Chapter 460: Top of the High Tower (Everyday Transition)

The street lamps are red.

The ground lights beside the red carpet are white.

At the entrance of the Eiffel Tower, it was decorated as a Star Avenue.

Fans behind the barrier held up posters of the players they supported.

Media reporters set up their cameras, occasionally stamping their feet and rubbing their hands for warmth, gazing far down the street.

The Barcelona executives gathered at the edge of the red carpet were almost ignored.

At such events, executives from four clubs across Europe love to bring their families to join the fun, regardless of how few entry slots the organizers have reserved.

Barcelona president Bartomeu adjusted his glasses and occasionally waved to fans.

The Barcelona executives stood with him at the entrance for 53 minutes.

Including the executives' family members, the total came to seventy or eighty people.

This happens every year.

Oriental fans jokingly call them: "A bunch of people who come just to steal the spotlight."

Time passed, and it grew colder.

Soon, the executives of a second club also came with their families to "steal the spotlight."

The media and fans snorted in disdain.

Don't block our view of the stars walking the red carpet.

A crowd of two or three hundred people?

The security personnel looked disgusted.

The main venue of the 2017 awards ceremony had only reserved about forty theater‑style seats.

Suddenly.

Several business cars sped over.

Instantly, a tsunami‑like cheer erupted on both sides of the red carpet.

Messi!!!

Cristiano!!!

Buffon!!!

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo led the top twenty Ballon d'Or nominees onto the red carpet.

They were all in suits.

Messi's beard remained unshaven, and he wore a gray tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo wore a smile, a dark blue suit, and a black‑star‑patterned bow tie.

Buffon kept it simple: beneath his burgundy suit was a white shirt with two buttons undone.

The stars glittered, and superstars from the five major leagues appeared one after another.

The flashbulbs went crazy.

Fans waved their posters and banners excitedly.

The surging enthusiasm drove away the chill.

Gradually.

I kept feeling that something was missing.

And Li Kang?

The mixed interview area.

The players slowed their pace, and the media reporters swarmed like pirates attacking a merchant ship.

They quickly divided the battlefield.

Messi seemed in good spirits; when posing for a photo with the fiery female host, he avoided looking sideways, deliberately kept his distance, and nervously pressed his arms against the outer sides of his thighs.

Facing the camera, he couldn't help but give a shy smile.

"Where did Li go? I don't know either."

"We keep in touch occasionally."

"Yeah, I used to message him, but he never replied."

On the other side.

The questions Cristiano Ronaldo faced from the media were particularly sharp.

A reporter asked: "Messi has scored 17 goals and made 6 assists in 16 league matches, while you…"

That's too sly.

Their peers secretly applauded and couldn't resist giving a thumbs‑up.

Their eyes were full of expectation, straining to catch the faintest expression on the Real Madrid star's face.

Cristiano Ronaldo's smile instantly faded.

"Tonight is the Ballon d'Or ceremony; you should be focusing on other matters."

The reporters were slightly disappointed, then asked: "Do you think you can lift the Ballon d'Or tonight?"

Cristiano Ronaldo froze for two seconds, then spoke hesitantly and stiffly: "Someone performed just a bit better than me this year."

Hardly had the words left his mouth.

His face quickly regained the arrogance of "I am the world's number one, two, three."

Pap‑pap‑pap!

Applause thundered.

Media reporters all lamented: hearing those words come from the mouth of a Real Madrid star was almost as painful as killing him.

In this joyful atmosphere.

Cristiano Ronaldo finally smiled with relief, shaking his head.

The camera panned again.

Buffon, Morata, Kanté, Hazard and others were chatting and laughing with the reporters.

"We really don't know where Li is."

"He came to Paris one day earlier than us."

"The space for free creation has opened up; you can arrange it as you wish—for example, say he went on a date with which girl!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

The reporters obviously didn't believe Buffon's teasing remark.

Even The Sun, which had been staking out day and night, couldn't dig up Li's love life!

"Before the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year were separated, France Football quietly learned the International Federation of Association Football's 'Hollywood-style' awards ceremony."

This year.

France Football decided to raise the tone, shrink the venue, and keep the grand spectacle outdoors!

"CTV5, CTV5, good evening, viewers."

"Now broadcasting live is the 2017 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony!"

"Tonight, the Eiffel Tower will witness the birth of the Ballon d'Or winner!"

The camera slowly swept over the theater-style audience seats, but Li Kang's figure was still nowhere to be seen.

Comments flooded across the screen.

【Li Mingdeng hasn't gone to take a dump, has he!?】

【Is his wife about to give birth?】

【Or maybe he fell out with France Football and refuses to attend the awards ceremony!】

【It's possible; last year's European Cup, Li Polun shocked France, with one sword blew up the whole plantation.】

【Do they even want the Ballon d'Or anymore? Hey? Where's the Ballon d'Or? It's gone too!】

The awards venue.

The lights suddenly dimmed.

A tall figure stepped onto the main stage.

White-haired David Ginola.

A French football legend, in his youth his looks were ranked among the top 'handsome men in football history' by European fans.

Ginola delivered a brief opening remark in French.

Immediately after,

The main stage then appeared with a stout figure.

Ronaldo.

The venue immediately burst into applause.

The two football legends began to exchange pleasantries.

Ginola asked: "Ronaldo, has Paris left you with any unforgettable memories?"

Ronaldo's smile was somewhat bitter: "1998 FIFA World Cup in France, that final match."

"I got married and divorced in Paris."

"Well, the story begins with a beautiful night, I"

Ginola quickly interrupted, changing the subject: "In your personal opinion, who is the best of the year?"

Ronaldo spread his chubby arms and laughed: "Do I even need to say it?"

The lights dimmed again.

The LED big screen on the side stage began playing the highlights of the top twenty Ballon d'Or candidates.

"Tenth place"

"The third player in the 21st century to break 55 goals in a single calendar year, a super striker!"

"He is the first man since 2009 to dominate both Messi and Ronaldo in a single calendar year!"

"Six hat-tricks in the Premier League!"

"Top scorer in Europe's five major leagues for the 2017 season!"

"Kane!"

"Ninth place"

"Highest shot conversion rate of the year, highest average goal efficiency."

"A pure, all‑around goal‑scoring machine!"

"Lewandowski!"

"Sixth place"

"Assist king in Europe's five major leagues for the 2017 season!"

"Highest chance‑conversion rate of the year, highest average assist efficiency."

"Four assist hat‑tricks in the Premier League."

"Morata!"

"Fifth place"

"Midfield maestro of the Galacticos and the Blaugrana!"

Exemplary master!

"Modrić!"

The picture suddenly paused after the introduction of fourth-place Buffon.

Immediately after that.

Li Kang, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo's wonderful moments were interspersed and played.

The Ballon d'Or winner will emerge from among the three.

The attending guests had not yet reacted.

Suddenly, a series of explosion sounds rang in their ears.

Instantly, everyone turned their heads toward the floor-to-ceiling window!

At Warrior God Square, fireworks were ignited.

The colorful light illuminated the Eiffel Tower.

The outdoor photographer rode a helicopter, aiming the camera at the top of the tower.

The viewers in front of the televisions faintly saw: at the very center of the tower's top, the most brilliant spot, stood a figure.

The camera slowly zoomed in.

A back view.

It was a back view.

"2017, Ballon d'Or winner, Li Kang!"

At the peak of the fireworks.

Li Kang turned together with the Ballon d'Or, standing atop the tower, overlooking Europe.