After Simon, it was time for this year's Goal of the Year award.
This award would be renamed the Puskás Award in 2009, in honor of the legendary Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskás.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the first-ever recipient.
Lionel Messi has never won it.
Tottenham Hotspur is the only club to have produced two winners: Son Heung-min in 2020 and Erik Lamela in 2021.
Su Hang won the award for his iconic goal in the World Cup final, the one where he overtook his marker on the outside.
In the presenter's citation, the goal was even dubbed:
"The shortest distance between two points—Su Hang!"
To be honest, at that moment, the only person who might have been unhappy was Gareth Bale, watching from afar in Wales. Even Su Hang himself didn't look particularly thrilled.
Why did it cut off like that?
For the sake of the Korean market?
Not worth it at all.
After the Best Goal award came the Fair Play Award.
The recipients were all the fans present at the World Cup final between Spain and France.
They gave their own players unwavering support, while also showing full respect to the opposing team.
During Domenech's cardiac arrest and the emergency rescue, the crowd even spontaneously began singing prayers.
After Domenech was successfully revived, they gave Domenech, Simon, and the medical staff a warm round of applause, paying tribute to life itself.
It was deeply moving.
And just like that, Domenech completed a "brace."
Even though he wasn't present, he became the protagonist of two awards.
Next was the Best Newcomer award for this year's World Footballer of the Year.
The winner was Barcelona's Lionel Messi.
Messi was visibly emotional as he stepped onto the stage—this was recognition of everything he had achieved over the past year.
However, his reaction left many Barcelona fans disappointed.
Because Barça fans had always measured him against Su Hang.
Would Su Hang ever beam with joy over a mere Best Newcomer award?
Obviously not.
Even a top-three finish in the World Footballer of the Year rankings wouldn't satisfy Su Hang.
The gap between them was simply too large.
After Messi stepped down, Barcelona players continued to go up on stage.
Eto'o received his Special Contribution Award.
He had made significant contributions this season in the fight against racism.
Next, Barcelona president Joan Laporta came on stage to accept the Peace Contribution Award on behalf of the club.
This season, Barcelona had donated their shirt sponsorship space to UNICEF free of charge. The gesture earned widespread admiration and played a huge role in reshaping the club's public image.
Then came a true highlight.
Iker Casillas took the stage to receive his award.
He defeated his powerful rival Gianluigi Buffon to win the FIFA Best Goalkeeper Award—the Yashin Trophy.
At the Ballon d'Or, Buffon had ranked far above Casillas.
But at the World Footballer of the Year awards, Casillas pulled off a comeback.
Before he went up, teammates like Su Hang and Zidane embraced him with congratulatory hugs.
From a purely professional standpoint, Buffon's overall profile was arguably stronger than Casillas's.
But the World Footballer of the Year placed greater emphasis on fame, which undoubtedly worked in Casillas's favor.
Although Buffon was also highly renowned, Casillas had spent his prime years with the Galácticos and was one of this year's seven-time champions.
Next, FIFA presented the President's Special Award.
Former Inter Milan legend Facchetti received the honor, recognizing his contributions to world football during his tenure.
This also felt like a form of compensation for Inter Milan, one of the victims of the Serie A phone-tapping scandal.
They had been ruthlessly targeted by Juventus, AC Milan, and others.
However, Serie A likely didn't know that over a decade later, in 2023, the league—by then slipping to Europe's third tier and nearly being overtaken by the Bundesliga and Ligue 1—would once again be dragged into a major football scandal.
The last one was Calciopoli.
This time, it was the "goal-blocking" scandal.
More and more Italian stars were implicated.
Given the scale and prevalence, the culture of Italian football clearly had serious problems.
Those truly involved were likely not limited to players alone.
Even if the fallout stayed at the player level, it would still cause clubs in other leagues to avoid Serie A players altogether.
Because gambling addiction is contagious—and incredibly hard to eliminate.
If one person in a team has it and isn't dealt with, it spreads everywhere in no time.
Its transmissibility and damage are even worse than the infamous "nightclub models" scandals.
Next came the three biggest awards of the night.
The Best Coach award was jointly given to Aragonés and Simon.
The veteran coach Aragonés gestured for Simon to step forward first.
Simon repeatedly shook his head, pulled Aragonés onto the podium instead, then stepped back down himself.
The venue erupted.
"This award belongs to Aragonés. I know my weight and my role," Simon said solemnly, his presence suddenly towering. "If you think I deserve to stand here, it would be fairer to replace my name with Su Hang's."
"All of this team's tactics and training were designed by Mr. Aragonés. During the World Cup, tactical adjustments and on-field decisions were made with Su Hang's participation."
"I only did one thing—trust my leader, Aragonés, and trust my player, Su Hang!"
"Let's hear the applause!"
Simon finished speaking.
After three seconds of silence, the hall exploded into thunderous applause.
"Unbelievable! Simon isn't just a coach—he's a saint!"
"The wise elder is getting old. His energy and stamina won't allow him to coach Spain much longer. This is the brightest moment of his career, and Simon refused to steal his spotlight!"
"He really is… I'm crying my eyes out!"
"As the man who led Real Madrid to a treble, Simon is fully qualified to win Best Coach—but he treats fame and fortune like passing clouds."
"And as a coach, he's even willing to share credit with his players. That's something almost no one else can do."
"Simon sets a perfect example for Mourinho! This is what a real leader looks like—not someone who takes credit for wins and blames 'traitors' for losses!"
"I'd call him Saint Simon!"
"A coach like this is practically idle right now, holding only a nominal national team position. I bet plenty of top clubs are already itching to sign him!"
Simon never expected that simply stating the facts would cause such a reaction.
Honestly, as an assistant coach who felt he hadn't really done anything, standing up there to accept an award would give him nightmares.
And even if he dared to take credit from Aragonés, would he dare to take credit from Captain Su?
How did Real Madrid win that treble? Did Simon not know?
On the pitch, it was the trio of Zidane, Figo, and Su Hang.
Off the pitch, it was Captain Su's tactical board.
If Su Hang doesn't take the Best Coach award, you could give Simon ten thousand times the courage, and he still wouldn't dare touch it.
That's what having boundaries means.