Chapter 481: Six-Time Champions
Bruno got up from the ground and hugged his teammates one by one, celebrating his goal. Judging from the over an hour-long match, it was evident that this Real Madrid team deserved to be the first team to successfully defend their title in the reformed Champions League era. Their strength was indeed superior.
The midfield trio of Casemiro, Kroos, and Modric had a clear advantage in controlling the ball. However, Manchester United's midfield trio of Kante, Carrick, and Mata were not weak either and were able to hold their own during the match.
Although United's possession rate was slightly lower, Bruno estimated that it was around 45%. Facing a formidable Real Madrid, achieving such a possession rate was unexpected. Bruno had not anticipated that his team would perform so well in terms of possession.
The players were all running actively, and with more running came more opportunities for passing and connecting plays. Additionally, both Mata and Carrick were technically skilled midfielders. Kante, known for his defensive prowess, was also quite adept with the ball at his feet and had a good sense of passing. As a result, United's midfield was full of creativity.
With Rashford up front, Bruno on the left, and Lingard on the right, United's entire front and midfield attack was quite formidable. If there was a flaw, it would be that the defense wasn't entirely solid, with only Maguire being reliable. The two full-backs, Valencia and Ashley Young, were also more conservative, not providing enough support to the midfield and attack.
...
Such a match consumed a lot of energy. By the 65th minute, Mourinho substituted Fellaini for Carrick to strengthen the midfield's interception and defense, but the overall formation remained advanced.
Sometimes, in football, you have to take risks. Creativity often involves taking risks, and being overly cautious can stifle creativity.
After falling behind by one goal, Real Madrid launched a fierce counterattack, increasing their offensive intensity and even pushing their defense forward.
However, just as Real Madrid was putting everything on the line to equalize, Maguire intercepted the ball at the back, and Kante quickly switched it to the left to Bruno. Bruno, under tight marking by Real Madrid players, dribbled towards the center, feinted past Casemiro, and sent a diagonal pass to the open right side.
Lingard quickly moved up the right wing, controlled Bruno's pass, and faced the oncoming Real Madrid defenders. In the box, Lingard suddenly accelerated, reaching the byline and crossing to the edge of the six-yard box.
Rashford, coming in from behind, dove and headed the ball into the net from Lingard's cross.
4-2!
The entire Philip II Arena erupted with thunderous cheers.
...
Bruno immediately ran towards Rashford to congratulate him on his spectacular goal. Rashford hugged Bruno tightly. Although he was only three years younger than Bruno, Rashford felt he had not achieved as much or had the same impact on the team as Bruno. At 20, Bruno had already been the core of his team, winning the Serie A title, the Europa League, and the Champions League, firmly establishing himself as the third-best player in the world and even starting to challenge for the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Initially, this made Rashford a bit reserved around Bruno. However, after spending a season together, he realized that Bruno was a fantastic teammate. Whenever he had any questions or issues, Bruno was always there to patiently explain and help him as much as he could.
Under Bruno's influence, the atmosphere within the Manchester United team had become very positive. While there was competition among the players, they got along very well, contributing to the team's success.
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With a two-goal lead, United played more patiently but remained cautious. With only ten minutes left, Mourinho made another substitution, replacing the exhausted Lingard to further strengthen the defense.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, pushed forward aggressively, launching a final onslaught. At this point, whether they lost by two or three goals no longer mattered.
Bruno kept encouraging his teammates, urging them to stay focused on defending. Facing Real Madrid's relentless attacks, United practically retreated as a whole team to defend.
When the referee blew the final whistle, everyone at United breathed a sigh of relief. The last few minutes had been tough, but the team held on by sheer willpower.
The scoreboard at the Philip II Arena displayed the final score: 4-2, with Real Madrid on the losing end.
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Although Real Madrid players had almost given up in the final minute, they still looked very dejected when the whistle blew. Many of them hung their heads in disappointment and pain. They had given their all.
After high-fiving and hugging his teammates, Bruno noticed Casemiro nearby. The somewhat stocky Brazilian had performed excellently, scoring Real Madrid's first goal and working with Toni Kroos to dominate the midfield.
Casemiro's strong physical presence, impressive tackling ability, and outstanding technical skills were evident.
In another timeline, this Brazilian joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022 and performed remarkably, surprising many who had thought he was just there to retire. Many were shocked to see Casemiro bring his skills to United, providing significant contributions instead of just collecting a paycheck.
At that point, Casemiro was already thirty years old and had won five Champions League titles, three La Liga titles, three Club World Cup titles, three UEFA Super Cup titles, three Spanish Super Cup titles, and one Copa del Rey title with Real Madrid, totaling 18 trophies. He was already an accomplished player. Moving to United with a high salary naturally led people to think he was there to retire.
However, Bruno didn't know much about Casemiro's later performances as he had arrived in this world at the beginning of Casemiro's second season with United.
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Since Bruno and Casemiro had been teammates for a while, seeing Casemiro's sad expression, Bruno walked over, took off his shirt, and handed it to him with a smile, "Hello, Carlos. I'm Bruno. Can we exchange jerseys?"
Casemiro was taken aback, not expecting Bruno to come over and ask to swap jerseys. He quickly stood up, took off his sweaty shirt, and exchanged it with Bruno.
"You played really well," Bruno said sincerely.
Casemiro, shy and reserved, kept nodding, replying, "You too."
"You're a great opponent, but I'd love to be teammates one day," Bruno added.
Casemiro was momentarily stunned, wondering if Bruno meant he planned to leave United for Real Madrid.
Casemiro's thoughts were understandable, given that recent summers had been filled with rumors about Bruno transferring to Real Madrid.
However, Casemiro didn't voice his thoughts directly. He simply said, "Thank you, I hope we can be teammates too."
Bruno raised an eyebrow, "Preferably at United. I have no plans to join Real Madrid."
"Ah?" Casemiro was completely puzzled.
...
While Bruno was chatting with Casemiro, he noticed Real Madrid's number 10, Modric, approaching. The Croatian midfield maestro was clearly interested in Bruno as well.
After all, for the past few summers, the media had been abuzz with reports of Bruno potentially moving to Real Madrid, with many believing that Bruno was intended to replace Modric, who was nearing 32 years old.
For a midfielder, 32 is often considered the twilight of their career.
Although Modric felt he was still in good form, Bruno had been making waves with his performances, emerging as one of the top three players globally alongside Ronaldo and Messi. If Bruno joined Real Madrid, Modric's position might indeed be at risk.
As a time traveler, Bruno knew that Modric was a consistent performer in world football, remaining a key player for Real Madrid up until 2023, maintaining his world-class status.
Being a Manchester United fan, Bruno never had any intention of transferring to Real Madrid.
Interestingly, Bruno and Modric's birthdays were just a day apart, with Bruno born on September 8 and Modric on September 9, albeit nine years earlier. From a succession perspective, the age difference was just right.
"You played very well. We gave it our all but still couldn't stop you," Modric admitted honestly.
"I'm just in good shape and run a lot," Bruno replied humbly.
Seeing Modric holding his jersey, Bruno quickly ran to the sidelines, grabbed a fresh shirt, and exchanged jerseys with Modric before hugging and bidding farewell to both Modric and Casemiro.
Sometimes, fierce competitors on the pitch can still admire and respect each other off it.
Manchester United's shocking 4-2 victory over the mighty Real Madrid to claim their sixth trophy of 2017 quickly spread worldwide as soon as the match ended.
(End of Chapter)
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