Beneath the immense bridge, the water shimmered with reflected light. Above it, giant projections created with the latest technology perfectly traced the figures of every Liverpool player.
Surrounded by those towering projections, Leo Lin walked to the center of the bridge, looking like the very god of football.
To the fans watching, the spectacle seemed like something from beyond the world of football.
With this projection celebration, Liverpool showed exactly why they had been the most successful club in the world that season.
"They've won so many trophies, so of course their celebration can look impressive, but did it really have to look this incredible?"
"I wonder how many clubs will copy Liverpool's projection display in the future. It's absolutely breathtaking!"
"The bridge is enormous, and so are the projections. Leo Lin looks so small beneath them, yet I still can't take my eyes off him. His presence and charisma are overwhelming!"
Klopp began leading the rest of the players onto the bridge. Liverpool had spent £500,000 just to reserve it.
And every additional second those projections remained on display was costing them money.
Standing within the giant display, Leo Lin looked up at the enormous image of himself projected over the bridge. The projections of the trophies shone even higher in the sky.
He nodded.
"We'll keep fighting."
"So that all of this can continue."
...
After that, time once again showed how merciless it could be.
From narrowly losing the UEFA Super Cup final to winning the Club World Cup, Liverpool ultimately completed a six-trophy season. Their only regret was missing out on the unprecedented feat of seven titles.
Leo Lin won his second Ballon d'Or, officially announcing the arrival of the Leo Lin era in football.
In 2019, during Leo Lin's third season, Liverpool won another Champions League title.
Manchester City took the Premier League title, while the FA Cup became a treasured prize for Arsenal. Liverpool claimed the League Cup.
Liverpool then made up for their previous disappointment by winning the UEFA Super Cup final and successfully defending the Club World Cup, ultimately completing a four trophy season.
The 2019-2020 season came to an end.
...
In 2021, the European Championship qualifiers officially concluded.
Another perfect summer was about to be set alight by football. A youthful Spain squad was preparing to compete in the European Championship, the major tournament Hierro had begun planning for two years earlier.
After another season of development, most of Leo Lin's abilities had reached their best condition.
His Speed and Acceleration had both surpassed 90, and he had acquired two new skills: Beckenbauer's Playmaking and Juan Román Riquelme's Rhythm.
His Speed and Explosiveness attributes had both exceeded 90, and his ball control had also passed 90. Every attribute across his entire body had reached at least 80, with most sitting around 85.
His overall rating had climbed to 89.
With abilities like these, Leo Lin would lead Spain in their pursuit of the European Championship title.
However, several unexpected developments still caught Spain's supporters off guard.
...
July 2021.
"Breaking news. A decision has been made that has shocked both Spanish supporters and Real Madrid fans!"
"Ramos, whose form has continued to decline recently, has been left out of Spain's European Championship squad!"
"Hierro has confirmed that Ramos will not represent Spain at this tournament. Leo Lin has also been appointed Spain's new captain!"
No one had expected this outcome.
People had assumed Hierro would at least bring Ramos to the European Championship.
Even if he only sat on the bench, it would still have shown him the respect he deserved.
Besides, Ramos's wealth of experience could have offered Spain valuable support. But after discussing the matter with his coaching staff, Hierro decided that Laporte and Pau Torres would form Spain's starting center back partnership at the tournament.
With other center backs such as Eric García available for rotation, there truly was no place for Ramos in the lineup.
At the press conference that followed, Hierro confirmed the decision to every reporter present.
"It was an incredibly difficult choice, but I ultimately decided to give more opportunities to the younger players."
"Hierro, you keep emphasizing the importance of giving young players opportunities, but don't the new players need Ramos there to guide them?"
"We all believe Ramos should have been included!"
Many Spanish journalists were also unhappy with Hierro's selection.
Countless Spain supporters even declared that Hierro should be dismissed immediately if the team failed to perform well.
After that, Hierro refused to answer any further questions about Ramos's omission.
Leo Lin called Ramos several times, comforting him and listening as Ramos spoke about how he felt. No player would find something like this easy to accept.
"Leo, if any of those new players refuse to respect you and you need me, Sergio Ramos, I'll come straight to the training ground!"
Even at the very end, Ramos was still thinking about Leo Lin.
Leo Lin had become Spain's captain at such a young age, and with so many newcomers joining the national team, there were bound to be players who would not accept his authority.
Moreover, most of them were regular starters for elite clubs. They had all arrived in Spain's new generation of players carrying plenty of confidence and pride.
...
Ten days later.
"Football fans, you are now watching the draw for the 2020 European Championship finals."
"Following the conclusion of the qualifiers, numerous teams have advanced to the main tournament. They will compete across six groups for places in the knockout stage!"
"The top two teams in each group will advance automatically. The six third placed teams will then be ranked together, with the best four also progressing to the knockout stage!"
"The favorite to win this European Championship is naturally Spain, the reigning World Cup champion."
"However, Spain's squad for this tournament has been almost completely transformed since the World Cup. Only a small number of players from that title winning squad remain."
"For that reason, Spain are not the leading favorite for this European Championship. They are ranked third, while the two teams supporters consider most likely to win are France and England!"
"Italy are ranked fourth, and many fans also have confidence in Mancini's side."
Spain head coach Hierro attended the draw ceremony. Half an hour later, the lengthy process finally came to an end.
"All six European Championship groups have now been decided. At first glance, none appears significantly stronger than the others. The groups are relatively balanced, and every team will be hoping to distinguish themselves during the group stage!"
"Wales and Italy have been drawn into Group A, Belgium and Denmark are in Group B, while England and Croatia have been placed together."
"As for Spain's Group E, Sweden and Poland are both strong teams, but I believe Spain and Sweden are the most likely to advance together."
The Spain players were also watching the draw.
Leo Lin lay on a bed in the lounge, with Zubizarreta leaning beside him and the rest of the Spain squad gathered around them.
After seeing the groups, everyone felt the result was acceptable.
In fact, it was a very favorable draw.
...
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