Lin Hai Ting Tao
Chapter 619 Don't Bow, Don't Lower Your Head (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
In the end, the group of bigwigs were left waiting for the newly crowned champions for more than ten minutes before the Napoli players finally emerged from the tunnel and appeared on the field.
Now, the awards ceremony could finally begin.
First was the presentation of the runner-up medals.
The Barcelona players, seeing the Napoli players, who were still flushed with excitement, couldn't help but sneer in their hearts: "It's just a Champions League title, yet they're so beside themselves with joy. True bumpkins who haven't seen the world!"
Perhaps only such secret contempt could make them feel a little better... The taste of being runner-up was something only those who'd experienced it knew!
In any case, they didn't feel good.
This season, they had already tasted the bitterness of being runner-up twice. Once in the Copa del Rey, and again in the Champions League final. Obviously, the blow of losing the Champions League final was even heavier for them.
They had to realize that they were defeated by their opponent at their peak!
For the Copa del Rey, they could still say that they hadn't used their full strength, had hidden their abilities, and hadn't taken it seriously in their hearts. But for the Champions League final, all excuses and reasons were useless. Losing was losing, no excuses, no reasons. Saying that the referee favored Napoli? Objectively speaking, that wasn't the case either.
In any case, they lost this final feeling extremely aggrieved.
Messi felt particularly aggrieved, but he didn't shed tears in the locker room after losing to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final, as he had done before. This time, he just pursed his lips tightly, not allowing himself to actually cry.
Because he had already buried a vow in his heart—he must defeat Chen Hero again and prove to the world that he, Messi, was not someone's stepping stone to success, not a background reference behind the protagonist!
He took the silver medal from Platini, lowered his head, and was about to leave when Platini stopped him.
The UEFA president put his arm around him and whispered in his ear, "Your performance was good enough, but unfortunately... Don't be discouraged, you are still the best in the world, no one can deny that, Leo!"
Messi knew that Platini was comforting him, but he found the first sentence awkward—I tried my best, was good enough, but still couldn't defeat Chen Hero. Aren't you saying that I have no hope of beating Chen Hero in my life?
He nodded, not saying anything, not even changing the expression on his face, just nodding to show his gratitude, and then left the podium.
When Guardiola went on stage to receive the award, Platini also comforted him.
"This is not your responsibility, Pep. You were just a bit unlucky..." He couldn't say more. He couldn't say "You actually lost to Chen Hero," could he?
He didn't have any good feelings for Chen Hero, and he wouldn't use this moment to deflate his own team's morale and boost the other team's prestige.
Guardiola was much more mature than Messi. He shrugged helplessly and shook his head, saying, "Thank you, Mr. President, this is football... We tried our best, but they were stronger... They deserve this championship." Perhaps not every Barcelona player was so gracious, but the Barcelona coach certainly was.
Platini patted him on the shoulder and sent off the last Barcelona player to come up to receive the award. Next, it was Napoli's turn.
And the Napoli players had been waiting impatiently below.
The players began to walk up one by one to receive their gold medals and trophy.
The Napoli players didn't have any good feelings for UEFA or Platini, because the feud between the two sides last year was too deep.
So when receiving the award, most people were arrogant, constantly mocking Platini in their hearts.
You're so capable, aren't you? See if you have the guts to let the referee screw us over again!
To be honest, Platini didn't make things too difficult for Napoli on the refereeing front this time. Before the final, it was all hype, plot, and publicity. If Napoli couldn't make it to the final, everyone would lose interest. He was willing, but the audience wasn't, and the sponsors and TV broadcasters were even less willing...
As for the final, he felt that with Barcelona's strength, defeating Napoli shouldn't be a problem. That's why he didn't do anything with the refereeing—he didn't want to go too far and leave too many handles for others to grab. He still wanted to run for FIFA president. If he got too carried away now, it might become a weapon for his political enemies to attack him in the future.
He wasn't that stupid.
He felt that Barcelona, who were at their peak and couldn't even be stopped by Mourinho's Real Madrid, should be able to completely defeat Napoli without any doubt. The only time the two sides had played against each other last season was just an accident. Barcelona wasn't familiar with Napoli at that time. Now that they were familiar with them, Napoli naturally posed no threat. He was very familiar with small teams like Napoli, they relied on three tricks. Once they were used up, they were no longer a threat.
There were many such teams in the football world. In Italy there were Verona, Lecce, Chievo, and Napoli. In England there was Nottingham Forest, and in Germany there was Hoffenheim...
They always relied on their mystery, the advantage of not being familiar to their opponents, and used their three tricks to carve out a world for themselves. But once the novelty wore off, as opponents studied them more deeply, they had no more tricks to play.
Who would have thought that although this Napoli team really only had three tricks, the power of these three tricks was different from the past, and they forcibly chopped the overlord Barcelona off their horse...
It was as if Napoli shouted wildly, raised their axe, and rushed over. Barcelona raised their gun to block, thinking that the three tricks were nothing special. After I endure your three tricks, I'll pick you off with one shot... But before they could finish their thoughts, they were split in half by the opponent, gun and all. How tragic!
But Chen Hero had already made a name for himself. Barcelona was killed by Chen Hero's three tricks, so wouldn't you say it was unfair?
They all said, "Beware of the bear," but in the face of such a warning, Barcelona turned a blind eye. Relying on their guns and men, their solid defense, and their sharp attack, they didn't take the giant bear seriously. Who would have thought that now they would be lying in the graveyard, with their epitaph engraved on the newly erected tombstone, which was also a true reflection of their regret: "The bear appeared, and we didn't pay attention"...
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When Chen Hero walked onto the stage, he was still arrogantly raising his arms and walking over with an eight-character step, constantly showing off to the fans in the stands along the way.
If he had a choice, Platini really wouldn't want to present the award to Napoli, especially Chen Hero. Because he knew that Chen Hero wasn't a good guy!
When Chen Hero walked up to him, he raised the ribbon of the gold medal, which was the action of putting it directly around Chen Hero's neck.
This was originally a very normal move, because everyone accepted the award in this way.
Few people would directly put the medal in the hands of the recipient.
But in Chen Hero's view, he didn't accept this "convention," because in that case, he would have to bow to Platini first...
It was originally just a normal action, but if he didn't bow his head, with his height, it would be difficult for Platini to put the gold medal around Chen Hero's neck.
But Chen Hero was unwilling to bow to Platini, very unwilling. Especially since Platini was holding the medal not very high—for a tall person, Platini should try to hold it higher so that it could be easily hung around the other person's neck. But he didn't do that with Chen Hero.
Perhaps this was just an unconscious accident, or perhaps it was Platini's intention.
But no matter what, his action would cause Chen Hero not only to bow his head, but also to bend over a little...
This action was like bowing to someone, and Chen Hero absolutely couldn't accept such an action. Bowing to others was fine, but bowing to Platini was out of the question!
He didn't care whether Platini was intentional or unintentional, he just wouldn't bow his head, he just raised his head and looked down at Platini.
The two of them were deadlocked for about two or three seconds.
Then Chen Hero stretched out his hand, meaning—put the thing in my hand!
Platini was so angry! He had never seen such an ungracious winner!
But Chen Hero didn't care what the loser was feeling—it was already a blessing for the loser that he didn't further provoke them.
Platini held back his anger, thinking that as a UEFA president, there was really no need to argue with a little kid...
So he put the gold medal in Chen Hero's arms, didn't even shake his hand, and turned around to get another gold medal.
He originally thought that this should express his dissatisfaction and disdain for Chen Hero to some extent, so that Chen Hero would know what's good for him. Who would have thought that before he could turn around, Chen Hero had already turned around and left—Platini thought that not shaking hands with the other party would be able to knock Chen Hero down a peg, but who would have thought that the other person didn't even want to shake hands with him at all!
How frustrating!
For the first time, Platini felt that he was helpless against an ordinary player, even though he was the UEFA president!
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After Chen Hero got the gold medal, he put it around his neck himself. It showed that he didn't really not value this honor, but he really didn't want to bend over, bow, or fawn over Platini.
Platini was even more angry. He presented awards to the Napoli players while holding back his anger. He was very fast, and he didn't chat with the players and coaches like he did with Barcelona.
Because of Chen Hero, his attitude towards the Napoli players and coaches was a bit cold. Giving out awards was like completing a task. Once the task was completed, it had nothing to do with him.
In the end, when Paolo Cannavaro received the Champions League trophy from Platini, it was the climax of the whole scene. Although the Barcelona fans had already left, the remaining Napoli fans still created a huge uproar. In their cheers, Paolo Cannavaro raised the Champions League trophy high, announcing the birth of a new king.
"The champion of the 2010-2011 season of the European Champions League—Napoli!!"
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ps, tomorrow there will still be three updates, please vote for the monthly ticket!