Chapter 208 The Most Important Christmas Dinner

For the entire Liverpool team, the 2028 Christmas dinner might have been the most important one, though they only realized this in hindsight.

At the time, no one thought too much about it. They just felt more confident and motivated. Historical significance? It didn't even cross their minds.

Everyone who attended the dinner felt warmth as they left, because the blood in their hearts was burning.

They felt full of strength and confidence.

After Christmas came the New Year, and after the New Year, Chen Hero's return date.

The thought of Hero's impending return, and the things he had said at the Christmas dinner, made everyone feel that a fifteen-point deficit really wasn't a problem.

If Hero said it wasn't a problem, then it definitely wasn't!

With this in mind, Liverpool's performance in the congested Christmas schedule remained excellent. They even narrowed the gap between themselves and the league leaders.

From fifteen points to thirteen.

Even though it was just a small two points, it made Liverpool happy and excited.

Because Hero was right! A fifteen-point gap really wasn't anything!

The media also noticed Liverpool's outstanding performance.

They all said that Chen Hero's return was a major boon for Liverpool, which was why their performance was better than before.

"...If Liverpool were a listed company, the news of Hero's imminent return alone, I estimate, would send their stock price soaring by two hundred percent! Absolutely no exaggeration!"

"Recently, the most eye-catching news in English football, and even world football, is the return of Chen Hero. In another thirteen days, he will end his nine-month ban and return to the team. The return of a forty-year-old man can still attract the attention of the world's media, which shows his influence."

"The red carpet has been laid, the flowers and cheering crowds are ready, and Stanley Park stadium has been cleaned and renewed, just waiting for the king to return to his throne!"

Most of the media coverage of Chen Hero's return was laudatory.

But there was no shortage of people in this world who specialized in undermining and spoiling the mood.

"Although Hero's return is a big deal right now, and Liverpool fans are cheering, as a perpetually calm, objective, and rational analyst, I have to come out and pour cold water on Liverpool fans. Liverpool is currently thirteen points behind first-placed Chelsea, which is a huge chasm. The situation is not as optimistic as Liverpool fans imagine. Chelsea is not just a scarecrow standing there to frighten people, and while Liverpool are chasing them, they are also continuing to move forward. It's twelve points now, but maybe next game it will be fifteen again? Moreover, Hero has not participated in any official matches for nine months, and at his age of forty-one, how much of his form he can maintain is really questionable..."

"I think Liverpool fans' excitement is laughable. Liverpool, as a century-old giant, is pinning all its hopes on a forty-one-year-old man. Isn't that a huge irony? A giant team is still relying on an old man on the verge of retirement to save them. Is that still a giant? I think after Chen Hero retires, Liverpool can also be removed from the ranks of the giants."

"Wishes are beautiful, reality is cruel. Liverpool fans better not have too high hopes for Hero's return. You have to know that even the greatest hero cannot defeat time, and heroes always grow old and decline. It's certainly cruel for me to say this to Liverpool fans. But it's reality, it's the law of nature. Even those miracles in the history of human architecture cannot withstand the erosion of time. In fact, since the age of thirty-six, Chen Hero's physical fitness has been declining. Now he is forty-one years old, and it is already a miracle that he has been able to maintain his form for five years. But the nine-month suspension will be the heaviest blow to him—nine months without high-level matches to train him, his form will definitely not be maintained. And at his current age, once his form declines, it will be a collapse like a flood. Perhaps he still has great ambitions, but his body will not allow him to do so. This is the most tragic thing about a hero..."

"...Back then, Zidane in his last year at Real Madrid could still often play at a very high level and was still the core of Real Madrid. But why did he insist on retiring at the age of thirty-four? It's very simple, because his body could no longer keep up with the intense pace of the game. At that time, we could often see Zidane with his hands on his knees, bending over and panting—this was a sign that his physical strength could not keep up. Zidane himself was also clear about this. If he continued to play, his image as a superstar would be damaged. What everyone saw on the field would no longer be the artistic master Zidane, but a stumbling, staggering wretch. He didn't want the last impression he left on fans to be like this, so he resolutely chose to retire... But Chen Hero's choice is very unwise. He insists on staying for another year, insisting on fulfilling his contract, but the glorious image he has built up over the previous twenty-three seasons is likely to be destroyed—when those fans who have high hopes for him discover that Chen Hero can no longer meet their demands, they will feel deceived and generate anger. This has already been reflected to some extent earlier. At that time, Liverpool fans were divided on whether Chen Hero deserved to be trusted, which was actually a warning to Chen Hero... But unfortunately, Chen Hero ignored it. So we can only watch him slide into the abyss step by step. That is the graveyard of all heroes, but not the kind of neat and solemn cemetery, but a desolate mass grave! A generation of heroes, but ultimately ends up in such a fate, it is really regrettable."

This person spoke as if Chen Hero had already been abandoned in a mass grave.

※※※

The saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news spreads far and wide.

The influence of a hundred articles praising Chen Hero is not as great as that of one article questioning him.

Soon, discussions about whether Chen Hero still had his past form and whether Liverpool was right to continue trusting Chen Hero began in the media and online.

But this time, Chen Hero's son would no longer be affected. For Chen Hero, this was a good thing.

A reporter came to interview Chen Hero, wanting him to respond to these doubts.

And the reporter who did this was the famous reporter who wrote in the newspaper that Chen Hero was digging his own grave and would eventually enter a mass grave—Newman Geese, a reporter for the *Daily Mail*.

Newman Geese had always been good at publishing various arguments in the media that were out of step with popular opinion, and it was precisely for this reason that he was considered a critic with independent thought and conscience, and had a large number of fans.

But in fact, his approach was simply that the public thought you shouldn't eat shit, but he confidently stated that shit could not only be eaten, but was also delicious.

Moreover, his writing was gorgeous, and he was good at using all kinds of ornate words and rhetorical techniques to cover up his true nature. Ordinary people were only impressed by his talent and anti-authoritarian style, and could not see the real meaning behind it.

Newman Geese was hated by many Liverpool fans because of his "mass grave" remarks about Chen Hero in the newspaper. But at the same time, a small number of Liverpool fans felt that he was right—that small number of fans were the ones who previously thought that Liverpool should no longer rely on Chen Hero.

Being able to deceive these fans, in addition to the fans themselves having preconceived judgments, was also due to Newman Geese's clever disguise—in the article, he disguised himself as someone who was thinking of Chen Hero, heartbroken that Chen Hero had not chosen to retire gracefully, as if he was Chen Hero's number one fan.

Now, such a Chen Hero's "number one fan" was standing in front of his "idol", holding a microphone, and asking Chen Hero with a compassionate attitude what he thought of the negative comments about his return in the media.

As a well-known British commentator, famous reporter, and conscientious public intellectual... Newman Geese often appeared on various television programs, and his image and photos also appeared in many media outlets.

He was considered a celebrity, and it was impossible for Chen Hero not to recognize him.

But he was too lazy to waste words with those people. Proving himself on the field with practical actions was the best approach. However, he couldn't say nothing, otherwise some people might become shrinking turtles.

He had to let these people know that he had his eye on them, so that he wouldn't be without targets when he slapped them in the face.

So he glared at Newman Geese and said in a slow but clear tone: "You guys are unscrupulously questioning me and smearing me in the media, and now you dare to come and ask me what I think about it? I think you're either a bunch of idiots or you're recklessly bold! What do I think? What I think is—you're courting death!"

An astonishing aura emanated from his body.

Celebrity Newman Geese was a popular figure everywhere, and even a guest of the government. Because of his opposition stance, the government treated Newman Geese with courtesy in order to show that they were a democratic government that could listen to opposing opinions. Although they knew that many of Newman Geese's words were like farts, who told him that he was now the symbolic figure of opposing voices?

He had never thought that someone would threaten and humiliate him with such language in front of him.

So he was stunned on the spot.

Then he heard the cheers of those Liverpool fans around him.

"Well said, Hero!"

"Don't pay attention to such an idiot!"

"That's right, you're courting death, idiot!!"

The fanatical fans roared at Newman Geese.

When Newman Geese stood up to ask questions earlier, the fans recognized him, and most of them showed indignant expressions.

Now that they saw their idol scolding Newman Geese, that scumbag, in person, everyone felt very happy. The bad breath in their hearts was finally released!

"Aren't you going to get out of here?"

"Get out! Get out! Melwood doesn't welcome you!"

These people waved their fists at Newman Geese.

Coming back to his senses, Newman Geese was a little scared. In his eyes, the fanatical Hero fans were all hooligans. Provoking them would definitely not end well for him.

Being able to use opposition for the sake of opposition to become a guest of the government, Newman Geese was definitely a smart person.

And smart people never suffer immediate losses.

Amidst the roar of the Liverpool fans, Newman Geese lowered his head and squeezed out of the crowd in a dejected manner, disappearing.

And behind him was the hearty laughter of the victorious Liverpool fans.

Laugh, laugh, you bunch of idiots! When you see the weakness of your idol in the game, let's see if you can still laugh!

Newman Geese fled in a hurry, not forgetting to curse the Liverpool fans and Chen Hero in his heart to show his intellectual superiority.