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Lance suddenly felt that since becoming a professional player, time had been passing faster and faster.
He remembered not long ago when he was celebrating New Year's Eve with Chloe, entering 2016.
How was it already 2017?
Looking back at 2016, Atlético Madrid's first half of the year was glorious.
In their clashes against the peak versions of Real Madrid and Barcelona, they didn't fall behind in the slightest.
They claimed the La Liga title with a miraculous 105 points.
Furthermore, they won the Copa del Rey final by defeating Barcelona.
The Champions League Final featured the most miraculous match in football history!
Trailing 0-4, they pulled off a desperate 5-4 comeback!
It wasn't that Lance enjoyed reminiscing about the past or the glory days.
It was simply that the 2015-2016 Champions League Final was too classic; it was mentioned constantly on TV and the internet.
To the point that the 2005 Milan had faded into obscurity, and no one mentioned the Milan that "opened the champagne at halftime" anymore.
The title of "History's Most Aggrieved Backdrop" had fallen onto Real Madrid's head.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the biggest victim in the football world.
Losing after being up 4-0, losing even after scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League Final...
Where was the justice in that?
Lance's four goals in the Champions League Final were nothing short of a miracle.
Even half a year later, many people were still reviewing the details of the final and every movement of Lance's four goals.
That match was indeed Atlético Madrid's highlight of the year.
The treble winners looked down upon the world!
Right after that, during the summer break, he led Belgium to the European Cup and happened to win it, helping Belgium create history by achieving the first title in their team's history.
"Just a European Cup title, not worth mentioning."
Lance shook his head.
Because when he returned from the European Cup to Madrid to start training, everything went wrong.
Both Griezmann and Torres left the team, causing Atlético Madrid's morale to plummet.
Add to that the La Liga opening match, where he ignored the [Substitute Paper Figurine], resulting in a torn meniscus in his knee and nearly four months on the sidelines.
Fortunately, he gritted his teeth through rehabilitation at the last moment and made a timely comeback as a substitute, helping Atlético Madrid win their final trophy!
With that, the sextuple winner status was achieved!
Atlético Madrid claimed every title in 2016, becoming the second team in history to achieve a grand slam, just like Barcelona once did.
Returning to Madrid with the Club World Cup trophy, the entire Atlético Madrid team received a hero's welcome, greeted by crowds lining the streets of Madrid.
Lance also frequently appeared on Madrid Television for interviews.
"Excuse me, Lance, you are only 19 years old, yet you already hold the core position at Atlético Madrid and led the team to the football world's highest honor, the sextuple... Do you find yourself lacking any motivation?"
"No."
During the talk show, Lance, wearing a black turtleneck sweater and jeans, was very calm, showing none of the flightiness of a 19-year-old athlete.
"I am always pursuing the next trophy. For example, defending the Champions League title, or a Champions League three-peat (laughs)..."
The guests and the host all laughed, thinking Lance's "Champions League three-peat" was a joke.
In reality, no one believed a team could achieve a Champions League three-peat.
Defending the Champions League title remained the biggest curse since the competition's restructuring.
The world line had already been rewritten by Lance; Real Madrid would likely find it very difficult to achieve a Champions League three-peat now.
But regardless, this was one of the goals in Lance's heart.
"Forget it, I'll just try to achieve it silently."
Lance believed he could do it.
It was just that it might be very difficult at Atlético Madrid.
After winning the Club World Cup and achieving the sextuple, the Atlético Madrid management had already started to slack off.
CEO Gil Marín Jr. appeared from time to time in various social settings, maintaining close contact with the top brass of major clubs.
There were already rumors in the market; many key players like Koke, Saúl, Ángel Correa, Godín, and Oblak... had already been given price tags.
Lance had joined Atlético Madrid for 120 million back then, and Gil Marín Jr. had gone into debt to buy him.
Now, he seemed to have the idea of cashing out.
"I'm telling you, even if you want to stay at Atlético Madrid long-term, I wouldn't really recommend it. After all, Atlético Madrid doesn't have the genes of a true powerhouse..."
Paris, France.
With only one day left until the 2016 Ballon d'Or ceremony, Lance, dressed in a suit, had already checked into a five-star hotel in Paris.
His agent, Mendes, sat on the sofa in the hotel suite, speaking earnestly.
The date was already January 11th, not long after the end of the La Liga winter break and the start of Atlético Madrid's training camp.
Lance took the time to attend his Ballon d'Or gala.
According to current media leaks, there was likely no suspense regarding the final Ballon d'Or rankings.
1st place: Lance, with over 30% probability of winning.
2nd place: Cristiano Ronaldo, with over 15% probability.
3rd place: Messi, with less than 10% probability remaining.
As the absolute core of the 2016 sextuple winners and the absolute core of the European Cup winners, it was believed that no one could stop him from winning the award now.
The 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or blunder would not happen again; the corruption-riddled and suspicious FIFA Ballon d'Or had completely split from France Football Magazine this year.
The Ballon d'Or returned to the hands of France Football Magazine, with a jury composed of professional football journalists from France Football Magazine, plus scores from various professional media outlets, making it relatively more objective and fair.
Many media outlets had already opened the champagne early to celebrate the youngest Ballon d'Or winner in history!
No matter which record it was, it was creating brand new history!
Lance himself didn't even know, but the domestic media had gone completely crazy.
CCTV even organized a special live broadcast team to come to Paris and broadcast the entire Ballon d'Or ceremony.
All to witness this historic moment!
His official nationality was Belgian, through dual citizenship and his membership with the Belgian Football Association.
But those who knew, knew; Lance even had his ID card back home.
Lance, who was at the center of the storm, was currently in the hotel discussing his future for the new season with Mendes.
"Actually, I'm a bit reluctant to leave Atlético Madrid. After all, I've fought here for a season and have developed feelings for my brothers."
Lance was very happy at Atlético Madrid.
Simeone respected him, he ruled the locker room, and the fans worshipped him.
Lance was the totem of the Wanda Metropolitano stadium!
If possible, staying at Atlético Madrid forever and building it into a dynasty would be fine too.
But Mendes just smiled and shook his head.
"You haven't heard about Gil Marín Jr.'s recent actions, have you?"
"What else does he want to do?"
When Griezmann and Torres left Atlético Madrid, it involved some manipulation by CEO Gil Marín Jr.
Griezmann's move to Barcelona made the club a fortune; the transfer fee nearly tripled! Over a hundred million euros in income!
Torres's move to a J.League team also guaranteed a profit on the transfer fee while allowing them to shed a high-salary burden.
Currently, Lance had the highest salary on the team, accounting for a large portion of expenses.
The club management had made a killing and was already considering cashing out on Lance to pay off debts.
"He really wants to sell me?"
"Otherwise? Don't look at the Chinese investment in Atlético Madrid; actually, the Chinese side wants to withdraw too. Your Wanda isn't seeing much profit here; it's just advertising for their real estate."
"...Why is it this situation again?"
Lance was helpless.
Sold off by the club at Bayer Leverkusen, and now he was going to be sold at Atlético Madrid too.
So where could he stay for a few more years?
"Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea aren't short on money and are very interested in you. Or if you don't mind, you could even go to Real Madrid..."
"No, no, no, it's impossible to go to Real Madrid."
Lance was already branded with the Atlético Madrid mark; would he even be human if he went to Real Madrid?
"Let's at least finish this season first."
Lance was still recovering from his injury; forcing himself to use his knee in the Club World Cup final had slightly worsened it.
He still needed more than half a month to recover.
Atlético Madrid was stabilized in the top 7 in the League, having long since been out of the race for the La Liga title.
He'd have to see if they could achieve results in the Champions League or the Copa del Rey.
"For now, I just want to play well this season. As for where I'll go next season, we'll talk about it then."
"Fine, I'm just giving you a suggestion; the final decision is yours. However, what we need to consider now is your acceptance speech for the Ballon d'Or tomorrow."
"Nothing will go wrong this time, right?"
"Not necessarily, but I believe in you."
Mendes smiled slightly.
Lance's high-end suit for tomorrow's Ballon d'Or gala was already hanging on the rack.
The whole world was waiting for the 19-year-old youth to be crowned with the most dazzling crown in football!