Chapter 1 In the Tunnel

While waiting to enter the stadium, Chen Hero ran into his old friends from Napoli in the players' tunnel: Cassano, Hamsik, Ranocchia… Those players who had had the best relationships with Chen Hero in Napoli all took the initiative to come up and hug Chen Hero and Sanchez one by one.

After the hugs, they didn't go their separate ways, but gathered together to chat.

At the same time, Suarez, Skrtel, Santon and others from Liverpool also joined in, and the players from both sides simply started a tea party in the players' tunnel.

Those who didn't know what was going on found it very strange. Chen Hero and Sanchez had played for Napoli, so it was not surprising that they knew many people there and chatted with them. But how did Suarez, Skrtel, Santon and others join in?

Actually, it had nothing to do with whether they had played for Napoli or not.

This was a gathering between the Liverpool branch and the Napoli branch of the "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" gang.

Everyone was discussing where to eat and where to have fun that night…

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a burst of cheers outside, much louder than all the previous sounds.

But everyone was talking about which nightclub in Naples was the most fun, and no one really cared.

Only Cassano laughed and said to Chen Hero, "This is for you, Hero."

Chen Hero listened carefully, but the cheers had already passed, leaving only some lingering echoes.

He shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

He didn't know if Cassano was teasing him.

This kid was full of bad ideas and was best at messing with people. If he showed a happy expression, Cassano might say, "Just kidding!" Then he would be so embarrassed…

So the best response was to remain calm.

Seeing that Chen Hero didn't believe him, Cassano didn't continue, and the topic returned to how fun the nightclub they were going to that night was.

If you only looked at this harmonious scene, it would be really hard to imagine that Liverpool and Napoli were enemies competing for a Champions League qualification spot.

This was probably a rare scene in Champions League history.

The two sides agreed on the specific itinerary for the evening in this friendly meeting and reached a number of consensuses.

Finally, when the referee team appeared with the soccer ball, they ended the conversation and returned to their respective queues.

Even the referee looked at them strangely. He had never seen two teams so friendly before a match. Of course, he knew that Chen Hero had played for Napoli, and so had Sanchez. But that alone was not enough to make both sides look so happy and friendly, right?

He shook his head. It was none of his business, and he didn't need to study the issue.

Anyway, it was a good thing for him that the two teams had a good relationship. Because it meant that there would be less tension on the field, and his pressure as the referee would be less.

Who doesn't want their officiating to go smoothly? Everyone says that players and coaches are under a lot of pressure, but in fact, referees are under just as much pressure as players and coaches.

He walked to the front of the line, looked back at the players of the two teams, and said, "Alright, gentlemen, please follow our lead!"

It was time to take the field.

※※※

The fans in the stands had been waiting impatiently.

When they saw the referee team appear on the big screen, another cheer went up. Because they knew it was time to take the field!

Sure enough, soon, led by the referee, the players from both sides walked out of the players' tunnel one after another.

The captains of both sides were the first to walk out behind the referee team. For Liverpool it was Gerrard, an old general of thirty-five, still the banner of Liverpool.

Napoli's captain had been changed from Paolo Cannavaro of Chen Hero's era to Hamsik.

Following the captains were the goalkeepers, Reina for Liverpool and Rosati for Napoli.

Next were the players in the other positions.

The stadium announcer also began to announce the starting lineups of the two teams.

First the away team, then the home team.

When Chen Hero walked out of the shadows of the tunnel entrance, as if on purpose—actually it was a coincidence—the stadium announcer shouted Chen Hero's name.

"herooooooooooooooooo——"

The stadium DJ stretched out the sound and shouted.

The fans in the stands followed him and shouted, "heroooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

The cheers seemed to be able to turn the stadium upside down!

Only cheers, and more cheers, no boos.

There wasn't even a trace of noise.

The whole stadium was filled with cheers.

Chen Hero in the team raised his head, and the first thing he saw was the huge blue flag.

The bear on it clearly explained the identity and position of the visitors.

Blue Giant Bear!

These were his fans!

He had played here for four years, so he naturally knew about this fan organization.

This was his first personal fan group in Napoli.

It was these people who carried this big flag and accompanied him on his expeditions.

How could he not recognize them?

But this flag was a little different from what he remembered… It seemed bigger…

It almost occupied the entire stand.

The flag wasn't this big before.

And there were other things added…

"Napoli welcomes you forever, Hero!"

"Thank you for bringing us the European Champions Cup!"

But the most important thing was the last sentence.

"From now on, Napoli will not only have one Diego! But also… a Hero!!"

In the hearts of those proud, stubborn, and old-fashioned Napoli fans, Chen Hero could already stand shoulder to shoulder with Diego Maradona. This was a remarkable achievement. In the future, if anyone dared to say bad things about Chen Hero in front of Napoli fans, they could expect to be beaten up by the Neapolitans!

They defended their idols in such a simple and crude way, but it could make people feel the strong love. Just like they defended Maradona back then, daring to argue with their own team's players, and daring to boo Chen Hero for an entire season.

Now Chen Hero could enjoy the same treatment as Maradona. If any clueless kid joined Napoli in the future and declared that Napoli should put Chen Hero in a museum, then he would suffer the same treatment. If he didn't have a heart as strong as Chen Hero's, then he could only roll away in despair!

You have to know that there weren't many people in the world who dared to play a season of matches while enduring the boos of such crazy Napoli fans and still win the Serie A Golden Boot…

※※※

Seeing Chen Hero raise his head and look at the stands, the Napoli fans got even more excited.

Their cheers were even louder, and they waved their arms frantically.

Chen Hero turned his head to look at the other stands, and he found that all the stands were the same, not just the one with the flag.

Even the stands with the symbols of the extremist fans were like that.

What did this mean?

He raised his arm and waved to the stands.

The cheers grew louder.

He thought of what Cassano had said to him earlier.

These were indeed cheers for him!

A smile appeared on his face.

Although there were many conflicts when he left, the result was still pretty good!

Chen Hero became proud in his heart.

After the cheers came the deafening and uniform shouts of the Napoli fans.

They were shouting Chen Hero's name.

"Hero! Hero! Hero!!!"

Adria Bosh was in the crowd, and he and his companions were trying hard to hold up the huge flag. Because their view was blocked, they couldn't actually see what was happening on the field.

But they could guess what was happening by the changes in the cheers.

When the cheers suddenly increased, he knew that Chen Hero must have responded to the fans' actions.

Then everyone shouted Chen Hero's name together, and Bosh was among them.

He and everyone around him were shouting at the top of their lungs.

As if you weren't a true Chen Hero fan unless you shouted your throat hoarse.

The whole stadium was filled with this shouting, endless and completely suppressing the stadium DJ's subsequent introductions, even when they were already announcing the names of the home team players… Even captain Hamsik couldn't resist Chen Hero's charm and suppress Chen Hero's popularity.

It was worth it!

This grand occasion, this scene made Bosh tremble with excitement.

They had worked so hard for so long to create such a warm atmosphere, all the efforts were worth it!

They clearly conveyed their feelings to Chen Hero, letting him know how the Napoli fans felt about him after he left.

Even if you can't wear the Napoli jersey again from now on, you will always be our pride!

You must know this!

※※※

Chen Hero waved to everyone, and it stirred up a huge wave. The shouts from the stands were even louder.

Chen Hero suddenly became the focus of attention, not only his teammates, but even the Napoli players turned to look at him, some were his old teammates, and some were newcomers who had joined the team after he left.

At this moment, they were all staring at him.

Even the UEFA officials and referees were the same. They were surprised by Chen Hero's energy, which could turn an away game into his home game in an instant…

What a terrifying appeal and influence!

In today's world football, is there anyone else with his ability?

He Ping, the commentator for China Central Television, said excitedly in such huge shouts: "If you didn't know, you might think this was Liverpool's home game… but no, this is at the Stadio San Paolo, at Napoli's home, Liverpool's away game! But listen to these cheers, this is Hero! When you give everything, you often reap fruitful results in the end! Listen to these cheers, no matter how many boos Chen Hero has suffered in the past, at this moment, those bad things have become a passing cloud. He finally got a fair result! The Napoli fans are using this way to apologize to Chen Hero!"