novelraw Chapter 882 - 608: The Art of Space and Anticipation! Ending the Messi and Ronaldo Era, Tang Long's Peak Moment! (2)
Chapter 882 - 608: The Art of Space and Anticipation! Ending the Messi and Ronaldo Era, Tang Long's Peak Moment! (2)
Tang Long smiled slightly, raised his hand back, signaling Gracie not to disturb him, and continued reading the book.
This book was published a month ago.
Tang Long had already read it twice from cover to cover.
It must be said that Dilata, who majored in journalism at the University of Bologna, skillfully organized and processed the material, and her writing was vivid and lifelike.
For the initial readers, even if they knew nothing about Tang Long's life, flipping through a few pages would draw them into the ups and downs of the story, until they finished it.
The part about the 2016-2017 season, particularly the description of the Champions League final against Real Madrid, was a scene Tang Long loved and watched no less than ten times.
At this moment, Tang Long was enjoying the pleasant Madrid afternoon sunshine on a deck chair in the yard, his calloused fingers gently stroking the passionate words in his autobiography, and as he read, his thoughts drifted back to that night eight years ago, in Wales, at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
"Many years later, when we talk about Tang, the player, what will we discuss?"
"Will it be about the seven league championships and three Champions Leagues, including three trebles, he won with Manchester City and Real Madrid?"
"Or perhaps the four Ballon d'Ors, five Golden Boots, including four European Golden Boots?"
"Ten years ago, the football world was still wondering who would be the third person to break through in the era dominated by Messi and Ronaldo."
"Now the answer is clear, the Chinese player Tang is the one who broke Messi and Ronaldo's monopoly over football."
"The legendary master Cruyff once said, football is about the art of space."
"But Tang extended this expression with new meaning—the world of football is not just the art of space, it's also the art of anticipation."
"It all started with the 2016-2017 season Champions League final."
"After that night, the landscape of football was rewritten, and the journey of a legendary superstar was marked by the milepost cup!"
...
...
...
2017, Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
Two bald heads stood on the sideline.
One from Spain, the other from France.
The bald head from Spain, despite wearing short sleeves, was covered in sweat and kept rubbing his shiny scalp;
The bald head from France wore a stylish suit, with his hands clasped behind his back, conveying an air of confidence.
How could Guardiola not be anxious?
Even if he were a deity, he couldn't foresee Ranocchia scoring the equalizer and then hitting his head on the post in extra time, affecting his performance severely.
This was the defensive midfielder, the most crucial piece in Manchester City's midfield control system, acting as the metronome. It was an irreplaceable connection in the sequence.
"Hang in there, Andrei, just hang in there, I can't make a substitution now, if we drag this into penalties, we'll win!" Guardiola clutched his chest, encouraging Ranocchia, while also praying for the team.
In contrast, Zidane seemed much more relaxed and carefree!
He watched Ranocchia stumbling around on the field, looking dazed and secretly rejoiced:
"Ha, so what if it's gone to extra time? You're effectively playing with 10 men now, Ranocchia is a dead weight, and I've still got a substitution left, with full energy advantage, I can't lose this game!"
In the 2014 Champions League final, Real Madrid, thanks to Ramos' header at 92:48, equalized Atletico Madrid at the last moment, dragging the match into extra time.
Afterward, Atletico's energy depleted drastically, and Bell, Marcelo, and C Luo all scored in quick succession, leading Real Madrid to a 4-1 victory and winning their 10th Champions League title, becoming the first club in football history to reach double digits in the competition, creating a sensation.
Real Madrid's squad had been very stable in recent years.
Of the players who won the championship three years ago, Ramos, Varane, Carvajal, Modric, C Luo, Bell, and Benzema, seven in all, were still present in the final three years later!
They were seasoned players with strong nerves, knowing how to quickly adjust their mindset and, more importantly, how to exploit the opponent's fatal weaknesses to deliver a decisive blow.
In the first five minutes of extra time.
Ranocchia became the focal point targeted by Real Madrid players.
When Modric had the ball, he often lured Ranocchia to make a move through dribbling, repeatedly passing him and making cutting passes through the defensive midfield position;
The forward Benzema frequently dropped back, deliberately guiding teammates to pass to Ranocchia's position, using his physical advantage to duel with the Italian.
Poor Ranocchia, just standing on the field was already his limit, how could he withstand the continuous onslaught from the Real Madrid players?
"Andrei, watch your back!"
Tang Long's urgent call was only about twenty meters away from Ranocchia, but to his ears, it seemed as faint as a whisper.
With his head spinning, his hearing started to diminish, and a professional player's ability to perceive the surrounding situation also declined.
Thus, the short-in-stature Modric had already circled around and hooked the ball, but the Italian defensive midfielder hadn't noticed at all.
"Watch me!"
Just as Modric extended his foot, C Luo quickly moved away from Benzema, shifted to the left side;
The Portuguese superstar fully trusted his teammate and determined Ranocchia's mind had short-circuited, predicting he would be dispossessed!
Ranocchia was indeed dispossessed!
Modric intercepted his ball!
But as the ball disappeared from his blurry vision, Ranocchia's mind suddenly cleared.
"Backward diagonal step, intercept!"
At 195cm tall, Ranocchia made a correct move that he would remember with excitement for many years to come—his defensive trick, the backward diagonal step!
Though he lost possession, he pulled one leg back like a long plow of a farmer, directly obstructing Modric's dribbling path forward;
Modric was happily carrying the ball forward, already seeing C Luo waving on the left flank, preparing to make a long pass transfer, without expecting Ranocchia to make a comeback?
With a thud, Modric fell to the ground as Ranocchia hooked the ball back even after losing possession!
"Tang!!!"
In Ranocchia's mind, a name exploded.
He swung his hand and with his ankle hitting the ball, sent it to the left for the fast-approaching Tang Long.
Just like C Luo, Tang Long also made an advanced prediction.
But while C Luo predicted Modric would steal from Ranocchia, he only got half of it;
However, Tang Long's prediction that Ranocchia would steal from Modric was a complete hundred percent accuracy!
[The backward diagonal step is about to intercept successfully, now slip behind Carvajal, between one-on-one with the opponent's center back]
A light blue jersey flashed past Carvajal from behind the right-back, perfectly aligning with Ranocchia's through pass.
Here it comes, now is the moment!
Faced with Varane, who stepped out of the penalty area to defend him, Tang Long executed the step-over move three times consecutively!
Left!
Right!
Left!
Combining the swaying upper body and swing of the lower limbs, he was like a replica of a 16th-century grand pendulum;
Varane, bewildered by the dazzling footwork, hastily reached out a foot, only to be deftly passed by Tang Long.
The sliding tackle from Ramos, who rushed back to defend, was already at its limit but was still slower than Tang Long's final powerful kick!
Whoosh—
The ball, with a sound of breaking through the air, blasted over Navas's head at the near post into the net!
2-1!
In an extremely challenging situation, Manchester City overturned the score six minutes into the extra time!