Chapter 556: The Arrival of The King

“Forest! Forest! Nottingham Forest!”

“Champion! Champion! We’re the champions!”

“Are you trying to overtake us? Come on, you Italian bastards! Come on, try to overtake!”

Amid the sweeping cheers, the Italian commentator still cheered AC Milan on. After all, it was the team that represented Italian football.

“Seven minutes to go, and at least ten minutes when the injury stoppage time is included. Don’t give up, AC Milan! Don’t give up!”

The English commentator had begun to prepare a message for the Forest team’s third win.

“AC Milan wants to overtake. That’s more difficult than turning everything on its head! They’re not dealing with just any team, they’re dealing with Nottingham Forest! It’s Tony Twain’s Nottingham Forest! This is a team that will never give up and will never give the opponent a chance to make a comeback!”

※※※

The Forest team’s wild human pyramid celebrations on the sidelines was only stopped with the referee’s intervention.

This time, Fandel pulled up the Forest team’s players one by one and saw Tony Twain being pressed underneath again. His suit was crumpled, his tie was lost somewhere and two of the buttons on his shirt had popped. His hair was disheveled, and his face flushed… He looked as if he had been violated.

The poker-faced Fandel could not help laughing. He had enforced countless games and had never seen a manager be messed with so hard by his players.

“F**k!” Twain spat out a curse word as he got up from the ground. He tidied up his suit and found out that it was still wrinkled no matter how he tried to straighten it, so he ignored it.

The people next to him laughed with an expression that said that they were glad to see Tony like that.

When fans in Nottingham city saw Twain on the television, they had a good laugh.

Sometimes they did not feel like Twain was the manager of a team, but an ordinary person and their friend who would go to the same pub to have a drink and chat with them, make a dirty joke, and laugh crudely.

They liked Twain as if he were a friend.

“Hey Tony! Come back and we’ll buy you a drink! Top shelf stuff!”

※※※

The players had all returned to the field. The AC Milan people waited until they were impatient. They even thought that this was the Forest team’s deliberate tactic to waste game time. Ancelotti unhappily brought it up to the fourth official. The fourth official could only ask the referee to order the crazy Nottingham Forest players to get up from Twain’s body.

This indirectly saved Twain’s life.

Twain gasped to Kerslake, who was still laughing. “Next time, why don’t you try being down there?”

Kerslake hurriedly waved his hands. “That’s not going to work. The players pushing you down means you’re popular, Tony.”

Twain glared at him, looked at the field, and then said to Dunn on his other side, “go and get Arteta back.”

This was his last substitution spot.

“AC Milan has to score two more goals and not allow the Forest team to continue to score within ten minutes in order to be able to drag the game into overtime. This sounds like an impossible task… But they have to try before the outcome is known.”

The game resumed and AC Milan took advantage of their kick-off to launch a bombardment of the Forest goal.

They had no choice at this point. Even if they knew that to press on the attack like that would cause their rear to be empty, which was a very dangerous thing, they could only force themselves to press on.

This was not about conceding a goal or two. This was a matter of life and death.

Not wanting to surrender the title, AC Milan launched the final charge.

※※※

In charge of organizing AC Milan’s offense, Pirlo was keen to get the ball straight to the front of the Forest team. However, Gilardino was not a strong center-forward who was good at headers. He had done little since he came on. Now, from the looks of it, it would have been better to leave Inzaghi on the field, even if he had over-exerted himself physically. He was still more powerful than Gilardino even if he could only stay in the opposing penalty area to wait for an opportunity.

Pirlo suppressed the idea of sending the football directly to the front of the Forest team’s goal and organized the offense as he looked for any loopholes within the Forest team. He was well aware that he needed to remain calm all the more at this juncture. The other side was now excited. Perhaps a flaw would be exposed. If he had missed an opportunity because he did not operate well, he would really become a sinner.

He patiently looked for an opportunity, while his teammates desperately wove to create opportunities for him.

Just when he had found the gap, he was knocked down.

Demetrio Albertini had fouled.

The former AC Milan player did not hold back for old times’ sake. When he saw Pirlo temporarily shift his attention away from the football under his feet, he rushed up and knocked Pirlo down to stop AC Milan’s attack.

Unlike Wood’s foul, the AC Milan fans did not hiss loudly at Albertini’s foul, but remained silent.

The scene made them feel terrible. On one hand, it was their favorite team, but on the other had, it was the vice-captain who was publicly recognized as having received unfair treatment from the club. It did no good to hiss at anyone.

The referee gave Albertini a verbal warning to pay attention to his defensive action. Albertini nodded to accept with a good attitude.

He ran over to pull Pirlo up and pat him on the head as a sign of friendliness.

Seeing this scene, the Italian commentator did not know what to say. When Albertini still played in Italy, he was very popular in Italian football and had good relationships with the players, coaches, commentators, and journalists. Even as the opponent of AC Milan and the one who dashed AC Milan’s hopes of winning the title in this final, the Italian commentator still could not criticize him.

“This is really sad.” He sighed after a long while.

※※※

The atmosphere in the stadium intensified. Nottingham Forest fans sang nonstop and set off a Mexican wave as if the victory had been secured.

The AC Milan fans were unwilling to give up. They sang the team’s song to cheer for AC Milan while they prayed to God for a miracle to appear at the last minute.

“It’s only a difference of two goals! We still have time, and we still have a chance! Keep your cool!” Maldini clapped to encourage his teammates and then rushed up from the rear defensive line himself.

It was now the time for a full offense. Their opponent, Nottingham Forest had withdrawn van Nistelrooy and Eastwood. It appeared that they did not want to fight back. Maldini was not afraid to go up to assist which could lead to gaps in the rear defense. In the face of the surge of offense from Milan, wave after wave of attacks, Nottingham Forest still wants to fight back? We’ll prevent your long balls from crossing the centerline!

Pirlo rushed up from the left side and did a feint before he passed the football to Maldini.

A huge cheer sounded in the stands as AC Milan’s captain caught the ball. Everyone felt their hearts settle down as if they saw hope.

“Paulo Maldini. This is his eighth time in the UEFA Champions League final. He tied the record of the former Real Madrid superstar, Francisco Gento. At thirty-eight years old and 331 days, he is also the oldest player in the Champions League finals other than the goalkeeper in history. This is the third time he has played in the Champions League final as a captain which breaks the 1961 record of the Barcelona goalkeeper, Antoni Ramallets, thirty-six years old, of the oldest captain in Champions League history. He has been awarded countless glories in his career, he is a man who has experienced big spectacles and now… AC Milan’s hope for a miracle is at his feet. He used to be remarkable young fullback in defense and assists, and now he is rarely in the front field…”

The commentator gave a detailed account of Maldini’s honors, in order to set the Italian fans’ minds at ease and tell them: what an amazing figure the AC Milan captain is. Don’t give up, believe in him, and we will surely be given a miracle!

Maldini adjusted the football under his feet and decided to break through by dribbling the ball himself. The Forest team’s rear defensive line prevented his cross pass. Not a single player had rushed up yet. If he did not break through now, then what was he waiting for?

He had just started when a red figure suddenly struck. It was definitely a fierce shove.

“Demetrio Albertini!”

The unprepared Maldini was shoved out of the line along with the ball by Albertini. It was the end of AC Milan’s attack.

The referee’s whistle rang.

For a moment, Maldini felt like he had been hit by a heavy truck. His ribs hurt a little as he lay on the ground. In the instance that the two men collided, he saw the man who had hit him.

That was a face that was once very familiar to him.

When he was his teammate, he always smiled humbly, which made everyone like him at first sight. All the young guys who joined AC Milan would receive all the help he could give. There were times when he was more like the team captain than himself.

It was hard to reconcile this man who always had a nice smile with the defensive midfielder on the football field now. He had changed Italian football and from then on, the Italy national team had its own midfield commander.

I once asked him what his greatest wish was. His answer was not to win the World Cup or The UEFA European Football Championship, but to play for AC Milan until he retired.

I said, “it’s simple, as you will be able to retire here and say goodbye in San Siro. You’re our vice-captain. AC Milan will not treat its loyal players badly.”

The result is that he is now he’s wearing the opponent’s jersey and knocked me to the ground.

Should I get up and grab him by the collar, and angrily question him about this despicable foul?

Maldini lay on the ground and stared blankly at the night sky.

A hand appeared in his sight.

“Don’t give up, Paulo. You’ve got five minutes left.” Albertini said to Maldini in Italian.

Maldini flipped over and sat up. He took the outstretched hand and asked, “why are you suddenly encouraging your enemy?”

Albertini pointed to the sidelines. “I’m going to leave the field. I have finished my journey. So, now I can wish you good luck.”

Maldini looked over to where his hand pointed to. The fourth official stood on the sidelines and held up the electronic signboard that displayed the substitution and not the injury stoppage time.

Number 4 was coming off and number 14 would be brought on.

A man in a red jersey stood next to the fourth official and looked eager to get started.

With a strong tug of his hand, Albertini pulled Maldini up.

“Hey, you knocked me down and robbed me of my championship title. Now you want to leave so easily? Demetrio!” Maldini asked in a low voice.

Albertini opened and closed his mouth. Without saying a word, he turned around and left his former teammate.

“Come back! You said there’s still five minutes left. Stay and play until the end! Do you hear me? Demetrio!” Maldini cried.

But Albertini did not seem to hear him. He quickened his steps without another word and did not look back.

“I was going to retire after the end of this season. I’m almost thirty-nine years old. But I’ve changed my mind now! I still want to take the championship! You’re only thirty-five years old. Why do you want to leave first?! You can still play. Look at your performance in this game!”

Maldini’s urging for him to stay did not shake Albertini’s will. He trotted up to Wood before he reached out to remove the golden yellow captain’s armband from his arm.

“Demetrio…” Wood looked at his partner, his teacher, and his captain.

“I’m done, George.” Albertini smiled and put the captain’s armband on Wood’s arm.

Wood flinched, and Albertini shouted with his head lowered, “don’t move!”

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So, he stayed frozen, allowing Albertini to complete the captain’s handover ceremony.

※※※

“Demetrio Albertini… The 35-year-old veteran. This is the last game of his career and he is being brought off at the 86th minute.” The Italian commentator gave a long sigh. “Nottingham Forest, who he now represents, is leading by 3:1 over AC Milan, the team he had played for for twelve years. His love for AC Milan is indisputable, but his professionalism is equally irrefutable. What else can we say? What else can we ask for with an indirect assist and a direct goal in the final? This is your best performance in a final, and you deserve this title! Good luck, Demetrio! Thank you!”

The English commentator was equally emotional. “It is often said that it is unlikely for Italian players to succeed in the English football league. I don’t want to give them Gianfranco Zola’s example. I just want them to look at this man in front of our eyes. The legendary Demetrio Albertini, who came to Nottingham Forest in the final phase of his career, created a legend of his own. Thanks to Tony Twain, as he was the one who asked Demetrio to stay and play this season. The Nottingham Forest fans want to thank you, Demetrio, and I want to thank you, too.”

※※※

Once he finally put the captain’s armband on Wood, Albertini raised his head to bid farewell. “Goodbye, George.

Wood looked at the man in front of him with a smile and turned around to walk to the field.

He suddenly remembered what Roy Keane had said to him in the bathroom at the Wilford training base:

“That Italian, Albertini, is a very good captain, but one day he will age, retire, and leave you and the team…”

Demetrio is really leaving. He’s going and will not come back. Wood had gone from an acting captain on the field to really becoming the actual captain.

He stood in place and stared blankly at Albertini’s back as he watched him leave.

He saw Albertini walk toward the sidelines. Along the sidelines, whether they were the Forest players or AC Milan players, they all came up to shake his hand and hug him.

Albertini lifted his hands high and applauded the grandstand.

Nottingham Forest fans and AC Milan fans all stood up and clapped as they sent their captain off.

Off the field, Twain and all the members of the Forest team’s coaching staff, as well as the players on the bench, stood on the sidelines, clapping with the fans. The same was true of AC Milan’s substitutes’ bench.

During this short period of time, everyone forgot the fierce fight on the field and settled their hearts down to temporarily put aside the feud to send off their mutual friend.

“Thank you…” He could not make any noise with his trembling lips, but everyone saw what he wanted to say. “Goodbye.”

Albertini finally walked off the field and came up to Twain. He wanted to shake hands with the manager who gave him his second youth. He did not expect Twain to hug him.

“I don’t know how to thank you, Demetrio. Let me hold you for a second… You’re leaving…” He was surprised to hear the boss’s voice choked with emotion.

He did not know that when Twain decided to replace him early, his heart was overwhelmed and he had felt terrible.

At that moment, he was not a manager. He was just an ordinary fan. He was an ordinary Chinese fan who had watched Albertini when he appeared on behalf of AC Milan for the first time in Serie A, and then through all his ups and downs. He shared his joy and sorrows numerous times when he suffered the pain of loss over the World Cup title, the UEFA European Football Championship, his beloved AC Milan, being forced to leave and wander, the desolate choice to retire.

He really wanted to say to Albertini, “I grew up watching you play football, Demetrio.”

Albertini thought it was just the boss’s expression as a friend. He patted Twain on the back. “You can still go to Milan to find me if you miss me, boss.”

Twain let go of him and laughed. “You’re right, mate. Go say goodbye to them…” He pointed to the people behind him.

Albertini stepped forward to say goodbye to his teammates and coaches one by one. Then he ran to AC Milan’s technical area to say goodbye to the players.

※※※

The game continued.

AC Milan still did not give up and launched a siege against the Forest team’s goal in the last few minutes.

Maldini hardly returned to defend. He was right in front, waiting to participate in the offense.

Arteta’s task was not to organize the offense, but to assist the defense and help Wood to strengthen the defensive line in front of the full backs and make it impregnable.

Wood stood out, wearing the golden yellow captain’s armband. His figure could be seen almost everywhere. He gave a beautiful shovel, contested his opponent for a header, blocked a vigorous shot from the opponent with his body, and relied on a foul to delay AC Milan’s attack… He worked harder and was more energetic than before, as if it was not the last few minutes of the game, but the first few minutes after the start of the game.

He ran like crazy to defend, sprint, and fight for the header… It was as if AC Milan was not the one trailing but Nottingham Forest.

His thinking was simple: AC Milan would not stand to fail, and they would launch an attack at the last minute. If he took it lightly, the opponent might just succeed. Demetrio gave me the captain’s armband, and this championship title belongs to Nottingham Forest. I can’t let him down.

The Forest team withdrew across the board. The three lines maintained a compact team formation. Everyone gathered in the thirty-meter zone in front of the goal. It was the ultimate defensive formation that they were most proud of — Wall defense.

The AC Milan players launched a desperate offensive against this “wailing wall.”

The fourth official held up the injury-stoppage sign on the sidelines — four minutes.

Maldini’s header was too straight on and the football was confiscated by Edwin van der Sar. The Forest team drove the football forward with a long ball and AC Milan went on the offensive after they intercepted the ball.

There were only three minutes left.

Pepe used his body to block Seedorf’s long shot. The AC Milan players raised their hands to signal that Pepe used a handball. The referee ignored them, and Gattuso angrily questioned the referee which resulted in a yellow card for him. The AC Milan fans in the stands hissed with displeasure.

There were only two minutes left.

Kaka tried to force a breakthrough and was put down on the penalty line by Arteta. The AC Milan people thought it should have been a penalty kick, but the referee awarded a free kick instead. Meanwhile, the players from both sides clashed at the spot of the foul. The Nottingham Forest players wanted to escalate the conflict, but Maldini saw through their trick to waste game time. He struggled to pull his teammates away and reminded them that the most important thing was not to fight with the other side, but to stay calm and seize the time to score goals.

Arteta and Ambrosini each got a yellow card after the conflict.

There was only one last minute left.

The Nottingham Forest fans in the stands had started setting off red fireworks and the AC Milan fans, on the other hand, gradually fell silent. In the television close-up, the AC Milan fans were silent and tearful. They clenched the scarves in their hands as they helplessly stared at the field. In the face of the Forest team’s strict adherence to defend to the end, there was nothing the AC Milan players on the field could do.

Ancelotti kept growling on the sidelines and waving his arms. The probability of entering two goals in the last minute was roughly the same as a person being struck by lightning twice in a row. But he was unwilling to give up, or more likely, he was unwilling to concede defeat, because his opponent was Tony Twain whom he hated the most.

All the substitutes and coaches at Nottingham Forest stood shoulder to shoulder and arm in arm. They cheered as they waited for the moment the referee whistled to end the game to rush up to celebrate.

The English commentator was no longer commenting on the game. He began to talk nonstop about twenty-right years ago, the first time the Forest team won the UEFA Champions League. At that time, he was still young. Now, he was over fifty.

Van der Sar raised his arms again and again, wondering if he was preparing for the save or starting to celebrate early.

Wood was still running to carry out his defensive duties.

Maldini fully became a striker in the final minute and he stayed in the Forest team’s box.

Twain clenched his fists, and he felt a burst of tension in the heart, He did not even dare to gasp for fear that his heart would jump out of his mouth. His legs trembled. It was not nerves. It was due to his excitement and feeling that a huge amount of happiness was about to emerge. It was indescribable.

The game would be the first quality championship title in his coaching career. This was more exhilarating than winning a title like the EFL Cup.

Because this is the European champion and our opponent is AC Milan, the six-time winner of the Champions League.

Is there anything more convincing than winning by 3:1?

Who dares to underestimate us? Who dares to think we’re not qualified to stand here? Who dares to laugh at us now! Who!

Want to see me jump into the sea? Want to see me make a fool of myself? I’m sorry to disappoint you all again!

There were thirty seconds left.

“Almost all of the Italian media had vowed before the final that Twain would definitely jump into the sea and that Twain must do the jump, because Nottingham Forest’s opponent was AC Milan, a powerhouse club with countless wins. No matter how they analyzed it, they couldn’t think of reasons AC Milan would lose. There was even an Italian travel agency that organized a tour route to Athens to watch the game and then watch Twain jump into the sea after the game… Now, I really want to see the expressions of those Italians! It must be wonderful!” The English commentator got up from his seat and held his arms high as he waited for that fateful whistle to blow.

Inside Nottingham city, all the pubs had begun their crazy celebrations early. They did not believe that AC Milan would be able to enter two goals in the last ten or so seconds. Even if God were to arrive, it would not have been possible!

The customers in the Forest bar toasted the pub owner, Kenny Burns in turns, “Kenny, we thought we’d never see this day again!” These people were the old guys who could not go to Athens to watch the game.

“Thank you God, thank you God…”

“Hey, old fellas! You have to thank Tony!” A younger voice cried out.

“Ahem… It’s all the same, it’s all the same…” The old man coughed, “Tony is God, and God is Tony…”

※※※

The Italian commentator no longer made a sound. The AC Milan players also stopped running.

The football was at the foot of a Forest player. Ribéry passed the football to Wood, who in turn passed it to Ashley Young. Then Young transferred the ball to Arteta. The Forest team continued to pass the ball so as not to give the AC Milan players a chance to come close and tackle.

“The game is coming to an end!” the Forest fans in the stands shouted. “We are the champions! We’re the f**king champions!!”

The referee looked at his watch.

The Forest players outside the field all held their arms high, ready to dash.

Ancelotti sat in his chair, surrounded by people blocking his view. He did not care as it made no difference whether he could see the field or not. He had lost.

The great clamor filled every corner of the stadium. But in such a noisy environment, that three whistles were still clear.

Eastwood, who paced the ball back and forth, heard the referee’s first whistle. He eagerly drove the football into the air with a hard kick.

Immediately thereafter, the second and third whistles ensued.

That was the whistle for the end of the game!

The people around Twain disappeared in an instant — they all rushed up and hugged each other with open arms.

“The game is over! The title belongs to Nottingham Forest!”

“Hurray! Hurray!” A unified shout sounded in the stands.

“Tony Twain and his team took four years to go from England’s second-level league to becoming the European champions. It was as if we can see Brian Clough’s shadow behind him… That glorious team once again emerged in our view… This was not an accident. This is a red storm! Nottingham Forest, a team that had once won the UEFA Champions League for two consecutive years, is the king of Europe for the third time!”

Twain found that everyone around him was gone before he reacted and rushed up the field with open arms.

This is my path, paved by the championship trophy and countless glories that extends all the way to the horizon. I can’t see its end, but I know that it will continue.

People have said that winning the championship is the end and success.

Success? I’ve only just begun!

How can one championship be enough!