\Claire didn't know much about Alan Smith's past, but today, the guy was absolutely killing it! After big-mouth Park Ji-sung came on and learned why Claire clashed with Benzema, Alan Smith started marking Benzema like a man possessed!
Whenever Alan fouled Benzema to steal the ball, the entire stadium erupted in cheers! Most of those shouts came from Claire's music fans, who were hyped beyond belief. The whole Manchester United squad was buzzing too, ever since they caught onto Alan's "sneaky tricks." The second half turned into a game of tormenting poor Benzema!
Benzema got the ball!
No need for Claire to step in—the United fans abandoned their positions, swarming Benzema like a pack of wolves, and the stands loved every second of it!
Alan fouled Benzema for a steal—roaring cheers filled the air!
Giggs barreled into Benzema—more deafening roars!
Ronaldo snatched the ball from Benzema, and the crowd broke into The Nights like it was a battle anthem!
Sir Alex Ferguson, with a faint smile, glanced at the transformed team dynamic and said to Carlos Queiroz beside him, "Claire's doing great. I always thought he was a bit of a softie!"
"Softie," Queiroz muttered, amused by Claire's new nickname. But Ferguson continued, "His leadership's impressive, though. Lille's defense is cracking, and Rooney's leading the counterattack!"
Queiroz didn't buy the "leadership" bit. Claire's vision and ball sense were top-notch, no argument there. But leadership? Nah, Queiroz wasn't convinced.
United's current dominance was all thanks to Claire's fame, fueled by Marbly Records and Warner Music's relentless promotion. Just yesterday, Claire's song The Nights exploded in popularity. The first-ever Dutch Winter Top 100 EDM Festival in the U.S. sent the track's influence skyrocketing, landing it at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for Week 46! The #2 spot? Claire's One Day, which had been dominating the top three for weeks!
When Claire's American fans learned he was also a footballer, they flocked to Manchester. Marbly had oversold tickets by 40% for three straight matches! Claire's mystique—no time for TV, movies, or variety shows—only made fans more desperate to know him.
Queiroz knew this because his son, studying in California, begged for Claire's autograph. With no album release, Claire's signatures were like gold dust. Warner's streaming platform, Warner Online, shot to #1 on iTunes downloads thanks to Claire's meteoric rise. His songs were so scarce that, despite some single CDs trickling in from Mexico and Australia, they were nearly impossible to buy!
So, United's second-half fire? Purely Claire's fame at work! Football's a game of glory and clout, after all.
With 15 minutes left, Claire, barely involved in tackles, still had plenty of gas in the tank—no burning lungs for him. Nearby, Ronaldo signaled for the ball, but Claire's holographic HUD pinged: Pass over Benzema first!
Yup, stubborn Benzema was still hounding Claire relentlessly! Alan Smith, trailing Benzema, gestured for Claire to take the ball and go, but Claire shook his head with a grin. "I'm not letting you win!"
Benzema, wiser after earlier mistakes, rolled his eyes and ignored Claire's taunt. Seeing Benzema wasn't biting, Claire darted forward with a lateral sprint dribble—100% success rate!
He practically danced past Benzema with his eyes closed. Benzema reacted fast, but Claire wasn't about to let him cling on. He fired a midfield pass to Giggs, who didn't rush forward but instead played a controlled passing game with United's midfielders.
Benzema, watching Claire's back, pursed his lips. He recalled a teammate's advice: "Settle it off the pitch." But his feet sped up—he was determined to kill the game. Before he could reach Giggs, though…
Thwack! Giggs lobbed the ball over his head. Benzema barely registered it before the United fans' cheers exploded.
The whole United squad poured forward! Lille's half was suddenly a sea of red jerseys. Lille's players weren't slow to react, especially when they saw Claire take the ball again. Giggs' pass went straight to goalkeeper Van der Sar, who calmly tapped it to Claire's feet.
"Benzema! Say hi to your grandpa!"
Du Chan, a NetEase Sports reporter in the press box, caught the moment on camera. Before she could process it, a swarm of red jerseys flooded Lille's penalty area.
But one white-jerseyed player—Benzema—kept pressing Claire. Claire, unfazed, flipped him the middle finger!
Thud! The ball arced like a parabola toward Lille's box. Sir Alex Ferguson watched, stunned, from the sideline.
Latest chapter first released on 69 Book Bar!
If the first goal was luck, this second one definitely wasn't. The ball's placement was pinpoint.
From MUTV's east stand, Martin Tyler's voice screeched, "Claire's long-range shot to the goal—ohhh!"
"F, what did our cannon just do? It's like a bunch of squirrels fighting for mom's food!"
"Oh! It's Michael Carrick! That's his second goal this season. For a hardworking midfielder, he deserves this one!"