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Click, click, click, click...
"Ahhh! Lance!"
"Cristiano!"
"Messi! Messi! Look here!"
Paris, France.
The Palais des Congrès de Paris, located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, is a multi-functional landmark building that integrates concert performances, conference hosting, and shopping and leisure.
The 2016 European Ballon d'Or was originally scheduled to be held in December 2016.
However, according to the organizer, France Football Magazine, there were some internal disagreements during the selection process.
The ceremony was held more than a month later than the original timeline, not until January 2017.
When the top three Ballon d'Or candidates, Lance, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Messi, appeared on the red carpet, it instantly caused a huge commotion at the scene.
The photographers' flashes never stopped, one after another. The surrounding fans also kept screaming, their voices hoarse.
"Lance! I love you!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo is the strongest!"
"Messi! Messi is the best!"
The top three in world football, each had their own fan base.
Lance's advantage was his complete breakout in 2016, leading Atlético Madrid to the sextuple winner, the highest honor in Europe!
And he led Belgium to win the 2016 European Cup.
Lance himself also won the Champions League Golden Boot, European Cup Golden Boot, Champions League Most Valuable Player, last season's European Golden Boot... a full array of honors gathered on him.
Lance had won all the awards he could, with only the Ballon d'Or left to prove himself.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, these two have been active for 10 years and have accumulated more fans in football, with deeper popularity abroad.
Even if Lance's rise suppressed the two, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo still had a considerable number of fans built up over a decade of rivalry.
Lance, still new to the world stage, faced a steeper climb to win over that same depth of loyalty from neutral fans.
However, just for tonight, Lance was still the absolute center of attention, more photographers and reporters were filming Lance, who was almost unable to move due to the crowd.
"This guy..."
Cristiano Ronaldo passed by, looking at the showy Lance, and he couldn't help but feel a little envious.
But what could Cristiano Ronaldo do?
His performance last season was completely overshadowed by Lance; Cristiano Ronaldo was convinced of his defeat.
"Are you not convinced?" Messi rarely spoke first.
"Are you convinced?" Cristiano Ronaldo retorted.
"I am convinced, Lance is indeed very strong."
"Then what is there to say."
"But I am convinced, yet I will not give up."
"You?" Cristiano Ronaldo shook his head and chuckled. "You don't have many peak years left, do you?"
Messi had already started to walk on the field; his small body couldn't handle prolonged intense running and tackling.
He originally wanted to mock his old rival Messi a bit, but Messi's face was very calm.
"You are older than me, your peak period will be even shorter."
"Damn it!"
Cristiano Ronaldo clenched his fists, then released them.
Old rivals who had fought for 10 years, they thought they were each other's sworn enemies.
Who would have thought that a 19-year-old prodigy would appear out of nowhere?
The former "Two Greats" suddenly felt a sense of shared predicament.
Both were already 30 years old, and their physical functions were rapidly declining.
Cristiano Ronaldo dared not slack off in the slightest; his training intensity was even stronger than when he was in his twenties. The strong sense of crisis forced him to redouble his efforts!
Messi, whom he used to hate with a passion, now seemed less annoying.
"You, you rascal."
Cristiano Ronaldo grinned and patted Messi's shoulder.
The two chatted idly as they walked into the venue, both tacitly not looking back.
Behind them, the spirited 19-year-old youth was surrounded by the media, shining brightly under the spotlight!
...The European Ballon d'Or award ceremony was broadcast live simultaneously to over 200 countries and regions worldwide.
The CCTV live broadcast team was also on site.
Expatriate football reporter Lu You was so excited he was almost in tears. Just now, all his media colleagues gave him a thumbs up when they saw him.
"Lu You, amazing!"
"Congratulations, you have an outstanding player."
"Lance is the most incredible star I've ever seen."
"There should be no suspense for this year's Ballon d'Or."
Lance's performance in 2016 was witnessed by media and fans worldwide.
If there were any discrepancies in this award, the reputation and professionalism of France Football Magazine would also be ruined.
CCTV5 reporter Lu You was very happy, delighted that the player he'd followed so closely all season was finally getting this recognition on the world stage.
However, Lu You still had some worries.
What if?
What if the player who everyone expected to win didn't get the award?
Wouldn't Lance become the biggest joke in the history of the Ballon d'Or?
Given the previous experiences of Sneijder and Ribéry, Lu You was not 100% confident.
There have been similar blunders in other award ceremonies worldwide, for example, at the 2015 Grammy Awards, everyone thought Beyoncé's self-titled album "Beyoncé" was a popular choice with no suspense.
But it was unexpectedly defeated by Taylor Swift's "1989".
Admittedly, Taylor Swift's album was of high quality, and it was fine for it to win.
However, from the perspective of professional music critics, Beyoncé's album had higher originality and artistry.
This Grammy for Best Album caused some controversy.
So CCTV reporter Lu You dared not relax until the moment the presenter read out Lance's name, otherwise, he would have been on tenterhooks the entire time.
As for Lance himself, his expression seemed quite relaxed.
Dressed in a custom Armani suit, Lance looked very much like a young master from a world-class wealthy family, elegant and refined.
The live broadcast camera repeatedly gave close-ups of Lance.
Lance, who was so sharp on the field, unexpectedly possessed a scholarly and gentle demeanor in his daily life.
"God Lance looks so handsome in a suit!"
"Handsome from every angle!"
"But I still prefer God Lance on the field."
British host Kate Abdo joked around for a long time, discussing many topics to warm up the atmosphere.
Finally, it was the turn of Pascal Ferré, editor-in-chief of the organizing France Football Magazine, to come on stage for the final award presentation.
Pascal Ferré held a golden envelope, behind him, the gleaming Ballon d'Or trophy rested quietly on the display stand.
The entire venue quickly fell silent, everyone waiting for the final answer to be revealed.
"I believe everyone can't wait, let's get straight to it!"
After the applause and cheers from the audience, the atmosphere gradually became tense.
Many eagerly awaiting fans even held their breath.
The close-up shot was split into three, focusing on the three Ballon d'Or candidates.
Lance, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi.
Unfortunately, Griezmann, who was in fourth place, was unable to participate in the final competition, he could only sit in the guest section, with a smile and complex emotions, waiting for the final result.
"Hopefully it's Lance."
The presenter Pascal Ferré slowly opened the envelope, he looked intently at the name on it in front of fans worldwide, then smiled slightly.
He read out word by word in English with a distinct French accent:
"The winner of the 2016 European Ballon d'Or is..."
Thump thump!
Thump thump!
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's faces were tense, devoid of smiles.
Lance, who should have been the most nervous, smiled the most naturally.
"Lance..."
"OHHHHHHHHH..."
"Ballon d'Or!"
In the CCTV5 live broadcast room, host Liu Jiayuan could no longer hide his excitement.
"Congratulations to Lance for winning the 2016 European Ballon d'Or! Standing at the apex of the world!"
"He is the popular choice! With six weighty club championships and a highly valuable European Cup championship, he has proven to the world!"
"Lance is the strongest in the world!"