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Arsenal fans were clinging to hope, waiting for Lance, who seemed to be lost in the medical room, until the very last moment.
It wasn't until they saw Lance appear in Madrid, with Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen's official websites simultaneously announcing the transfer, that Arsenal fans finally gave up completely.
Another world-class superstar was added to the list of players "Wenger almost signed" over the years.
"Breaking! New Star Lance Smashes Transfer Fee Record, Joins Atlético Madrid for a Historic 150 Million Euros!"
"La Liga Returns to Top League Status! Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lance Stage a Football Version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'!"
"Summer Transfer King is Born, Lance Surpasses Bale!"
It exploded!
When Lance appeared in Madrid, holding the Atlético Madrid number 10 jersey, and made his debut at Atlético Madrid's home stadium, the entire football world erupted!
The top trending topics on Twitter and Weibo were both occupied by Lance.
#LanceTransfersToAtleticoMadrid
#HundredMillionEuroManLance
#AtléticoMadrid'sFirstSummerSigning
Whether Chinese netizens or foreign users, their expressions were the same: Huh?
Logically speaking, general football transfers usually generate waves of rumours beforehand.
After several rounds of denials and confirmations, the transfer fog would gradually clear, the player would appear in the club city, media reporters would break the news, the information would finally be verified, followed by the official announcement, and then the player's debut... By the time the transfer was confirmed, fans of all clubs would already be aware, and some would have even been anticipating it for a month.
Lance was different.
His transfer to Atlético Madrid was too fast.
It was like a sudden clap of thunder in a clear sky, leaving everyone within a hundred miles buzzing.
Even the usually accurate European senior insider, Italian Di Marzio, expressed his shock on Twitter:
"To be honest, I didn't know about Lance's transfer to Atlético Madrid beforehand either; they moved too quickly."
Di Marzio had previously only reported that Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal were all trying to contact Lance, and he might go to the Premier League with De Bruyne.
The happiest were Arsenal and Manchester City fans.
Signing the "Belgian Twin Stars" would surely make Manchester City invincible in the new season.
Who would have thought he would sign with Atlético Madrid at lightning speed?
"Atlético Madrid intercepted? My God, this is too exaggerated!"
"Oh my god!!! I'm not dreaming!!!"
"As a Real Madrid fan, I just feel like the sky has fallen. Does Real Madrid still have a chance to win the league title this season?"
"Barcelona fans are also panicking; is the La Liga nemesis specifically here to arrest us?"
"This kid, he's chasing us to kill us!"
Globally, the two largest fan bases, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fans, were previously always at odds, constantly bickering.
The only person both of their fan bases feared was Lance!
He eliminated Barcelona for two consecutive seasons, and Cristiano Ronaldo in both the World Cup and the Champions League.
Seeing Lance on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi fans wished they could unite against a common enemy.
Fortunately, both were established superstars with enough accolades to their names, otherwise, they would truly be overshadowed by this rising star, Lance.
"What's the use of Lance being strong? Does he have a Champions League title?"
"How many Ballon d'Or awards does he have? How can he compare to Messi?"
"Does Messi's Ballon d'Or really count? Sneijder feels wronged."
"Your Cristiano Ronaldo isn't clean either! Ribéry has something to say."
Whether on Chinese or foreign internet, the two fan bases could start arguing within a few sentences.
Now, a new force had joined, and Lance's fan base was equally massive.
The new season hadn't even started, but the internet was already in chaos.
"The Messi and Ronaldo era has ended; now it's the Lance era."
"All those past honours are history; they won't win anything in the future."
"Just wait, Lance will become the only GOAT!"
...
What constitutes explosive news?
If the deep red [burst] character after the top trending topic on Weibo wasn't enough, perhaps the 30-second solo voice-over on CCTV1's News Broadcast could prove the significance of this news.
Lance, who became a household name during the World Cup last year, once again dominated public attention.
"...Next is a sports news flash. 18-year-old Belgian-Chinese player Lance has officially transferred from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen to La Liga club Atlético Madrid. The transfer fee reached 150 million euros, setting a new historical record in world football. Lance will wear the number 10 jersey for the new season, and his signing ceremony at Atlético Madrid's home stadium attracted over 70,000 fans."
"Lance had previously broken the Bundesliga scoring record for two consecutive seasons, becoming the youngest Bundesliga top scorer. In the 2014-2015 season, Lance won the Champions League Golden Boot with 13 goals in the Champions League."
"He also helped Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga double that season, as well as a respectable Champions League runner-up finish. As an outstanding representative of overseas Chinese, Lance has won widespread praise from fans at home and abroad..."
...
"You're on the News Broadcast again. Yesterday, your grandma called me to say that everyone in our hometown village is praising your success. It's just that, when you were in Germany, we could still look after you a bit."
"Now that you've gone to Spain, you'll have to take care of yourself. Remember to eat well and train well as the coach requires. You absolutely must not train blindly on your own, and don't push yourself too hard in training. Pay attention to your body and be careful of injuries."
"Don't fall behind in your studies either. You applied to a university in Madrid this time; I heard it's easy to get in but hard to get out. After training, don't just hang out with those players. Study more. If you can get a bachelor's or master's degree later, you'll have a path after retirement..."
"Alright, alright, I know, Mum. The club has another event soon, so I'll hang up first. You just take good care of yourselves."
"Oh, oh, oh, this child..."
Munich, Chinese restaurant.
On the TV, a German football programme's guests were still discussing the new season's transfers.
At this moment, they were talking about the impact of Bayer Leverkusen's "supermarket opening" on the Bundesliga, and Lance's name was mentioned multiple times by the programme guests.
Zhao Ping looked quite worried.
"Look at your son, he's completely let loose after becoming an adult."
"He's an 18-year-old young man. He's been in Bayer Leverkusen alone for so long; have we ever interfered? Let him go. He knows what he should do. Don't nag too much."
"Oh, I'm nagging? I think you just don't care. Are you two already fed up with me? Did you teach him that?"
"Hey, no, how could I dare? Your words are my favourite to hear."
"Don't give me that!"
The international students working in the restaurant watched the elderly couple showing affection, and many started to tease them.
Many international students came to work here specifically because they heard Lance was the young owner of the restaurant, but they rarely saw Lance throughout the year.
Fortunately, Lu Yongping and his wife were kind to people and even gave red envelopes during holidays, which warmed the hearts of these struggling international students.
Studying abroad seemed glamorous, but European life wasn't as wonderful as imagined; those who had been to Europe had long been disillusioned.
Watching Lance play football became their only spiritual sustenance.
It was a pity that Lance had already gone to Spain...
"Lance, some of the team members are still on holiday. I'll introduce you to the people who are currently at the club first."
Atlético Madrid training base.
Atlético Madrid's chief assistant coach, Jesús Caratallud, took Lance on a tour of the base, including the gym, cafeteria, shower area, leisure activity area, and training ground.
Whilst Atlético Madrid as a whole was not as luxurious as clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, or Bayern, it had all the necessary facilities, and the environment seemed slightly better than Bayer Leverkusen.
After all, it was also a traditional powerhouse in La Liga, a "quasi-giant" that had once won the Champions League.
Pushing open the changing room door, it was relatively empty during the players' holiday.
Everyone's jersey hung on the wall behind their seat, and Lance's number 10 jersey rightfully appeared in the centre of the entire changing room.
Changing room positions were not arranged casually; this represented the club's significant attention to Lance, symbolising his status in the changing room.
Lance understood this.
He also knew that whilst the positions were arranged this way, his actual standing in the hearts of his teammates still needed to be earned.
The moment he pushed the door open, the few players present all turned to look at Lance.
One of them, a tall, well-built blonde player, had sharp eyes and quickly sized up Lance.
Noticing the gaze, Lance's eyes met his.
"Lance, this is..." The assistant coach was about to introduce him.
Lance simply smiled faintly:
"Of course I know, Fernando, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Who else could it be?
It was Fernando Torres, once a dominant force in world football, former Atlético Madrid golden boy, Liverpool legend, who, after a few frustrating years at Chelsea, returned to Atlético Madrid this season, a 31-year-old hero in his twilight years!