He's not playing football, he's destroying Cristiano Ronaldo's Golden Boot dream! The Portuguese's hands are trembling!

In the Iberian Peninsula, moonlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows of a luxurious villa in Madrid, casting dappled shadows on the marble floor.

Cristiano Ronaldo leaned back on the expensive sofa, his hands nervously gripping the remote control, his knuckles turning white.

On the television screen, Manchester's Etihad Stadium was shrouded in a misty rain.

It's raining in Manchester at night.

The roar of 60,000 fans surged like a tidal wave, carrying rain and impacting every corner – the final round of the Premier League saw Manchester City and Sunderland clash with their most intense intensity.

The Portugal superstar's sharp eyes were fixed on Tang Long's figure.

He knew that every goal in this match would affect who would win the European Golden Shoe.

The European Golden Shoe is not only a symbol of personal glory, but also the highest accolade in world football for a top striker.

Countless days and nights of rigorous training, countless matches of relentless struggle— Cristiano Ronaldo is determined to firmly grasp this glory in his hands!

Now, Tang Long's rise is like a surprise attack, threatening his absolute dominance over the Golden Boot.

"There can only be one European Golden Shoe, and only one person can become the best striker in the world. That person is me! I absolutely will not allow a second person to share this honor with me!" Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly stood up, speaking in a low voice to the television screen, his deep eyes burning with passion.

His thoughts instantly drifted back to past seasons, to those moments when he single-handedly turned the tide of battle, to those crucial moments when he delivered the game-winning shot—every scene vividly appeared in his mind.

How could he tolerate his glory being shared with others, how could he accept having to share this supreme honor with someone else?

Inside the Etihad Stadium.

Sunderland's players never expected that they would fall behind by two goals just over ten minutes into the first half.

"Guys, it's the last game! Don't be stressed, show them our fighting spirit and let them see the strength of Sunderland!" The Sunderland manager's shouts pierced through the rain.

The players began to press forward more aggressively, attempting to equalize the score.

The midfielders constantly made runs and cuts, looking for attacking opportunities;

The forwards roamed around the edge of the opponent's penalty area, waiting for passes from their teammates.

And all of this is exactly what Manchester City wanted!

Guardiola stood on the sidelines, impeccably dressed in a black suit, arms crossed, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, and a hint of cunning in his eyes.

Under his meticulous guidance, Manchester City's passing and possession tactics have reached a level of perfection.

However, he knew that breaking through the dense defensive formations of Premier League -level opponents would not be easy.

Now that the opponent is pushing forward, gaps will inevitably appear in the defense, which presents Manchester City with an excellent opportunity to attack!

28th minute of the match.

Gündoğan received a pass from his teammate in midfield. He slightly bent his knees, turned his body halfway, and scanned the entire field with his eyes like a radar.

In that split second, he caught a glimpse of Navas rapidly closing in on the right flank out of the corner of his eye.

Opportunities are fleeting; there is no time to hesitate!

Gündoğan didn't have time to adjust to his preferred right foot, so he used his left foot to deliver a beautiful arc, accurately passing the ball to Navas.

Sunderland's defenders chased desperately while raising their arms to indicate offside.

But the linesman's eyes remained firm and unmoved, because he could clearly see that the ball was not offside!

The pitch at the Etihad Stadium shimmered with a bluish sheen after being washed by the torrential rain.

The Spain winger slightly bent his knee.

The moment the football made contact with his thigh, it was as if a pause button had been pressed; the force of the spin dissipated quietly thanks to his perfect ball control.

This seemingly effortless move actually embodies the results of his twenty years of dedicated training—from the streets and alleys of his hometown village to Manchester City's multi-million dollar training base, every detail of his touch has been honed countless times.

Navas' pupils contracted rapidly, like a high-speed radar scanning the situation on the field.

He saw Tang Long still five meters outside the penalty area arc, with the Sunderland defense surging towards him like a tide.

In a flash, he made a completely different choice from the last attack—a gentle flick with the inside of his right foot, pushing the ball towards Thiago was positioned diagonally behind him to receive it.

This decision not only demonstrated his strategic vision, but was also like making a brilliant move in a game of chess.

The moment Thiago received the ball, the Sunderland midfield trio simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

They anticipated that Manchester City would briefly gain possession and prepare to reorganize their defense.

But Thiago accelerated again!

The AI System's notification sounded in my ear, indicating that Agüero in the mid lane had moved into an excellent position.

But Tang Long's eyes were fixed on the football in the air; he decided to trust himself this once.

Just as the ball was about to reach chest height, Tang Long suddenly made a breathtaking move!

His body drew a reverse bow shape in the air, and as he stepped back, he lowered his center of gravity. This movement, which requires extremely strong waist and abdominal strength, was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water under his feet.

In the instant of using Thiago's force against him, Tang Long perfectly combined the speed of Thiago's incoming ball with his own explosive power.

The trajectory of that shot was almost unreasonable – it skimmed along the underside of the crossbar and flew straight into the top left corner of the goal!

"GOAL!!!"

Tang Long shouted it out to the fans cheering for him in the stands!

"Two now!"

On the sidelines, Chivu was flushed with excitement, his hands clapping until they ached. "Three more! Just three more! There's still a whole hour left in the game. He has plenty of opportunities!"

He waved his arms as if he were fighting on the court himself.

Guardiola couldn't help but clench his fist, his eyes full of admiration.

Regardless of whether Tang Long can win the European Golden Shoe, this shot alone is among the best he has ever seen, leaving Guardiola breathless with admiration.

"A perfect goal! He's a true master of the art of the field!"

However, Tang Long's performance was far from over.

Ten minutes later, he once again demonstrated the instinct and skill of a top striker.

Tang Long began his performance just outside Sunderland's penalty area.

His agile, serpentine runs left Sunderland's two defenders bewildered, as if they were drunk.

They clumsily followed Tang Long's steps, but they were unable to stop him.

With a final, powerful push, he shot off the defender like an arrow, causing the two guards to collide and fall to the ground in a sorry state.

Tang Long received a through pass from Thiago, and deftly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper's head, where it slowly rolled into the net.

"Haha, I've given you two assists, Tang, hurry up and thank me!" Thiago ran over and excitedly hugged Tang Long.

"Don't rush, I'll thank you after you send out your third one!" Tang Long smiled and gave him a high five, then threw himself back into the intense competition.

Meanwhile, the live stream room had already exploded with excitement.

"[My God, a hat-trick in the first half, 54 goals now, just two behind Cristiano Ronaldo!]"

"[There's definitely a chance! The second half hasn't even started yet. Tang Long is in such good form, he's practically unstoppable!]"

[Cristiano Ronaldo only scored two goals in his first game, while Tang Long scored a hat-trick in the first half. I wonder how Cristiano Ronaldo is feeling right now; he must be regretting not scoring more in the final round.]

"[But he also needs to be able to score. I watched Real Madrid's last match, Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly impatient, wasting a lot of scoring opportunities," someone analyzed.

[Now it depends on Guardiola's decision. If he's considering both the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League final, he might substitute Tang Long at halftime.]

-[How could that be? Dream on! Would Guardiola do that when his own players have a chance to win the European Golden Shoe? Unless he's willing to break with Tang Long, absolutely not!]

In the stands of the Etihad Stadium, Diletta was jostled about by the crowd, rain mixed with sweat sliding down her delicate jawline.

When Tang Long scored his third goal, the entire stadium erupted in cheers that engulfed her like a surging tide.

She followed the crowd, suddenly jumping up from her seat, her chest heaving like waves whipped by a gale, outlining the alluring curves of her blue fan jersey.

"Keep going! You have three more times, you can do it!"

She's shouting!

As a top reporter for Sky Sport, Diletta has witnessed countless exciting moments in matches, but at this moment, her eyes are only on that figure speeding across the green field.

Every precise shot Tang Long made, every powerful celebration, made her heart race.

Rainwater soaked her carefully styled curly hair, dripping down the ends and onto her phone screen.

Completely oblivious, she held her phone high, constantly adjusting the angle, trying to capture every wonderful moment of Tang Long.

The sight of Tang Long running in the rain in the video made her thoughts drift back to last night...

It was a breathtaking night; Tang Long displayed the same astonishing energy at home as he did on the court.

Every movement he makes is full of power and passion, as if he has inexhaustible energy.

Diletta never imagined that a striker who dominated the field could be so charming in real life.

Watching that graceful figure on the field, she couldn't help but marvel at how captivating youthful energy was.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bench, Gracie had no interest in enjoying the exciting match.

Her sapphire blue eyes were filled with worry and anxiety.

The scene from three days ago kept replaying in her mind: Tang Long, supporting his lower back, walked into the physiotherapy room, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Does it hurt again?"

Gracie asked questions while skillfully examining him.

Her fingers touched the obvious swelling on Tang Long's back—a mark left by Guarin's vicious foul in his first match for Manchester City against Tottenham Hotspur.

Although Gracie has temporarily relieved her pain with state-of-the-art physical therapy, she knows that this old injury is like a time bomb, and could recur at any time.

Especially towards the end of the league season, players' bodies are already at their limit, and any intense collision could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

"Take it easy, don't push yourself too hard." She prayed silently, her eyes fixed on Tang Long's figure. "There's still the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League finals to come. I'd rather you don't win the European Golden Shoe than see your back injury flare up again."

Just when everyone thought Manchester City would press their advantage and extend their lead to 6-0 or 7-0, Tang Long suddenly made an unexpected gesture.

He signaled to his teammates to slow down the pace of the attack.

"Control the ball, don't rush, slow down."

Tang Long arrived at the corner flag, but instead of breaking through, he passed the ball back to Ranocchia and made a downward pressing gesture.

Ranocchia understood immediately and began patiently passing the ball around in his own half.

Sunderland's players finally got a moment's respite, taking the opportunity to adjust their formation and reorganize their defense.

The 4-0 score remained until halftime.

When the halftime whistle blew, Agüero was the first to rush to Tang Long, his face full of confusion.

"Why slow down? Keep attacking them! Wouldn't it be better if you scored more goals?"

His eyes were filled with anxiety; as a teammate, he desperately wanted to see Tang Long lift the European Golden Shoe.

Tang Long chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Take it easy for now, don't exhaust your energy in the first half. There's the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League final later on, those are the more important battlegrounds. Besides, if you put the opponent on edge in the first half, they'll definitely go all out in the second half, and too much physical contact could easily lead to injury."

Agüero scratched his head, feeling that the logic was sound, but still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

"That's true, but the CEO specifically instructed us all to help you win the European Golden Shoe before the competition. Don't you want the Golden Boot anymore?"

"Who said I don't want it anymore?" Tang Long smiled confidently. "Let's take it easy and play again in the second half." After saying that, he turned and jogged towards the locker room. His soaked jersey clung to his body, outlining his standard athlete's physique.

Agüero stood on the field, watching Tang Long's departing figure, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

"He's absolutely confident he can beat Cristiano Ronaldo and win the European Golden Shoe. My God, is this really a player in his early twenties? Where does he get such confidence? Oh no, he really does have that confidence. Sigh, when will I be able to be as calm as him!"

At that moment, in Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo was also experiencing a storm of emotions.

He felt more anxious and uneasy than he had ever been this season, and his heart was filled with trepidation.

Even during the month he was away from the competition due to injury, he did not feel this restless.

"He's really strong, he's definitely capable," Cristiano Ronaldo muttered to himself. "All three goals were decisive and swift. He's a natural-born genius at shooting, and he knows exactly how to outmaneuver defenders and goalkeepers."

Only two balls left!

Tang Long only needs to score two more goals.

He will then have scored 56 league goals, equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's record and sharing the European Golden Shoe this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo recalled Tang Long's early Dao Initiation the penalty area, where he didn't shoot but instead passed the ball to Agüero in the middle—if it were Cristiano Ronaldo, with the team already winning the title, he would definitely have taken the shot himself.

"Is he really that confident that he can beat me and win the European Golden Shoe?"

Cristiano Ronaldo became increasingly nervous, his palms sweating profusely, and he didn't even have time to reply to the incessantly ringing text messages on his phone...