Chapter 276: The Awards Ceremony
Chapter 276: The Awards Ceremony
In the evening, Bruno and Cristiano Ronaldo walked the red carpet together. It seemed they wanted to show the media their unity. The two stood together, letting photographers capture their camaraderie, appearing very close.
Of course, during the interviews, they couldn't avoid some awkward questions.
"There's really no conflict between us. How can we prove this?" Bruno spread his hands, looking exasperated at the reporter's question.
At this moment, Ronaldo suddenly had a mischievous smile on his face. Quickly and unexpectedly, he kissed Bruno on the cheek. Under Bruno's and the reporters' stunned gazes, Ronaldo laughed triumphantly.
"Isn't that proof enough, silly Bruno?" Ronaldo said, clearly pleased with his prank.
The reporters, after recovering from their shock, nodded. Ronaldo's lively personality made such antics unsurprising, but it also indirectly confirmed that there was no conflict between them.
One reporter even asked the photographer, "Did you get that?"
Seeing the photographer nod enthusiastically, the reporter smiled contentedly. It was certainly a good piece of material to stir up some buzz.
Bruno complained to Ronaldo afterward about ruining his reputation.
Ronaldo, looking innocent, replied, "Isn't that a normal way to greet?"
Faced with this, Bruno could only shake his head in silence. Regardless, the picture would undoubtedly make fangirls worldwide scream the next day. But at least it proved there was no rift between them, which should stop the media from fueling rumors of discord within the Portuguese national team.
...
As the two continued to answer questions, a commotion and screams erupted nearby. Bruno and Ronaldo turned to see Lionel Messi's arrival.
As one of the hottest stars in football, Messi attracted a swarm of journalists and fans, some even attempting to break through to get his autograph.
Ronaldo and Bruno glanced at Messi, with Ronaldo quickly turning away, his face showing a hint of disdain. Bruno, however, watched for a moment before looking away.
Ronaldo and Messi, who had shared the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player awards over the past seven years, naturally harbored competitive feelings toward each other. Their rivalry extended beyond the pitch to personal achievements and endorsements.
Bruno, a newcomer to this elite circle, had an outstanding individual and team performance last season, putting him among the stars. However, his influence couldn't yet match the legendary status of Messi and Ronaldo.
Being Ronaldo's national teammate, Bruno naturally sided with him, but he still held deep respect for Messi, recognizing him as one of the greatest players in football history.
...
The FIFA award ceremony had an air of pretentiousness. In the lavishly decorated opera hall, two artists performed a cello duet as an opener. While they played, most players and coaches seemed disinterested, preferring a rock band instead.
Bruno, uninterested in FIFA's attempt to link football with high culture, only cared about the Ballon d'Or results, which would be announced last due to the many other awards.
After the performance, the hosts, British actor Nesbitt and Sky Sports presenter Kate Abdo, took the stage, thanking the artists before inviting the six Ballon d'Or finalists—three men and three women—onto the stage.
Ronaldo and U.S. Women's National Team captain Lloyd came out first, followed by Messi and Japan Women's National Team captain Miyama, and finally, Bruno and German forward Sasic.
The hosts conducted brief interviews with the finalists before they returned to their seats.
After a video review of the Puskas Award finalists, the first award for the FIFA FIFPro World XI was announced. Eto'o, the presenter, revealed the winners, with La Liga dominating, claiming seven of the eleven spots, including defenders Ramos, Marcelo, and Alves, midfielders Iniesta, and forwards Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar. Serie A had two winners, Bruno and Pogba, who both played in the last season's Champions League final. Neuer represented the Bundesliga, and Thiago Silva represented Ligue 1, leaving the Premier League with none.
...
Next, Jill Ellis won the Best Women's Coach award for leading the U.S. Women's National Team to World Cup victory.
Guidolin was named Best Men's Coach for guiding Udinese to five titles in 2015, including the Champions League and Serie A.
The Fair Play Award was given to football organizations supporting refugees. Former South African international Lethabe, a previous Fair Play Award winner, presented the award to former German international Agamawa, who accepted it on behalf of all those helping refugees.
...
Then came the Puskas Award, established in 2009 in honor of Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskas. FIFA experts nominated ten goals, with fans voting on the top three: Florenzi's long-range goal against Barcelona, Messi's solo goal against Athletic Bilbao, and Lira's bicycle kick.
Many expected Messi to win, given his global popularity, but the award went to Lira, surprising everyone. Lira, emotional and disbelieving, thanked his family, wife, daughter, and everyone who voted for him.
...
The Women's Player of the Year went to U.S. captain Lloyd, her first time winning the award. Overwhelmed with emotion, she thanked everyone, expressing her joy at hearing her name called.
But the main event was the Ballon d'Or. The ceremony had already shown clips of the three male finalists.
Instead of revealing scores as they did in the past, the winner would be announced directly by the presenter opening an envelope.
Kaka took the stage to announce the most anticipated award of the night.
As the room fell silent, everyone, including the TV commentators and viewers, awaited the announcement.
The camera focused on each of the three finalists equally, showing no favoritism.
Kaka approached the microphone, slowly opened the envelope, and read the name, smiling: "The 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner is—"
He turned the card toward the camera, revealing the name: "Bruno Fernandes!"
(End of chapter)
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