When Fat John and Skinny Bill woke up from their sleep, they found that it was almost eleven o 'clock in the afternoon. They rushed out of the door and knocked on the door one by one. In a moment, the corridor went from quiet to noisy. A group of Englishmen yawned as they came out of their respective rooms. He had drunk too much last night, and his head was still hurting.
"Damn it, it's eleven o 'clock? I'm going to be late for work … "Some people were still in a daze and could not tell where they were.
"Wake up, Gary. We're in Spain now! In Madrid! "John knocked on the dazed man's head.
"Madrid?" The dazed man froze for a moment, then covered his head and shouted, "The Champions League final!!"
The people next to him laughed when they saw him waking up from a dream.
The laughter also dispelled the rest of their sleepiness.
"All right, guys, today is the day of the holy war! Wake up a little. Clean yourselves up, and then we're going to eat! "
It was not an upscale hotel. A group of ordinary people in a small city in the middle of England could not afford to stay in a four-star or five-star hotel. But even such a small hotel was not easy to find. The Champions League final was held in Madrid, which directly stimulated the hotel accommodation here.
The hotel where John and his group stayed was located in the south of Madrid, which was a relatively economically backward part of the city. The hotel environment was not good, but it was cheap. It was the best choice for those who were not rich.
As soon as John and his group came out wearing Nottingham Forest scarves, they attracted the attention of the Spaniards around them.
But the Englishmen were not nervous. They even shouted to the Spaniards, "Nottingham Forest will win!"
This was not a provocation because they did not drink much. In fact, they were trying to curry favor.
Then a Spaniard responded, "Go to hell, Real Madrid!"
This was a group of Atlético Madrid fans. As Spaniards and Madrilenians, they most wanted to see their arch-rival lose at home.
"We found a good place." John laughed. "Come on, let's go eat, guys!"
※ ※ ※
Javier Tomás was a history teacher in a Madrid high school. He was French, but now he was a Real Madrid fan.
At the height of Real Madrid's glory ten years ago, he was still teaching in France and had no interest in football. At that time, Real Madrid was a gathering of superstars and was known as the "Galácticos". They won two European championships in three years and were in the limelight for a while. The best team in the world.
In 2005, he came to Madrid to continue teaching. He had already heard of Real Madrid's prestige before. Unfortunately, the Real Madrid he saw was the Real Madrid that had survived a disaster. It was as if the once magnificent palace had become a ruin overgrown with weeds.
But his social circle was still full of Real Madrid fans. He was puzzled and surprised by this. He decided to investigate the root cause of all this. Since he was a history teacher, he started his research from history. Real Madrid's history was what they were most proud of. Studying history, interacting with Real Madrid fans around him, and going to watch Real Madrid's games in person, the tall, well-mannered Frenchman with glasses had since become a Real Madrid fan.
But what really made him fall in love with Real Madrid was not their glorious history, but the spirit and fighting spirit Real Madrid showed in the following seasons. They could finally reverse the situation and win the title after trailing Barcelona by fifteen points, showing the spirit of Real Madrid, which had been ignored in the previous few years. When he saw Higuaín score a last-minute goal at the Bernabéu to reverse the 4: 3 victory over RCD Espanyol, he, a mild-tempered gentleman, could not help but be excited. In the stands, he hugged the people around him and roared.
And such an exciting reversal was far from just one or two games. Since then, he fell in love with such a team.
Today, he was a staunch and fanatical Real Madrid fan. He had a double identity. Usually, he was a well-mannered teacher at school, never arguing with people, and even his body language was very gentle. But on the weekends, he transformed into an easily agitated and dangerous person, and it was best for everyone to stay away from him.
Even his wife, who had been with him for twenty years, could not understand his change.
She could only attribute it to football being a crazy sport. Fortunately, their child was a daughter. If it was a son, she would definitely keep him away from football …
"It's finally over." Seeing her husband in the room checking over and over again the "equipment" for tonight's game, the wife sighed. For her, her husband's regular intermittent mental illness could be cured without treatment. Her husband was just a Real Madrid fan, not a fan of the French national team, nor a fan of the Spanish national team, so the summer World Cup had nothing to do with him. Today's game would be Real Madrid's last game of the season. No matter the result, her husband would soon be able to return to normal.
After packing up the equipment, the husband came out of the bedroom and looked at his wife and daughter sitting in the living room. He leaned over and touched his daughter's head.
"Don't even think about taking her to the game." His wife became vigilant.
Thomas smiled bitterly and said, "I'm just touching her head. Don't look at me like I'm crazy, Selia. "
"You're a crazy person today."
The six-year-old daughter curiously watched her parents arguing about something she did not understand. She liked her mother and also liked her father, but she seemed to have two fathers and two mothers. On a day like this, her gentle and beautiful mother would suddenly become neurotic, and the always smiling father would also become grumpy. Her young mind still remembered that sometimes her father would suddenly lose his temper and smash things. She did not know why. Sometimes, her father would suddenly be very happy and buy her gifts, or play games with her until late at night. He would hug her very tightly, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. She didn't know why it was like this.
Thomas did not want to quarrel with his wife on such an important day. He chose to remain silent.
His wife did not want to talk to him either. She sat at the side, holding her daughter and watching her favorite cartoon.
Thomas sat like this for a while. He felt the atmosphere was very awkward. He wanted to open his mouth to say something, but his wife would immediately stare at him. So he decided to simply go out early, wander around, find a bar, and drink with the Real Madrid fans to discuss the night's game. When it was almost time, they would set off for the Bernabéu together.
Then in these two hours, he would completely forget that there was a wife and child at home and enjoy the joy that football brought to him. Of course, it could also be painful …
Before going out, he did not forget to kiss his wife and daughter on the forehead. This time his wife did not avoid it.
"I'll be back early." Thomas said this, opened the door and walked out.
※ ※ ※
"Ah … Madrid with two colors, you don't often see such a city. To the north is a white Madrid, and to the south is a red Madrid. Now they will all meet here, even though the red is not from the south … "
A tour guide said in front of the Bernabéu to the crowd behind him. This group of tourists with yellow skin, black hair, and oriental faces were holding mobile phones, cameras, and digital camcorders as they kept taking pictures of the magnificent Bernabéu stadium. Their mouths made clicking sounds of amazement. No one cared what the tour guide said.
"Hey, look at those people, they're not Spanish, they're fans from England … Don't take pictures! Don't point the camera lens at them! "The tour guide hurriedly waved his hand to signal the curious babies to put down the camera equipment in their hands.
"England fans, God knows if each of them just drank ten gallons of beer. Drunk England fans are the most dangerous! "
As if to cooperate with his words, the police on patrol slowly moved closer to the group of England fans in red jerseys, separating them from the people around them. The England fans did not mind such treatment. They were still saluting the police and shouting slogans in English.
"What are they shouting?" Someone among the tourists raised a question.
The Spanish tour guide shrugged and said, "Nottingham Forest will win … something like that. Tonight is the UEFA Champions League final. It's a pity you don't have tickets, otherwise I'd be happy to take you to watch the highest quality football game in Europe. "
In fact, he really wanted to go to the final, but unfortunately he had to lead the group …
"Mr. Martin, is it still possible to buy tickets now?" Someone among the tourists asked again.
Martin smiled at the person who asked, "The tickets for this game were sold out a week ago." He pointed to a shady spot not far away. There were many people standing there. There were men and women, all dressed differently. The only thing they had in common was that they were all holding a sign in their hands. On it was written, "I need a ticket."
"Let's go, ladies and gentlemen, our next stop is Plaza de la Reina …" Martin looked back at the Bernabéu stadium in the afternoon sun. The white walls were a little dazzling in the sun. He was really reluctant to leave. As a Real Madrid fan, it was a pity that he could not be there to watch the game in person.
After settling the group of people in the evening, he must find a chance to laze around and watch the live television.
Some of the tourists also looked back at the Bernabéu reluctantly. They really came at the wrong time. If it was a non-match day, they still had a chance to go in and see the true face of the Bernabéu stadium and visit the Hall of Honor to see how it compared to Nottingham Forest's Hall of Honor …
※ ※ ※
"The weather is great today. It won't rain tonight, maybe there will be a cool breeze." Pierce Brosnan sat outside the cafe across the street from the Bernabéu with a cigarette in his mouth. Next to him was his assistant who came with him to cover the game.
His expression was relaxed, while his assistant was sweating profusely. Such an exciting match was approaching minute by minute, making him feel nervous and excited.
"Mr. Brosnan, do you think the Forest team will win in the end?"
"How would I know?" Brosnan shook his head. "I'm not a prophet, nor a magician with a crystal ball."
"Why don't we go to the hotel and keep watch? We can't get any news here." The assistant was especially talkative. He looked really nervous and excited.
"You've been with me for two years, Paul. Do you still understand what kind of person we're interviewing? "Brosnan glanced at his assistant. There was some disappointment and dissatisfaction in his eyes. "For such an important game, Tony Twain will definitely drive away the reporters surrounding the entrance of the hotel, just like driving away a swarm of flies. He protects his team like a mother beast in suckling. He doesn't allow anyone to take a step near his team. Get news? Other than describing Tony Twain's rudeness and unreasonableness over and over again, there's nothing new. And the readers have long been tired of such things. "
"Then we'll wait here, drink coffee and watch … the scenery?"
Brosnan nodded. "Rest and relax. You'll be busy at night, boy. "
In front of Tony Twain, he was as honest as an intern reporter. But in front of a real rookie, he could still regain the feeling and dignity of a "famous reporter."
The young man muttered a few words and drank the coffee in his cup in one gulp. Then he turned his head to look at the increasing number of fans on the street. His gaze gradually locked on the minority of female fans. After half an hour of research, he came to a conclusion — Real Madrid had a majority of female fans, and most of the young female fans were beautiful. He even saw female fans who clearly did not belong to Europe … These people were crazy, coming from the other side of the world to watch a final.
In comparison, most of the Nottingham Forest fans were from England. They did not have the global influence of Real Madrid, even if they won more titles. On the one hand, their football was not good to watch. On the other hand, Tony Twain's unique personality would cause them to lose a lot of neutral fans. Thirdly, Nottingham Forest was still a small club. They did not have the money to expand their global market and spread their global influence. Fourthly, Real Madrid could attract fans by constantly buying famous superstars. But who was Nottingham Forest's biggest star player? George Wood, the robot that never smiled …
This was a contest of great disparity in strength … Nottingham Forest was completely defeated.
This result was really depressing — there were so few beautiful women. The young reporter lamented in his heart.
※ ※ ※
After 5: 30 in the afternoon, two buses drove out from two five-star hotels.
The white bus was followed by a group of media. They were like sharks behind a slave ship, closely following the bus as it headed towards the Bernabéu Stadium.
As for the red bus, apart from a few police cars clearing the way, there was nothing else. As Pierce Brosnan said, the reporters surrounding the hotel were chased away by Twain. He did not want his team to be disturbed in such an important game. While the reporters cursed Tony Twain under the hot sun and left helplessly, Brosnan and his assistant enjoyed coffee under the parasol, admiring the beautiful women and enjoying a leisurely afternoon.
Brosnan looked at the watch in his hand, patted his assistant on the shoulder, and stood up. "It's time to work, boy."
There was a sudden commotion in the square in front of them.
Soon, a white bus appeared in people's sight in the afterglow of the setting sun. The milky white bus body was dyed ivory yellow by the sun. The fans became excited, and the rising and falling shouts spread in the square.
These sounds ignited the excitement near the Bernabéu Stadium. Brosnan finally felt the atmosphere of the Champions League final approaching.
The two men quickly crossed the road and ran to the square. His assistant held the camera and changed the lens as he ran, while he looked for the best position.
The bus that the Real Madrid players were on slowed down in the square. The players on the bus waved to the fans, causing a burst of screams. It was as if everyone here was a Real Madrid fan.
"This is the home advantage …" Brosnan murmured. The assistant beside him kept taking pictures.
Javier Tomás was also in the crowd, waving excitedly to the players on the bus.
"Viva, Madrid!"
Such a roar resounded around the Bernabéu Stadium. Tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans gathered here to witness their glorious night.
Later, the Nottingham Forest bus arrived. There were about 10,000 Nottingham Forest fans who greeted them. Their noise was much smaller than the Real Madrid fans. Coupled with the fact that the police at the scene strictly controlled the area of activity of the English fans, they could not even get close to the Forest bus. They could only watch from a distance as the bus passed through the square without any hindrance and turned to the parking lot behind the stadium.
John and Bill led their own people in the crowd and shouted a few words, "Nottingham Forest will win!" and then shut up. They looked at the unfriendly police officers and spat on the ground. "We'll show you when it's time for the game!"
※ ※ ※
Martin could even hear the shouts coming from the Bernabéu Stadium, even though he was more than a dozen kilometers away from there. He was now worried about how he was going to get rid of a group of China tourists to watch the game. If the group of tourists came to him after dinner and wanted to see Madrid at night, he really did not know if he should refuse.
As he was worrying alone in the bus, he heard a knock on the window.
A Chinese man in the team stood outside the bus and smiled at him.
"You've finished eating? How's the taste? This is the best Chinese restaurant in Madrid! "Although Martin's face was still gloomy a second ago, he smiled eagerly. "I'm not lying!"
"It's really authentic. It's worthy of being the best Chinese restaurant in Madrid, Mr. Martin. But we want to … "
The corner of Martin's mouth twitched twice. The thing he was most afraid of had still come. Ah ah ah ah! At the thought of not being able to watch such an important match, he hated his profession. The Champions League final held at the Bernabéu Stadium, and one of the participants was his favorite team, Real Madrid! How many times could he encounter such an opportunity in his life?
"Ah ha, where do you want to go? How about shopping on Serrano Street? That's the best brand-name street in Madrid! If you don't want to go, you can still go … "Martin interrupted the other person's words and began to talk non-stop, doing his duty as a tour guide.
The Chinese man quietly listened to Martin's introduction of all the places worth visiting in Madrid before he shook his head and said, "We don't want to go to those places, Mr. Martin. In fact, we've discussed that we want to find a cheap but lively place to spend the night and experience the most common nightlife of Madrilenians. Especially on a night like this … "
The Chinese man had given enough hints. Martin was not a fool. He beamed and said, "I have a good idea! How about I take you to the Real Madrid bar with the best atmosphere here to watch the game and drink? There are beautiful and enthusiastic Spanish girls, and even more enthusiastic about football and beer! Ha ha! "
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