A Textbook Goal from the World Champions!

New fanfiction: Marvel: Unjust God

Synopsis:

Leon doesn't want to be a hero; he just wants to live a good life. It seems like villains are actually happier than heroes. But Leon didn't expect that even as a villain, he could be so popular! Why do these heroes look so happy even after getting beaten up? 

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The protagonist of this book is not a good person and has no 'no-kill' rule. He's the type who likes to stir up trouble. Also, the protagonist is a mentally unstable chatterbox.

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Before the match began, retired Manchester United legend David Beckham, along with his wife Victoria, arrived at the stadium to watch this Premier League showdown. As a member of the Class of '92, even though he had a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson and left Manchester United, Beckham still held deep feelings for the club.

Like many Red Devils fans, Beckham wasn't fond of Moyes. But he still hoped to see United defend their honor at home.

However, the match's outcome left him disappointed.

How did the Red Devils turn into this?

"That Lin is really strong!" Victoria exclaimed in surprise as she watched Lin dominate the field.

Ever since she found out that Lily Collins' boyfriend was Lin, Victoria had been intrigued and wanted to see just how good he was.

Beckham nodded. "Lin is exceptional, probably the best of his generation."

"Really? Is he that good?" Victoria's eyes lit up. She didn't know much about football, but she trusted her husband's judgment.

Before Victoria could finish speaking, Lin scored his second goal of the match.

Beckham spread his hands in a "See, I told you he's great!" gesture.

"Do you think he'll score again?" Victoria asked curiously.

This question stumped Beckham.

"I don't think so. This is Old Trafford, after all. Very few Manchester City players have ever scored a hat-trick here. I doubt United's players will give him the chance."

Only those who've actually played in these matches know what the Manchester Derby means.

Scoring a hat-trick in such a derby would devastate the opponent's morale, making it hard for them to recover, while also earning the player immense support from their own fans, turning them into a hero.

Hearing her husband's uncertain answer, Victoria smirked mischievously. "How about we make a bet? I think he'll score again!"

Beckham raised an eyebrow, not verbally agreeing to the bet but not refusing either, which was basically an agreement.

An hour later, with the scoreboard showing a glaring 3-0 and Lin raising his collar at Old Trafford in a celebratory pose reminiscent of United's King Cantona, Beckham was in a daze.

It was as if he had been transported back to the 1994-1995 Premier League season, Round 14, when Manchester United faced Manchester City at home.

In that match, United crushed City 5-0, with Cantona scoring the opening goal and Kanchelskis completing a hat-trick. Despite being fouled all game by the opposing defenders, Cantona stood tall and proud, like a king, receiving thunderous applause from over 60,000 United fans.

Time flies, and almost 20 years had passed.

The fierce Manchester Derby had returned, but this time, it seemed the king wasn't from United anymore—it was someone from City.

When the Old Trafford crowd saw Lin score a hat-trick, they fell into collective silence.

But when they saw Lin celebrating in Cantona's signature style at Old Trafford, they were furious!

How dare he?

This is Old Trafford! How dare he celebrate like that here?

Instantly, loud boos mixed with curses erupted from every corner of the stadium, all directed at Lin.

Lin, with no expression on his face, turned slowly in place, his collar still popped as he scanned the surroundings. To him, the boos sounded more like the wails of defeated enemies, which only made him feel more satisfied.

Come on, wail louder! Let me feel your anger and pain!

But his teammates, lacking a sense of decorum, all rushed forward, tackling him to the ground in a frenzied celebration.

Watching City players celebrate wildly on their own turf, United's players seemed utterly lost.

Even seeing Lin's provocative celebration didn't spark much anger in them.

The true Red Devils had long faded away. The players on the field were like walking corpses, merely wearing the Red Devils' colors but lacking the blood, passion, and spirit that once defined the club.

On the sidelines, United's coach Moyes felt a chill, retreating into his seat, wrapping his coat tightly around himself as he blankly watched his team collapse on the pitch.

What has happened to Manchester United?

Like the many fans, Moyes desperately wanted to understand this.

In the stands, United's legendary manager Ferguson glanced at the players on the field, then at Moyes on the sideline, and couldn't help but sigh.

If before this match, he still had reservations about the club's plans to replace Moyes, then after this match, Ferguson was certain: Moyes wasn't the right coach for United.

His coaching style and personal demeanor didn't suit the club at all.

United could do without the very best stars, but they could never lose their spirit—their unwavering determination and refusal to give up or accept defeat!

Without the blood, passion, and indomitable spirit, what was left of United?

With that thought, Ferguson sighed again. The match wasn't over yet, but for United, this season was already finished.

...

After Lin's hat-trick shattered them, United drifted aimlessly through the rest of the match, while the rampaging City showed no mercy.

In the 82nd minute, David Silva scored again, making it 4-0!

By then, many United fans had already started leaving the stands early.

They couldn't bear to watch their team suffer a heavy defeat at home against their bitter rivals and preferred to leave rather than endure more misery.

It might have been a wise choice because City's assault didn't stop.

In the 89th minute, Lin made a backheel pass to De Bruyne, who scored, making it 5-0!

This was almost a reenactment of that match 19 years ago, but with the roles reversed—this time, it was United being thrashed.

In stoppage time, City nearly scored again.

Lin's free kick hit the crossbar and bounced out, much to the relief of United's fans.

Had that gone in, Lin would have become the first player in Manchester Derby history to score four goals.

Finally, the match ended, with City demolishing United 5-0 at Old Trafford, thanks to goals from Lin, De Bruyne, and others.

With this victory, City not only solidified their position at the top of the table but also emphatically announced their return to form with two dominant wins.

City was still the league's top contender for the title!

In another match played at the same time, Chelsea won 3-1 away to Fulham, with Schürrle also scoring a hat-trick, helping his team take three points and keeping the gap with City at 8 points.

However, with only 10 rounds left in the league, an 8-point gap was becoming increasingly difficult for Chelsea to overcome.

But Mourinho remained defiant. In an interview with reporters, he said:

"It's not over until the final whistle blows. That's the beauty of football!"

However, compared to his previous confidence, there seemed to be a hint of doubt creeping into the Special One's voice.

As City and Chelsea battled for the Premier League title, in a less noticed corner, Wenger's Arsenal had already begun to collapse, quietly slipping down to fourth place.

In their last four games, Arsenal had won just one, lost two, and drawn one.

First, they were thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool at Anfield, then held to a draw by Manchester United at home. They managed to regain some form with a 4-1 home win over Sunderland, only to slip up again this round with a 1-0 away loss to Stoke City, who had just been thrashed by City.

It was only March, and Arsenal had already fallen to fourth place, now forced to focus on securing a top-four finish.

Wenger's team was once again proving to be the same familiar story, with the same familiar taste!

...

After the league matches ended, the FIFA international break arrived. With World Cup qualifiers over, there weren't many national team duties left.

Lin hadn't received a national team call-up in almost four or five months.

He thought it would be the same this time, but surprisingly, Del Bosque summoned him.

Spain had an important friendly match coming up in a few days, meant to test the team's form and strength before the World Cup.

This time, Del Bosque didn't hold back. He called up nearly all the regular starters.

For those playing for top clubs, balancing league, cup, and Champions League matches, this wasn't good news.

But to ensure their place in the World Cup, no matter how tough or tiring, no one would turn down a national team call-up.

Lin arrived at the Las Rozas training base on the afternoon of March 3. Compared to the Spanish internationals, who played in La Liga, those like him who played in other leagues reported later.

By the time they arrived at the base, many had already started training.

Unlike his first time at Las Rozas, this time Lin was surrounded by a large crowd of fans as soon as he arrived, making it almost impossible for him and his teammates to move.

"Lin, you've got so many fans!" David Silva and Navas also enjoyed being surrounded by fans, but it stung a bit when they realized all the fans were there for Lin. The few holding up their signs were pushed to the back by Lin's enthusiastic supporters.

"Really?" Lin couldn't help but wonder how he compared to Ronaldo and Messi in terms of fan numbers.

Lin had always been friendly to his fans. When he felt their enthusiasm, he smiled and waved.

But this simple gesture seemed to ignite a powder keg, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

"Ahhh! Lin smiled at me! He definitely has feelings for me!"

"You witch, get lost

! Lin was waving at me!"

"Lin, I love you! I want to have your babies!"

The female fans went wild, rushing towards Lin, scaring him and his teammates into a hasty retreat.

If they got caught in that mob, who knows what would happen!

"Lin, your fans are terrifying. I'm not coming with you next time!" David Silva was still shaken, realizing for the first time how scary women could be!

Garcia and Navas nodded in agreement, while Negredo seemed a bit envious. "Why does Lin have so many female fans, while all our fans are just a bunch of rough guys?"

That question left everyone silent. Why indeed?

...

Del Bosque was relieved to see everyone arrive safely.

With just three months until the World Cup, the last thing he needed was for any of his key players to get injured.

If they did, they might miss the World Cup entirely.

This World Cup was crucial for Spain, and Del Bosque wanted to field the strongest possible team to defend their title.

As reigning champions, if they could win this World Cup, they would become the first team in 50 years to successfully defend the title.

If Spain could achieve such a feat, they would undoubtedly establish their own dynasty.

With such a historic opportunity at hand, no one could remain indifferent.

Del Bosque, of course, had ambitions. He wanted to carve his name into Spanish history.

But winning this year's title would be incredibly difficult.

"You all know the World Cup draw, right?" Del Bosque asked the group seriously as they gathered for training the next day.

Everyone nodded.

The World Cup draw had taken place on December 7th of the previous year.

Spain had drawn a tough group, Group B, alongside the previous runners-up Netherlands, South American powerhouse Chile, and Australia from Asia.

Of these three opponents, only Australia was considered an easy win. The other two teams would be tough, especially the Netherlands.

Because Europe had so many strong teams, countries like England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal had been placed in Pot 4.

In contrast, Pot 3 included weaker teams like Australia, Iran, Japan, and South Korea.

This meant that when the groups were drawn, a top-seed team could easily end up in a group with a top European team.

If the second-seed team was also strong, it would create a Group of Death.

Unfortunately, Spain was one of the unlucky ones, drawn into one of the two Groups of Death for this World Cup, Group B.

The other unlucky team was their friendly opponent—Italy.

The 2006 World Cup champions Italy had been drawn into Group D, which included Uruguay, England, and Costa Rica.

Their chances of advancing were even tougher than Spain's!

Given that South American teams were playing at home, the two European powerhouses might not even make it out of the group stage.

So, before the World Cup began, the two teams arranged a friendly match to test their form.

Even if they lost, exposing their weaknesses early would be worth it.

With that in mind, the March 6th friendly between Spain and Italy attracted significant attention in both countries.

The Italians saw this match as a chance for revenge.

They hadn't beaten Spain in six years.

In the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, Italy faced Spain three times, scoring just one goal, and were thrashed 4-0 in the final as they watched Spain lift two European Championship trophies.

Last year's Confederations Cup semi-final saw them lose 3-1 to Spain, who went on to complete a grand slam at the international level.

Italy's consecutive failures against Spain had left them with a deep-seated fear of the Spanish team.

The Italians not only struggled to beat Spain but even to score against them.

If they could win this friendly, it would break their embarrassing winless streak against Spain.

For Spain, it had been a long time since their full squad had played together.

Italy was a worthy opponent, and Spain hoped to use them as a stepping stone to boost their morale.

So, both teams fielded their strongest line-ups!

On March 6th at 7:30 PM, Spain hosted Italy at Madrid's Vicente Calderón Stadium.

Italy played very aggressively, with a newly-styled Balotelli looking particularly lively from the start.

In the 4th minute, Torino winger Cerci cut in from the right and took a shot from a tight angle.

The shot was highly threatening, curving past Casillas and hitting the inside of the far post, rebounding into the box.

Balotelli fought off his marker, trying to follow up, but Ramos cleared the danger.

Angered by the clearance, Balotelli got into an argument with Ramos.

Both players were hot-headed and refused to back down, going head-to-head.

Fortunately, the referee intervened before things escalated.

Balotelli was world-class in every way—except in his head!

After clashing with Ramos, he seemed fixated on proving himself by overpowering the Spaniard.

But Ramos wasn't a pushover and, with help from his teammates, neutralized Balotelli's threats, leaving him frustrated.

As Balotelli became a non-factor, Italy's attack lost its edge. After their initial burst, the game soon fell into Spain's control.

From the 10th minute on, Spain's players completed a series of passes, totaling 67 in just three minutes.

During this time, Italy's players didn't even get close to the ball.

Spain's passing moved the ball from defense to midfield, then to the forward line, and finally, almost as if by design, Lin calmly slotted it past Buffon.

The reigning World Cup champions had just scored a textbook goal, leaving everyone in awe!