Cristiano Ronaldo, After All!

"What were you whispering about with Michel just now?"

When Su Dong returned to his seat, Ribéry leaned over curiously and asked.

He and Platini were countrymen, but aside from being the first to greet him as a sign of familiarity, Platini seemed to place far more importance on Su Dong. He had even warmly invited Su Dong to a corner away from the crowd for a private conversation.

Su Dong found Ribéry's confusion amusing. If he hadn't known Ribéry's personality, he would have wondered what was wrong with the guy.

Was this really something you could ask about?

But that was Ribéry for you. He was a little wild by nature, a curious child who couldn't keep anything to himself.

Fortunately, it was nothing serious. Su Dong told him what Platini had secretly said earlier—that he would personally present the award—but he didn't mention Maradona. He couldn't shake the feeling that Platini hadn't finished saying everything.

Just as Platini himself had said, he had put it very tactfully.

The implication was that Maradona's actions at Barcelona had been rather outrageous, especially his drug use.

As for his transfer from Barcelona to Naples back then, it hadn't been quite as miraculous as people made it sound. Maradona simply couldn't survive at Barcelona anymore and was heavily in debt. Naples happened to want him and offered him a huge income, so he went there.

There was no contradiction between going to Naples for money and later leading Naples to the title and becoming a legend.

Many fans liked to mythologize football stars, but there was really no need. Professional football was simply like this.

Take the football king Pele, for example. How destitute had he been back then?

If not for that American sports sponsor discovering Pele, along with FIFA's endorsement