Chapter 481: Chapter 99: The Football Kings’ Wager
Ever since his frequent injuries, the biggest criticism from the outside world had been that he was lazy.
Lack of running had become Ronaldo’s trademark.
"Thankfully, I’m fine."
Ronaldo looked on with envy. Turning to Figo and Owen, he smiled and said, "He’s definitely much better than me in that respect. I’ve been injured so often over the years, my body’s gotten a bit heavy, and I can’t really run anymore."
When he said he couldn’t run, it wasn’t in the traditional sense.
Rather, if he spent all his stamina and energy on general running, he wouldn’t be able to sprint when he finally got the ball and needed to.
It was a strategy of conserving his energy for the moments that truly mattered.
"On that note, I’ve just realized—you haven’t been injured at all since your debut," Figo added, having stumbled upon another remarkable fact.
"That’s truly rare."
Ronaldo and Owen were both incredibly envious.
As Wang Shuo chatted with the three idol-level seniors, he found that what they talked about most was, unsurprisingly, football.
There was even a bit of gossip involved.
For example, Ronaldo asked Wang Shuo how many goals he was planning to score this season.
As they continued chatting, someone else approached them. It was the president of Real Madrid, Florentino.
Surprisingly, even though he was the one who had sold both Figo and Owen, their relationship seemed to be quite good.
Florentino was quite old, but when he spoke, his pace and tone were no different from a man in the vigorous prime of his life.
And, as a tycoon in charge of a large financial group, every gesture he made exuded the natural aura of a man in power.
That was a rare sight in the European football scene.
Florentino introduced himself to Wang Shuo and mentioned that he had been following the news from the Bundesliga.
He also added that the climate in Spain was much closer to that of China.
"It’s too cold over there in Germany!"
The one thing he said that left the deepest impression on Wang Shuo was, "The Bernabéu is the stage that all superstars yearn to join!"
"Because here, they can get closer to the Golden Ball Award and the World Footballer of the Year award!"
As more and more people filed into the hall, the small group chatting with Wang Shuo and Ronaldo dispersed.
Everyone went to find other acquaintances to speak with.
However, they all exchanged phone numbers to keep in touch or connect again in the future.
Wang Shuo, for his part, noticed that the president of Inter Milan, Moratti, was having a lively conversation with the president of Juventus, Andrea Agnelli.
He also saw executives from Arsenal and Manchester United.
And Florentino chatting with Barça’s president, Rosell.
Never mind how the major clubs were at each other’s throats in public; in reality, when they met face-to-face, everyone was still very gentlemanly, adhering to social etiquette and decorum.
Wang Shuo walked to the seat marked with his name. Just as he was about to sit down, he noticed Messi sitting quietly in the front row. He had no idea when he’d gotten there.
’When did he get here?’
Harvey, Pique, and Valdes were sitting behind Messi, but he wasn’t interacting with them much, just sitting by himself.
Just as Wang Shuo spotted him, Messi happened to turn his head. He smiled and nodded when he saw Wang Shuo.
That was all the encouragement Wang Shuo needed.
"Hello, Rio."
Wang Shuo walked over and greeted Messi.
Seeing Harvey, Pique, and Valdes behind him, Wang Shuo smiled and greeted them as well.
"Hello."
"Ha, we were just talking about you guys from Dortmund getting put in Pot 4."
Pique was clearly the type who gets familiar with people right away—very casual, with no sense of personal boundaries. He even clapped Wang Shuo on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Hey, if you get drawn into our group, I’ll definitely give you a rough time."
Wang Shuo just chuckled on the outside, but inwardly he was sneering.
’Damn it, maybe I’ll be the one giving *you* a rough time!’
’Besides, if you’ve got the guts, how about you don’t take a dive when the time comes!’
"Your goals this season have been pretty good. The one against Bayer Leverkusen with that series of quick touches between your feet, and the one from a couple of days ago against Stuttgart—where you trapped the ball, turned, cut inside, and unleashed a shot with your left foot."
"Especially that last one. I’ve tried it before, but I couldn’t pull it off."
Messi’s words left Wang Shuo feeling overwhelmed and flattered.
’He actually watches videos of my games?’
"Your YouTube channel is really well done. Do you have a dedicated person running it?"
’How should I put this?’
Wang Shuo’s first impression of Messi was that he was very polite and courteous.
Messi seemed quite surprised to hear that Wang Shuo had hired someone specifically to handle his social media.
"I told you a long time ago: leave professional matters to the professionals."
A voice suddenly sounded from behind Wang Shuo.
He turned his head and saw Ronaldo.
’Holy shit!’
’I just saw Ronaldo, and now Little Ro?’
’Didn’t they say he wasn’t nominated? He shouldn’t be here, right?’
The most shocking thing was that Wang Shuo discovered Ronaldo and Messi actually knew each other pretty well.
Ronaldo’s personality, on the other hand, was the more forceful type, even giving off the vibes of a "domineering CEO."
For instance, he told Wang Shuo that he was in good form this season and that things with the team had been smoothed out, so he was dead set on competing for the European Golden Boot Award.
"My goal is 40-plus goals!" Ronaldo declared with immense confidence.
Wang Shuo had to admit, that was certainly a lofty goal.
It was undoubtedly aimed at surpassing Wang Shuo’s 36 goals and Messi’s 34 from the previous season.
Of course, even if he failed to reach it, no one would laugh at him.
Who had the right to mock someone who dared to set a goal and strive to achieve it?
Amusingly, after Ronaldo finished speaking, he turned to Messi and asked, "How many are you planning to score this season?"
Messi actually considered it seriously for a moment before shaking his head. "I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it."
