Chapter 484: Chapter 99: The G.O.A.T. Wager
"After the tweet went out, Ronaldo’s die-hard fans—he has the most followers of the three—were the first to spot it and paid close attention. Then came Messi’s fans. He has the fewest followers of the three, but they’re pretty feisty."
"So, the three fanbases started arguing, which eventually escalated into an all-out war. That’s how the hashtag was born."
Evan Williams saw it. "The G.O.A.T. Wager?"
"That’s right. And more and more fans and supporters are flocking to the topic. Media outlets’ Twitter accounts are all jumping on it too. They’re like sharks that have smelled blood, sensing the secret to going viral in this wager."
"So, in just one hour, it completely blew up!"
"Now, more and more media, fans, supporters, and even casual observers are constantly adding fuel to the fire, making it burn hotter and hotter."
Hearing this, Evan Williams was still completely confused. "Are you saying this kind of hype is bad? You want to put out the fire?"
"No, no, no, Evan. What I mean is, them adding kindling isn’t enough. We should pour a whole barrel of oil on it."
"I have a very strong feeling, Evan, that this will become the top sports headline of 2010, and maybe even 2011!"
Just as the two founders were discussing this, a colleague shouted again.
"Another star player has joined in."
"Who?"
"Kaka!"
In the entire world of sports, he was the biggest name in football, with a follower count second only to O’Neal.
"Isn’t he injured? How can he compete for the Golden Boot Award? He’d definitely lose!"
"No, he tagged Wang Shuo, Ronaldo, and Messi, offering to be the official witness. He’s just piggybacking on the hype."
"Holy shit, what an eye-opener! Even Kaka is getting in on this?"
At this point, Twitter’s three founders all smelled the potential for a viral explosion.
This was such a great hook!
So much news value!
"Drive traffic to it now! Let’s build up this wave and make it the biggest topic on the internet!"
...
After the awards ceremony, it was customary for attendees to be interviewed by the media on their way out.
Inside the Prince’s Hall earlier, Wang Shuo had put his phone on silent, so he had no idea what had been happening.
But just as he was about to walk out of the Prince’s Hall, a reporter from the British Sun cornered him.
Several other media outlets rushed over as well.
Wang Shuo was startled by the scene.
No, it wasn’t just him; everyone was startled.
In previous years at this time, shouldn’t the reporters have been chasing down club executives to ask their opinions on the draw results and their confidence in advancing from the group stage?
It had become a fixed template, a routine they repeated every year.
What was going on this year?
"Wang, excuse me, is the wager between you, Ronaldo, and Messi for real?"
"What are the stakes?"
"Why did you all want to set up this showdown?"
"Who initiated it?"
"Do you think you have the confidence to score more goals than them?"
The reporters all swarmed in, a forest of cameras and microphones thrust in his face. The scene was enough to make Wang Shuo’s head spin.
Everyone in the hall turned to look.
’What’s going on?’
Wang Shuo looked at Ronaldo and Messi, but they were just as confused.
But soon, the reporters explained the reason to them.
"The G.O.A.T. Wager?"
’Wang Shuo never would have thought that a tweet he’d casually shared would cause such a stir.’
’He usually got a fair number of replies and retweets, but at most a few hundred.’
’But now?’
’It’s already in the tens of thousands!’
’The comment section below had already blown up.’
’Has everyone gone crazy?’
"Mine blew up too," Ronaldo said cheerfully, clearly enjoying the situation.
Messi had only posted an emoji, but his fans were very feisty too.
’What should they do?’
Wang Shuo, Ronaldo, and Messi stood together before the reporters.
In the end, it was Ronaldo who smiled, nodded, and said, "We did make a bet. I started it. I believe competition is the best way to motivate me to work hard, improve, and become stronger. So, I welcome and accept any challenge!"
The reporters facing them were ecstatic.
’It’s officially confirmed!’
All eyes and microphones immediately shifted to Messi.
Messi thought for a moment before replying as nonchalantly as possible, "It’s just a game, but I will give it my all!"
The two superstars were in.
And so, everyone turned to look at Wang Shuo, the one who had started this whole affair.
Ronaldo and Messi had both accepted the challenge. Now it was his turn to make a statement.
Wang Shuo turned his head and saw that Ronaldo and Messi were also looking at him mischievously, waiting for his response.
’You can lose the battle, but you can’t lose your nerve.’
’Since the wager has been made, I can’t get cold feet now, right?’
"For the past two or three years, there’s been a huge debate about who is better, Ronaldo or Messi. But I want to say that from now on, they shouldn’t only have eyes for each other."
"I like playing the role of the disruptor, and I’ve already beaten them once!"
The reporters went wild!
’Holy shit!’
’He’s so bold!’
’Provoking them right to their faces!’
But they also had to admit that Wang Shuo’s goal count last season had indeed surpassed Messi’s and Ronaldo’s.
This kid, not even 20, was truly fearless.
To openly challenge Ronaldo and Messi to their faces like that.
Was the era of the Unparalleled Duo about to become a three-way standoff?
"Wang, if I may ask, do you feel a lot of pressure making a bet against them?"
"Of course. They’re Ronaldo and Messi, after all! But I think this will also be a huge source of motivation for me. I’ll work hard to become an even better and stronger player!"
