29 Years Old and Free! It's Time to Start a New Chapter!
Tang Long's penalty kick sealed the victory!
All the Real Madrid players on the field collapsed to the ground as if they had been shot in the chest.
Kroos, like a puppet whose soul had been ripped from its strings, knelt on the grass, his fingers digging deep into the soil; winger Asensio lay on his back, sweat covering his dejected face; captain Ramos took off his captain's armband, sat on the ground and rubbed it repeatedly, muttering something under his breath.
The only person standing was Cristiano Ronaldo.
His gaze remained fixed on the goal guarded by Navas for a long time.
The moment the ball hit the net, the Portuguese closed his eyes slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously, and then slowly lowered his head, a head that never easily yielded—a gesture reminiscent of a defeated hero in ancient Greece sculptures, carrying a tragic blend of resentment and relief.
The photographer nearby astutely captured this moment, and even many years later, this photo remains a topic of conversation among many fans, a subject of endless discussion.
[When a new god is born, the old gods bow their heads.]
This photograph, later named "Twilight," appeared on the covers of countless football magazines over the next eight years, becoming a symbol of a changing era.
Strangely enough, Tang Long's memory was a bit hazy; he only remembered that after the ball went in, the referee immediately blew the whistle to end the match.
It is said that this was because the referee, seeing all the Real Madrid players on the ground, judged that their mental defenses had completely collapsed, and simply ended the game decisively.
Tang Long, who scored the penalty, also suffered a cramp in his left foot at the moment of impact. He wanted to run and celebrate, but the intense pain forced him to sit on the ground.
Exhaustion overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, and the noise around him gradually faded away.
In a daze, he saw the young man who had just stepped onto the Serie A pitch eight years ago, wearing an ill-fitting Inter Milan jersey, making a mistake on his first touch amidst the jeers of the Meazza fans; he saw Guardiola slamming his tactics board to the ground in fury amidst the fireworks at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium...
Like Cristiano Ronaldo, he also closed his eyes and actually fell asleep amidst the thunderous cheers of the UEFA Champions League final.
Thus, an extremely comical scene unfolded on the field.
Except for Cristiano Ronaldo, who was standing, all the Real Madrid players were lying on the ground.
Apart from Tang Long, who was lying on the ground, all of Manchester City's teammates ran towards him.
When Tang Long opened his eyes again, he found himself being tossed high into the air by his teammates.
Kompany's bronze arms, veins bulging, steadily lifted him into the night sky;
Kolarov ripped off his jersey, revealing a gruesome scar on his chest;
Stones' eyes were red-rimmed, and tears mixed with snot were smeared on his face.
They were like a group of ancient warriors, surrounding the new king as he ran around the field.
Manchester City fans in the stands lit blue flares, and the heatwave, accompanied by shouts of "Tang! Tang!", threatened to lift the dome of Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
Cries, screams, shouts, and joyful cries rose and fell in waves...
"Treble! That season's glory is like a thick epic!"
"Manchester City win their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy, with Tang Long taking the UEFA Champions League Golden Boot with 23 goals, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo with fewer penalties."
"What's even more astonishing is his terrifying record of 83 goals in a single season—57 league goals, 23 UEFA Champions League goals, and 3 FA Cup goals. This number elevates Lionel Messi's record of 73 goals by a whopping 10 goals, etching a new milestone on the monument of football history!"
Eight years later, at Twilight, Tang Long sat in the courtyard of his luxurious villa in Madrid, his fingertips tracing the autobiography written by Diletta about him.
As the setting sun shone through the tall magnolia trees in the courtyard, dappled light and shadows fell on the pages of the book, and the words about glory and struggle suddenly came alive.
"83 goals..." he murmured softly to the air, a hint of melancholy he himself didn't realize in his voice, "Can I surpass that now?"
The final match of the 38th round of Serie A was held as scheduled.
Inter Milan fought back tenaciously to a 1-1 draw against Juventus at home.
This originally gave Juventus' title rivals Napoli a great opportunity, but who could have imagined that the giants of southern Italy would stumble in the gutter, drawing 1-1 with Lazio at home.
As a result, although Juventus were held to a draw, they still won the league title this season by a narrow margin of one point.
Perhaps feeling fortunate about their victory, Juventus' celebrations at the Meazza were much more subdued than expected.
However, as the Inter Milan coach watched the Juventus players in their black and white stripes wearing smug smiles on their faces from the sidelines, he was still seething with hatred!
Although he thwarted Juventus, he still couldn't prevent the humiliating scene of their opponents celebrating their championship victory on their home turf.
Fortunately, this draw salvaged some pride for Inter Milan.
Although Inter Milan finished ninth in the season, far from the goals set by Chivu at the beginning of the season, they still decided to give the young coach another chance, allowing him to at least fulfill the three-year contract he signed with the team, ensuring that Chivu's position as manager is secure for at least next season.
Chivu and his coaching staff finally breathed a sigh of relief. Berni even suggested that they go out for a few drinks to celebrate, but Chivu politely declined the invitation.
"What's there to celebrate? It's not like we won the championship. I feel ashamed to celebrate this. Let's focus on the transfer market, refine the squad, and try to compete with Juventus for the title again next season!"
The following morning, the front page of the * La Gazzetta dello Sport * dropped a bombshell. "Return to Inter Milan? All Nerazzurri fans are waiting for Dom's return!"
The accompanying image is a photoshopped picture of Tang Long wearing an Inter Milan jersey, with the burning Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in the background.
This news quickly became a trending topic on major sports websites, and the hashtag # Tang Long # on Twitter garnered over 50 million views within three hours!
In fact, rumors about Tang Long leaving Real Madrid had been circulating for some time.
Ever since that dramatic transfer window in 2018—when Real Madrid snatched him from Manchester City for a record €290 million, when Florentino raised his jersey high at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, when Cristiano Ronaldo's departing figure and his arrival formed a fateful handover—the doubts have never ceased.
During his seven years at Real Madrid, Tang Long delivered a terrifying record of 340 goals in 301 appearances.
His bicycle kick was featured on a game cover, and slow-motion replays of his free-kick goals were played on television. Even opposing fans had to admit: this Eastern striker has an innate goal-scoring instinct!
But the price is increasingly frequent injuries.
By then, La Liga was no longer the possession-based league it once was; the term "logging league" seemed more fitting.
The rough fouls on the field were like invisible shackles binding his legs.
He became a key target for defense, and a torn ACL in his knee kept him out for most of the season.
At this moment, 29-year-old Tang Long stands at a crossroads in his life—having refused to renew his contract with Real Madrid a year ago, he became a free agent as soon as the season ended.
The magnolia leaves in the courtyard fell as he gazed at the street scene of Madrid outside the wall.
Ronaldo's phone kept popping up with offers he'd forwarded: high-salary contracts from Major League Soccer, astronomical offers from Chinese Super League teams, and even huge checks from West Asian leagues.
But his thoughts drifted back to Milan, the city where he first made his mark on Europe football, the blue ocean of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Tang Long got up from the recliner. The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, outlining a running posture on the grass.
"Perhaps it's time to begin a new chapter."