Messi was so scared that he cried when he maxed out his header talent at the start of the game

Chapter 597

On May 23, the 2007 UEFA Champions League final arrived.

This day.

The world is paying attention.

This day is a celebration for football fans all over the world.

The venue of the game is Greece, the southernmost tip of the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, the birthplace of Western civilization.

The venue of the game is the Athens Olympic Sports Center, which has created countless miracles and served as the venue for the 2004 Olympic Games.

That morning.

Su Fei and his teammates took the bus in advance and arrived at the venue to conduct daily training at the secondary venue of the sports center.

The big battle is imminent.

Manchester City players need to seize every minute and every second to get familiar with the new football concept brought by the Spanish young coach to the team.

Under the same sky.

Manchester United players wearing red jerseys also arrived at the sports center in advance.

Manchester City FA Cup final 7:0 Watford game.

It gave the Red Devils players invisible pressure.

They know it very well.

In this final, they are likely to face a Manchester City that is stronger than ever before.

At 1pm, outside the Athens Olympic Stadium.

Red and blue interweave, the crowd surges.

Fans from both sides who arrive at the square in an endless stream, while queuing, will certainly not miss the opportunity to curse at each other and compete in decibels.

"Glory glory ManUnited~"

"Glory glory ManUnited~"

"Glory glory ManUnited~"

......

"Blue Moon~"

"You know just what I was there for~"

"You heard me saying a prayer for~"

The Blue Moon team song and the Red Devils team song chorus, one after another outside the square outside the Athens Olympic Sports Center.

Countless large and small red and blue team flags, flying everywhere in the crowd.

Such a familiar scene.

It's like what happened on Manchester United's derby day.

Media reporters from all over Europe certainly would not miss the fan celebration before the game officially started.

Carrying cameras and microphones, they shuttled among the crowds and interviewed fans from both sides.

"Hello sir, do you think Manchester City can win the trophy today?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I drove here from Manchester just to witness Manchester City win the Big Ear Cup here!!"

"Hey, hey, hey, sir, please don't hug our camera and kiss it like crazy..."

...

"Hello kid, face the camera and say something to support Manchester United."

"Fxxk Su!! Fxxk Su!!"

"Kid, it's for Manchester United, not Manchester City."

"Fxxk Su!! Fxxk Su!!"

"......"

...

"Hello ma'am, who is your favorite player?"

"Ahhh, Su! Su! Su! Just last night, I dreamed that Su was fiercely..."

"Mike, cut off the signal, cut off the signal quickly."

...

The game hasn't started yet, and a frenzy has begun to spread between the fans of both sides, which also indicates that today will definitely be a crazy game.

.....................................................

At 2:30 pm, the pre-match press conference arrived as scheduled.

The first person to appear on the scene was Guardiola.

The Spanish young coach had heavy dark circles under his eyes, from his official arrival at Manchester City to the Champions League final.

This is only the 13th day since he joined Manchester City.

In 13 days.

Guardiola has not had a good sleep, relying on black coffee from England almost every night, with an average of less than six hours of sleep.

"Mr. Guardiola, how is the team today?"

"Good, very good. Each of us maintains absolute focus, our goal is very clear, we are here for the championship."

Although a little tired, facing countless shots on the scene, Guardiola still showed a good state and a positive attitude.

Come here.

He knows very well that he represents the spiritual outlook of Manchester City.

"Mr. Guardiola, if Manchester City wins today, you will become the first head coach in history to win the Champions League the fastest after taking office. What do you think about this?"

This question from the reporter was quickly answered byThe denial of the Spanish young coach.

"Such a record is meaningless. Everyone knows that Manchester City's arrival here has nothing to do with me. They were led by Mr. Stewart in the semi-finals, quarter-finals, round of 16 and group stage."

Manchester City's pre-match press conference ended.

......

Guardiola saw his opponent in this game, the legendary Premier League coach, Alex Ferguson, at the exit.

This was the first offline meeting between the two.

While Guardiola couldn't help but look at Ferguson, Ferguson was also looking into the eyes of Stewart's successor.

In the eyes of the Spanish young coach, the red-nosed old man was older than what he saw on TV, with a flushed face, pale and sparse hair, crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, and even a lot of age spots on his face.

On the other side.

Ferguson couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Guardiola was really young. He didn't look like a coach, but more like a player.

This is indeed the case.

Ferguson, born in 1941, is 66 years old this year, while Guardiola, born in 1971, is only 36 years old.

Ferguson is nearly twice as old as Guardiola.

The reporter standing next to him immediately took out his mobile phone.

He hoped to record some sparks between the two.

But he was disappointed.

After the two coaches exchanged glances, they did not make any polite greetings.

Guardiola retracted his gaze, took a step, and passed by Ferguson expressionlessly.

This is a silent declaration of war.

Although you have more experience than me, in today's game, before the game starts, I don't want to give you any respect.

Ferguson stamped his feet.

The right hand inserted in the coat pocket subconsciously clenched.

He looked back at Guardiola's back.

Slowly walked into the interview site.

Since the end of the 38th round of the Premier League, Ferguson has not accepted any interviews or appeared in any public places before today.

So compared to Guardiola.

Reporters obviously want to ask Ferguson more questions.

However, Ferguson took the initiative of the interview in his own hands. He did not wait for reporters to ask questions, but took the initiative to speak.

"I know what you want to say. We have not won in the past four matches against Manchester City."

"I know what you want to say. The last time Manchester United won the championship was in the 2002-03 season, which was four years ago."

"I know what you want to say. In this year's league championship, we lost to Manchester City again."

"I admit all of this because it is true."

"You can regard us as challengers, as the weaker side in this matchup, and I even know that many of you have prepared Manchester City's championship press release in advance."

"But we Red Devils are not afraid of doubts. All doubts will only urge us to become stronger and create our own miracles!!"

The reporters were silent under Ferguson's speech.

The 66-year-old red-nosed old man.

Passionate.

At this moment.

Like a general about to fight a death battle.

.....................................................