Chapter 581: Chapter 580: The True siu, Ronaldo’s Fallout
Just like that.
In the second half, both sides realized their opponents were targeting their weaknesses.
For a time, it was a question of whether Ronaldo + Giggs would blow Maicon + Hierro away first.
Or if Deng Kai + Ribery would obliterate Gary + O’Shea first.
In the fifty-third minute.
Beckham punished Deng Kai.
Manchester United hadn’t broken through on the dominant side, but with Keane’s swift shift,
Beckham, after shaking Grosso off on the right flank, unleashed a strike that cut down the Blues.
Beckham’s bending cross flew over Manchester City’s penalty area, locking on at the far post.
Bang!
Ronaldo, who had pulled out wide, now sprinted back in.
Overpowering Hierro, he completed a header on goal.
As the saying goes, when two Ronaldos meet, only one can shine!
As it turned out, Hierro was no match for Ronaldo.
"Ah!!!"
Following the goal, Ronaldo immediately turned and dashed towards the corner flag zone.
His fingers trembling.
He changed his steps.
Manchester City fans’ faces were instantly etched with furious expressions.
Because...
Ronaldo leapt high into the air, spun 180 degrees in mid-flight, and crashed down thunderously.
At that moment, Ronaldo was a god descending from the heavens!
"Siu!"
Manchester United fans joined Ronaldo in uttering this syllable.
"Oh! Ronaldo! He’s oozing with dominance!"
"He has punished Deng Kai and Manchester City’s fans with Deng Kai’s most iconic celebration!"
"He seems to be telling everyone that there’s only one king of Manchester, and that’s Manchester United!"
"The venue erupted in a massive wave of boos."
"The Manchester City fans were enraged."
"Ronaldo’s celebration is too controversial."
"Manchester City players also charged towards Ronaldo, believing his celebration to be over the top."
"Ronaldo did not back down, at this very moment, he embodied the soul of Manchester United!"
"With a hat-trick, he helped Manchester United level the score once more! He is a true Red Devil!"
"Nine goals! Ronaldo has also reached the top of the Premier League scoring chart!"
"He has finally caught up with Deng Kai! Caught up in every way!"
"No wonder he chose to celebrate with a move characteristic of Deng Kai, perhaps only so could he express the excitement within."
"In fact, in the early days, Ronaldo was also very fond of this celebration. However, as he scored more and more, he developed many other celebration moves."
"This move, on the other hand, became Deng Kai’s signature. Of course, it is said that Deng Kai was the original inventor of this move."
"How poignant!"
"If they were still on the same team, Ronaldo’s celebration would not have been a problem at all. Deng Kai’s fans would even be happy to see Ronaldo choose Deng Kai’s celebration."
"Even... as long as Ronaldo is not facing Manchester City, Deng Kai’s fans would support him all the same."
"But now... the indomitable duo from Lisbon were ultimately engaged in the fiercest of rivalries."
"Perhaps, this is the charm of football."
In the camera’s view, Deng Kai pushed away his teammates and rushed to the front line, chest to chest with Ronaldo.
At the same time, he spread his hands, signaling his teammates not to come closer.
Similarly, seeing that the Manchester City players weren’t advancing, the Manchester United teammates also didn’t go forward.
After all, if it were a 1V1 between Ronaldo and Deng Kai, Ronaldo should be the one with the advantage.
Ronaldo is 1.85 meters tall, while Deng Kai is just 1.80 meters...
Huh?
Deng Kai clearly saw surprise in Ronaldo’s eyes.
Ronaldo: How come... you’ve grown taller again? 1.81 meters?
Deng Kai: Sorry, the standard height for a male god, 1.83!
Ronaldo: Heh heh, still two centimeters shorter than me!
Deng Kai: Cut the crap, if I hadn’t stopped my brothers, you would be getting hit right now.
Ronaldo: Come on, see how many red cards you guys want to collect! This is called tactical celebration! Deliberately provoking you guys!
Deng Kai: Don’t flatter yourself, what tactical thinking do you have? Isn’t it just that you rarely score a hat trick and got too excited, Stone Lezhi? It’s different for me. Not to mention hat tricks, I’ve even experienced scoring five goals alone, which really doesn’t interest me anymore.
Ronaldo: ...
Ronaldo: It was just bullying the weak, among my nine goals, five were scored against strong teams!
Deng Kai: And you think scoring a hat trick against us, Manchester City, isn’t bullying the weak? We’re fourteenth in the league, bro!
In this way, amid the intense exchange of looks between the two brothers, they gradually backed off and did not open their arms to the approaching referee to show they hadn’t laid hands on each other.
The head referee sternly warned both of them but ultimately did not issue any cards.
Thus, the dispute was settled.
There was no doubt that Ronaldo’s performance had won over the Manchester United fans.
Got the Red Devils spirit!
Even, by confronting Manchester City’s leader Deng Kai like this, Ronaldo’s status in the hearts of the fans had risen.
To stand up to the opposing team’s leader, you must also be a leader, right?
Given that Ronaldo was the team’s top scorer and performed exceptionally well, his position became even more special.
Just like Beckham, he was significant enough to join the team’s leadership group.
But, Ronaldo’s personality was not as amiable as Beckham’s.
His aloofness easily gave off a "leader vibe," which could easily offend the true leaders of the team.
Of course, if you were familiar enough with Ronaldo, you would know that he only gave off a leader vibe but wasn’t actually a leader; he wouldn’t exercise control over the team like a leader would.
This type of player, who demands the resources of a leader but isn’t a leader, should be called a pet.
If the team leader is willing to cooperate, this pet can be very comfortable.
Similarly, being a pet means he can bring a lot, even an excess of returns to the team.
However, if a team leader is very concerned about a pet, thinking this influence undermines their authority, or even mistakenly believes the pet is competing for power, then the pet will have a hard time.
Without the team’s resources tilting in his favor, the pet will fend for his own resources, which can cause some chaos in the team.
Ronaldo was fortunate in Lisbon, where he met Deng Kai.
This leader was well aware of Ronaldo’s tendencies and treated him as an absolute pet.
Ronaldo: I feel like you are taking advantage of me, and I’ve found proof! Who are you calling a child? Damn it!
At Manchester United, The Godfather Ferguson, positioned higher than the team’s leader, also recognized Ronaldo’s pet nature and ordered a tilt of team resources toward the pet.
But this was naturally less smooth than with the previous leader, and as time passed, misunderstandings within the team would inevitably lead to some conflicts.
In terms of scoring, the conflict between Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy was already emerging.
Regarding fan, commercial, and fanbase resources, Ronaldo and Beckham were slowly clashing. Although they were not yet on the same level, Ronaldo would eventually replace Beckham as the team’s top player.
As for team leadership, because Ronaldo was too young and too conspicuous, and lacked emotional intelligence, it was inevitable that, sooner or later, he would offend key team leaders like Keane and also cause misunderstandings and jealousy among the local Manchester United successors.
Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United really tested Ferguson’s status and control within the club.
