After a brief celebration at the stadium, Ling and his teammates headed to a reserved bar.
With the season finally over, everyone seemed completely relaxed.
Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba were in the center of the dance floor, moving passionately to the energetic music, fully indulging in the joy of victory.
As for Ling, he sat in the booth, seeming a bit distracted. He actually wanted to return early to check his rewards.
After all, winning the league had rewarded him with Batistuta's long-range shooting—surely the Champions League title couldn't offer anything worse than the league championship, right?
But he didn't want to spoil his teammates' fun, so he quietly drank his beer.
Noticing this, Jose Mourinho struck up a conversation. "For the pre-season friendlies, Ajax or PSV—which one would you prefer to play against?"
Ling was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered something: wasn't Erik ten Hag currently the manager of Ajax, with the renowned André Onana in the squad?
The last match he had watched before his rebirth was Galatasaray vs. Man United.
Back then, he had one thought: to give Onana a good kick in the pants for his slow reactions.
"By the way, boss, what do you think of Onana?" Ling asked curiously.
He had once seen a program on Douyin where a blogger claimed that Onana's slow reactions were due to his large backside, and that he'd improve significantly if some fat were removed.
"His command of the area is quite broad, and he's good at directing the defense and distributing the ball. But his handling is a major issue—he tends to lose balance easily in one-on-one situations. In any case, he's not a good fit for us," Mourinho replied without overthinking it.
"True, he's nowhere near as good as David," Ling agreed wholeheartedly.
Nearby, David De Gea grinned widely, thinking to himself that Ling was truly a good bro.
He decided he'd practice a few more long-range shots with Ling next time.
With a strange expression, Ling replied to the original question, "Ajax. They have decent overall strength, and you might even spot a few players you like."
"Ajax does have some good players, like Ziyech, De Jong, De Ligt, and others," Mourinho nodded.
He shared the same idea.
After all, Man United was planning a major overhaul next season, strengthening every position from front to back.
You could never have too many good players.
In reality, with Man United achieving the double, changes were inevitable.
Some would be sold for not meeting the required standards, while others would seek better opportunities elsewhere.
The squad was bound to look very different next season.
Mourinho was already pondering this.
Full-backs Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia were both nearing the end of their careers, with inevitable declines in both physical and financial form.
Therefore, younger, more dynamic replacements were needed.
Theo Hernandez, who had come on as a substitute for Real Madrid in the final, seemed quite promising to Mourinho.
With some focused training on his defending, he could just about meet the requirements.
For the rest of the evening, everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest, tacitly avoiding any talk of transfers.
...
After the evening gathering ended, everyone parted ways at the bar entrance.
Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling walked off with arms around each other's shoulders, ready to continue sweating it out at another location.
In the end, only Ling, Scott McTominay, and Marcus Rashford remained—they were still relatively simple-minded at this point.
Half an hour later.
Back in his hotel room, Ling lay on his soft bed and softly called out.
"System, come forth!"
A cold mechanical voice suddenly rang out.
[Congratulations on completing the team mission: Win the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League!]
[Calculating contribution level...]
Although he hadn't won the Champions League Golden Boot, his contribution in the final was undeniable—a hat trick to save the team.
After the interface flickered for a few seconds, a sentence gradually appeared.
[Mission reward: Legendary Treasure Chest!]
Ling pumped his fist twice—just as he had expected, it was another Legendary Treasure Chest!
He just wondered what good things he might get this time?
[Module selection completed...]
[Rivaldo's "Blood-colored Demon Blade" module!]
[Figo's "Seemingly True, Yet False" module!]
[Robben's "Unsolvable Cut Inside" module!]
[...]
The items in the reward pool were similar to last time, so Ling didn't examine them too carefully.
He focused his mind and chose to open the treasure chest.
With the sound of a lock opening, the chest suddenly emitted a dazzling light.
[Opening...]
[Congratulations on obtaining: Cristiano Ronaldo's "Tomahawk Header" module!]
[Module details: This is a growth-type module that rapidly improves hang time, jump height, and heading technique through training...]
Ling's expression immediately became one of great surprise.
He never expected it would be Ronaldo's module, especially since he had defeated him in the Champions League final just hours ago—it gave him a peculiar feeling.
However, looking at his technical characteristics, heading was indeed a weak point, so this module came at just the right time.
Jumping 2.56 meters high with 0.92 seconds of hang time—thinking about it was truly exciting.
In the future, he could have Lukaku drift wide to deliver crosses while he runs into the penalty area for headers, giving them more tactical options.
This time, no extra memories flooded in.
Ling gazed at the stars in the dark night sky and gradually drifted into a wonderful sleep.
...
Late at night, news of Man United winning the Champions League spread throughout the world.
Ling, with his hat trick in the final, became a household name—it seemed a rising star had emerged in the football world.
Major media outlets scrambled to report the story.
[Hat Trick in Champions League Final, The Embodiment of Red Devil Spirit!]
[One of the Most Exciting Champions League Finals in History!]
[Real Madrid President Florentino Expresses Interest in Ling, Already Made Official Bid!]
Peter Drury and Jim Beglin were featured on the highlight reels playing across the globe.
Drury: "The world has woken up to a new reality! The era of the duopoly is under threat! A boy from the East has walked into the coliseum of giants and taken the crown for himself!"
Beglin: "It's a performance for the ages, Peter. Three goals, three different types of finishes, and a mental fortitude that defies his age."
On various sports media platforms, netizens expressed their opinions.
[Never expected Real Madrid to become the tragic heroes - Modrić's 12.7km running distance, Navas kneeling by the pitch praying his teammates would score, Toni Kroos' lifelong nightmare.]
[Hat trick, what a hat trick! Ling has made his name echoed around the world in one match - wonder how much his transfer value will be?]
[At least 100 million as the baseline, right?]
[No way? According to the winter transfer window's German Transfermarkt valuations, there are only six players worldwide currently valued over 100 million: Salah, De Bruyne, Kane, Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe.]
[Ling topped Salah to claim the league's top scorer title and even scored a hat trick in the Champions League final. It'd be strange if he weren't worth 100 million!]
[It's a shame Ling didn't participate in the Golden Boy award selection last season. Next season he can start by winning the Golden Boy award to get a taste of it.]
[Do you think if France wins the World Cup, Mbappe could win the Ballon d'Or?]
[By the way, if Valencia doesn't play next season, does Ling have a chance to wear the captain's armband?]
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