Chapter 220 Hero's Influence

The news of Hero scoring his thirty-eighth goal spread quickly throughout Europe, even though the match hadn't finished. Don't underestimate the power of today's advanced media; the internet deserves much of the credit.

Actually, there wasn't much difference between thirty-six and thirty-eight goals. Either way, it was a record broken, just a difference in numbers. But for those who enjoyed the spectacle, wouldn't more numbers be better?

That way, there would be more excitement to watch.

These days, it's not uncommon for players to use Twitter. Chen Hero even had a Twitter account, though Vera managed it for him.

So, many players took to Twitter and Facebook to express their views on Chen Hero's thirty-eight goals.

Steve Gerrard: "Thirty-eight goals in Serie A? Wow! That's amazing!"

Martin Škrtel: "Serie A is still the best defensive league on the planet. Just look at the number of goals scored by the top scorers in Serie A compared to other leagues… So Hero is really amazing! To be able to score thirty-eight goals in such a league! Congratulations, Hero! I'm proud of you!"

Carragher: "Hero is the best center forward I've ever seen! I've played against him, and he left a very deep impression on me…"

Because there had been rumors for a while that Chen Hero was going to transfer to Liverpool, Liverpool's players were particularly enthusiastic about Chen Hero on Twitter. To be honest, when the rumors first surfaced, Liverpool's players didn't believe them at all, because everyone knew that Chen Hero was the hottest player in European football and could be compared to Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. How could such a person come to Liverpool? Even richer clubs more suitable than Liverpool were going crazy trying to snatch him up.

But after Chen Hero publicly admitted to the fans that he was going to Liverpool, Liverpool's players generally felt like they had been struck by a gold bar falling from the sky…

Since everyone would soon be teammates, they had to cheer Chen Hero on Twitter to build a closer relationship.

There were also players from other clubs, most of whom expressed surprise and congratulations on Chen Hero's achievements.

Few celebrities would express their dislike of a well-known figure on public online social platforms like Twitter and Facebook unless they really hated the person and had a past grudge. Otherwise, they would have to put on a show of superficiality.

Therefore, many of the congratulations to Chen Hero online couldn't be taken seriously, but they provided material for the media, especially the Chinese media, to hype up. They wouldn't have to write anything themselves; they could just collect the comments from celebrities on Twitter and Facebook about Chen Hero's goals, put them together, and that would be enough to make a news story that Chinese fans would love to read.

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Chen Hero's thirty-eighth goal had an impact that went far beyond getting those stars to say a few nice words about him on Twitter and Facebook.

Juventus was also very wary of this striker, who was in such excellent form.

They clearly wanted to counterattack, but they were afraid of Chen Hero's scoring ability and dared not press forward. The counterattacks were weak.

Chen Hero didn't go back to participate in the defense, and Napoli didn't need his half-hearted defense anyway. As long as he continued to stand at the front, like a nail, he would firmly nail Juventus' defense line to the back. If they wanted to press forward to assist, they had to consider Chen Hero's reaction.

Because this person had strong individual abilities, even if he couldn't get a chance, as long as he could control the ball, he could wait for his teammates to come up. And it wasn't easy for Juventus to intercept his ball…

Sometimes, even if Chen Hero couldn't score, Mazzarri had to keep him on the field because Chen Hero had enough deterrent power to deter those enemies with ulterior motives.

Chen Hero certainly wouldn't be satisfied with ending his last season in Serie A like this. He was still trying to find opportunities, which made Juventus' defenders feel even more uncomfortable—weren't two goals enough? Did he have to score a hat trick?!

If he could, Chen Hero really wanted to score a hat trick.

Unfortunately, he had used up all his goal-scoring luck in the league this season…

In the seventy-ninth minute of the game, he had a great chance to score when he received a cross from Cassano and jumped high to head the ball into the goal. Although the ball successfully bypassed Buffon, it was rejected by the crossbar.

He missed a great opportunity to score a hat trick.

Until the end of the game, Chen Hero was unable to score again, but he successfully contained Juventus' forces, preventing them from counterattacking with all their strength.

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When the four minutes of stoppage time had only half a minute left, none of the Napoli fans in the stadium could sit still in their seats.

Not only them, but no one on Napoli's bench or coaching staff was sitting in their seats either. They all stood up, put their arms around each other's shoulders, stood by the sidelines, and waited for the referee's whistle to end the game.

In front of the television, Napoli fans couldn't contain their excitement either and stood in front of the television to watch the game.

At this time, the score was 1:2, and Juventus, playing at home, was still one goal behind. The game wasn't over yet, so they still had hope.

They might still be able to score a goal and tie the score, but it was almost impossible to win.

But even if they tied the score, what would that change? They would still only rank seventh in the league because Roma was already leading Sampdoria 3:1 at home.

And even if they tied the score, AC Milan wouldn't win the championship. The other team in the Holy Alliance was performing poorly in this game. So far, their game against Udinese was still tied 0:0.

Napoli fans knew this, so they didn't have any psychological burden at all. They were just waiting for the referee to blow the whistle so they could celebrate to their heart's content.

"Stoppage time has come to an end, the referee is looking at his watch, and everyone's eyes are focused on him…" The commentator was saying when he saw the referee raise his hands above his head and then extend them forward.

Then the whistle blew!

"The game… the game is over—!!"

Along with this roar and the referee's whistle, the Napoli players who had been waiting outside rushed onto the field.

They did it! They became the league champions! After the Maradona era, they became the league champions again!!

"Long live! Napoli! Long live!" Napoli fans in front of the television and in the stadium also raised their arms and shouted. Some people even shed tears of excitement and were unable to control themselves.

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"This is truly a miraculous season. When Napoli returned to Serie A, who would have thought that this promoted team would become the Serie A champion in just a few seasons?" Looking at the celebrating Napoli players, the commentator also exclaimed. "But they did it! Now let's see how many people can still laugh at De Laurentiis' five-year plan?"

"Napoli's performance is worthy of this championship. They have achieved remarkable results this season!" The commentator, who was more inclined to data analysis, had already started listing data for the audience. "Twenty-seven wins, six draws, and five losses in the league, with eighty-seven points, the team scored seventy-three goals and conceded thirty-six goals. Napoli didn't show any mercy when facing strong teams, which is crucial! They defeated Roma 2:0 at home, AC Milan 3:2 at home, Juventus 3:0 at home, and Juventus 2:1 away, and Inter Milan 2:1 at home… These games allowed Napoli to widen the gap with their competitors…"

After the television broadcast gave a panoramic view of the jubilant victory, it immediately cut to a close-up of Chen Hero.

Everyone knew that Chen Hero, who scored twice in this game, deserved much of the credit for Napoli's victory. It was not surprising that he was named the best player of the game. Moreover, throughout the season, Napoli was able to win the championship because Chen Hero played consistently and excellently.

Napoli scored seventy-three goals as a team, and Chen Hero alone scored thirty-eight goals, accounting for more than half of them. Especially in the first half of the season, he almost frantically pursued goals and also led Napoli to the top of the league. Since the fourth round of the league, Napoli had been sitting on the top spot in the league, and Chen Hero's contribution was not small.

The absence of the Champions League in the first half of the season allowed him to devote himself wholeheartedly to the league battles, which invisibly helped Napoli—it was truly ironic that someone tried so hard to undermine Napoli, but instead made Napoli's madness this season a success.

"Chen Hero, the number one contributor to Napoli's league title. The record of thirty-eight goals is estimated to be unbreakable for a long time… It's a pity that such an excellent player will leave Napoli after the end of the season!"

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When the game had just ended, Mazzarri was very excited. He hugged everyone around him, shouting and yelling, not thinking about anything in his mind. It wasn't a blank, but there were many things, but he wasn't in the mood to pay attention to them.

But now he calmed down.

He saw Chen Hero celebrating with his teammates in the crowd at a glance.

As soon as this league title was in hand, it meant that Napoli would lose this top scorer…

Suddenly, he regretted it a little. Perhaps it would have been better not to win this league title?

But would not winning this league title have prevented Chen Hero from leaving? After all, there was still a Champions League final in a few days…

Did he have to give up the Champions League at that time? Just to keep Chen Hero?

That wasn't worth it! Even if Chen Hero stayed for another season, he would still have to leave eventually, because… his and Chen Hero's goals were actually the same: a championship. Since both wanted a championship, wouldn't getting the championship sooner be better than getting it later? He didn't know what Napoli would be like next season without Chen Hero.

Maybe better, maybe worse, who knew?

It was hard to say.

It was better to take advantage of the team's perfect performance this season and quickly grab a championship in hand. In any case, that was his achievement…

As for what would happen to the team next season…

He turned his gaze to the other side, where he saw Cavani celebrating with his teammates, but looking a little shy.

The Uruguayan transferred to the team during the winter break this season. Because Chen Hero was in such excellent form, he didn't have many opportunities to play. But he seized the opportunity in the limited playing time and fully demonstrated his ability. And most importantly, he was very patient. He didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction with being Chen Hero's substitute. On the contrary, he continued to learn from Chen Hero in training and drew nourishment from Chen Hero.

When the news that Chen Hero was going to Liverpool came out, some media had already begun to analyze who Napoli's front line could rely on if Chen Hero left. Many people mentioned this Uruguayan.

Everyone generally believed that Cavani didn't have Chen Hero's domineering and arrogance, but his strength was not weak. He might just lack some opportunities to build confidence… He didn't have any opportunities at Palermo, and he was just Chen Hero's substitute at Napoli, but wasn't Chen Hero leaving next season? When he left, wouldn't this center forward position obviously belong to Cavani? Raul could also play center forward, but he was old, and there was no one else suitable for this position.

Cavani's skills were very comprehensive, and he was also very team-oriented, making him the best candidate in the coach's mind. If he could continue his performance in the few appearances he made this season, he believed that everyone would soon forget Chen Hero next season.

But in Mazzarri's mind, there was a big question: Could Cavani really make everyone forget Chen Hero so quickly?

Mazzarri didn't have this question before. He had seriously considered it and felt that, purely from a football perspective, there was no problem with Cavani replacing Chen Hero. But after experiencing the events of the past few weeks, he suddenly realized that a hero was a hero, and Cavani could never replace him. Under such enormous pressure, he was still able to maintain a good state… No, not maintain, but perform even better. He was like a spring; the greater the pressure, the better his performance, and the greater the force of the rebound… Such a player was very precious in modern football. It should be known that modern football was filled with cameras, media, and the attention of fans. Every move you made on the field could be captured by a camera that you didn't know was there, so everyone was under a lot of pressure. How to maintain a long-term state under this pressure was a difficult problem for many players.

Chen Hero didn't have such problems, which was truly amazing!

He believed that even long after Chen Hero left, the people of Napoli would still miss him, even those extreme fans who were very tough on the surface…

This person might not be liked by everyone in terms of personality, but what he did and the championships he won were genuine and could not be ignored.

Mazzarri was lost in thought when suddenly a group of players rushed up to him with excited faces.

"Coach! Why are you hiding here?"

Without saying a word, a group of people picked him up, then tossed him up and caught him, then tossed him up again and caught him again.

Chen Hero was also among them.

For the players, Hero scored many goals and was the main contributor to the team's championship, but Mazzarri was the real greatest contributor.

Only Mazzarri could enjoy such treatment.

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Because it was an away game, the awarding ceremony for the new champions was very simple. A podium was quickly set up, and then everyone found their place on it. The president of the Italian Football Federation came up to present the trophy to the team's captain, Paolo Cannavaro.

As for the gold medals, the Football Association would give them to them when they returned.

Although the Juventus fans at the scene quickly left, the Napoli fans who had traveled a long way with the team stayed in the stadium to celebrate the goal with the team. And they celebrated with particular excitement.

To be able to lift the league championship trophy in the home stadium of their arch-rivals… it was truly satisfying!!

At this time, no one was so ignorant as to boo Chen Hero. Cheering together for the league championship was the right thing to do.

"Let us congratulate the 2010-2011 Serie A champions… Napoli!!"

With the commentator's loud shout, Napoli's captain Paolo Cannavaro raised the trophy high.

Although the atmosphere in the stadium was a bit deserted, the Napoli players were still very excited, and everyone's face was filled with a happy smile.

They didn't care whether the scene was a bit deserted. After all, there was still a Champions League final. When that time came… it wouldn't be deserted even if they wanted it to be!

That was a big stage!

It was the peak of Europe, the peak of the world!

Chen Hero took the lead in shouting the slogan: "Barcelona must die! Barcelona must die!"

More and more teammates joined the shouting team.

Soon, this voice converged into a torrent.

"Barcelona must die! Barcelona must die!! Barcelona must die!!!"

Obviously, this was a demonstration signal and provocation issued by the new Serie A champions to Barcelona.

Take it, Team Universe! (a nickname for Barcelona)

Let's meet at Wembley Stadium on May 28th!

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