The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

The Everton players didn't see the details of the collision between Lin Yi and Neville, but all they knew was that their captain had fallen to the ground in pain and that referee Webb hadn't called a foul.

The hot-tempered Haitinga led the charge, surrounding Lin Yi in the middle, while the others rushed over to argue with the referee.

Manchester City players, not to be outdone, quickly rushed forward to protect Lin Yi, led by Aguero, Milner, Kompany, Joe Hart, and others.

Balotelli on the bench was eager to make a move, but he was firmly held down by Dzeko. Pellegrini had already told the striker that his only task in this trip to Merseyside was to keep a close eye on Balotelli from start to finish.

Seeing that the two sides were pushing and shoving each other and cursing, and that a full-blown fight was about to break out, the referee Webber quickly intervened.

The urgent whistle signaled the seriousness of the situation.

"Go back! Go back! Anyone still gathered here in 3 seconds is asking for trouble!"

The others toned it down after Webber's warning, but Heitinga persisted, his eyes red as he demanded, "Look at Phil's pain! Isn't that a foul?"

As a Manchester United fan, Webber dislikes Lin Yi from the bottom of his heart. However, as a world-class referee who officiated both the Champions League final and the World Cup final in 2010, Webber cannot ignore the rules and lie through his teeth.

Out of sympathy, he didn't issue a warning card to Heitinga as he had previously stated, but patiently explained: "I saw it very clearly; Phil kicked Lin intentionally, it wasn't a foul. I'm very sorry for his injury, but there's no doubt it was a good play."

"If you really care about your captain, step back and let the team doctor examine his injury properly."

In fact, Webber didn't need to remind him; Everton's team doctor rushed onto the field to check Neville's knee as soon as he was given permission.

In less than three seconds, the team doctor signaled to Moyes on the sidelines to make a substitution.

Webber truly deserves his reputation as the first referee in history to officiate both the Champions League and World Cup finals in the same year; his ability to control the game far surpasses that of his peers.

With his strong intervention, the dispute between the two players gradually subsided as Neville was carried off the field, and it did not escalate into the exaggerated violent conflict that occurred during their last encounter.

Although the game had only been going on for about 20 minutes, Everton's defeat was already inevitable.

With captain Neville being rushed to a local hospital by ambulance, the Everton players, trailing in the score, lost their will to fight and quickly conceded defeat.

Lin Yi failed to score in the later part of the match, and Manchester City relied on goals from Aguero and Milner to defeat Everton 3-0 and continue to lead the Premier League standings.

After the match, an MRI revealed that Neville had suffered a complete tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee due to the collision with Lin Yi. He must undergo surgery, and if all goes well, he will need at least 12 months to recover.

For veteran Phil Neville, who just turned 35, this injury is practically a death sentence for his career.

Sure enough, just two days after the match, Phil Neville officially announced his retirement through Everton's official website.

他的英超出场记录定格在492场，排在索尔·坎贝尔（503场）和已退役的保罗·斯科尔斯（495场）之后，位列历史第8，未能超越儿时队友斯科尔斯成为第7位跻身英超500场俱乐部的成员。

This news caused an immediate uproar.

Phil Neville's brother, Gary Neville, denounced Lin Yi as an executioner, claiming that he ruined his brother's career.

Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, and other former comrades from Class 92 all stood up to condemn Lin Yi.

Even David Beckham, who plays in Major League Soccer in the United States, returned to the UK overnight to visit Phil Neville, who was receiving treatment in the hospital, and said in a media interview that Lin Yi was an absolute bastard, villain, and criminal.

In addition to expressing their regret and sorrow for their former captain Neville on their official website, Everton Football Club has also filed a lawsuit with the Football Association.

They compiled match footage, team doctor's report, and Neville's injury diagnosis, demanding that the FA classify Lin Yi's actions as malicious assault and conduct a post-match disciplinary review.

In fact, Everton's attempt to do so has little chance of success; they are more expressing an attitude.

The English Football Association has explicit rules that post-match penalties usually apply to acts of violence that the referee did not witness.

In this match, the referee Webb was present and clearly determined that Lin Yi's action was not a foul. Therefore, Everton's appeal is essentially a challenge to the referee's on-the-spot decision, and it will likely be rejected directly by the FA.

However, according to procedure, the FA must hold a hearing, which greatly annoyed FA chairman David Bernstein, because what happened in the Manchester City vs. Everton match, and Everton's appeal, interfered with a major initiative he was preparing to implement recently.

At a closed-door meeting of the Football Association, David Gill, who serves as vice-chairman and CEO of Manchester United, once again voiced his dissent.

"I have expressed my opinion before that naturalizing Lin is not feasible. Look at how many football legends have come out to oppose him. If we bring him into the national team, it would be like throwing a bomb into the locker room."

CEO and Secretary General Alex Horn, a staunch confidant of Bernstein, naturally stepped forward to speak up for his boss: "David, you're not the CEO of Manchester United anymore. You should be thinking more about the FA. If a player as talented as Lin could represent England, it would be like adding wings to a tiger for us."

"As for the legends you mentioned who oppose Lin, they are all retired or have left the national team. I don't think they represent the current dressing room dynamics in the England national team."

David Gill was unconvinced and continued to object: "John and Rio, representing the Chelsea faction and the Manchester United faction, are already at odds. It was only after Mr. Bernstein personally called to remove John from his captaincy that things calmed down. If Linga comes in, wouldn't it make things even more chaotic? After all, everyone knows about the feud between Linga and Manchester United."

Horn also stuck to his point of view without backing down: "That's precisely why Lin's arrival could bring in a new force to balance the struggle between the Chelsea and Manchester United factions. You know, Joe, Mika, James, Gareth, and others are all from Manchester City. I've heard that Steven and the other Liverpool guys have a good personal relationship with Lin."

Chairman David Bernstein raised his hand to stop the argument between the two subordinates; as the top leader, he had to step in at this point.

Bernstein, who will soon turn 70, did not give a clear answer, but instead put forward his own proposal.

"Alex will take advantage of this hearing to make contact with Lin. After all, we can only assist him and do not have the power to directly grant him British citizenship, so Lin's attitude is crucial."

"Let's probe his thoughts on this matter first before making any plans."