk to him, the Italian reporter continued to shout, "Please don't avoid my questions, Wang!"

Wang Lie still ignored him.

However, Miguel Ribeiro, who was following behind him, sped past him and walked up to the Italian journalist.

Then he said in Italian:
"I'm willing to answer your question."

The other party was taken aback for a moment, not expecting Ribeiro to stand up for Wang Lie, but he was overjoyed afterward: "No problem, after all, Dadomo mentioned you too."

Ribeiro said in English, because he wasn't just saying this to the Italian journalist.

All the media reporters present will be his witnesses.

"That guy is wrong. I don't think there's anything wrong with passing the ball to Wang, and I don't need him to defend me. Actually, I thoroughly enjoy everything at Tyne, both life and football. To me, Wang is my football god. If I could always play alongside my god, I'd rather not score a single goal!"

After saying this, he switched to Italian and asked the stunned Italian reporter:
"do you understand?"

(End of this chapter)