Chapter 549: Don't Let the Trophy Wait Too Long

Despite closing the locker room door, the singing outside was still a little deafening. The stadium soundproofing was not bad, the fans from both sides were too passionate and enthusiastic for the final game.

Twain listened attentively and heard the Nottingham Forest song. He also heard the once familiar AC Milan song. He had not gone out to take a look at the current stadium stands, but he believed it had to be a sea of red.

Although AC Milan had drew the lot as the visitors’ team and could only wear white jerseys for this game, AC Milan fans only worn the red and black striped jerseys when they came to Greece.

The stadium vibrated slightly from the singing, boos, applause, and stomping feet.

Twain looked at the ceiling and turned his gaze back to the locker room.

The jerseys that the players were going to wear for the game had been hung in their lockers with neatly cleaned boots and shin guards placed on their seats.

Unlike before, these tasks were done by specialized personnel. The players needed to put all their energy into the game.

The manager also did not have to be the only person to take care of everything. He only needed to take care of his own matters, leaving the other things to the assistant managers, coaches, fitness coaches, goalkeeper coaches, team doctors, and staff to complete.

Twain thought that if he had transmigrated to thirty years earlier, he probably would not be able to do the manager position himself.

The tactical board was still blank. There was no need to fill it with too many complex tactics. The things that needed to be accounted for only required verbal instructions.

Twain waited for his men to warm up and return.

※※※

Michael Bernard and his old buddies stood in the stands of the Olympic Stadium and looked down at the grassy pitch where the players from both teams warmed up.

He had not spoken since entering the stadium. He just glanced around. Although it was the first time he had been to the Olympic Stadium of Athens, everything felt familiar. It was not the specific stadium, but the atmosphere of the scene.

The fans from both sides sang, clapped and shouted all sorts of chants to cheer on the players on the field and to demonstrate to the opposing camp of fans. The intoxicating smell of perspiration mingled with alcohol in the air.

He liked the smell. After three years away, he was still enraptured by it.

This is… the Champions League Final!

He did not think he would see it again in his lifetime or appear on the grounds of the Champions League final. When Nottingham Forest was relegated from the Premier League to League One, he used to think it was nothing more than a fluke and that glory was bound to return. But when the team was promoted only to be relegated again a year later and become an “elevator” team a few years later, he no longer held any illusions. He felt it was enough to be a loyal Forest fan and did not care whether the team could still appear in the Champions League finals. His goal was only to see the team to return to the Premier League.

When his son died under the feet of football hooligans because he come to watch the game, he thought he would never return to the stadium stands for the rest of his life because he could not forgive himself for taking his son to the game. If he could choose, he would have preferred he was the one who died and that his son’s life was intact.

But now he was back in the stands to cheer on his favorite team.

Is it because I don’t love Gavin anymore? Is it because I have forgotten the pain of losing my son?

No.

I brought Gavin here to watch the game. Gavin is right next to me. There are so many people here, so I have to hold his hand tight…

From a young age, Gavin was the one I brought to watch every Forest team’s home game before he would become a staunch Forest fan. Now that the Forest team has returned to the pinnacle of its glory, how can I not bring him? He was so keen to see the Forest team get the Champions League title and become the heroic team that his father spoke of again.

If I had had the chance, I could have brought my son to the stadium to watch the Forest team’s game a few decades later. I would point to the players in the red jerseys and proudly tell my son, “look, son! Your daddy had seen the Forest team pick up the Champions League trophy! This is an amazing team! You’re going to love them too!”

Michael bowed his head, fearing that John and Bill would see the tears in his eyes. He had been a tough guy in front of his old buddies. It was impossible for him to shed tears in front of them… even in day his son had died.

After he regained his composure, Michael raised his head and began to follow the people around him to wave his arms and sing. Time had turned back, and he returned to youth madness.

“Forest! Forest! Nottingham Forest!”

※※※

The door of the locker room whooshed open and the players returned from their warm-up. They looked flushed and were only panting slightly. It appeared that they were in excellent form.

Dunn was the last to enter. He nodded to Twain after he came in the locker room and closed the door.

The noise was reduced all of a sudden and everyone could hear clearly when Twain spoke.

Twain was not in a hurry to make a speech. He waited for everyone to change their clothes and finish their tasks. Once everyone looked up at him, hoping that he would say something, he just stood up and cleared his throat.

“Everyone knows how to play, so I will not say much about the technical and tactical aspects of things. Just only a few reminders for you.” Twain extended his right index finger. “One, do not let AC Milan play at the pace they are used to. Their rhythm is slower than ours, and we have to find ways to pull them into our rhythm. Use our Premier League rhythm to deal with the Serie A rhythm. As to the exact details, you already know from your training, so I will not state more nonsense.”

“Two, be careful of AC Milan’s set pieces. Try not to give them free kicks near our penalty area. George, fouls should be farther away from the danger zone.”

Wood nodded.

“Three, do not create offside. The rear defensive line will compact the defense and pay attention to Inzaghi’s position.”

“Four, we are playing defensive counterattack, so we must be patient. We have to be more patient than our opponent. Wait patiently for the opportunity to appear and then seize it!” He clenched his fist. “No matter what situation we face, whether they score first or score three goals within a short time, it’s okay… keep your cool, don’t panic, and don’t be discouraged. Of course, this is the worst-case scenario. To be honest, I don’t think we’re going to encounter it.”

“Five.” Twain looked at the serious-looking players and clapped his hands with a smile. “There’s no five. After ninety minutes, let’s pick up the championship trophy together!”

Laughter erupted in the locker room.

When everyone’s laughter subsided, Twain continued, “well, we have covered the field. Now let’s talk about things off the field. Can everybody hear? It’s really noisy in the stands outside.”

The players nodded. They had felt the fans’ enthusiasm during their warm-up.

“A lot of people have come this time, even though Greece is a long way from the UK. But every single one of our hardcore fans have all come. They occupy half of the stadium. They did not make the effort to come all the way here to see us fail. Last year, we lost the final in Paris. Do we want to lose again this year?”

“No!” Someone shouted, but no one laughed at him, because everyone wanted to do the same.

“It’s remarkable to be in the Champions League final for two consecutive seasons. But if we can only get the runner-up title for two consecutive seasons, you and I…” He pointed to the players and himself. “will be reduced to the laughing stock of whole of Europe! Wherever we go in the future, they will only gloat and mock, ‘Look! Nottingham Forest, the perennial number two! Can you accept such an insult? I can’t!”

“No one’s going to take it!” A few more people shouted out this time.

Twain smiled. “That’s good. We really are one as a team and think alike. Many people want to see us fail but we won’t give them that chance. Never!” He brandished his fist. “Remember, no one can defeat us except ourselves! Now I want you to close your eyes and think carefully about how we got here over the last two seasons, and the opponents we met along the way…”

Twain closed his eyes as well as he slowly listed the names of their opponents. “Lille, Benfica, Real Madrid, Glasgow Rangers, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Barcelona, Eindhoven, Bordeaux, Galatasaray, Chelsea…” He opened his eyes again and looked at the players.

“Listen to the names of these teams, each one of them has an illustrious reputation. Some of them have won countless trophies and some of them are the traditionally strong teams in their respective national leagues. But no matter how famous or powerful these teams are, they all ended up in the same position when they encountered us — defeat! These brilliant names are the spoils of our ascension, and they hang on our wall one by one…” Twain waved his hand, as if he was really standing in a palace to show his subjects the spoils of his hunting trip, “to become the jewels in our crown. All we lack now is still the biggest, brightest and most dazzling one.”

He pointed to the door. “AC Milan is waiting for us, and I think they are already a little impatient.”

Dunn looked at his watch. They were late due to Twain’s speech. According to the normal circumstances, the two teams should line up in the tunnel waiting to appear. He thought Twain had forgotten the time and did not expect that he was fully aware of it… It appeared he made AC Milan wait on purpose.

The players burst into laughter. They liked to see such a high-spirited boss, because it steadied them on the inside, as if he was mentally suggesting to them constantly: “We will win, we will win, we will never lose!”

To be honest, if Twain suddenly lost his mettle and became dispirited, he would lose half of his control over the team. Because the men’s will would fall apart, and then the team would not be easy to lead…

He had said what needed to be said, and the players were fired up. It was time to sum up his remarks.

Twain raised his hands. “I don’t say words like ‘enjoy playing’ or that I want you to enjoy the bliss of victory after the final. Guys, I’ll be with you no matter what. During the kick-off, forty-five minutes, at the halftime interval, ninety minutes… I’m there with you, and I’m looking forward to having celebratory champagne with you!” He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Let’s conquer the whole of Europe — make our opponents feel the terror!”

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“Let’s conquer Europe — make our opponents feel the terror!” The players and the members of the coaching unit all yelled with him in the locker room.

The excited lads slammed the locker room door wide open and rushed out.

※※※

The AC Milan players were indeed impatient from waiting.

They walked out of the locker room according to usual timing and lined up in the tunnel.

They waited until the referee and the two assistant referees came over, but their opponent, Nottingham Forest, still did not appear.

Unable to wait any longer, the AC Milan officials discussed with the fourth official to have him go check out what was going on with Nottingham Forest. The fourth official knocked on the door of the Forest team’s locker room, but Twain was giving a passionate speech, so his knock on the door was completely unheeded.

The locker room was a hallowed place. Even the fourth official had no authority to go in. He could only return to appease the somewhat agitated AC Milan team, hoping that they would wait patiently for a little while longer.

A member of the coaching staff next to Ancelotti muttered after they learnt of the news, “Nottingham Forest is so cocky that we have to wait for them…”

The AC Milan manager turned to look at the heated person, but did not speak.

Other than grumbling, AC Milan could only wait.

Just as the patience of the AC Milan people was about to run out, the Nottingham Forest players stormed out looking ferocious. If the referee had not stopped them, they might have rushed straight onto the field…

When the team finished lining up in the tunnel, Twain slowly came from behind. He saw the anger and agitation on the AC Milan players’ faces and was secretly happy.

As if to add fuel to the fire, he acted immensely proud of himself in front of the opponent and swaggered in front of the AC Milan players for a long time before sauntering out of the tunnel and towards the technical area.

As soon as he left the tunnel, he was welcomed by the Nottingham Forest fans gathered in the stands on the right side of the tunnel. Frenzied cries swept through the section of the stands whether they were from Nottingham Forest or AC Milan.

They chanted loudly and extended their arms toward Twain. “Tony, we want the title! We won’t accept anything but the championship title!”

On the opposite side, the AC Milan fans could not do such a blatant thing. They felt it was beneath their dignities and unnecessary to do so. In the past few years, they had taken all kinds of championship trophies and were not as hungry as the Nottingham Forest fans for the championship title.

However, it could not be said that the AC Milan team had no desire to be the champion.

They faced an English team, which gave them more motivation to win the title. Two years ago, there was a night in Istanbul that was painful for the AC Milan players. They lost to Liverpool, even though they had the advantage of a three-goal lead. Now that Liverpool was not in the final, it was replaced by another English team, Nottingham Forest.

No matter which team it was, as long as it was an English team, AC Milan would be very motivated to fight. They wanted revenge. After that final, they had celebrated early in the locker room during the halftime interval and were overtaken by their opponent in the end. They became a worldwide laughingstock and this humiliation had to be repaid doubly. Even if the opponent was not Liverpool, as long as the team was from England and wore red jerseys, they would treat the team as Liverpool.

Looking at the arrogant opponent next to them, all the AC Milan players’ eyes burned with revenge.

※※※

“This is truly an explosive matchup! Nottingham Forest has won everyone’s affirmation with their excellent and steady performance since their return to the Premier League. Their two consecutive advancements to the Champions League finals are the best proof! Let’s hope they are not like Valencia when they reached the final twice in a row and lost twice in a row. The AC Milan team is also a regular in the Champions League finals. Before this, they had reached the finals ten times and won six titles! Impressive results! Compared to them, Nottingham Forest is as insignificant as a young brother… But! If the Forest team had been able to beat Barcelona last season, they would be the only team to reach the final three times and win three championships… What a pity.”

The commentator excitedly introduced the two competing teams to the television audience. Judging from the historical record, AC Milan clearly had the upper hand. Since the establishment of the team, they had occupied the center and highest level of European football most of the time. This kind of powerhouse club experience and manner was an immense wealth and was likely to play a decisive role at the crucial moment of determining the winner and loser.

Compared to AC Milan, Nottingham Forest had no advantage other than being a young team.

However, in such a major final game, almost everyone would rather believe in age and experience. Being young meant having no experience, which implied that the possibility of failure.

A more direct observation could be derived from the bookmakers’ data.

80% of the punters unanimously bet on AC Milan to win. The odds from a number of world-renowned gambling companies also placed Nottingham Forest in a disadvantageous position.

Twain knew this information before the game, and he was delighted that his team’s odds were so unpopular, because he secretly placed a bet of ten pounds before the game on his team to win. He did not care how much money he could win. What he bought was confidence.

“The game is about to begin! Let’s look forward to the final together!”

※※※

Albertini stood on the left side of the center line, next to the three referees. Across the center line, opposite him was his old friend from AC Milan, the team captain, Paulo Maldini.

Maldini still wore the AC Milan jersey and carried the AC Milan flag in his hands, whereas Albertini now wore a red Nottingham Forest jersey and held the Nottingham Forest team flag.

It was awkward to meet like this.

It was not the first time they met in this way as he had competed against AC Milan him when he played for Lazio. But how could an ordinary league tournament compare to an important Champions League final?

Maldini’s blue eyes reflected his old friend’s image.

He did not expect to meet Demetrio like this. He was actually relieved when he found out that Demetrio chose to play in the UK, because the twice a year regular run-ins in the league were just too awkward. He did not think of that even after going around in such a big circle, from Italy to England, and from England to Greece, they would still run into each other.

“Didn’t think we would meet like this again, did we?” Albertini was the first to break the silence, but it did not lessen the awkwardness.

“Demetrio…”

“I didn’t expect it either. If I had decided to retire a year ago, there would not have been today. But I’m now very happy to be able to meet the starting point of my career in the last game of my career, like the circle of life. It’s like Twain said, this really is the best farewell game. It couldn’t be any better…”

Maldini listened quietly to Albertini chattering on. The three referees next to them also saw that the game held a special meaning for the two men in front of them, so they did not make a noise to disturb them.

“I have to thank him. If he hadn’t run to Italy to look for me and persuade me to go to Nottingham Forest, I’m afraid I would have been long retired and sitting at home to watch this game now, wouldn’t I? If that was the case, then I would have unreservedly cheered for AC Milan and hoped you guys picked up the Champions League trophy for the seventh time. Pity.” He tugged at the Nottingham Forest emblem on his chest. “I’m now wearing the Nottingham Forest jersey as I stand across from you, Paulo.”

“Did you know about the interview I gave before the game?”

Maldini nodded. “I saw it. It was all over television and the papers.”

“I wasn’t joking or glossing over that question. I’m serious about it,” Albertini said with a serious expression. “I’m serious about wanting to defeat AC Milan and help the Forest team pick up the third Champions League trophy. I’ll stop you guys from winning the seventh time. I’m serious about going all out to beat you. Do you get it, Paulo?”

Maldini nodded again. “I understand, Demetrio. I’m not going to hold back either.”

Albertini smiled. “You’d better not. This is my farewell game. I do not want to see a nauseating show of hypocrisy. Bring it on, Paulo.”

“It’s like what I said to you before when you first appeared on behalf of AC Milan, Demetrio.” Maldini held out his hand to him. “Enjoy this game…”

“Enjoy the victory.” Albertini held out his hand at the same time.

The two veterans clasped their hands tightly together.

“There’s also a major highlight to watch in this game. Nottingham Forest’s team captain, Demetrio Albertini used to be AC Milan’s vice-captain. He played for AC Milan for twelve years. He undoubtedly still holds feelings for AC Milan. AC Milan also currently has his good friends, including Paulo Maldini, who had fought alongside him for eleven years, Pirlo whom he guided as a junior, and Kaka… How will he face such an opponent in the final? It’s well worth our anticipation.”

How would he face it?

He would use his best form and make every effort to burn up the last of his professional life to win the title, to say goodbye to his career, and to pay homage to his favorite team… and not to leave a hint of regret as he ended his own era.

After the coin toss to determine the side, Albertini turned to walk back to the half of the field that belonged to Nottingham Forest. He wore the golden yellow captain’s armband on his arm. He walked calmly with powerful footsteps and his eyes looked serene and determined. In front of him, waiting for him to return, were the ten teammates in the starting lineup of Nottingham Forest.

This is my path and here lies Demetrio Albertini’s way.

I’m going to walk it ’till the end.

When everyone saw the team captain coming back, he opened his arms and smiled. “Get ready, guys. The championship trophy is waiting for us. Don’t let it wait too long!”

The group hooted.