Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions

Chapter 863 597: The Curtain Falls on the Top Five Leagues! To Prepare for the Champions League Final, Must Tang Long Abstain? (Part 2)

If we add the 3 goals from the League Cup and the FA Cup, Tang Long's total goals for the season have just hit the 80 mark!

There are still the FA Cup final against Manchester United and the Champions League final against Real Madrid remaining. How many goals will Tang Long score in these two matches? It's enough to set people's imagination ablaze.

Tang Long winning the European Golden Boot shocked many Europeans and pricked their quite sensitive hearts.

There is another record: Tang Long became the first Asian player in history to win the European Golden Boot!

To think that the five major leagues, representing the highest level of soccer in the world held in Europe, have let a Chinese man from a football-poor country steal all the spotlight. It indeed leaves many Europeans sighing.

But what can they do? His goal count is the result of each hard-earned kick. Even if someone doesn't want to see Tang Long win the European Golden Boot, he must have the ability to deserve it.

The Brazilian retired player known as "The Alien" and also Tang Long's agent, Ronar, expressed a clear opinion on this.

"In the era when I played, some people said it was much harder for South Americans to win the Golden Boot in Europe than for Europeans!"

"It's simply laughable. Is the Golden Boot awarded by official reviews? Isn't it achieved goal by goal?"

"I once declared loudly that Tang is my successor, Ronar."

"And this statement is not just about football skills, it's more about cultural and racial perspectives."

"I want to tell everyone something very simple: football is a fair sport."

"No matter what country you come from, what cultural background you have, what skin color or religious belief you hold, the only thing that allows people to cheer for you is your performance on the field."

"Back in the day, I was a poor kid from the favelas of Brazil. I proved this point at Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Real Madrid."

"Now Tang, this Chinese man from the East, is practicing the same principle."

Of course, the happiest about Tang Long winning the European Golden Boot are his compatriots in China - the fans.

In China, fans went wild. They couldn't believe it was true!

When Tang Long first joined the Premier League, some jokingly called him the hope of the whole village. Now it seems this hope has not only survived but also bore abundant fruit!

-[It's already unbelievable that a Chinese person won the Premier League Golden Boot. Tang Long didn't stop there, he went on to capture the European Golden Boot too, truly amazing!]

-[If I remember correctly, was Dong Fangzhuo the last Chinese player to win the Golden Boot in a European league?]

-[Dong Fangzhuo's Golden Boot was in the Belgian second division, how can you compare that to Tang Long? It's completely absurd.]

-[Back when Dong Fangzhuo was at Manchester United, even saying he was just a waterboy was an overestimation. Tang Long is a legitimate Premier League champion, absolutely the main striker of Manchester City, worlds apart.]

-[This season has been thrilling, even C Luo and Messi can't compete with Tang Long in terms of goals. He's simply an unparalleled goal-scoring machine!]

-[Describing Tang Long as a goal-scoring machine is too simplistic. Compared to C Luo, Tang Long plays more positions and has more assists.]

-[That's right, Long is an incredibly versatile player. He can play everything from defensive midfielder to attacking midfielder to forward, just missing center-back and goalkeeper!]

-[I'm not worried about the FA Cup final against Manchester United. My concern now is the Champions League final against Real Madrid. Can Manchester City win?]

-[If they win, then Tang Long will undoubtedly become the greatest athlete in Chinese history, even without the football label.]

...

"Hiss~ Easy! Ah..." Tang Long tensed his body, a stifled cry of pain escaping his throat.

"Don't twist so fast, hey!" Tang Long's voice quivered, his body twitching uncontrollably, the tingling sensation coursing through his spine like an electric current.

In the team's therapy room, the warm yellow light gently enveloped the surroundings, a faint medicinal smell lingered in the air, a unique blend of various pain relief ointments and liquids.

Gracie, dressed in a white uniform, her hair neatly tied back, was half-bent over, her small hands soft and dexterous, fingertips dipped in the cool ointment, carefully applying it to Tang Long's back.

The instant the ointment touched his skin, a refreshing sensation rapidly spread, but it couldn't dispel the heat and pain in the back muscles.

Gracie's movements were gentle and focused, spreading the ointment evenly before applying her palms to Tang Long's skin, slowly kneading and pressing with just the right amount of force, trying to ease the tension in Tang Long's muscle fibers.

"Hehe, wasn't your walk back to the player's tunnel last night pretty cool? So it was all an act." Gracie's lips curved into a subtle smile, her tone laced with a hint of playfulness.

Her bright eyes fixed on Tang Long's reactions, not missing any slight change in his expressions.

Tang Long let out another "Ah" of a moan, arduously turning his head, a helpless smile on his face:

"With so many people watching, should I have walked back clutching my back? That's not very cool and doesn't fit my style."

Gracie's smile gradually faded, her brows furrowing into a knot unconsciously.

Her gaze focused on the noticeably swollen muscles on Tang Long's back, full of concern in her eyes.

The skin there was slightly red, the previously smooth muscle lines now twisted and abrupt.

Her fingers lightly touched it, feeling the stiffness and heat of the muscle.

Despite Tang Long's victory over C Luo, lifting the glorious European Golden Boot, this back injury had worsened under the high-intensity games and heavy fatigue.

Thinking of the Champions League final in half a month and of C Luo, known for his self-discipline, Gracie couldn't help but feel a tightness in her chest.

"We must find every possible way to reduce the swelling, otherwise how can he compete with the disciplined C Luo in the Champions League final after 15 days?"

This thought kept swirling in her mind.

Suddenly, Gracie's eyes focused sharply, like a flash of lightning crossing her mind.

She stared at Tang Long's back, a realization dawning on her: "Ah, so that's it, I knew it..."

In the next instant, Gracie's hand suddenly slapped heavily on Tang Long's back, the force causing his entire body to spring up, leaping ten centimeters off the massage chair.

Tang Long exclaimed in surprise: "What? My back is already injured, are you trying to kill me?"

Gracie, however, looked at him with a half-smile, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing, I didn't hit your injured part."

With that, her small hand gently caressed Tang Long's back again, her previous violent action contrasting sharply, as if what just happened was simply a prank.

"I remember you came to me to check your back three days ago, and it didn't seem this swollen. How did it become like this after the match?"

Gracie's voice was soft but carried a subtle hint of probing.

"That must be because I scored six goals during the match, putting in too much effort. Do I need to think about it?" Tang Long's eyes flickered.

Gracie pursed her lips with a smile, gently shook her head, her gaze seemingly able to see through all of Tang Long's little thoughts.

She stayed silent for a moment before her tone suddenly became serious: "Fine, if you don't tell me the truth, I won't pry. But if you want to recover well and face the Champions League final against Real Madrid in top form, you have to promise me one thing."

Instantly, Tang Long perked up, nodding eagerly: "You're the team doctor, I'll listen to whatever you say. Don't say just one thing, even ten things I'll agree to, as long as it helps me recover."

Gracie began slowly: "There's no need to agree to 10 things, one is enough. Actually, your body is in good condition. Even with the back injury, a pre-match painkiller injection could get you on the field, but it's the Champions League final. C Luo is incredibly disciplined, maybe more than you in this regard, so you'll be facing the strongest C Luo possible."

She paused, taking a deep breath, her eyes burning into Tang Long's, speaking each word deliberately:

"Your back injury relapse is largely due to certain overly aggressive activities. So, for the remaining 15 days, you must abstain."