Michael's return to watch the game improved Tang En's bad mood from Paul Gerrard's retirement. What could be more delightful than the return of an old friend?
Although Michael was only back to watch one game, it was enough.
A day later, he led the team out of Nottingham, England, and flew to Athens, Greece, amid the fans' send-off.
There were still two days before the final day. They would conduct simple training in Athens, and everyone had half a day's rest. It had become Tang En's practice. Before every major final, he would give the team half a day off to let them forget about the game and relax.
On the same day, Serie A powerhouse AC Milan also arrived in the Greek capital, Athens. They would receive a very warm welcome at the airport. Because of the closer distance, many Italian fans had come this time. The last time in Istanbul, Turkey, this group of die-hard AC Milan fans had experienced a sad night. Now that AC Milan was facing an English team, they hoped that their support could help the team defeat Nottingham Forest and lift the championship trophy.
There were more fans who came to welcome AC Milan than Nottingham Forest fans at the airport. They held up banners and waved AC Milan flags and scarves, making the terminal look like it was full of their people.
After all, the AC Milan team was the first to arrive on the flight schedule, so it was understandable that they were so active. The Nottingham Forest fans who arrived at the airport first temporarily retreated and looked coldly at their opponents. Only a few fans wearing Forest jerseys went up to the AC Milan fans to express their friendliness. This scene was immediately captured by the media to publicize that all fans were one family.
According to the time on the timetable, the flight from Milan, Italy should arrive on time at 10: 30 in the morning. But now it was 11 o 'clock, and there was still no sign of the plane. The arrival information at the end of the flight on the electronic bulletin board had been changed to "delayed."
The AC Milan fans, who were very active just now, gradually fell silent. The fluttering flags drooped, and some people simply sat on the floor of the hall to rest, intending to conserve their energy.
There were also some people who were calling to inquire. Soon, a piece of news began to spread among them. Due to the weather in Milan, Italy, the plane took off one hour later than usual and was now on the way. If there were no accidents, they would arrive in Greece at 11: 30.
Some people looked up at the huge electronic bulletin board, which was constantly refreshing the flight information from all over the world.
The flight from Milan was still delayed.
Then, under this message, there was a flight information from London: Arrival at 11: 30.
The Forest fans in the corner cheered when they saw the news. Some of them even stood up and waved the flags in their hands and began to clap and sing.
Many of the media waiting at the airport to receive them saw the latest information on the electronic bulletin board and couldn't help but laugh.
Of course, they all knew that AC Milan's flight would be one hour late and would arrive at the airport at 11: 30. The flight from London carrying Nottingham Forest was also at 11: 30. This was great. The media was excited. They had a chance to watch a good show.
Everyone knew that the relationship between AC Milan and Tony Twain was not harmonious. Last summer, the two sides had engaged in a war of words in the media regarding Anelka's offer. Tang En publicly ridiculed AC Milan for being stingy and did not have the demeanor of a powerhouse club at all. While requesting for Anelka from Nottingham Forest, they behaved as if they were a landlord casually dismissing a beggar. AC Milan had always valued their club's image. Of course, they could not tolerate Tang En's blatant slander. Thus, the two sides became enemies.
This was something that the whole of Europe knew. Now that enemies were bound to meet on a narrow road, and both sides' flights actually arrived at the same time, according to Tang En's personality, how could there not be a good show to watch?
The media, who had just planned to rest because the flight from Milan was delayed, became alert. Their cameras and cameras were all aimed at the exit, even though there was still half an hour before 11: 30.
※ ※ ※
This was not a chartered flight. Sitting in the spacious Boeing aircraft were not only all of Nottingham Forest's players and coaches, but also some other passengers who were going to Greece. Of course, a large portion of these passengers were news media who were going there randomly.
The entire team sat in the first class cabin, which was separated from the back. The media could only sit in the economy class. Among all the reporters, only one person had the privilege of sitting in the first class cabin with the team. That was the Nottingham Evening Post reporter, Pierce Brosnan.
Some people in the sports reporter circle joked that the Nottingham Evening Post was about to become the Nottingham Forest newspaper, and that Pierce Brosnan was the Forest team's exclusive reporter.
But looking at those reporters who could only sit in the economy class, who could say that this statement was not more out of jealousy?
"This is really unfair. We're all reporters. Why can someone talk and laugh with the interviewees in the first class cabin, while we can only sit here and watch?" A reporter complained.
His companion next to him comforted him. "Come on, it's good enough that you're allowed to sit on the same flight as them. The guy from The Sun doesn't even have the right to board the plane."
"This is not fair. It's not their chartered flight. They don't have the right to do that. "
"Of course it's not their chartered flight. But Tang En said that if The Sun's reporter was on the same flight as him, then he would change to another flight. "
"So arrogant," the first person complained.
"Who asked him to have good results now?"
"Strange, why haven't I seen this in the news? With The Sun's style, I'm afraid it's already a hot topic. "
The person next to him chuckled. "The Sun has a complete record of this matter, but now is not the time to expose it. You know what? They got the exclusive media rights to report Twain jumping into the sea after the loss. They're just waiting to see Nottingham Forest lose, and then when they report on him jumping into the sea, they will reveal this embarrassing incident. Only then will there be a sensational effect. At that time, they will say: Look, this is the reason why Tony Twain keeps losing! Then there will be overwhelming criticism and attacks. Anyway, there will be a good show to watch. "
※ ※ ※
Pierce Brosnan did not sit in his seat obediently. After the plane stabilized, he released his seat belt and scurried back and forth between each seat. Time was precious. When he arrived in Athens, he would not be so close to the Forest players. He wanted to take the opportunity to complete his first interview.
Tang En looked back at him. "Mr. Reporter, don't disturb my people's rest."
"I know, I only look for those who look more energetic than me." Brosnan turned back and responded, changing his target again.
Dunn and Tang En looked back at the same time. They saw that almost none of the players were resting. They all looked more active than Brosnan.
"Everyone is very excited," Dunn said.
"I hope they don't get too excited," Tang En muttered. He looked at Dunn next to him and suddenly remembered something.
"That's strange. That annoying female reporter from China is not on this flight."
"You mean Tang Jing?"
"Who else could it be? Her name is not on the list of media that submitted to us, and there is no name of the media she represents. "Tang En looked at Dunn." Did she say anything to you about this? "
Dunn smiled. "Why? Are you not used to not seeing her? "
Tang En snorted. "Don't change the topic."
"She went to Athens ahead of time. It's that simple."
"How boring. I thought she suddenly had a conscience and decided not to continue to pester us." Tang En curled his lips.
"You're disappointed. It looks like you're not used to it after leaving," Dunn said.
Tang En rolled his eyes and found a breakthrough to counterattack. "You even know about her itinerary. How far has your relationship developed?"
Dunn blushed and did not speak. Tang En, on the other hand, laughed out loud in the manner of a victor.
They chatted in Chinese and were not afraid of others eavesdropping on their privacy.
There was a jolt in the fuselage, and the flight attendant's gentle voice came from the broadcast. "Dear passengers, we have arrived over Athens. The plane is descending. Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts."
Brosnan hurriedly held onto the seat and returned to his seat. His interview was over.
Tang En raised his hand to look at his watch when he heard the flight attendant say so. It was 11: 20, very punctual.
He looked down from the porthole and could already see the roof of the building.
Athens, we're here.
※ ※ ※
The lobby of Terminal One of the airport was bustling. Both the AC Milan fans and the Nottingham Forest fans stood up and rushed to the arrival gate.
On the side, the huge electronic information board displayed the latest flight arrival information.
The flight from Milan has arrived.
The flight from London has arrived.
The first to sing was the Nottingham Forest fans. The English fans were best at using songs to express their emotions.
They attracted the attention of all the media, and the cameras and cameras were aimed at these people.
The AC Milan fans watching from the opposite side were not happy. They could not let the English people steal the limelight! So they also began to sing loudly. Suddenly, more than half of the media were diverted to the AC Milan fans.
The game had not yet started, but the fans of both sides were already competing.
The airport knew that the two teams would arrive on the same day and made perfect security preparations. After all, the football hooligans in Italy and England were "well-known." Now that they saw the fans of the two teams suddenly singing excitedly, the Greek police also became nervous. They stared at the fans with rapt attention, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
"They're just singing, sir." The team responsible for monitoring the English fans and the Italian fans would report to the police officer in charge of security every once in a while.
"No swearing, and they don't look at each other. They're just singing to the arrival gate, sir!"
"They're not drinking. They're not doing anything except singing. They're not even waving their fists, sir!"
The police officer in charge of security breathed a sigh of relief as the messages came in one after another.
Being a security guard for a football game was the most troublesome thing for him. With so many people, he had to take care of all aspects. If there was one area that was overlooked, it could have very serious consequences. Especially when the two teams were from England and Italy respectively.
The most famous stadium tragedy in European football happened between the teams of these two countries — the Heysel Stadium tragedy. At that time, the two sides of the game were Liverpool and Juventus.
When Twain got off the plane, he was still talking and laughing with the people around him. He looked very relaxed. But as they walked to the exit with the crowd, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.
He could hear that it was very noisy outside. Moreover, he pricked up his ears to listen carefully and found that in addition to English, there was another language he did not understand.
This made him very puzzled.
※ ※ ※
The AC Milan players had already appeared at the arrival gate. Their captain, Maldini, was the first to step out. Suddenly, the singing of the AC Milan fans completely drowned out the voices of the Nottingham Forest fans. The media began to get into work mode. For a moment, there was a lot of flashes, and the arrival gate was flashing white.
The star players who came out were all experienced and did not care about this at all. They smiled and waved at their own supporters.
Seeing that the AC Milan team was the first to come out, the Nottingham Forest fans were not interested in singing to support them. One by one, they consciously shut up.
At this time, AC Milan was the main character.
AC Milan's star players appeared in the exit passageway one by one to receive the cheers and greetings of the fans. But when Kaka appeared in front of the crowd, the cheers suddenly reached a climax.
"Kaka —!!"
Countless female screams mixed in with the singing and whistling could still be clearly distinguished.
※ ※ ※
Walking along the "exit" sign in the corridor, Twain also heard the screams. He looked back at Dunn and said, "I think it should be AC Milan. It's strange. Shouldn't they have arrived an hour earlier than us?"
"Maybe the plane was late," Dunn said.
"You see, we really have an affinity with AC Milan." Twain laughed. "Listen to the voices outside. I can imagine how grand and warm a welcome AC Milan is receiving there." He looked up at the sign. There was a right arrow ten meters ahead, which told him that was the exit.
With that, he stopped and looked back at the players strolling behind him.
"Guys, cheer up. Have your legs gone weak after a few hours on the plane?"
Hearing him say that, everyone stopped and looked confused.
"It's a coincidence that our opponent in the finals, AC Milan, is outside. Now they're receiving a warm welcome. I don't want them and their supporters to see us listless. I don't want them to think we're afraid of them. Are you tired from the journey? "
When he said that, everyone immediately straightened their backs to show that they were not tired at all.
Twain grinned. It was a special smile that one would wear when they were about to perform some kind of prank.
"Very well, now we're going to be uninvited guests!"
※ ※ ※
Kaka was wildly welcomed by the female fans at the exit. They swarmed forward and blocked the small exit. It directly caused the people behind to be unable to come out for the time being.
Kaka turned back to apologize to his teammates, who were all joking with him.
"You're still so popular even though you're married. I'm jealous, Kaka!"
Everyone roared with laughter.
Ancelotti was at the back, chatting with his assistant. He had seen many such scenes. AC Milan was a powerhouse. They had all kinds of star players, so it was normal for them to be popular. After satisfying a few fans' requests for autographs and photos, there would naturally be considerate security guards coming up to clear the way for them again.
Just then, he heard a burst of dense footsteps coming from the passageway behind him. When he turned around to take a look, his expression changed.
Guess who he saw?
Tony Twain was in high spirits as he led his army in. When he saw Ancelotti, he waved happily and said loudly in English, "Yo, hello, Mr. Ancelotti! What a coincidence. Why do we bump into each other everywhere? You see, there's a word in China called 'fate.' We're really fated! "
He did not care whether the other party could understand so many English words and said them in a babble.
Ancelotti certainly did not understand Twain's English, which had a Nottingham accent, but he knew it was not something good.
He did not intend to pay attention to Twain. He understood that the more you paid attention to this person, the more excited he got.
He turned his head and pretended not to see Twain.
Twain did not expect Ancelotti to come up and talk to him. One of them spoke English, while the other spoke Italian. There was no way to communicate.
He walked past Ancelotti with a smirk and squeezed into the place with the most people.
"Make way!" He raised his hand and shouted, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
The female fans who were asking Kaka for autographs and photos also found a strange man beside Kaka. They raised their heads and looked at the uninvited guest with dissatisfaction.
Surprisingly, the stadium gradually quietened down. Most people did not understand what was going on. Another group of fans from Nottingham were very excited after seeing Tang En. Some people were ready to shout loudly, but were stopped by their companions. Those people made "shh" gestures, but their faces were full of excitement.
"Sir, there's a situation." The voice of a subordinate came through the earpiece again.
"Are they fighting?" The police officer sat up straight and was ready to run out of the command vehicle.
"No, both teams have arrived. The scene is a little chaotic. Then … Nottingham Forest's manager is here. "
How could the people who were supposed to protect the game not know who the managers of the two teams were? The police officer thought about it and was relieved. "Just pay attention to the protection. It's nothing. With him around, the Nottingham Forest fans won't be able to cause trouble. "
He had done some research and knew a little about Twain. It was said that this manager had a high prestige among the Nottingham Forest fans. If he was there, then the situation would not be bad.
"I fully understand your feelings of chasing after stars!" Twain cleared his throat and said loudly, not caring if the people here could understand his non-London accent English.
"But you have no reason to block other people's way, right? We took a few hours on the plane from England to Greece. Now we have to rush to the hotel to rest. You can't make everyone behind wait just because of one person. "He waved his finger and pointed at the players behind him.
Ancelotti looked at him from behind. Beside him, a coach who understood English was translating for him. He was a little surprised by Twain's behavior. He originally thought that he was here to find trouble. He did not expect him to be a "voluntary order maintainer."
At this point, Twain turned his head and smiled at the Brazilian star player, Kaka, who was standing beside him, to show his friendliness. Kaka looked at him and was slightly surprised. The media always said that this person was the devil, or simply said that he was neurotic. He did not expect to have such close contact with him today. He seemed to be a gentle person.
After Twain said these words, he waited for the female fans in front of him to move away, but no one moved.
He frowned and muttered, "Don't blame me for taking advantage of you." Then he reached out and pushed, opening a "winding path." He took the lead and walked out. Dunn followed behind, smiling and apologizing to the women who were suddenly pushed aside. Then the Forest players followed closely behind, and this winding path gradually became a main road.
The security guards saw this and came forward to separate all the fanatical fans. The exit was finally clear again.
When the Forest fans saw Twain come out, it was as if they had received a signal. They became active again, but this time they did not sing.
This group of fans was about 70 to 80 people. When they saw Twain coming over, they began to shout, "Hey, Tony!"
"Tony! Tony!"
This momentum was no less than the group of female fans chasing Kaka just now.
Eastwood watched the scene from behind and laughed with all his might. "The boss is not helping us out of the kindness of his heart. I think he's jealous that Kaka is more popular than others. Haha!"
It was hard to say whether Twain was jealous, but at this moment, he really enjoyed the fans' shouts. He smiled and waved at them.
"Oh, oh, oh!" The fans roared even more energetically. "Give us a championship, Tony!"
"You said that if we can't win the championship, we'll jump into the sea!"
AC Milan, which originally had the upper hand at the airport, immediately changed the lead. Many media swarmed over and surrounded Twain and the group of fans opposite him. Flashes lit up repeatedly.
In the flashes, Twain made a gesture to calm everyone down. The group of fans obediently quieted down. They looked at the team's manager with a fanatical light in their eyes.
The police officers at the side could not help but sigh in admiration. Their commander was right. With this person here, the English fans were not a problem.
In this brief silence, Twain raised his hand. "I promise, I promise you, the championship is ours! If it's ours, no one can take it away from us! "
In this way, in front of his opponent, he made his declaration of winning the championship. He completely ignored AC Milan.
The last trace of goodwill Ancelotti had for this person was gone.
A huge cheer broke out among the Nottingham Forest fans. They used this cheer to send Twain and his team out of the airport.
A group of people swaggered away, leaving the Italians, who had not yet recovered from their shock, at the airport. Soon, the Forest fans also evacuated the place and followed their team.
The reporters, who came on the same flight as the Forest team, witnessed the whole scene. Everyone looked at each other excitedly. They knew that they would have a script to write tomorrow and tomorrow's news to read.
The reporters, who had been complaining about not being able to interview the players on the plane, also laughed. Seeing this good show, the "unfair treatment" before was nothing!
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