Reverse

Chapter 273 Facing the Former Master
Galkin Rafael stood in the players' tunnel at Lize Park, surrounded by Tyne's players.

He stood at the back of the team, his gaze fixed on the back of the player wearing the number 11 Tyne jersey.

The player's name is printed on the jersey number:

RIVER
The owner of this jersey is his former friend Miguel Ribeiro.

His former friend was talking to Wang Lie.

Two cameramen were filming them with their equipment right next to them.

Both of them covered their mouths, so it was impossible to hear what they were talking about, but judging from Ribeiro's expression, he seemed to be having a good chat with his idol.

It seems he's doing quite well in Tyne...

Lafayette snorted to himself.

When Ribeiro appeared in the players' tunnel, he was staring intently at him, but he didn't go up to greet him.

He wanted to see how Ribeiro would react when facing his former teammates.

He had even already planned that if the latter came to greet him, he would definitely make a few sarcastic remarks and then enjoy the expression on his face.

Unexpectedly, Ribeiro just walked right past him!
Lafayette never expected Ribeiro to do this...

After the initial shock, he became angry:
How could that bastard be so heartless?!
Didn't he see me?
Not just me, he didn't greet any of the other Milan players either...

He acted like someone who had never played football in Milan before!
※※※

"Why didn't you go up and say hello when you saw your old teammates?"

Ribeiro covered his mouth and said, "I don't want to get distracted before the match starts."

Wang Lie, however, didn't believe it: "That sounds like an excuse for not being popular... You don't want to be distracted, but don't they want to be distracted too? I don't see any Milan City players wanting to come up to you..."

As he was talking, he noticed the gaze of Milan's number nine, Rafael.

Ribeiro had his back to the other person and probably didn't notice.

But he was right in front of her and couldn't ignore Rafael's burning gaze.

So he changed his tune and said, "Oh, it's not that there's no one. There is someone who wants to talk to you, but he's hesitant."

Ribeiro didn't turn around, but he knew who Wang Lie was talking about: "Galkin, right? He probably doesn't want to talk to me, he just wants to curse me. After all, he's blocked me..."

Wang Lie was somewhat surprised: "I thought he just unfollowed you... It seems you hurt him quite badly."

“When he asked me why I came to Tyne, I said it was because I wanted to create something great with you, but he just wouldn’t believe me. He always thought I was lying to him. But I was telling the truth!” Ribeiro said, sounding a little aggrieved.

Wang Lie was speechless. He thought of Ribeiro's previous eccentric words and actions, and realized that neither Ribeiro nor Lafayette could be said to have done anything wrong.

So he said, "Why don't you go find him now and talk to him face to face?"

Ribeiro shook his head: "There's no need, Your Majesty. Once we truly make Tyne a powerful family, Galkin will always understand that I wasn't lying to him. Until then, nothing I say will matter; prejudiced people will never believe me."

“Okay…” Wang Lie chose to respect Ribeiro’s approach, and it was indeed the only correct thing to do—let the facts speak for themselves.

"But to be fair, striking out is not a good thing, Miguel."

Wang Lie reminded him that Ribeiro was standing right there with his former teammates, yet no one came up to greet him, which meant that the Milan players still hadn't forgiven Ribeiro for what he had done back then.

Ribeiro shrugged. "What could I do? It's because Milan broke their promise first. They initially agreed to allow me to transfer. But just because they couldn't find someone to replace me in the transfer market, they went back on their word, rejected Tyne's offer, and publicly stated that I wouldn't leave... What could I do?"

Wang Lie was certainly aware of the twists and turns in Ribeiro's transfer saga.

The process was indeed as Ribeiro described. Initially, Tyne and Milan City began negotiations regarding Ribeiro's transfer fee. Although no agreement was reached, at least negotiations were underway, and Milan City did not state that Ribeiro was not for sale.

So far, this has been a normal player transfer.

Although some Milan fans were puzzled and upset by the sudden news of Ribeiro's departure, there was no major public outcry.

There are also transfer rumors linking Eisablan Munich's French winger Younis Niakate to Milan.

Therefore, including Tyne, everyone believes that Milan will eventually let Ribeiro leave after receiving a suitable offer.

Unexpectedly, after Eisá Munich rejected Milan's offer, a lot of negative news about Ribeiro suddenly appeared in Italy.

Milanese media and Milan legends have also come out to criticize and accuse Ribeiro of betrayal for wanting to leave.

Amid a wave of criticism, Milan City's head coach Federico Papacioli stood up for Ribery, saying in an interview that Ribery is still in his plans and an important part of the team.

It seems like Ribeiro is really going to stay in Milan.

During that period, Tyne fans also believed that Ribeiro would not be able to come to Tyne this summer.

As a result, the Portuguese guy went on strike...

He used his strike to tell everyone that all the rumors about him staying in Milan were false.

Unsurprisingly, he was subjected to a barrage of insults from the Milan media and Milan fans.

Four days after Ribeiro went on strike, Milan signed young Argentine striker Lionel Latanzio from Portuguese club Carthage, and negotiations for Ribeiro's transfer resumed.

The two sides eventually reached an agreement on a transfer fee of £75 million.

Ribeiro left the team he had played for for three seasons, bearing the brunt of the criticism from Milan fans.

This transfer farce has finally come to an end.

These are not some unknown "secrets"; they have all been reported by public media.

Wang Lie was certainly aware of what was behind Ribeiro's strike, but knowing this, Wang Lie's personality made him dislike using a strike to negotiate with the club.

After all, training is fundamental for professional players. Strike against training actually harms their own interests. Every day they miss training, their abilities weaken.

He was unfairly relegated to the youth team at Sofia United, but he did not choose to strike and refuse to go to the youth team.

It has to be said that Ribeiro was quite lucky. If it were the old Wang Lie, he definitely wouldn't have given Ribeiro a friendly look if he knew that Ribeiro had gone on strike.

Ribeiro might turn from a fan to a hater in the end:

I even fell out with my former employer for you, and not only do you not accept me, you also criticize me. That's so heartless!
Wang Lie simply felt that Ribeiro's actions did not conform to his values ​​and aesthetics, but he did not dislike Ribeiro because of this, nor did he lecture him.

Instead, we respect each person's uniqueness and understand their different difficulties.

So he didn't delve deeper into the topic, but simply nodded.

※※※

While Wang Lie and Ribeiro were chatting with their mouths covered, a camera nearby broadcast the scene to viewers around the world.

Generally speaking, Wang Lie is undoubtedly the main character in Tyne's matches.

However, this time, Wang Lie actually benefited from Ribeiro's popularity. Before Wang Lie went to chat with Ribeiro, the close-up shots on television only featured Ribeiro.

Clearly, the broadcasting organization knows very well who the focus of this match is.

Before this match, Ribeiro appeared in the media more often than Wang Lie.

The way he left Milan, and the recent controversy surrounding him, have made Milan fans very unhappy with him.

When facing their former team, players usually either say some nice things or simply remain silent and ignore the issue.

The former proves that the relationship between the two parties was still okay and that it was an amicable breakup.

The latter is bound to have contradictions, but in the adult world, face is the most important thing, so silence is used to maintain dignity.

Ribeiro, this adult, is a bit of a fool. Before the match, he expressed his loyalty to his current club to the Italian media!

In fact, he was pledging his loyalty to Wang Lie, but as everyone knows, Wang Lie represents Tyne, so pledging his loyalty to Wang Lie is equivalent to pledging his loyalty to Tyne.

He made no mention of his three-year relationship with Milan, only saying that he was doing well in Tyne.

What do the Milan fans think of this?
It's like when a couple breaks up, and one of them goes to their ex to brag about how great they are doing now...

Of course, to outsiders, Ribeiro is a heartless scumbag. Apart from Ribeiro's own fans, most people probably wouldn't see things from his perspective and would naturally think that Ribeiro was in the wrong first.

Seeing Wang Lie and Ribeiro exchanging words, commentator Connor Cowley jokingly remarked, "I wonder if Wang is passing on his experience on how to deal with controversy to Ribeiro, after all, Wang is probably the most controversial player currently playing... Haha!"

Sitting next to him, commentator Joe Wesley said, "Ribeiro should be glad this match is at Tyne's home ground. There won't be many people booing him, and the cheers from the Tyne fans will definitely drown out the Milan fans after the match starts. But they still have away games to play. When he gets to Milan's home ground, the trouble he'll face will be as big as the Alps!"

Connor Cauley said, "Perhaps he should sincerely apologize to the Milan fans before returning to St. Pierre? Although it may not win back many of the Milan fans' hearts, at least he won't have to worry about being booed when he returns to Milan's home ground..."

Joe Wesley shook his head: "I don't think Wang would teach Ribeiro these things, because he doesn't even have that kind of experience himself. Remember how he treated the Atlético Barcelona fans when he returned to their home stadium?"

After transferring to Sofia United, Wang Lie had two experiences returning to his former club's home stadium with the team.

Both times, Wang Lie made outrageous remarks before the match, mocking and attacking Atlético Barcelona.

He stated for the first time that he would never forgive those who slandered and attacked him, whether they were players or club officials; he would not forgive any of them.

The second instance occurred after he had already defeated Atlético Barcelona in the Champions League final to win the title. This time, he turned his attention to Atlético Barcelona fans, because after leading his team to victory and the Champions League title, he addressed them, asking, "Who needs a king now?"—a response that came after he left Atlético Barcelona, ​​when some fans held up signs during matches that read:
Who needs a king?

This was to show that they didn't care about Wang Lie's departure; for a top club like Atlético Barcelona, ​​Wang Lie was just an insignificant, dispensable figure.

Wang Lie had held a grudge ever since then, and finally threw the boomerang out after defeating his former club in the Champions League final.

Then he was subjected to relentless online harassment from Atlético de Barcelona fans.

Therefore, upon his return to Barcelona, ​​he arrogantly told the home fans: "I will become an insurmountable mountain for Atlético FC. As long as I am still playing, they will never be able to beat me!"

Enraged Barcelona fans threw objects at him during the match...

What's even more infuriating is that Wang Lie actually won the match in the end.

Moreover, he never played against Atlético Barcelona again after that, so in a sense, he was right—Atlético Barcelona really did never beat Wang Lie!
Connor Cowley, who was also familiar with this story, obviously knew what Joe Wesley was talking about, but he disagreed: "That's not necessarily true, Joe. Everyone who has been in contact with Wong now says he's changed a lot compared to before, and his temper is much better. Look at this war of words between Vitini, Ribeiro, and Sofia United, Wong didn't participate. Maybe he didn't want to hear a deafening chorus of boos from the Sofia United fans when he returned to Redstone Stadium?"

Joe Wesley snorted. "I know him, Connor. You believe me, his silence doesn't mean he's let it go; more likely, he's brewing something big..."

Connor Cowley burst into laughter at Joe Wesley's remark.

It must be said that the person who understands you best is not necessarily yourself, but your opponent...

That statement makes a lot of sense!
※※※

Wang Lie didn't continue talking to Ribeiro. He quickly returned to the front of the team, where, as captain, he would lead the team out of the tunnel and onto the pitch.

For him, it was just another ordinary appearance, just like when he was captain of Tyne before.

But for Lize Park, it was a historic step.

This is a moment in the 125-year history of this stadium that deserves to be forever recorded in history.

The referee team arrived last, and the players from both sides lined up.

Wang Lie took the hand of the caddie next to him and felt that the other's hand was trembling slightly and covered in sweat.

He glanced down at the child selected from local Tyne; the child had a serious and solemn expression, gazing into the distance.

It was obvious that the child understood the significance of this moment, which was why he was nervous.

Seeing this, Wang Lie bent down slightly, looked down at the caddie, and said with a smile, "Smile, boy, we're going to the golf course, not the execution ground."

These words made the little boy lose his composure...

What a strange association with an execution ground!

Then Wang Lie said to him, "When the camera is on you in a moment, don't forget to make a 'V' sign for the camera."

The caddie couldn't help but look up and ask, "Why do you do that?"

Wang Lie explained, "'V' stands for victory. Making this gesture will bring good luck to the team. Then we will win."

Before the little boy could recover from his shock, the referee had already walked to the front of the line and, amidst the growing noise, raised his voice to shout, "Gentlemen! Follow me, let's go!"

Wang Lie, holding the hand of an excited caddie, took that historic step.

※※※

“It’s coming!!”

After the Champions League theme song started playing, Robbie Dixie loudly reminded his teammates.

Because they can't see what's happening on the field, they can only use the Champions League theme song as a signal—when the music starts, it means that the players from both sides are about to come out of the player tunnel.

So every Tyne fan standing in the South Stand raised their arms, supporting the giant TIFO that covered the entire South Stand above their heads.

※※※

As Wang Lie led his team out of the tunnel, to his left in the stands was a giant TIFO that the Tyne fans had prepared especially for this match.

On a map of the European continent that resembles an ocean, a giant ship flying the flag of Tyne is sailing towards the starry sky composed of Champions League participating teams.

The TIFO canvas rose and fell with the movement of the fans' arms, like waves on the sea, and the ship looked so lifelike that it seemed to fly out of the canvas.

That was originally all there was to TIFO, but after the match against Lille, the provoked Tyne fans added a huge banner to TIFO.

It was written in large, bright red letters above:

Europe is at our feet!
Connor Cowley exclaimed, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lize Park Stadium! This is the first time its name has appeared in a Champions League match! This is a historic moment for this stadium and this city! We are all witnessing history!”

In the broadcast footage, the caddie being led by Wang Lie suddenly turned around, faced the camera, and made a "V" sign.

(End of this chapter)