章 4: Chapter 3: Farewell Ceremony
Chapter 3: Farewell Ceremony
After the match, Barcelona held a farewell ceremony for Pep Guardiola.
All 100,000 fans in the stadium stood up and sang the song dedicated to Guardiola.
For them, today was a bittersweet day.
They were happy because they had the 25-year-old Messi, who was at the peak of his career.
They were sad because the club's change in leadership led to the departure of the legendary coach Guardiola.
This made them somewhat pessimistic about the team's future prospects.
It's hard to find someone like Guardiola, who came from La Masia youth academy, was familiar with Barcelona's tactical style, and developed a brand-new tactical system that fully utilized Barcelona's strengths as a coach.
Under Guardiola's leadership, Barcelona once achieved the remarkable feat of fielding 11 players from their own youth academy.
But after Guardiola's departure, could his successor continue to use La Masia's youth players in the same way?
Could they achieve the same glorious achievements as Guardiola?
The more they thought about these questions, the more reluctant they felt to let Guardiola go.
Fans waved Barcelona's flags, raised various pictures with Guardiola's image, and sang songs praising him loudly.
Guardiola walked alone towards the pitch, looking up at the stands, looking at the stadium.
Here, he led the team to achieve glorious results and left behind their own legends.
But after today, he would no longer belong here.
If he returned here in the future, it would most likely be as an opponent.
At that time, would these lovely fans welcome him and cheer for him like today?
At that moment, the big screen in the stadium started playing highlights of Guardiola's achievements during his four-year tenure.
The first league championship.
The first Champions League title.
The first sextuple.
The big screen showed Guardiola celebrating with players after scoring goals.
Standing on the sidelines, commanding the game in pouring rain.
Running and cheering when the team won a match.
Running around the field after the first championship.
Taking diligent notes and studying tactics and opponents' weaknesses before each game...
Finally, the footage stopped at the scene where the team won the Champions League last season, and Guardiola was lifted high by the players.
With excitement in his heart, Guardiola took the microphone handed to him by the staff.
He brought it to his mouth several times but couldn't speak.
Afraid that if he spoke, the fans and players would hear his choked voice.
This place was his home, but he was about to leave.
People often say that homesickness is stronger when one is away from home and uncertain about the future. How would he feel at that time?
He took a deep breath, tried to adjust his emotions, and began speaking:
"Here, I want to express my gratitude to everyone!"
"Especially to the people around me, the players, the coaching staff, and the club staff."
"I'm also very grateful to the fans who supported us. We may not be physically close, but every day I can feel your support."
"You know that I will miss you. It's very exciting to have your support when leaving Camp Nou."
Fans waved various banners and slogans supporting and thanking Guardiola, sending him applause and blessings.
"As for the reason for my departure, I have already explained it on different occasions, but here I think I still need to explain it again to you."
"During these four years coaching Barcelona, we have achieved good results, but the work pressure has always been immense, and I haven't been able to spend quality time with my family."
"I apologize to them, and I promise to spend quality time with my family in the upcoming period!"
Guardiola looked towards the player's tunnel, where his girlfriend Cristina Serra was smiling while watching him with their four children.
Luis was among them!
Yes, the couple who adopted Luis was Guardiola and Serra.
Although not their biological child, Guardiola and Serra treated Luis as their own, just like their other three children.
Guardiola waved to them, and Serra immediately walked towards him with their four children.
"You've worked hard, Pep. Finally, we can start our vacation now!"
Serra hugged him while smiling, noticing that Guardiola seemed a bit down, she tried to divert his attention with the idea of a vacation.
"Thank you, Cristina. I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time with you and the children all these years!"
Guardiola felt a bit guilty and apologized sincerely once again.
"No need to apologize. If you really feel indebted, how about showing it through your actions?"
"Well, that's a good suggestion. I'll consider it!"
Guardiola thought about getting married. He felt it was time to end this long-distance relationship.
When it was Luis's turn, Guardiola hugged him proactively, patted his shoulder firmly, and asked him, "Luis, you're already sixteen. Have you thought about your career plans for the future? Any ideas?"
Luis thought seriously for a moment and replied, "I plan to continue training with Barcelona and then look for a loan or transfer to another team!"
"You want to leave Barcelona?"
Guardiola was somewhat surprised by Luis's idea.
Players who came from La Masia rarely have the desire to leave Barcelona voluntarily.
But judging from Luis's appearance, it seemed that he didn't have a deep attachment to Barcelona.
Could it be because of the strained relationship between himself and the club, which affected Luis's decision?
"Yes, with so much talent in the first team, I don't have many opportunities here, so I have to leave!"
While Luis said this, in his heart, he actually believed that Barcelona was not worth staying for.
Looking at how the club treated Messi, who was kicked out on the last day of the transfer window after 21 years of service, scoring over 600 goals and winning numerous honors, it was evident that the club lacked any sense of loyalty.
Who would want to stay in such a club? Only a fool would.
After thinking for a moment, Guardiola realized that Barcelona's midfield was indeed rich in talent.
Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta, and others were at their peak and had strong abilities.
Young players like Luis would probably struggle to compete with them. Although when he was the coach, Guardiola planned to groom Luis as Xavi's successor.
For that purpose, he even assigned Luis the number 4 jersey in the youth team, the same jersey he wore during his time at Barcelona.
But after he left, he didn't know how Barcelona's tactics would change.
Each coach has their own ideas, some prefer to rely on youth academy players, while others prefer to buy established players from outside.
Therefore, the development plan he had set for Luis might no longer be feasible.
"Alright, I respect your choice. Let's have a good talk when you go back!"
Luis nodded, and Guardiola, now a legendary coach in high demand on this planet, would definitely consider his opinions.
After embracing his family, colleagues, and team players one by one,
Under the farewell lineup of club staff, Guardiola quickly left the field.
From this moment on, Guardiola and Barcelona severed their connection.
Many people, including fans and club executives, thought that this separation was temporary.
They believed that when the club's presidency changed and the conflicts between Guardiola and the club eased, he would come back.
But no one expected that this parting would be permanent.
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