Chapter 613: Champions League Final, Cristiano Ronaldo's Farewell Game at Real Madrid!
On May 27, 2018, the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.
The stage was set for the 2017-2018 Champions League Final. The weather in Kyiv was perfect for a football match, with temperatures hovering around 15-17°C at night and a light breeze blowing at 1-3 km/h.
Both teams, Manchester City and Real Madrid, had already arrived at the stadium and were making their final preparations before the big game.
Inside Manchester City's locker room, Pep Guardiola leaned against the wall by the door, quietly watching his players get ready. They were packing up their gear, mentally preparing for the match.
In such a big game, it's common for coaches to give a motivational speech, reminding players how to perform and what to focus on. But tonight, Guardiola wasn't planning to give one of those speeches.
He stood there for a while, and once he saw that the players had just about finished preparing, he opened the locker room door. The roar of the crowd and the excitement from the stadium flowed in through the tunnel.
The players all noticed this, as Guardiola had been standing near the door the whole time. Everyone turned to look at him, curious about what he was trying to convey.
"Do you hear that?" he asked, his voice calm.
The players nodded, although none of them fully understood his point just yet.
"Go out there," Guardiola said. "Go out and conquer this stadium with your performance. Make sure the fans here and the millions watching around the world will remember you, remember how you played. In two hours, I want each of your names echoing through the stadium, with the crowd in awe of what you've done."
That was all he said, leaving the path to the tunnel open for them. His words were brief, but the players didn't need more motivation. Standing on a stage like this, their hearts were already racing with excitement. They didn't need anyone else to pump them up.
As the players passed by, Guardiola stood by the door, giving each of them a high-five and telling them, "You're the best, go for it!"
When Lin Quan passed by, Guardiola said the same words, but Lin Quan could hear the sincerity in his voice. It wasn't just encouragement—it was a genuine affirmation. In Guardiola's eyes, Lin Quan truly was the best, no doubt about it.
As Manchester City's players left the locker room, the door to Real Madrid's dressing room opened as well. They could hear the Real Madrid squad shouting in unison, building up their energy for the battle ahead.
Though the match hadn't started yet, both teams lined up in the tunnel, waiting for their moment to step onto the field. A sense of tension filled the air, even among the more experienced players who had been in finals before. The atmosphere was contagious, making even the veterans feel a bit on edge.
As Manchester City's captain, Lin Quan stood at the front of his team. Across from him was Real Madrid's captain, Sergio Ramos. Right behind Ramos was Cristiano Ronaldo, standing just one position behind Lin Quan. But that small gap symbolized something bigger—it meant that tonight, Ronaldo could only watch Lin Quan's back.
Even though Ronaldo had led his team to victory over Manchester City in last year's final, facing them again on this stage made him feel nervous. This season's Manchester City was incredibly strong, so much so that Real Madrid had been considering them their biggest rival from the start of the campaign. As the final drew nearer, Madrid felt increasingly uneasy.
They hadn't found a solid plan to beat this City team. All they could do was focus on their strengths and execute their game as well as they could. As for the outcome, they would leave that to fate.
Born in 1985, Ronaldo was now 33 years old. At this age, professional footballers inevitably start to decline. No matter how much Ronaldo refused to accept it, time couldn't be stopped.
Ronaldo was incredibly disciplined, maintaining strict routines for training, diet, and rest. This self-discipline allowed him to stay at the top of his game. However, the effects of aging were starting to show—his dribbling, acceleration, and top speed were all declining. In a year or two, his stamina might also diminish, and the question of whether he could still play a full 90 minutes would become a concern.
Additionally, Real Madrid's attitude toward Ronaldo had become ambiguous. His contract was nearing its end, but negotiations over a new deal weren't going well.
Ronaldo wanted a higher salary to reflect his status as a global superstar, especially since the other two megastars in world football were earning much more at their respective clubs. From Ronaldo's perspective, his demand was entirely reasonable. However, from the club's point of view, it seemed a bit greedy.
At 33, Ronaldo was an aging player, and it was rare for someone his age to land a lucrative contract. Even keeping his current salary would be considered generous, yet Ronaldo was asking for a raise.
Madrid might have been willing to consider a salary bump given Ronaldo's status as a club legend, but his demands were too high. He wanted his salary to match those of Lin Quan and Messi, which was simply unacceptable to the club.
As a result, the first round of negotiations ended in failure. Later, both sides made some concessions—Ronaldo lowered his demand to €25 million net per year, plus a €7.5 million Champions League bonus. Ronaldo saw this as a significant compromise, but Madrid still wasn't satisfied.
To make matters worse, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez had set his sights on Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar, potentially aiming to swap Ronaldo for the Brazilian star.
It was no secret that PSG had been chasing a megastar for years. After many failed attempts, they eventually splashed out to bring Neymar to Paris. Neymar was incredibly talented, but despite his abilities, PSG hadn't seen much success in recent seasons. The Qatari owners behind PSG were getting impatient.
Now they were open to the idea of using Neymar as a bargaining chip to land another superstar. Real Madrid seemed like the only club that might accept such a trade.
After all, Lin Quan was untouchable at Manchester City, and Messi wasn't leaving Barcelona anytime soon. But Real Madrid had always coveted Neymar. In fact, they had once competed with Barcelona to sign him, only for Neymar to choose Barça.
Now that Neymar had developed into one of the world's top players, Madrid's initial judgment had been validated. Furthermore, Neymar was still young, with six or seven peak years ahead of him, barring any major injuries.
Trading an aging player like Ronaldo for a younger superstar, especially one who had once played for their arch-rival Barcelona, seemed like a great deal for Real Madrid. It would not only strengthen their squad for the future but also deliver a psychological blow to Barça, much like when they signed Luis Figo.
From both a long-term team-building perspective and a political angle, this swap looked like an ideal move.
When Ronaldo heard about these rumors, he was furious. He believed the reports were highly likely to be true. As someone with immense pride, Ronaldo couldn't stand the idea of being used as a bargaining chip in a transfer deal.
Ronaldo's team had already issued an ultimatum to the club: if Madrid didn't meet his demands by the end of June, they would seek a transfer.
Judging by Madrid's current response, they were making lots of noise but taking little action. While they publicly expressed their desire to keep Ronaldo, they weren't making any meaningful concessions behind the scenes.
In short, Madrid wasn't being sincere.
This all but confirmed the likely outcome: Ronaldo would be leaving Madrid this summer.
That meant this final was very likely to be Ronaldo's last game for Real Madrid.
Thinking of this, Ronaldo became even more determined to win. If this was to be his farewell match, he wanted to leave in style. He wanted the Madrid fans to remember him as the man who had delivered two Champions League trophies and who had been unstoppable on the pitch.
...
At 8:40 PM, the 22 starting players, led by the referee, made their way onto the field. As soon as they stepped onto the pitch, they were enveloped by the roaring cheers of the fans. The atmosphere was electric, with excitement pouring in from all directions.
"The fans here are really passionate," Lin Quan thought to himself. "Too bad, in a few years, this place will turn into a battlefield."
Lin Quan couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. The Ukrainian league had some strong teams, like Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kyiv. These teams had often made it into the Champions League, sometimes reaching the knockout stages. Though they didn't have as many star players as the big teams in Europe's top five leagues, their home advantage often made them formidable opponents.
During the coin toss before kickoff, Manchester City chose possession, while Real Madrid chose their side of the field.
At 8:45 PM, with the referee's whistle, the final kicked off.
Sergio Agüero gently nudged the ball back to Lin Quan, who immediately passed it to Kevin De Bruyne behind him. Real Madrid's players surged forward, with Ronaldo charging past midfield straight toward De Bruyne.
Despite Real Madrid's aggressive press, Manchester City played calmly, as if they had anticipated Madrid's tactics. De Bruyne passed the ball back to center-back Virgil van Dijk.
Van Dijk, positioned slightly forward, took a few steps to the side and switched the ball to the left. Due to their press, Madrid's formation had already started to stretch.
Manchester City's left-back Kyle Walker received the pass from Van Dijk and immediately handed it off to David Silva, who had dropped deep to help. Silva controlled the ball, quickly scanned the field, and noticed an opening near Luka Modric, just in front of Isco and behind Karim Benzema.
Without hesitation, Silva launched the ball into that space.
At the same time, Lin Quan, who had been operating on the right, had already started his run. As the ball flew toward the spot, Lin Quan arrived perfectly, as if he had predicted Silva's pass in advance.
On the sideline, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane smiled when he saw Silva pass the ball. But when he noticed Lin Quan's movement, the smile froze on his face.
This kid's football intelligence and spatial awareness were extraordinary. He had started running ahead of time, rendering Real Madrid's carefully laid trap ineffective.
What Manchester City saw as a gap was actually a deliberate bait from Real Madrid, intended to lure them into passing there. The plan was for Modric, hiding just behind, to intercept the ball and catch City off guard.
Modric was known for his stamina, defensive work rate, and ability to cover large areas of the pitch. He often acted as Real Madrid's first line of defense, using his energy and positioning to disrupt the opponent's play.
But the moment Lin Quan received the ball, Modric had already rushed behind him. If Lin Quan hadn't moved early, the ball would have been intercepted by Modric.
In such a dangerous area, with Modric winning possession and several of Madrid's forwards already in advanced positions, City's goal would have faced a serious threat.
Though they were still in Madrid's half, the team's quick transition and sharp passing could have put City's defense under immediate pressure, allowing top forwards like Benzema and Ronaldo to get shots on goal.
Real Madrid had scored many times this season with such quick counters.
But their plan fell apart at the first hurdle.
The ball was still at Lin Quan's feet, and he was the most dangerous player for Real Madrid's defense to deal with.
Without hesitation, Modric slid in for a tackle.
Despite being known for his playmaking and vision, Modric was also a tenacious defender. He had great anticipation and positioning, but what often went unnoticed was his excellent tackling ability.
Seeing Modric's sliding tackle, Lin Quan frowned slightly.
It seemed like Modric was aiming for his ankle. Was this a genuine attempt to win the ball, or was he going after the player?
Considering his importance to Manchester City, if Modric managed to injure him, City's chances of winning would be severely diminished.
The match had barely started—only two minutes had passed. Losing their star player so early would dramatically increase City's chances of losing the final.
As for Modric, he might get a yellow card for the foul, but a red card was unlikely. Using a yellow card to take out the opponent's key player was a trade Real Madrid would gladly make.
Was this Modric's own decision, or part of a broader tactical plan?
While Lin Quan quickly pondered this, he kept moving. He flicked the ball to the side, dodging Modric's tackle.
Modric got a touch on the ball, but only barely. His studs brushed the edge of it, causing it to roll slightly, but not far enough to escape Lin Quan's control.
Still on the ground, Modric couldn't get back to the ball before Lin Quan.
Modric's plan had failed, and the first duel between the two ended in Lin Quan's victory.
(End of the chapter)