[Football] Bad Boy Batty

2022年12月18日, 卡塔尔首都多哈，历经28天、63场比赛，终于来到了卢赛尔球场, 只剩下最后两支球队。

Never before in history have the same two teams met in two consecutive World Cup finals, Brazil vs. France, the two teams will face off in the final battle.

This will be a day that goes down in history and will be remembered long by millions of people.

Four years ago in Russia, Mbappe helped the French team win the World Cup. Four years later in Qatar, he continued to shine, helping the French team break the curse and reach the final again.

In the past four years, Batistuta has collected all the trophies except the World Cup. Now, as captain, he leads the Brazilian team to the final against France.

The battle for the new king intensifies.

Will France be able to achieve the three-star honor, second only to Brazil with five stars, Germany with four stars and Italy with four stars, and replicate Brazil's feat of successfully defending the title in 1962, or will Brazil successfully avenge its defeat in Luzhniki four years ago and become the only team in the world with six stars on its chest.

Will it be Mbappe who wins two gold cups and reaches the top, or will it be Batistuta who wins the Grand Slam and becomes the god?

Everything will be revealed today.

90 minutes before the game, in order to leave enough time for the mysterious guests, Qatar's official closing ceremony was held in advance.

At the same time, the French team bus left the hotel and headed for the venue, while the Brazilian team arrived first. The whole team warmed up in the locker room while listening to the music from the closing ceremony and playing samba games.

"This is lame! I just had a few minutes to talk to the King of Qatar, and what idiot came up with the idea of ​​using peaches instead of footballs?"

Batty, wearing only shorts, leaned against the door frame of the locker room with his arms folded and complained. They had come 20 minutes earlier today on purpose so that they could prepare and get into the game earlier, not for this moment - bouncing a nearly ripe peach back and forth like a ball, filling the room with peach juice and peach fragrance.

"Why peaches?" asked Barty.

"We just watched Pele's 'The Birth of a Legend' yesterday. He once practiced with his father using a peach. Have you forgotten it, Batistuta?" Neymar placed the peach on the top of his foot and then passed it to Batistuta.
"Or - do you think it wouldn't work if you replaced the ball with a peach?"

"Stop it, don't try to provoke me." Barty moved aside and the peach fell to the ground with a "plop".

"Oh——" The entire locker room sighed with regret.

"You let it land, Captain!" Richarlison complained. "We had a chance to break through without it landing for 10 minutes."

The peach juice that fell on the ground splashed everywhere, and a lot of it got on Barty's legs. He took another step to the side with a bit of disgust and rolled his eyes.

"Ten minutes? This peach is about to be kicked apart. I swear, soon only the peach pit will be left." Batty said as he walked to the woven basket in the middle of the locker room where peaches were placed, bent down and took out a new one. "Can't you use a greener one?"

As he said this, he pinched the peach to feel it, then raised his foot and started shaking it.

"What's the difference?" Neymar looked at Batistuta and his new peach and spread his hands. "Yours is not that hard either, and it has peach juice too."

"At least it won't fall apart." Batty raised his lips and raised his toes the next second, "Go on!"

"Wow!" Neymar was not prepared and almost let the peach fall to the ground. "Bati!" He cast an annoyed look at the captain.

The team leader gave him an innocent smile, then covered his face and screamed, "No way, we agreed not to fall to the ground for 10 minutes, it won't break here!"

"Just kidding." Neymar stretched his shoulders and passed the ball to the other side of the locker room, "Gabi! Take it!"

"I'm coming!"

Jesus successfully caught the peach amid the cheers of the crowd, then turned around and passed it to the next one with a fancy kick.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!"
"Quick!"

'Look!' Neymar shook his eyebrows at Batistuta and said with his eyes, 'I'll tell you!'

'It's OK.'

Batty smiled rather arrogantly, and jumped over the peach frame in the middle like a vaulting horse and ran towards his teammates: "Pay attention! The game has been upgraded now! The one who can stay above the ground under my robbery will win!"

"Ohhhh! Yay!"

"——Whoever gets intercepted is a fool! He won't be included in the dinner tonight!" Batty rushed towards Taozi, and even looked back and blinked, "Come on, Ney, do you want to be a fool?"

Neymar was startled and ran over immediately.

"coming!"

……

Compared to the joyful Brazilian locker room, the French side seemed a little gloomy.

Just the day before the game, Mbappe had a big fight with captain Augustus on the training ground.

And what they were arguing about—was Batty.

"I've had enough. He doesn't care about France, he doesn't care if we win the title, he only cares about how it affects Barty."

On the way to the restaurant after training, Mbappe complained to Griezmann beside him: "Bati, Batistuta, Batistuta! This madman's world always revolves around Batistuta!"

The French striker made a flying kick in anger.

"We can't just lock up Batistuta. We've all watched the Brazilian team's game. It's useless, but he's still saying 'lock up Batistuta and we'll win.'" Mbappe said madly. "I can't stand him! If he likes to lock people up so much, why doesn't he just lock Batistuta in his house?"

Griezmann could barely hold back the smile on his face.

"Augustus was after Batistuta from the beginning, and the whole world knows it," he said. "But you, Killian, I thought you were used to it. Do you have something against our captain?"

Mbappé: …?
Damn it, he just wanted to play a normal game.

"Haha, okay, I won't tease you anymore." Griezmann waved his hands and stopped playing. "Don't be so stubborn, Kylian. Augustus does have his eyes full of Batistuta, but he's not stupid enough to deliberately let the game go and give the championship to Brazil. That would ruin the game and Batistuta would hate him, which is what he least wants."

"But……"

"It's good to have a goal." Griezmann interrupted him, "Like you and me, our goal is the Gold Cup Augustus Batistuta, and our common wish is to win the game. So, don't think too much, for the sake of honor, go talk to him."

This made sense, and Mbappe hesitated.

[......]
[You wanna be tough, better do what you can]
[So beat it, but you wanna be bad]
[Just beat it (beat it), beat it (beat it)]
The sound of Michael Jackson's classic song "Beat It" came from the stadium, and Mbappe's thoughts suddenly returned from yesterday to the present.

"It seems that the rumors are true, they really invited MJ!" Varane whistled and said, "Who wants to see the footage?"

"If you're any slower, it'll be over." Pavard said indifferently. He took the remote control from the assistant coach and turned on the TV on the wall of the locker room. The scene of the closing ceremony appeared on it.

Lucas happened to pass by and saw the content on the screen. He stopped in surprise and said, "Look, isn't the clothes MJ is wearing the brand of that famous director? I remember seeing an advertisement a few days ago, and it was endorsed by Batty."

"Wait, does this mean he is siding with Brazil?" Pavard asked. "Is it that obvious?"

Lucas shrugged.

The sound of their discussion attracted Mbappe. The French superstar's eyes swept around his teammates and then fell on MJ on TV.

They were right. This jersey was indeed Batistuta's endorsement and was featured in the World Cup. He remembered that Augustus had downloaded the advertisement to his mobile phone and would take it out to watch it from time to time.

Thinking of this——

Mbappe looks at Griezmann.

There wasn't much time left until the game started, and he hadn't talked to Augustus yet.

Griezmann felt his gaze and glanced back.

"go."

Mbappe took a deep breath, nodded, and began to look for Augustus in the locker room. He soon found him, but before he could talk to him, Augustus had already changed his clothes and left the locker room to go to the player tunnel.

Mbappe immediately followed him out. "Augustus!"

The French captain hadn't gone far yet, and when he heard the sound he turned around to look.

"There's still some time before the game starts, we need to talk about yesterday." Mbappe said as clearly as possible, and the moment he finished speaking, he saw Augustus' eyes light up.

This discovery made him feel much better.

This shows that Augustus still cares about the French team. He also wants to win, and he knows that their quarrel will have a bad impact on the locker room.

"This isn't a good place. Should we go inside?" Mbappe said as Augustus turned and walked towards him. "I didn't mean to say that about you yesterday. Today's game is too important. I just hope everyone can be in their best form. You're not confused, and you're not—"

As he spoke, Augustus came to Mbappe.

Mbappe paused, took a deep breath, and just as he was about to apologize, he felt a gust of wind blowing across his shoulder.

The next second, he saw Augustus walking right past him as if he didn't see him, and then went straight to the back.

"Hey! Barty! You're here!"

Mbappé: ???

Still Mbappé: …

He's so stupid, really.

When Augustus walked towards him with a smile, he really thought that they would be able to talk it out right away, and then go back to the locker room together for a pre-match speech, which would clear away all the clouds above their heads, and finally successfully defend the title. The French team would have a third star, and he would undoubtedly become the new king of football.

But no.

Looking at Batistuta who was obviously impatient behind him and Augustus who excitedly went to greet Batistuta, Mbappe finally couldn't control the twitching of his mouth.

Go to hell!

Mbappe thought about it and turned back to the locker room. There was no need to talk. He was not some kind of accessory. Their tradition was infighting anyway. It didn't matter. He could still lead the French team to the top without Augustus' help.

……

[Good evening, audience friends! You are now watching the live broadcast of the 2022 Qatar World Cup final. Just like 4 years ago, the two teams today are still Brazil and France. ]
[Now we can see that the players have already lined up in the player tunnel. There are still a few minutes before the game starts. Will it be the French team defending the title or the Brazilian team taking revenge? Let us wait and see! ]

Standing at the front of the team, listening to the thunderous cheers of the fans outside, Batistuta finally adjusted the captain's armband on his arm, feeling his heartbeat gradually accelerating.

He knew this match wouldn't be easy.

Not long ago, just a little further back in this passage, he pushed away Augustus who came up to talk to him without hesitation. He remembered that he told him to shut up and get out of here. He didn't want to hear a word from him before the game.

What did Augustus do at that time?

He said, "Okay, I won't bother you. Although what I want to tell you is very important, it's important before the game. I know."

Batty shrugged it off.

"Time's up, it's time to go on the field." Polish referee Maziniak led the players from both teams into the field. Interestingly, he looks a bit like the famous football referee Hawkeye Collina.

The players enter the field 5 minutes before the game.

Batistuta put his arms around the shoulders of Ederson and Militao on his left and right, and sang the national anthem loudly. He had another feeling that this was the time.

Trophy.

There is also a sixth star.

It's today.

After the national anthems of both teams, Batistuta and Augustus stood face to face in front of the referee to play the coin toss. As usual, Batistuta went first.

He guessed the number correctly, Brazil took the kick-off, and then Batistuta chose the side with more Brazilian fans.

But to be honest, today's Lusail Stadium almost became the home of the Brazilian team. At first glance, the stands were full of yellow jerseys.

"Good luck in the game." The referee shook hands with them respectively, "Pay attention to discipline."

Just as Batti turned around, Augustus called him.

"Don't regret your decision just now." He said with an ambiguous smile, "See you later, Barty."

Looking at the red figure turning around, Batistuta smelled a conspiracy, and almost at the same time, he remembered the emails that Modric had told him before.

Maybe the Frenchman received it too.

Batty sneered in his heart, then turned around and trotted to the center circle.

"Are you ready?" Neymar asked while stepping on the ball.

"Of course." Batty raised his lips, "I can't wait."

Want to irritate him?

Come on, he's ready.

[Ladies and gentlemen! Let's count down together, 5! 4! 3! ]

[beep——]
With the referee's whistle, the game officially began.

……

At the beginning of the game, both sides tested each other and neither of them had the intention to speed up the game. Perhaps because it was the final, both sides chose a more stable lineup.

The Brazilian team used a regular 4231 formation, with Alisson as goalkeeper, D. Silva and Militao as central defenders, Renan Lodi and Danilo on the left and right; Casemiro and Guimaraes as double defensive midfielders in the midfield, Neymar on the left, Rafinha on the right, and Batistuta in the center; Jesus was in the front on the front line.

The French team also lined up in a 4231 formation, with Lori as goalkeeper; the back line from right to left were Kounde, Varane, Upamecano, and Lucas Hernandez; in the midfield, Augustus' partner was replaced by Rabiot, and Griezmann served as the attacking midfielder in front of them; on the front line, Mbappe was on the left, Dembele on the right, and Giroud in the middle.

[From this point of view, the offensive ideas of both teams are very clear. The Brazilian team combines the wing and the center, hoping to use fast, small-range passes and cuts to penetrate the gap between the full-back and the center-back; the French team is targeting the right side of the Brazilian team, focusing on Mbappe's quick counterattack. ]

[Both sides have players who can decide the outcome. Now it's a matter of who can make fewer mistakes and a little bit of luck... Oh! A player fell to the ground, and the referee stopped the game! Let me see what it is——]

[Danilo, the right back of the Brazilian team, suddenly fell to the ground without any confrontation. This action seems to be a problem with his thigh. Hiss, it should be that he can't hold on any longer. ]

On the court, Batty rushed over as fast as he could.

Danilo fell to the ground in pain, sweating profusely from the pain, and his condition looked very bad.

"How is it?" Batty asked.

The team doctor shook his head: "I suspect it's a ligament problem. No, we have to change players."

Batistuta's heart sank, and then he exchanged a look with Neymar who came over to show his concern.

13 minutes into the game, the Brazilian team was forced to make a substitution.

Just when everyone thought that Zidane would replace Marquinhos and let Militao play as right back, the Brazilian team made a substitution.

Danilo was unable to continue due to injury and young player Mario Bekalos came on as a substitute.

Oh?
Is Zidane going to start practicing metaphysics?

(End of this chapter)