Back to the League, Full Power! Teammates Go All Out to Help Tang Long Sprint for the European Golden Shoe!

The UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw has concluded, and time has flown by; it's already the end of March.

That day, Tang Long finished his training and had just stepped out of the training field when he unexpectedly saw Ronaldo.

Ronaldo skillfully opened the passenger door and plopped into Tang Long's car.

"Hey, long time no see! Your belly has gotten even bigger!"

Tang Long looked Ronaldo up and down, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

Ronaldo rolled his eyes at him and replied irritably, "This is called overwork-induced obesity, and it's all because of worrying about you. Hurry up and drive!"

The car started slowly and drove smoothly along the winding road.

Outside the car window, the dense Oak Forest on both sides seemed to be pulled rapidly by a pair of invisible hands, flashing backward at high speed, leaving only blurry green afterimages.

"Speak up, what do you want? I thought you'd completely forgotten about me."

Tang Long asked with a smile, while focusing intently on the steering wheel.

Ronaldo comfortably adjusted the seat back significantly, almost lying flat, with both hands casually resting on his round belly, patting it from time to time, as if caressing a beloved treasure.

"First of all, congratulations on successfully getting past Bayern. You did a great job, kid. Although the process was indeed very difficult, the result was smooth sailing. You even defeated the Bundesliga giants!"

Tang Long's lips curled into a slight smile, and he said with a hint of mockery, "It's mainly thanks to your incredible luck in drawing the strongest second-place team in the group. I have to thank you properly on behalf of the entire Manchester City club."

Upon hearing this, Ronaldo chuckled awkwardly twice, momentarily speechless, and could only pat his conspicuous belly in embarrassment.

"Don't get too cocky. You've drawn Atlético Madrid in the semifinals, and that's no pushover. You've heard of Atlético Madrid's reputation for being ruthless, right? You better watch out, and don't do anything crazy like Bonazzoli did and end up losing your life."

Ronaldo put away his smile and gave a serious warning.

Upon hearing this, Tang Long nodded seriously.

"There are still more than two weeks until the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, so Guardiola definitely has plenty of time to prepare for the match. As for the league, hehe, don't worry at all. I bet you, if we don't win the league title this season, I'll immediately gain as much weight as you."

After two years of getting to know each other, Tang Long and Ronaldo's relationship became increasingly close, like longtime best friends who could talk about anything.

Ronaldo nodded solemnly and said:

"I'm not worried about the league at all. Manchester United has long since lost its title aspirations, and Chelsea is 10 points behind us. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, winning the title three or four rounds early is a sure thing. However, back to the league, your task remains arduous, and you can't afford to relax at all, because you have an even more important goal to strive for. That's why I came to see you specifically today."

Take advantage of the red light ahead.

As the car slowly came to a stop, Ronaldo quickly took out his phone, swiped rapidly, found a news article, and handed it to Tang Long.

That was a news item published by the Times, with the headline boldly proclaiming:

Cristiano Ronaldo: The best Ronaldo? Of course, it's me!

After Tang Long read the title, Ronaldo dramatically shook his phone, even making a gesture as if he was about to throw it out the window, and shouted angrily:

"Although Cristiano's name contains Ronaldo's name, he shamelessly claims to be the best Ronaldo. Tang, what do you think of this?"

Tang Long sighed helplessly and said, "Sigh, you're already this old, and you've been retired for so many years. Why are you still arguing with him like this?"

Ronaldo instantly stopped joking, his expression turning extremely serious, and said decisively:

"Of course I care! The name Ronaldo belongs entirely to me. The whole world knows that I am the one and only Ronaldo, and he is just Cristiano. How can he be compared to me?"

Tang Long coughed lightly twice, carefully choosing his words, and slowly said:

"At least in terms of goals scored, Portugal's Ronaldo does seem to have more than Brazil's Ronaldo..."

That's true.

When Ronaldo of Brazil retired at the age of 35, he had scored a total of 413 goals in his career.

Meanwhile, Portugal's Ronaldo, at 32 years old, has already scored 525 goals.

And this number continues to climb, which is what makes Cristiano Ronaldo so astonishingly terrifying!

Ronaldo's face flushed slightly, and he quickly retorted, "That's because I had too many injuries. I was sidelined for two years at Inter Milan. Can he compare to me? He can play 60 games a season, while I've only played 60 games in three years combined!"

Tang Long scoffed, "Judging from your tone, having a lot of injuries seems like something to be proud of? Vieri told me about your time at Inter Milan. If you had spent less time in bars and drunk less alcohol back then, you..."

"Stop!" Ronaldo suddenly stretched out his hand, making a stop gesture. "Don't say another word!"

"Of course, I have my reasons, but those are all in the past, long gone from all that commotion. You're right, I shouldn't care about these things anymore."

"However, your goal tally absolutely cannot be lower than Cristiano Ronaldo's. You are my personally chosen successor; I've mentioned it several times on social media, and the whole world knows it."

"So, you have to accomplish what I haven't done, like winning the European Golden Shoe this season—beat Cristiano Ronaldo and take that honor!"

At this point, Tang Long finally understood the purpose of Ronaldo's special trip.

Ronaldo treated Tang Long like a parent wholeheartedly hopes that their child will become the most outstanding talent in the world.

From a business perspective, Tang Long is Ronaldo's client, and the two have closely intertwined and deeply connected interests.

The better Tang Long performs and the more goals he scores, the more leverage he will have in future transfer and contract negotiations, which will naturally bring Ronaldo a more substantial agent commission.

However, Ronaldo's expectations for Tang Long went far beyond this!

Deep in his heart, there was a pure hope that Tang Long could overcome all obstacles, defeat all opponents, become the world's top player, and one day in the future, be able to lift the Ballon d'Or, the highest honor in Ballon d'Or!

This has been his career goal ever since he first spotted Tang Long at Inter Milan – to make Tang Long the best in the world!

This is what will bring Ronaldo a sense of professional accomplishment.

"You have to win the European Golden Shoe, even if it's just once. You have to make it yours. And I think this season is the perfect opportunity!"

During Ronaldo's illustrious career, he won the Golden Boot five times.

These include two La Liga Golden Boot, one Eredivisie Golden Boot, one World Cup Golden Boot, and one Copa América Golden Boot.

However, he has consistently missed out on the European Golden Shoe, a significant club-level honor.

"Players who can win the European Golden Shoe are all top scorers in their own leagues, and they are undoubtedly the top scorers in the top Top Five Leagues!"

"Tang, show him your skills, outshine Cristiano Ronaldo, and let him see that Ronaldo's successor is even better at scoring goals! Do you have the confidence?"

Sitting in the passenger seat, Ronaldo's emotions grew increasingly high, and when he got excited, spittle flew everywhere as he spoke.

Tang Long asked, "How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored in La Liga?"

Without hesitation, Ronaldo blurted out, "33 goals! He's scored 33 goals so far, while you have 35. You're two goals ahead of him!" He was clearly prepared.

Tang Long pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Although we're leading by two goals, the gap isn't actually that big. Look, before Real Madrid played Napoli in the second leg, I was leading them by one goal in the UEFA Champions League top scorer rankings, but they scored a hat-trick in one game, instantly overtaking me by two goals. One game can change the situation."

Ronaldo was slightly taken aback. He sensed Tang Long 'Tang Long caution in his words, so he tentatively asked:

"So, do you even have confidence? At the very least, you have to keep either the European Golden Shoe or the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot."

Tang Long drove the car steadily into his yard and slowly turned off the engine.

"No, Roni, only children make choices. Adults want both!"

"Well done! That's the Tang I know!" Ronaldo followed behind Tang Long, giving him a thumbs-up as he strode forward, his face beaming with excitement. "So domineering and confident! I admire you so much!"

Unable to contain his excitement, Ronaldo asked, "So, what do you plan to do to achieve this goal?"

Tang Long's gaze was firm, and he said firmly, "Self-discipline!"

"What kind of self-discipline do you mean?"

"I go to bed early and get up early, follow a scientific diet plan, train hard, and carefully review and analyze each game afterward. I've always done this, so you can rest assured!"

Tang Long invited Ronaldo inside for a coffee.

Ronaldo smiled and nodded in agreement, and the two walked side by side toward the gate of Tang Long's house.

Tang Long raised his hand, entered the door lock code, and with a "beep," the door unlocked. He pushed the door open.

But as soon as I opened the door, I saw a graceful and pretty figure sitting quietly on the sofa.

Tang Long was slightly taken aback, and Ronaldo was also stunned.

Diletta noticed the commotion and gracefully stood up.

Her long, golden hair cascaded down like a golden waterfall, falling smoothly over one shoulder, each strand radiating a captivating luster, all the way to her slender waist.

That slender waist made Tang Long feel, in a daze, that he could easily grasp it with his bare hands.

Her eyes were smiling as she looked at the two of them with tenderness.

"You've arrived?" Diletta said softly.

"You're here... uh, why didn't you tell me you were coming to my house?" Tang Long asked, looking surprised.

Diletta smiled slightly and said, "Didn't you tell me the door lock code? You even said that if you came to interview me and I wasn't home, I could come in and rest for a while."

Towards the end of the season, Diletta frequently visited Tang Long's home for exclusive interviews;

After all, she was the only one in the entire Europe media circle who had exclusive interview rights with Tang Long.

She paused briefly, turned to look at Ronaldo, and said, "Mr. Ronaldo, we meet again. I was originally planning to interview Dom alone, but since you're here, how about I give you an exclusive interview as well?"

Ronaldo understood immediately, took a step back, waved his hand, and said with a smile, "No, it's more appropriate for you to interview Tang alone."

He leaned closer to Tang Long and lowered his voice, saying, "Self-discipline is certainly important to achieve your goals, but it's only natural to relax occasionally. I understood that when I was young."

After saying that, he patted Tang Long on the shoulder and turned to leave.

With a crisp "click" as the door closed, Ronaldo's figure disappeared outside.

Diletta walked into the living room, squatted down, and carefully fiddled with the camera stand placed there. Then she looked up, smiled at Tang Long, and asked softly:

"Alright, can we begin the interview?"

In the 29th round of the Premier League, Manchester City will host West Bromwich Albion.

On the team bus, Gündoğan, sitting in the front row, bowed slightly, turned his head, and said to Tang Long with a warm expression:

"Don't worry, Tang. West Bromwich Albion is now free from relegation pressure and has nothing to play for. I'll definitely find a way to give you an assist!"

Thiago, not to be outdone, popped his head out and shouted:

"And then there's me! There's no ball you can't catch, no ball I can't pass perfectly!"

Mkhitaryan, usually a man of few words, now looked at Tang Long with a determined gaze across the aisle and said:

"I've carefully studied the footage of their last three matches. Their defense on the flanks of the penalty area is riddled with holes, and their defensive midfield position is practically a sieve. Wherever you run, I guarantee I can deliver the ball precisely to your feet."

All three midfielders were eager to provide an assist for Tang Long, helping him win the European Golden Shoe.

After all, no player in Manchester City's history has ever received this honor.

With the league title virtually secured, everyone is eagerly anticipating Tang Long's historic achievement – a sentiment shared by Guardiola himself.

Tang Long leaned back in his seat, sighed softly, and said with a smile, "Alright, these pancakes are practically killing me, I'll try to eat as much as I can!"

"Beep--"

A sharp, loud whistle suddenly pierced the air above the Etihad Stadium, signaling the start of the match.

"Next, I will briefly introduce the starting lineups for both sides."

"The home team, Manchester City, will continue to use their most familiar 4-2-3-1 formation."

"The goalkeeper is Onana, the center-back pairing is Stones and Kompany, and the midfield..."

"The left winger is Tang Long, and the center forward is Aguirre..."

"Wait, look at this ball!"

The commentator's voice instantly rose eight octaves, filled with excitement.

"Tang Long!"

"Tang Long is sprinting, quickly cutting into the opponent's penalty area!"

"He inserted it!"

"It's inserted very deep!"

"Shoot!!!"