Chapter 731: The Possibility of Two Ballon d'Ors in One Year

"3:1!!!"

"Ronaldo!"

Manchester United's third goal of the match has been scored!

"Siuu siuu!"

Dalot reminded Ronaldo not to forget his celebration move.

Now was the time to respond to the Atletico Madrid fans' mockery!

Ronaldo ran toward the corner flag with his teammates.

Three, two, one!

"Siuuuuu!!!!"

"Beep beep beep beep!!"

"Xuuu!!!"

"Fuck you!"

After the score gap widened, the atmosphere in the stadium instead became even more fervent; Atletico Madrid fans made no attempt to hide their desire to attack Ronaldo.

Ronaldo raised his right hand, pressed his index finger to his lips, signaling the Atletico Madrid fans in the stands to shut up.

"Shut up!"

Clap clap clap clap!

The applause did not come from Ten Hag, but from Tang Ye, who was slowly walking toward Ronaldo on the pitch.

"Nice, nice!"

Tang Ye and Ronaldo clapped hands and embraced.

Simeone just stood there motionless.

He knew his team had no chance of victory anymore.

"..."

"Fernandes."

With a quick pass, Bruno Fernandes lofted the ball directly onto Felipe.

The ball bounced out.

"Still there!"

Tang Ye gave a reminder; Bruno Fernandes, who had just relaxed, quickly rushed toward the landing point.

Bang!

Colliding with Trippier, Bruno Fernandes nearly fell, but ultimately managed to control the ball.

He pulled forward a short distance.

Slap!

The pass was delivered, the target still being the nearby Ronaldo.

Shot!

Ronaldo's shot struck Kondogbia.

"Oh!"

Ronaldo gritted his teeth, offered a bitter smile, then shook his head helplessly; all of this would become very clear once the camera zoomed in.

Ever since Ronaldo joined Manchester United, the focus of some fans' match-watching had shifted.

Like the broadcast director, they now paid greater attention to the facial expressions of Ronaldo and Tang Ye, hoping to derive some analysis from them.

It was somewhat helpless, yet there was no other way.

As the number of fans increased, the controversy burdening this professional player grew greater as well.

"Beep, beep beep—!!!"

The full match ended; the YouTube blogger pulled the match recording back to the first half.

"Yes, it is! This is the place!"

The blogger pointed at Ronaldo on the screen; the Portuguese player had just missed a shooting opportunity.

"Actually, it's already quite obvious: this is just how Ronaldo is. He can happily provide an assist, but only on the premise that he has already scored at least one goal in this match. If Ronaldo hasn't scored yet, he won't be too happy even when his teammates are celebrating."

"Do you know what I'm saying? It's not that Ronaldo is unwilling to celebrate with his teammates; it's just that his teammates' goals cannot fully capture his focus. When he celebrates with Ty, he must be thinking about his own goal."

The blogger had relatively few followers, and the account was established recently, so his true nature was not yet known.

Currently, the only thing that could be analyzed was that this guy held some grievances against Ronaldo.

"If you've scored, you should celebrate properly; the team is leading, not trailing."

Although the follower count was not high, the video contained many highly controversial keywords, causing it to receive a large number of shares and comments.

【Syhiwap: Players who have reached this level are definitely quite selfish; just look at Ty. After developing his long-range shooting, his passes from outside the box directly dropped by half. Otherwise, how do you think Ty won the Champions League Golden Boot?】

Blogger's reply: 【I know what you mean, but you clearly haven't understood my point. I am not criticizing Ronaldo unilaterally, okay? His poaching ability is the best at Manchester United, but he needs to make some sacrifices in terms of personality to integrate into the team, because he is already old.】

【4821sdhsi: (laughing yet crying) (laughing yet crying) You want Ronaldo to change his personality? If he didn't have a personality, he wouldn't have won the Ballon d'Or. I cannot fully support your viewpoint; personality is his most important asset.】

【Mikamikalol: Asking Ronaldo to play a supporting role is no different from asking Messi and Ty to practice heading. What Manchester United needs in a striker is someone who is both a supporting player and a finisher; currently, no one can simultaneously meet both conditions. Buying anyone would be useless; Ronaldo is already a very good choice.】

"Ronaldo maintains his nature as a top-tier finisher. The coordination between Dembélé and Ty is astonishing. I think losing to Manchester United is nothing to be ashamed of, but as you have seen, we did have certain opportunities; it's just that our players were not yet prepared."

Simeone first praised several of Manchester United's key players one by one, then stated that Atletico Madrid would launch a new challenge against Manchester United in the away leg.

"As for the João you mentioned—João Félix—he is an undisputed genius. I cannot guarantee he will become Ronaldo's successor as the fans say, but he indeed possesses some characteristics of a top-tier forward; yes, I am referring to creativity."

"..."

Click!

The reporters recorded everything Simeone said, then threw out a question.

"Diego, many football fans and experts are currently discussing one thing: the second resurgence and continuation of the Manchester United Wang Chao."

"And currently, we see that Manchester United is returning to the four-trophy Wang Chao of the 2019-20 season; at least for now, no team has been able to defeat Manchester United this season."

The reporter looked into Simeone's eyes: "So... as the coach of a top La Liga team, you possess rich experience. From your perspective, how long do you think the Manchester United Wang Chao can last? Can it sustain decades of dominance like the Ferguson era?"

"..."

This was indeed a rather interesting question; Simeone was the fourth head coach from the top five leagues to be asked.

Of course, Simeone certainly wouldn't be the last, because there were too many discussion points for this question; it could be considered a 'classic college entrance exam question' in mathematics.

"Phew..."

"At least for now... um, ahem!"

He had already prepared what to say, but Simeone still chose to organize his words first.

"I think the key is this season; if Manchester United can win both the Premier League and the Champions League titles like they did in 2020, then I believe no team will be able to threaten their status in the short term."

Simeone believed the 21-22 season was critical for Manchester United; plainly put, the focus was placed on the striker and full-back positions.

If Manchester United wanted to continue dominating, players in every position needed to reach a level that was nearly impeccable.

Cristiano Ronaldo integrating into the team, and Dalot or Wan-Bissaka displaying the characteristics of top-tier Champions League players—these were the two most urgent tasks Manchester United needed to accomplish.

"Of course, even if Manchester United encounters some problems, I think it would be inconsequential."

Simeone's eyes were shining; he looked incredibly envious.

"Tyrone, Rodri, De Jong..."

"Manchester United's midfield configuration determines that they cannot drop out of the Premier League's top three, nor can they exit the Champions League before the quarter-finals. But regarding the coach... hmm."

Simeone actually wanted to offer some suggestions regarding the Manchester United head coach.

Plainly put, he believed Manchester United needed a better coach, one at least stronger than Ten Hag in tactical arrangements.

Then, considering Ten Hag's status as a Champions League-winning coach, Simeone decided to remain silent.

As a coach who hadn't even won a La Liga title, if Simeone rashly commented on Ten Hag, he would definitely be cursed to death by the fans!

The disciples of Saint Ten would not be polite to the Atletico Madrid coach!

Dong Qiudui Match Report: Manchester United overturns a deficit to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1, securing their first Champions League victory of the new season; Tang Ye provides a low assist and scores directly from a free kick, while Cristiano Ronaldo nets his first Champions League goal since returning to Manchester United. (Comments: 325858)

Cristiano Ronaldo Interview: Tyrone is a phenomenal player; I am not interested in the Manchester United captain's armband and will respect Ten Hag's tactical arrangements.