Qin Xiong stood at the exit of the players' tunnel and lined up behind the captain, Henry. He held the ball boy's hand and looked straight ahead. Beside him, the Barcelona players were also ready to go.
If the Champions League final two years ago was a great counterattack by a group of newborn stars and a group of unknown players, then today's Champions League final was a well-deserved battle between superstars!
The Champions League final between Ajax and Porto was the least watched Champions League final in history. If Qin Xiong had the popularity and strength he had today, then Qin Xiong would have been considered the most influential player in the game before the game. Perhaps his play would have been considered to be able to decide the game. Unfortunately, before the game, Porto and Ajax were considered to be evenly matched.
And today's Champions League final would be a pinnacle showdown between the two most dazzling superstars in European football over the past three years!
A pinnacle showdown in the truest sense.
In the Champions League final two years ago, Ajax and Porto were considered the core players in the team, but in this game, they could only play the supporting role.
Qin Xiong and Deco.
The eyes of the outside world would first focus on Henry and Ronaldinho!
This was an undeniable reality.
When the players of the two teams walked into the stadium with their heads held high, the Champions League theme song rang out.
Arsenal and Barcelona, a showdown at the Stade de France in Paris!
The atmosphere at the stadium was full of enthusiasm. Even the gloomy sky could not stop the enthusiasm of the fans.
A silent drizzle began to fall. The slightly cold raindrops would only be evaporated by the surging fighting desire of the players from both sides.
"The 2005-2006 season's UEFA Champions League has finally reached the final! We will enjoy the battle for the UEFA Champions League title between the Premier League champion, Arsenal, and the La Liga champion, Barcelona, at the Stade de France!
Barcelona has been improving themselves since last year's defeat at Stamford Bridge. They have broken through all the obstacles this season. They have interpreted the essence of beautiful football. Barcelona, led by Ronaldinho, has brought football back to beauty when the European football world moved towards a utilitarian era!
Arsenal has dominated England for the past three seasons, starting with an undefeated record. Arsenal's progress and improvement have also been impressive. They have kept a golden record of a clean sheet in the 12 Champions League games this season. This has already written a record in the Champions League. We must pay tribute to Arsenal!
The focus of the game was, of course, Arsenal's captain, Henry, and Barcelona's core, Ronaldinho.
He won the English Super League's Golden Boot four times in five years and was Europe's best striker for three consecutive years. Henry's reputation had already spread far and wide. He had the World Cup, UEFA European Championship, Premier League, and many other championship titles. He only needed the Champions League to make his career grand slam. If he could lead Arsenal to victory today, there was no doubt that his position in football would be further improved, even though he was already standing at the top!
Last year, Ronaldinho, who was crowned as the Golden Ball Player, danced a lively samba dance in the European football world. He was the most unconventional star player in the contemporary football world. He presented the best side of football to fans all over the world. Ronaldinho, who was already the Golden Ball Player, led Barcelona to suppress Real Madrid in the La Liga. If Barcelona could win today, should we say that Ronaldinho could already be called the new king of football?
The demanding fans would definitely ask Ronaldinho to lead the Brazilian team to win the World Cup this summer again.
Haha, let's wait and see.
To be able to have two superstars compete on the same field, it would always make the Champions League final shine.
The starting lineup and substitutes for both sides are introduced below.
Arsenal's starting lineup: 4-5-1.
Goalkeeper: Lehmann.
Fullbacks: Eboue, Touré, Campbell, Ashley Cole.
Midfielders: Ljungberg, Fàbregas, Qin Xiong, Silva, Pires.
Striker: Henry.
Substitutes: Almunia, Senderos, Clichy, Hleb, Reyes, Van Persie, Flamini.
Barcelona's starting lineup: 4-3-1.
Goalkeeper: Valdés.
Fullbacks: Oleg, Marcos, Puyol, Van Bronckhorst.
Midfielders: Van Bommel, Edmílson, Deco.
Strikers: Giuly, Eto 'o, Ronaldinho.
Substitutes: Holcra, Belletti, Motta, Xavi, Larsson, Silvinho, Iniesta.
Well, Barcelona will be the first to kick off in the game. Let's open our eyes and enjoy the pinnacle showdown between the two teams! "
There was nothing much to say about Arsenal's lineup. The ones that could be sent out were the strongest on paper. Among the substitutes, Bergkamp, who was about to retire, was not on the list. Wenger had talked to Bergkamp before the game and it was a pity for Bergkamp.
On Barcelona's side, Rijkaard replaced Xavi with the defensive utility player Edmílson to strengthen the defense in the middle in order to curb Arsenal's attacks in the middle. In addition, Messi, the Argentine prodigy who was emerging in La Liga, was not on the list because he had just recovered from his injury and his condition was questionable.
The cheering atmosphere in the stands was equally matched.
Henry and Wenger were both French. Henry was born in the suburbs of Paris and this game was played at their home ground. However, the super popular superstar Ronaldinho used to play for Paris Saint-Germain, the only top league club in Paris. This made him receive unprecedented support from the local fans here. Therefore, it was difficult to say who would gain an advantage from the cheering atmosphere between Arsenal and Barcelona.
Qin Xiong stood on the field and naturally could not calm down. His excitement continued to rise.
He looked at Barcelona's half of the field and examined his opponent.
Barcelona actually had many famous star players, but they were overshadowed by Ronaldinho's halo.
It was just like how many fans only saw Ronaldinho and the other star players became green leaves beside Ronaldinho. Was the Portuguese midfield core Deco not famous?
Were the Dutch team's midfielder, van Bommel, and the Spanish team's defensive pillar, Puyol, not famous players?
Giuly and Eto 'o would be star players that could not be ignored in any other team.
But in Barcelona, Ronaldinho's brilliance was so dazzling that it was difficult for the other stars to compete with him.
The game began.
Eto 'o kicked the ball to Ronaldinho and Barcelona quickly launched an attack.
Ronaldinho passed the ball back to Deco behind him and then ran to the left side of the front field. Deco accurately sent the ball to Ronaldinho's feet before he was pressed by Henry.
Ronaldinho stopped the ball and dribbled the ball forward. In front of him, the player who moved to the front to defend was Qin Xiong!
Ronaldinho looked like he was going to break through from Qin Xiong's left side, but he suddenly kicked the ball to the right side in front of him. Qin Xiong did not stagger and decisively moved to the other side of his body.
Ronaldinho's right foot quickly knocked the ball from Qin Xiong's left side after he kicked the ball!
Then, he sped up and brushed past Qin Xiong!
Fast! Agile! An incredible change of direction!
Qin Xiong did not change his center of gravity to chase after Ronaldinho the moment he was broken through. Instead, he turned and ran in the direction of the penalty area.
Chase after Ronaldinho?
Then it would be impossible to catch up.
He had to run in a straight line to the penalty area to defend!
The summit battle had officially begun!
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