The Eagle of the Pampas with Broken Wings

"Champions!"

"Champions!"

"Champions!"

The Italian fans, who had been holding it in for 120 minutes, erupted into frenzied cheers.

Brazil's security was clearly rather lax. Red flares, so characteristic of Serie A, filled the stadium, as if they had returned to that not-so-romantic derby.

In the stands, Dida's memories instantly returned to that summer.

Inter Milan fans had grown furious because their team was behind and unable to score, throwing huge numbers of flares onto the pitch.

When he saw one falling straight toward him, Huang Kaiwen had shoved him aside, only to fall unconscious himself.

Even now, he had not forgotten that moment, nor what Huang Kaiwen had said to him.

Unfortunately, he had not been able to keep playing in Europe and had let down Huang Kaiwen's expectations.

Dida did not know whether it was a Brazilian fate—once they got older, they wanted to return to Brazil.

And that quack had been a serious problem too. He could not even properly determine the cause of an eye condition. Even now, Dida's eye trouble occasionally flared up.

Still, Dida remained deeply grateful that Huang Kaiwen had risked himself to save him.

Even though he had not been hit by the flare, the incident had left him with lingering trauma.

God knew what would have happened if it had struck him.

Huang Kaiwen charged onto the pitch alongside the players.

Buffon, the biggest hero of the day, was immediately hoisted up by his teammates.

Interestingly, Italy's squad was rather uneven in height, so Insigne, standing in the middle, could only strain to support Buffon by the waist.

"Three, two, one!"

As the countdown ended,

Buffon was thrown high into the air again and again. With his hand outstretched, it felt as if he could touch the skies above Salvador, Bahia.