Chapter 580: Zlatan: I Think It's Pretty Good!
With Manchester United's FA Cup victory, all domestic competitions in England have concluded. Other teams have already disbanded, with players going on vacation. Only Manchester United remains in training, preparing for the Champions League final.
This is the main event of the season!
The numerous matches played throughout the season were just the prelude. Thirty-eight league matches, six FA Cup matches, six League Cup matches, and even twelve Champions League matches were all leading to this moment, to shine proudly and become the focal point of the entire world!
With the league finished, Manchester United's Carrington training ground was quieter than usual. All the youth teams had started their holidays, leaving only the first team using the facilities.
However, the atmosphere outside the training ground was more intense than usual. Reporters from around the world flocked to the base, filming and interviewing, reporting to fans worldwide about the preparations of this Champions League finalist team.
Karen Hubert, Manchester United's press officer, became one of the busiest people during this period. She had to deal with dozens of news media outlets coming from all over the world, organize press conferences to satisfy the curious media, and manage a press room that often held over a hundred people despite its capacity of only sixty.
For a top club, such a small press room was indeed inadequate.
However, in the stadium reconstruction plans, the press room size will be greatly increased to accommodate 200 seats.
Regarding whether Manchester United could beat Real Madrid in the Champions League final, opinions among reporters varied. Most believed Real Madrid would win, securing their first three-peat in the Champions League era.
To these journalists, Manchester United was undoubtedly strong, having completed an undefeated Premier League season and setting a record with 104 points in the top five leagues. They also maintained an unbeaten run of 64 matches across all competitions this season. However, this did not mean they could defeat Real Madrid.
The Champions League is Europe's and arguably the world's premier club competition. Manchester United has performed excellently in this tournament, reaching the final five times and winning three titles. But compared to Real Madrid, their record is less impressive. The "Galacticos" have reached the final 15 times, winning 12 titles, leading all European clubs in both counts.
Particularly noteworthy is the current Real Madrid team, which has reached the final four times in the past five years, winning each time. This squad has maintained its core structure, providing the players with abundant experience in winning the Champions League.
In contrast, Manchester United last won the Champions League a decade ago and last reached the final seven years ago.
This current Manchester United team has only five players with Champions League winning experience: Bruno, Kante, Cancelo, Maguire, and Mata. Mata won with Chelsea in the 2011-2012 season, while Bruno and the others won with Udinese in the 2014-2015 season.
Besides these five, only Valencia has played in a Champions League final, and although Smalling was in the squad in 2011, he did not play. The rest of the players joined United after 2011 and have no experience in a Champions League final.
Thus, in terms of final experience, Real Madrid undoubtedly has the upper hand.
The Champions League final is a competition where experience is crucial, leading many journalists to believe Real Madrid will defeat Manchester United.
As the captain, Bruno had already attended one press conference, expressing his confidence, but the response was lukewarm. Most saw it as a morale-boosting tactic rather than a genuine claim of superiority over Real Madrid.
Regardless of the media's opinions, Bruno's speech solidified United's determination to strive for the championship. The entire team trained according to Mourinho's plan.
After a day of training, the teammates washed up, changed clothes, and bid farewell to each other before leaving.
It was May 22, less than four days until the final.
After an extra shooting practice, Bruno returned to the locker room, which was nearly empty. He greeted the remaining few teammates and undressed, grabbing his towel before heading to the shower.
Someone was already there: Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Seeing the respected Swedish veteran, Bruno raised his hand in greeting. "Hey, Zlatan."
"Finished training, Bruno?" Zlatan continued to scrub the foam from his hair without turning around.
"Yeah," Bruno replied, turning on the showerhead next to Zlatan. The warm water cascaded over him, relaxing his tired body.
After rinsing the foam from his hair, Zlatan began to gather his things. As he reached the door, he paused and turned to Bruno. "By the way, Bruno, I forgot to thank you."
Surprised, Bruno asked, "Thank me? For what?"
"If it wasn't for your hard work, how could I still be playing in a Champions League final in the last year of my career?"
Bruno laughed. "It's not just my hard work, is it? Without everyone, what could I achieve alone?"
"Of course, there are many people to thank, but you are the one I want to thank the most. Everyone can see your role in this team."
Bruno shrugged with a smile.
Zlatan gave Bruno a deep look, waved, and said, "This is my last match. Whether I play or not, I will cherish it. Thank you, Bruno. See you tomorrow."
Bruno felt a bit surprised. Wasn't Zlatan supposed to move to the MLS after this season? Why did it sound like he was planning to retire?
"Goodbye, Zlatan," Bruno replied.
As he resumed lathering his hair, Bruno suddenly realized that this would be Zlatan's first Champions League final in his career.
Despite Zlatan's many years of fame and consistently being among the world's top strikers, winning league titles in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France, and England, and being a "league title collector," he had never played in a Champions League final!
While at Ajax, the team wasn't strong enough to reach the final.
After moving to Juventus, although dominant in Serie A, they fell short in the Champions League, twice being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Liverpool and Arsenal.
Following the Calciopoli scandal, Zlatan transferred to Inter Milan, dominating Serie A again, but Inter's Champions League performance was worse than Juventus's, consistently exiting in the round of 16 against Valencia, Liverpool, and Manchester United, earning the nickname "Round of 16 Kings."
When Inter was on the verge of European glory, Zlatan pursued Champions League success by moving to Barcelona, only for Inter to win the Champions League and become treble winners.
The following season, after falling out with Guardiola, Zlatan moved to AC Milan, helping them dominate Serie A again, but Barcelona won the Champions League, reinforcing the saying "with Zlatan, no Champions League."
After two years at AC Milan, Zlatan transferred to PSG, moving further from Champions League success.
Finally, he joined Manchester United, expecting to "settle down" his career, yet found himself in his first Champions League final at nearly 37, in the twilight of his career.
No wonder he wanted to thank Bruno!
A player's career is always marked by various regrets. Zlatan's regrets include the World Cup, European Championship, and Champions League—opportunities he thought he would never have again.
Due to Sweden's limited overall strength, it's hard for Zlatan to compete in the European Championship or World Cup. The Champions League was also out of his plans, but United's unexpected surge to the final this season filled one of his career's biggest voids.
Perhaps Bruno's championship goal also resonated with Zlatan.
Saying farewell to a career with a Champions League trophy would be the perfect send-off.
It seemed like Bruno had another reason to strive for victory!
The next morning, Bruno encountered Zlatan in the parking lot of the training base.
"Hey, Zlatan, good morning."
"Good morning, Bruno."
After greeting, Bruno asked, "Zlatan, how does a Champions League trophy as a retirement memento sound?"
Zlatan stared at Bruno for a few moments, then nodded. "I think it's pretty good!"
Bruno grinned broadly. "Great! It's settled then!"
Friends, if you enjoyed the novel, you can subscribe to my Patreon channel.
Until November 30st, get 40% off your subscription and 30% off your novel purchase.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10