The Miracle of Istanbul.
Known as the most dramatic final in the history of the Champions League, it also created the classic meme of opening the champagne at halftime.
That year, AC Milan was the absolute favorite to win the title. From the group stage to the knockout stage, they had swept through their opponents like an autumn wind, all the way to the final.
In contrast, Liverpool had stumbled all the way from the group stage, struggling to reach the final.
Before the match, no one thought Liverpool could defeat the mighty AC Milan, and the daunting 3:0 scoreline at halftime seemed to confirm people's predictions.
But the turning point came in the second half.
As Istanbul sang Liverpool's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone," inspired by Gerrard's leadership and example, the greatest comeback in football history occurred.
Liverpool chased down 3 goals in the second half, dragged the match to a penalty shootout, and ultimately won the 2005 Champions League title.
That was the greatest masterpiece in Liverpool's history.
"TJ, today was your first match in the Premier League, and also your first time wearing the Liverpool jersey. At this moment, what is your assessment of this team and your new teammates?"
Tendou's performance in this match was outstanding, and the reporters seemed to have no intention of giving him a hard time.
"This was my first match for Liverpool. In fact, my teammates and I have only trained together for 2 days."
"I can't even remember all of my teammates' names, but as you saw from the result, we played with the chemistry of friends who have known each other for three years."
"Arnold knew how I would run, Salah and Mané knew when I would pass, and Firmino immediately drew defenders away for me when I pushed forward."
"This is the unspoken understanding between top players. When we become more familiar with each other, we will shock all of Europe!"
Tendou chose his words to be as flattering as possible.
However, the reporters still thought he was quite shameless.
Of course, Salah and the others were top stars, but for this little kid to have the nerve to compare himself to them was simply audacious!
...
The post-match press conference was over.
The entire Liverpool team returned to the base on the team bus.
Liverpool was not far from here, only 167 kilometers in a straight line.
On the bus, Tendou looked around like a country bumpkin.
He had been on many buses, but this was definitely the first time he had been on a luxury bus that cost hundreds ofthousands of pounds.
He sat in the back row, next to Mané.
Tendou saw that Mané was chatting with his family on a phone with a shattered screen.
"Sadio, did you accidentally break your phone?"
"Don't worry about him, TJ. His phone has been broken for a long time," Salah said, turning his head to tell him.
Mané just smiled and said, "It still works, no rush to change it. I rarely use communication products anyway."
It wasn't that he rarely used it.
Mané used most of the money he earned to build up his hometown.
He had the template of a standard superstar.
Mané was born in poverty in Africa. When he was a child, because his family couldn't afford the training conditions, Mané could only rely on his passion to persevere in an environment with scarce resources.
Fortunately, at the age of 15, he was scouted by FC Metz, thus getting the opportunity to receive formal training.
But regrettably, his family's financial situation at the time couldn't even afford his travel expenses.
Finally, just as Mané was about to give up in despair, his entire village crowdfunded the money, giving him the chance to go to France.
When he first started playing, Mané didn't even have a decent set of gear. The shoes on his feet were so worn that his toes were showing.
Everyone on the field, including his teammates, laughed at him at that time.
But thinking of the plane ticket that the entire village had bought with their wrinkled banknotes, that heavy expectation made Mané persevere and made him who he is today.
To this day, the 27-year-old Mané's annual income has exceeded 200 million. He has chosen to give back the money he earned to his hometown.
Schools, hospitals, gas stations, post offices, even 4G networks...
He gave generously, single-handedly providing convenient services for 34 villages.
In addition, he also gives 500 yuan a month to local families to help them improve their lives.
Someone calculated that Mané's investment in the construction of his hometown would be as high as 200 million per year.
Listening to Firmino's explanation, Tendou was speechless.
He couldn't do such a thing himself, but he sincerely admired such a person.
The dark-skinned Mané, his noble character made it seem as if an angel was standing behind him, radiating a pure white light.
"Don't worry about them. What I use, where I live, what I wear, it's all the best," Mané didn't think he had done anything remarkable.
His current material living conditions already exceeded most people's.
And besides, without the plane ticket money that his fellow villagers had pooled together for him, he wouldn't be here today.
The Liverpool players all knew about this, but they didn't interfere. They respected Mané.
"TJ, bring your girlfriend to my house after school tomorrow."
"????"
Tendou was confused.
"What 'after school'? You mean after training?"
The bus suddenly fell silent, and then erupted in bursts of laughter.
"Gaffer, haven't you told him yet?" Henderson said, trying to hold back his laughter.
Klopp shot his disciples a look, then said to Tendou, "According to the regulations, TJ, you need to go to the University of Liverpool to complete your studies. Tomorrow is your registration day. Don't be late."
Tendou's mouth hung open. He seemed to vaguely recall there being such a thing.
"Hahahahahahaha..."
Seeing his bewildered face, the bastards of Liverpool laughed unrestrainedly.
"Don't worry, TJ. It's not full-time. You only need to take 15 hours of cultural courses a week."
Mané also put down his phone and patted his shoulder, then said with a mischievous grin, "Remember to do your homework."
"Get lost!"
"Hahahahahahahaha~"
The Liverpool bus was filled with a happy atmosphere.
...
The next day, Tendou was dragged to the University of Liverpool with a dark face.
The students at the university clearly knew who he was.
Tendou's debut yesterday was hailed as the best in history. Now, the Liverpool fans all knew that their team had acquired an exceptionally talented young man.
He had come on in the 70th minute and created three goals to help Liverpool come from behind and win a precious 3 points away at Wolves.
Today, the English media were reporting on it extensively.
The students' eyes kept darting in his direction, as if to confirm.
"This damn rule!"
Tendou shouldered his backpack and stepped onto the campus with a dark face.
"Isn't this great? From now on, you're the 'little kid bro.' The Lamine Yamal template!"
"Shut up, stupid cat!"
...
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