January 12, 2014, Switzerland.
Snowflakes drifted in the sky, and the snow on the roadside showed signs of lting.
The ground was muddy, but workers had already begun setting up the Zurich Opera House.
The auditorium was already arranged, and now so external decorative work was being done.
As the stage for the 2013 Ballon d'Or awards, the winner of the Ballon d'Or, the best player of 2013, will be announced here tomorrow night.
Inhale… Exhale…
Cristiano Ronaldo stood at the hotel entrance, taking a long breath and exhaling a cloud of mist.
He gazed at the bright moonlight reflecting in his eyes, as if his eyes were glowing.
The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards; ever since arriving in Switzerland, he had been brimming with excitent.
This was the venue for the 2013 Ballon d'Or award ceremony, and there was a high probability that he would lift his first Ballon d'Or trophy at the Zurich Opera House tomorrow night.
Since 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo had been nominated every year but had always been a runner-up.
The Ballon d'Or seed to be monopolized by Suker, making it incredibly difficult to snatch one from his grasp.
After years of effort, he finally ushered in his own day.
From the mont he arrived in Switzerland, dia reporters had surrounded him; everyone knew that this year's Ballon d'Or winner would undoubtedly be the Portugal star.
Although many dia outlets were hyping up the competition between Suker and Cristiano Ronaldo, to be honest, this was more about creating atmosphere and tension.
It was truly difficult for Suker to contend for this Ballon d'Or!
And for Cristiano Ronaldo, he was finally the protagonist of this Ballon d'Or, naturally making him very happy.
"It's so cold, what are you doing out here?"
His agent, ndes, walked over, rubbing his arms, feeling that the weather was still a bit chilly.
Especially after the rain and snow had lted, the entire space was filled with a chill.
Cristiano Ronaldo smiled: "I need to calm myself down, otherwise, I might not be able to sleep tonight!"
ndes smiled; since January, the smile on Cristiano Ronaldo's face had not faded.
He knew better than anyone how much effort Cristiano Ronaldo had put into this trophy.
As a top footballer, his inco could fully support his life, even make it more interesting.
But despite such temptations, he still maintained an extrely disciplined life.
In fact, among the players ndes had t, there was no one as disciplined as Cristiano Ronaldo.
As a player who could spend 365 days training, ndes believed that his success was earned through hard work.
Compared to Suker, Cristiano Ronaldo was indeed a bit lacking in talent.
This was undeniable, and many in the football world saw it the sa way, with Cristiano Ronaldo himself admitting this point.
But Cristiano Ronaldo possessed superhuman perseverance, and with enough effort, he finally achieved this result.
"Sir Alex Ferguson will be here today, right?"
Cristiano Ronaldo turned his head and asked.
He hoped that at the most important mont of his life, besides his family, he would also receive Sir Alex Ferguson's blessing.
As the coach who had given him so much help and enlightennt in his football career, he could truly be called Cristiano Ronaldo's 'father' in football.
And Sir Alex Ferguson must have thought so too, which is why when referring to Cristiano Ronaldo, besides using the nickna 'Roni', he also used 'kid'.
Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Sir Alex Ferguson!
He thanked Sir Alex Ferguson for allowing him to leave; if he hadn't been able to join Bayern Munich at that ti, he might truly never have seen this day.
What's more, Sir Alex Ferguson didn't just let go; he even paved the way for him, ensuring he was more valued at Bayern Munich.
As a Head Coach, even the Head Coach of his forr club, Sir Alex Ferguson had no need to do these things for a player who was about to leave, but he still did, which showed that Sir Alex Ferguson looked after Cristiano Ronaldo like a child.
"It is indeed a bit cold!"
Cristiano Ronaldo also rubbed his arms, ready to return to the hotel.
Suddenly, a nanny van slowly drove in, and at the entrance, reporters were in a frenzy.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked over curiously; only one other person could make reporters so excited besides himself.
Sure enough, from the nanny van, Suker and his agent Zorancic stepped out.
After Suker and Zorancic got out of the car, they also saw Cristiano Ronaldo and ndes.
"Let see who this is?" Zorancic asked with a smiling eyebrow raise; "Not running to Croatia lately?"
ndes narrowed his eyes slightly, smiling insincerely: "You haven't been running to Portugal any less!"
As the two biggest agent titans of their ti, Zorancic and ndes had a purely competitive relationship.
Moreover, they not only competed to develop new markets but also targeted each other's ho territories for conquest.
For example, ndes once took the initiative, securing Vukojević's agent contract.
And Zorancic, unable to swallow that, went to Portugal and signed Di Maria, who was then playing in the Portugal League.
This fierce competition finally subsided after Zorancic developed the La Liga market and ndes primarily expanded into the Bundesliga.
However, the two still couldn't stand each other.
As the two stared each other down, Suker smiled and walked towards Cristiano Ronaldo.
Their relationship wasn't particularly close; they were barely acquaintances, having been opponents in many matches.
"When did you arrive?" Suker was the first to make small talk.
Cristiano Ronaldo: "I arrived yesterday; I had so interviews to do in advance."
Suker nodded; "It's always like this before winning an award."
He had experience, many tis, that there would be interviews before winning an award.
"It seems I should congratulate you in advance." Suker smiled and extended his hand.
Hearing this, Cristiano Ronaldo's face broke into a smile: "Thank you for your blessing!"
He didn't feign modesty; that was just his personality.
Moreover, he was convinced that this year's Ballon d'Or was his.
Suker smiled and nodded, then led Zorancic into the hotel.
Watching the two walk away, Cristiano Ronaldo mused: "He doesn't seem to care much?"
Suker showed no sense of regret for missing out on the Ballon d'Or, which made Cristiano Ronaldo feel a bit frustrated.
Of course, his sense of accomplishnt shouldn't co from Suker, but he still wanted to see Suker be a bit more unwilling.
But Suker appeared too magnanimous.
"He's over it!"
ndes shook his head, feeling that Suker, with five Ballon d'Ors already, might genuinely be immune to it.
What others yearned for, this guy won every year; such dominance was truly terrifying.
Cristiano Ronaldo shook his head and said; "Never mind, let's go back!"
Inside the room, Suker opened his suitcase and organized his belongings.
Zorancic sat on the bed nearby, crossing his legs, his leg swinging back and forth.
"Are you really that magnanimous?" Zorancic asked.
Suker didn't even lift his head: "Bullshit! But acting unwilling would give that guy a sense of accomplishnt, and I don't want to give him any emotional value!"
Zorancic grinned; this was the Suker he knew.
"We can't win this one; it's not like we didn't try." Zorancic shook his head.
For this award, Zorancic and Florentino had put in a lot of effort.
But it was still out of reach.
There was nothing they could do; Cristiano Ronaldo's performance last season was simply too good.
As for Suker, he was dragged down by internal team conflicts, which led to a generally poor team performance throughout the season.
And in an award where team honors are also extrely important, it beca difficult to catch up.
Suker said; "Let's work hard this season!"
He completely stopped thinking about this issue.
There was nothing to overthink; if he didn't win, he didn't win. Overthinking would only make him annoyed.
It was better to think more about how to perform well and win the next Ballon d'Or.
"Next one!" Zorancic exclaid; "This is a World Cup year!"
With that, he looked down at Suker.
Although Croatia attached great importance to this World Cup.
And also filled fans with much anticipation.
But they truly didn't dare to imagine!
There was no way around it; compared to other established European powerhouses, Croatia was more like a nouveau riche.
Only after winning two European Cups did they gain so sense of accomplishnt and depth.
But frankly, in the long history of football developnt, Croatia was still a 'newcor'.
Once, Croatia was barely considered a mid-tier European team.
And looking at the world, there were countless teams that could dominate them!
Now, they had climbed to the top of the FIFA National Team rankings and were recognized as a strong team.
But deep down, they were still feeling nervous.
Because they lacked this kind of experience.
They could imagine winning the championship, but if that mont truly arrived, they wouldn't know what to do.
After all, they had never even played in a World Cup final.
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
Suker finished tidying up and looked up, asking.
Zorancic knew that Suker was trying to get rid of him.
He stood up, about to leave, then suddenly turned his head: "Did you prepare a female companion?"
Suker: "What do I need a female companion for? I'm not going to win an award anyway, I can just make do. My presence here is already giving them face."
Zorancic thought about it and still nodded.
Being low-key was fine; it would an less nagging from the dia later.
The night passed uneventfully. The next day, the entire city of Zurich beca the center of attention.
Many players attended this year's Ballon d'Or awards ceremony.
Among them were heavyweight players like Suker, Cristiano Ronaldo, and ssi.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson, who had already retired, rarely appeared in public.
Facing questions, Sir Alex Ferguson responded with a smile, but he did not ntion a single word about Cristiano Ronaldo or the Ballon d'Or.
Before the final ranking was announced, he would not say anything, so as not to bring any controversy to that child.
Sir Alex Ferguson's standing in the football world was still very high; even after retiring, when he stepped into the Zurich Opera House, football association officials from various major Leagues and well-known figures in football all proactively ca to greet him.
Sir Alex Ferguson smiled and exchanged pleasantries with people, and he responded wittily to the teasing of so old friends.
After retirent, Sir Alex Ferguson's temper had improved significantly; perhaps after moving away from the competitive stage, his entire heart had gradually settled down.
Sir Alex Ferguson did not go to his seat but chatted with people near the entrance.
However, he always seed distracted, his eyes constantly looking towards the direction of the door, as if waiting for soone.
The crowd pouring in grew larger and larger, and Sir Alex Ferguson was busy dealing with them.
But he was still searching in the crowd.
Until the atmosphere on site beca lively, until a man with a buzz cut and a rugged face walked in, Sir Alex Ferguson's eyes suddenly lit up.
He rushed over, like a father waiting for his child to get out of school.
And as Sir Alex Ferguson approached Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter imdiately saw him as well.
Both of them rushed towards each other.
"Ha! I knew you would co!"
Cristiano Ronaldo was as happy as a child; he hugged Sir Alex Ferguson and even gently lifted him up a little.
Sir Alex Ferguson's face was full of relieved and affectionate smiles.
For him, there were many players he could call his children, but the most pampered one was undoubtedly this last 'youngest son'.
Cristiano Ronaldo was definitely a great treasure discovered by Sir Alex Ferguson in his later career.
He not only achieved success for himself but also brought success to Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson.
Although sotis stubborn, he was also willing to listen to others' suggestions.
Most remarkably, it was that never-ending desire.
As soon as he entered the football world, he set his sights on becoming a world-class player, training even harder, determined to achieve his goal.
No Head Coach could refuse such a player!
The two beca the focus of the venue.
One famous football coach, one top football star—this was a story of mutual achievent!
The dia was also eager to see such a scene and started snapping photos rapidly.
At the sa ti, so dia gathered on the other side.
They eagerly watched Suker and Ancelotti.
Their eyes drifted towards Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson, then turned back reluctantly to look at Suker and Ancelotti.
They were waiting there just to get so material.
Things were already like that over there, so why weren't they showing any reaction?
Suker could also read the aning in the eyes of these reporters, but he rolled his eyes; he really couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.
As for Ancelotti, he chewed gum, hands in his pockets, looking around.
Over there was a heartwarming story of mutual achievent, of reaching the peak together.
And over here… it was as quiet as strangers.
Finally, these reporters couldn't bear it any longer; if they waited any longer, they wouldn't even get a drop of the action over there.
A group of reporters rushed over.
Seeing the reporters leave, Suker finally let out a breath: "So annoying!"
Ancelotti raised an eyebrow: "Hmm… very annoying!"
"Let's go sit down!"
"Let's go!"
The two walked through the crowd and went straight to their seats.
Suker was still in the first row, but the seating order was slightly different.
Previously, Suker sat in the center, but this ti he was a supporting character.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seat was in the middle, with Suker and ssi on either side.
However, Suker didn't care.
It was just a seat; there was no need to make a big deal out of it, and he wasn't so trending entertainnt star.
Moreover, even if he didn't actively seek it, the caras would always be focused on him.
Suker had that much confidence.
Not long after Suker sat down, ssi also walked over.
He also saw Suker, but the two barely even exchanged glances.
Based on their club rivalry, both were avoiding suspicion; a brief chat wasn't out of the question, but they feared the dia would twist their words, so by doing nothing, there would be nothing for the dia to write.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the last to take his seat.
Suker saw the smile on Cristiano Ronaldo's face, which perfectly matched the phrase 'riding high on the spring breeze'.
At this mont, Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly the focus of the entire venue; there was even a dedicated cara aid at him.
Soon, the awards ceremony officially began.
The overall atmosphere was relatively relaxed, with awards being presented one by one.
First was the FIFA Presidential Award, an honorary award given to the Brazilian football king Pelé.
Next were the FIFA Fair Play Award and the Coach of the Year for n's and won's football, awarded to the Afghanistan Football Federation / Guardiola and Ned respectively.
Suker was the third to go up and receive an award; he won this year's Puskás Award (Goal of the Year).
The Ballon d'Or presentation was not long and quickly moved on to the FIFA FIFPRO World XI.
Goalkeeper: Neuer.
Defenders: Lahm, Ramos, Thiago Silva, Alves.
Midfielders: Iniesta, Xavi.
Forwards: Franck Ribéry, Suker, Cristiano Ronaldo, ssi.
And at the most tense mont, the Brazilian football king Pelé announced the winner of the 2013 Ballon d'Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
The top three rankings for the Ballon d'Or were generally consistent.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Suker, ssi, in that order, were the top three nominated players.
And Cristiano Ronaldo, with his outstanding performance last season, finally won this coveted award.
Suker also applauded, but he was more anticipating Cristiano Ronaldo to shout that 'Siu' that embarrassed the entire audience, just like in the original tiline.
But unfortunately, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't do that.
His speech and deanor were very composed; although tears were faintly visible in his eyes, tears of excitent and joy, he did not cry, delivering his final speech smoothly and steadily.
At this point, the 2013 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony concluded.
Suker originally planned to leave directly, but FIFA invited him to attend the evening banquet.
Suker didn't want to go, but since the FIFA President personally invited him, he could only go along.
The dinner party was essentially a business networking event, and Suker didn't know how many brand representatives forcibly handed him their business cards.
To be honest, their actions sowhat annoyed Suker.
If you want an endorsent, contact his agent; telling him directly is useless.
You still have to pay!
Now, seeking Suker for an endorsent was already a bidding process.
If you didn't have enough confidence and funds, then don't approach Suker, because Suker's endorsents would definitely co at a premium.
Yet, even so, Suker's influence and the popularity of his endorsents continued to attract a continuous stream of brands.
The entire event didn't officially end until 8 PM.
Suker, Ancelotti, and Ramos, the three of them, also took Suker's private jet directly back to Spain.
They also needed to refocus and prepare for the second half of the season.
After all, in the second half of the season, the schedule would only beco more intense, and the Champions League and League would enter their final stages of competition.
Last season, Real Madrid's performance wasn't great, and now these guys are all geared up, waiting to make a big splash!
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