Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At the dawn of May 21st, after Twain was awakened by the trickling sound of rain outside the window. The rain hit the glass window and emitted a continuous sound. Only then he noticed that it really rained today. The weather forecast yesterday just stated that there might be rain, so the tactical meeting gave the team two sets of preparations. Different preparatory work was required for competing in the rainy and sunny environments.
Opening the window, the early morning cold wind poured in the eleventh-floor window and sent shivers down Twain’s naked spine. The temperature in the room’s air conditioning was not that different from the outside. If it had not been raining, this weather would have been perfect for playing in the final.
In the misty rain, the spire of the hotel where Chelsea were staying in the distance was no longer visible. The enormous building of the Luzhniki Stadium was faintly discernible. Twain stretched his back, turned off the air conditioner, got dressed and washed up.
※※※
In the afternoon, the outside of the Luzhniki Stadium gradually became lively.
Coming from the United Kingdom, the fans from both sides poured into the stadium, while a number of television media vehicles also arrived. The construction cranes were still busily hanging the team flags of both teams in the final above the main entrance wall of the stadium, in order to separate the fans of the two teams and let the excited crowds of people respectively enter the two tunnels in accordance with their own supported teams to prevent chaos—everyone knew what the English fans would do after drinking too much.
The sponsors’ flags were hung all over the square around the stadium, fluttering in the wind amid the patter of rain.
Some people just thought of this as a holiday, while the others poured all their enthusiasm into it.
“Third time! For the third time in a row!” Skinny Bill shouted excitedly as he stood right in front of the Luzhniki Stadium, looking up at the giant Nottingham Forest emblem hanging directly above the gate.
“It’s a shame that Michael is not here with us …” Someone behind him sighed.
Fat John patted him, “He has his own life now. We also have our own lives. Our lives are here again to witness the team pick up another championship trophy! At that time, Bill should shout ‘The fourth time, the fourth time!’”
“Ah haha—”
“Nottingham Forest—Champion! Nottingham Forest—Champion Champion!”
※※※
Built half a century ago, the stadium was now home to two Russian Premier League teams—FC Spartak Moscow and FC Torpedo Moscow. Today, it temporarily belonged to the two teams from England—Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
Pierce Brosnan followed his fellow reporters and walked into the stadium. The fans had already begun to go through the tickets check for the admission. Everything was orderly at the scene with a large number of policemen on patrol duties and the meticulous security measures. But Brosnan knew that the real test was actually at the start of the game and after the end of the game. The losing side must have people who would do something bad because he could not accept the cruel reality and was emotional. If alcohol and the opposing fans’ verbal provocation were involved… then it would a disaster.
Some reporters from England had gathered to eat the free fast food offered by the stadium while they discussed with interest whether the Premier League was already the world’s number one football league. Then the conversation quickly turned into whether English football was number one in Europe.
Brosnan had no interest in such a topic. He did not eat the free dinner provided by the stadium but took a packet of milk to drink. He was not hungry, but a little thirsty. At the same time, he glanced around and looked at the stadium stands, which were gradually filled up. This was a comprehensive stadium. Once the main venue for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, there was also a synthetic running track outside the field, which made the stands a little far from the field. The English spectators might be a bit unaccustomed to this. But Pierce has no such trouble. As a reporter, he had seen all kinds of stadiums, following the team around the world. This summer, he would also follow the team to China to visit that mysterious country.
Some people in the crowd recognized Pierce Brosnan. With the rise of Nottingham Forest in the European football world, the <Nottingham Evening Post>, which had always followed and reported on Nottingham Forest, had gained fame and a reputation in the press circles. He was no longer a former unknown intern.
They enthusiastically invited Brosnan to join in the discussion of this topic—just how strong was the English football?
Brosnan felt that the group had eaten their fill and at the bursting point—they still had the rest of their unfinished food in the food packaging held their hands— what was there to discuss about this topic?
As a result, he mercilessly poured cold water on this.
“Two teams from England have reached the UEFA Champions League final, but ironically our England national team didn’t even get into the final stages of the UEFA European Championship.”
Once he said this, everyone was silent. They did not relish being spectators and watch the other teams’ actions this summer.
“Hey, Pierce. You’re sounding more and more like that bastard, Tony.” Someone expressed dissatisfaction. After all, it was a little annoying to disturb the mood of the other people’s conversation.
“Too acrimonious for your taste?” Brosnan was delighted instead of being angry. He thought of Dunn, who was brought to Wilford by Twain three years ago, when he was taciturn like an autistic person, which caused the Britons who knew nothing about China at one point to think that people all over China were like that.
We are all influenced by that man …
※※※
That man was sitting in the team’s bus at this moment, waiting at the gate of the stadium for the police car to open up a path and lead them into the designated parking area. The others were busy with their own affairs. Some people listened to music, some people shut their eyes and the others waved at the fans below. On the other hand, he looked at the Lenin statue in the square.
As someone who was born after 1980, it still felt a little different to see a statue of Lenin.
Ah, dear Lenin in Heaven, though your communist flag has not yet been planted around the world, my red color of my Nottingham Forest team is on the verge of becoming the main hue of European football of this era. Come, let the whole of Europe and the entire world tremble before our “Red Terror!” Whoa, haha …
Sitting next to Twain, Dunn found suddenly him laughing. He strangely turned his head and asked, “What’s the matter?”
“No, nothing.” Twain looked at Lenin outside and smiled, “I just had a daydream that overnight, the whole world became red.”
Dunn thought, “That would increase a lot of people with high blood pressure …”
“Idiot!” Twain scolded, but Dunn had pulled him out of his beautiful vision. He found the sky outside had darkened and the streetlights around the stadium were all lit up. Through the exterior walls of the tall stadium, the lights in the stadium flooded and lit up the skies.
It was still raining, but Twain did not worry about the bad weather for the entire night, like he did the first time he advanced into the Champions League final. Rain all you want; my team combats in all kinds of weather!
“Go do your warmups! It’s a little cold this evening, don’t let your joints get rusty by the rain! Warm up your bodies!” Kerslake’s loud voice rang at the door of the locker room. This had become a routine before every game.
At his urging, the players were afraid to stay any longer in the locker room. They changed into their clothes and ran out. Then they passed through passageway and went into the curtain of rain.
“Tony.” Kerslake called out when he saw everyone gone, and it was only Twain left in the locker room.
“Yes?” Twain’s did not open his eyes. He sat in his chair to rest himself.
“The rain is getting heavier out there.”
“I see. Thank you, David.”
Kerslake nodded and turned to run out.
※※※
When Kerslake came out of the locker room to enter the field, Dunn was already overseeing the players with the other coaches during the warm-up training. He walked over to Dunn’s side and watched the warm-up for a while. Then he shook his head and said, “This turf condition is terrible.”
Dunn nodded in reply, “They hastily replaced the turf only to meet with such a rain.”
“Even if they don’t change the turf, it still sucks.” Kerslake lowered his neck and grimaced, “Artificial turf … is terrible.”
Due to special weather reasons in Russia, it was a great expense to maintain natural turf in the various club stadiums. And because it was difficult for the natural turf to survive in winter and in the cold weather, most teams played in the dirt. In this way, the possibility of injuries to the players was greatly increased. Given these circumstances, the UEFA approved the use of artificial turf for the game at Luzhniki Stadium a few years ago. Since then, the stadium had become a “devil’s home ground” in a different sense.
Because of the particularity of artificial turf, the football’s movement on this was very different from being on the natural turf. Therefore, a lot of teams who were used to playing on the natural turf were likely to suffer. In addition to the players more likely to be hurt on the artificial turf than natural turf, another biggest difference was that the football’s rolling speed on the artificial turf was faster. The rebound law was not the same and was more slippery than natural turf. If there was water, it was no different from an ice-skating rink. During McClaren’s England team’s away loss to Russia in the UEFA European Championship qualifier, the Russians were helped a lot by the artificial turf in addition to the English team’s own physical problems.
Therefore, before this game, the two competing clubs negotiated with the UEFA for the turf at Luzhniki Stadium, arguing that a Champions League final on artificial turf would be bad for both sides’ playing. The beauty of the game and the quality of the final would be greatly diminished.
The artificial turf at Luzhniki Stadium was eventually replaced with natural turf before the game, following the negotiations between UEFA and Moscow. Just how long and effective this turf, hastily laid, could last in the heavy rain, was really a big question mark.
“We can only hope that the drainage system at this stadium will be fully utilized …” Dunn murmured.
※※※
When the players ended their warm-up and returned to the locker room from the field, everyone looked like a drowned rat. Each of them had a stack of neat dry towels and jerseys in their chairs.
“Don’t catch a cold. Quickly dry yourselves and change into dry clothes.” Kerslake also walked into the locker room, looking drenched all over. He did not care to wipe the water beads off his face and yelled first. He was really a dedicated assistant manager.
“What’s the situation of the field?” Twain asked Dunn.
“It’s going to have some adverse effects on the game.” He did not say “it’s going to have an adverse effect on us” because he knew this adverse effect was against both teams in this game.
“There’s nothing to worry about. We have a headache and so does next door.” Twain shook his head and did not take the weather seriously. He was in a more relaxed mood now than he used to be when he faced such a situation.
The locker room was messy and noisy, as everyone was busy changing into his clothes. Some people even turned on the music to relax. Twain and Dunn as well as Kerslake also chatted casually. Where was the slightest tension before the final? If a Nottingham Forest fan were to suddenly break in and see this scene, he was bound to be disappointed with the team’s behavior.
But when Twain ended his chat with the people around him and got up from his seat, this was all over.
The players consciously calmed down, and the noisy rock music came to a halt.
“All right, all right, guys.” Twain waved his hands and motioned for everyone to sit down. He did not want anyone to stand taller than him.
“This is another final. Huh, why would I say ‘another?’” Twain amused everyone with an opening. They certainly did not laugh because he imitated Stephen Chow’s lines, but because their actual situation was such—they had always faced all sorts of finals since they followed Tony Twain and always brought together with a championship final.
“We always have a destiny with the championship titles. Since we returned to the Premier League four seasons ago, we have advanced into three Champions League finals. We even picked up the EFL Cup while we were still in the Football League First Division. And we won the Premier League title again this season. There aren’t many teams in international football that are so crazy about taking the championship titles like us. But I don’t want you to have any fatigue after you get these championships, because …”
Twain paused a little. He had to keep this group in suspense.
“Ever since the restructuring of the UEFA Champions League, there has not been a team in the football world that can succeed in the great undertaking of winning the title two years in a row. When I said, ‘a great undertaking’, it was absolutely no exaggeration. There’s a big difference between winning for the first time and defending the title. I personally think it’s harder to defend the title than to win for the first time. Why? Because we’ve become targeted. We have become targets! Those people crouch with shotguns in hidden corners which you can’t see and will try to take shots at you when you let your guard down! Fortunately, we didn’t get knocked down by them and went all the way to the final … Without any controversy, we broke into the final for three years in a row! It’s a remarkable achievement, guys! But it will be even more remarkable if we could break into the final three times in a row and pick up the trophy two times in a row!” He brandished his arms hard, and Twain’s “showtime” had come.
“Why not? No team has ever done it. So why don’t we be the ‘first men’ to do so?! Think about it, a long time after this game, people will say this about Nottingham Forest: ‘They are the first defending champion to succeed after the restructuring of the Champions League!’ Also, a championship title, but we’ll win the best and most distinctive championship title! There are a lot of teams in the world that can win championships, but they’re not like us because we’re Nottingham Forest! Even if we win the championship title, we will win more beautifully than those teams! What’s so great about winning a championship title? Not only do we want to win the championship, we also have to win our place in the history!”
There was already a whining sound from the mouths of the players below, but it was not to hiss at Twain. It was because of their excitement and uncontrollable desire to scream.
“The UEFA Champions League has been around for fifty-three years and there are countless teams and players who have won the titles. But today, you have the opportunity to carve your names forever on that trophy, engraved in the history of the Champions League, and etched in the history of European football! As long as you win the championship title.”
Twain looked at the people around him. He was satisfied with the emotions of these men.
“Do you hate being a champion?” He asked aloud.
“No!” The players also replied loudly.
“Are you afraid to be a champion?”
“No!”
“Will you feel sorry for your opponents for winning too many championships titles?!”
“Impossible!”
“Then go out there and win! Win to show them!”
