Chapter 525: The road to greatness
The day before the final, both Real Madrid and Manchester United arrived at Wembley Stadium for their final routine training sessions. Hundreds of media outlets from around the world gathered inside the stadium, continuously capturing and searching for news.
In this situation, neither side naturally revealed their tactical intentions. Coaches only arranged some simple warm-up exercises, while Wang Feng stretched his limbs and looked around this magnificent city.
It is the home ground of the England national team, having hosted the World Cup final, the European Championship final, the Champions League final, and the annual English League Cup final, known as the temple of world football, never belonging to any club.
Arsenal once rented it as their home ground for Champions League matches from 1998 to 2000. The stadium then underwent a seven-year reconstruction, increasing its height by 133 meters. The world's largest single arch, surrounding the entire stadium, became its distinctive landmark.
After the expansion, Wembley can now accommodate 90,000 spectators simultaneously, making it the largest professional football stadium in Europe.
Seeing Wang Feng looking around curiously, the team supervisor, Sande, approached and chatted, "What's up, Wang? Are you very interested in this stadium?"
The Chinese superstar smiled and said, "Yes, this stadium is really spectacular. Although I have experienced countless big occasions, I am still slightly awed by it."
Sande nodded, "Indeed, this is Real Madrid's first time participating in the Champions League final at Wembley, but there's no need to be too surprised, because the next Bernabeu will also surprise you."
He deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Florentino is pushing forward the renovation plan for the Bernabeu. I believe it will soon be approved at the members' meeting."
"By then, both inside and outside the stadium will be completely renovated. Many of the most advanced high-tech facilities will be used in every corner, not only in the field itself but also in the construction of commercial areas, entertainment areas, dining areas, and hotels with underground parking."
"In short, this is a huge project. After it's all completed, it won't be inferior to Wembley as it is now!"
Hearing this, Wang Feng showed a longing expression. Judging from the achievements the team has made so far, upgrading the home stadium comprehensively is not excessive, and the club has sufficient financial support.
After training, according to UEFA's arrangement, both head coaches and core players of the final teams were interviewed by the media, and Wang Feng was no exception.
He first expressed his gratitude to the European Golden Boot judging committee, "For me, this is a very big surprise and honor."
Regarding the requirements for winning the award, he said it was something the organizers considered, and he had no opinion on it. "The idea that only I can win the award is inaccurate. With the continuous development of football technology, I believe there will be many rising stars."
When asked about Manchester United, he considered them a strong opponent. Their performance in the Premier League has been outstanding, and their results in the Champions League in recent years have also been excellent.
"But there can only be one champion. Real Madrid has reached the most crucial moment, and we will definitely not hand over this historic moment to others!"
On the evening of May 28, 2011, under the leadership of Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai, Real Madrid and Manchester United's starting players slowly walked into Wembley Stadium.
The stands, with a total height of 52 meters, were densely packed with fans from both sides, who were shouting cheers to support their teams, unwilling to be outdone by the other.
Tonight, Manchester United lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Van der Sar in goal.
The back four were Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra.
The midfield trio consisted of Valencia, Carrick, and Giggs.
The front three consisted of Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Benzema.
Real Madrid maintained their 4-2-3-1 formation, with the starting lineup unchanged from their clash with Barcelona.
"Good evening, everyone. This is Wembley Stadium, the largest stadium in London, England. The live broadcast for you is the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League final, Real Madrid against Manchester United."
"The players from both sides are now in place, waiting for the referee to start the match. Manchester United will kick off the first half."
"We can see that the camera is now focusing on the number ten of Real Madrid, our Chinese football superstar, Wang Feng. Today, he still wears the captain's armband and is undoubtedly the spiritual leader of the entire team!"
"So far, Wang Feng has won all the finals he has participated in, truly the king of finals. I hope that this year he can continue his magical performance and lead the Galacticos to complete this great journey, winning the Champions League for the fifth consecutive year!"
"All right, with the whistle of Hungarian referee Kassai, the match officially begins!"
"Manchester United's offensive rhythm is very fast. They press forward as soon as the match starts. Valencia passes to Cristiano Ronaldo on the wing. The Portuguese speedster quickly dribbles down the flank and forcefully crosses. Dangerous!"
"In the penalty area, Benzema shoots directly! The ball flies over the crossbar. Manchester United has completed their first shot of the match. Although the quality is not very good, it still poses a threat."
"The 24-year-old Frenchman had a fluctuating performance when he first joined the Red Devils, often inconsistent, but after adaptation, his growth has been rapid. Now, whether it's cooperating with Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo, it has become more tacit."
Casillas kicks the ball out of the goal, Sneijder and Carrick vie for the header, but the ball falls back to Manchester United's feet. This time, they still choose to give it to Cristiano Ronaldo to handle, indicating that the Portuguese is the absolute attacking core of the Red Devils.
Moreover, under Ferguson's arrangement, the Red Devils are playing very aggressively, even if they lose the ball in the forward line, the front three will immediately organize a high press, not allowing Real Madrid to easily counterattack.
Just like in the 3rd minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo's pass was intercepted by Diarra, he immediately joined forces with Rooney to press, causing Mali's defensive midfielder to hurriedly clear the ball without finding a teammate, and then being intercepted by the Portuguese again.
Immediately, he attempted a threatening long shot from outside the penalty area, but luckily Real Madrid's goalkeeper, Saint Iker, was very focused and collected the ball.
Manchester United, having gained an advantage, became even more active on the field. Cristiano Ronaldo even threatened to reach the goal with his speed, forcing Casillas, who received the back pass, to choose to clear the ball to the sideline, handing over the possession.
In the 6th minute, Valencia's long pass hung into the penalty area, and the Portuguese superstar quickly ran forward to chase the ball, but the pass was a bit too strong, and he failed to touch the ball, causing it to fly directly out of bounds.
In the 9th minute, Giggs passed directly to Benzema, who then passed it back to Cristiano Ronaldo without stopping the ball. Under Khedira's interference, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to control it immediately.
So, the German defensive midfielder firmly held his position to let the ball roll out of bounds by itself, returning possession to Real Madrid. The frustrated Portuguese directly pushed him from behind.
Hungarian referee Kassai decisively stopped the game, calling Cristiano Ronaldo over to warn him not to make any more gestures with his hands.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's performance has been exceptionally active since the start of the game."
"Yes, several consecutive high presses and the foul just now all show his strong fighting spirit. The Portuguese star should be extremely eager to defeat Real Madrid and prove himself."
"But on the field, one must still maintain sufficient calmness. Let's see how the situation develops next."
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