The ball went in!
Bachira Meguru had scored.
The score was 1-0.
After the goal, they celebrated wildly, and all instinctively looked towards Tendou's position.
As for Tendou, seeing that his popularity points had plateaued, he decisively put on his sunglasses and coolly exited the stadium the next time the camera focused on him.
Who would have known the production team would add more drama for him?
Somehow, Anri Teieri appeared at the entrance of his private box.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah. They'll win."
Tendou had no choice but to continue the act.
"Besides, I have my own battlefield to attend to."
"Then... good luck!"
In the end, Anri Teieri didn't try to keep him, watching with her eyes fixed as Tendou, his back to her, gave a casual wave and disappeared from the stadium.
"Not bad, that was a decent enough exit!"
Once back in the car, Tendou checked his gains.
Not much. After all, his popularity points had reached a bottleneck. It would be difficult for him to see another significant increase in this show. It had been the same in the previous world; as an important supporting character, once the plot reached its later stages, his popularity became hard to raise. Those who liked him would continue to like him, and those who didn't wouldn't suddenly change their minds.
This meant it was time for him to leave.
Tendou closed his eyes, went to the airport, and boarded a flight back to Liverpool.
Meanwhile, back at the stadium, Chigiri Hyoma only found out that Tendou had left when he returned to the locker room at halftime. By then, they were already leading Nigeria 2-0.
"What? Tendou already left?"
"Yeah. The moment we took the lead, he decided we would win and left." Anri Teieri informed everyone.
"Tch, that guy." Chigiri clicked his tongue. He had thought he would get to meet Tendou today and exchange a few words.
"If you want to see him, then you need to prove yourselves more."
"Hiding in the stands of this stadium are scouts from clubs all over the world."
"If you can win their approval, you'll have a chance to meet Tendou again." Ego Jinpachi used this to motivate the players. The effect was excellent; the team's fighting spirit soared.
...
After returning to Liverpool, Tendou prepared for the Champions League with the team.
June 2nd.
The day of the Champions League final.
Countless fans poured into Madrid, Spain. The streets, alleys, and pubs were packed to the brim. Everyone was discussing the upcoming match.
Liverpool fans believed that having eliminated giants like Bayern, Porto, and Barcelona on their way, Liverpool had all the markings of a champion.
Tottenham fans, on the other hand, argued that since they had beaten Manchester City over two legs, they could certainly defeat Liverpool in the final. After all, the Champions League final is a single-match decider. There is no home or away advantage; the two sides would settle the score at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium. Furthermore, cup competitions are different from the league; there are far more uncertainties. This, in fact, was Tottenham's advantage!
Neither side could convince the other. After a few beers, some even started fighting. For a time, police sirens blared through the streets of Madrid. Many people ended up at the police station, bruised, battered, and reeking of alcohol.
As for the neutral fans, they were more hopeful of seeing Tottenham win the title. Liverpool's strength was undeniable, but these fans preferred to witness a miracle of the weak defeating the strong.
And it wasn't as if Tottenham had no hope. In football, especially in cup competitions, fighting spirit is a key factor that can decide the outcome. Liverpool had just won the league title not long ago; their hunger might have already been partially satiated.
In contrast, Tottenham's trophy cabinet had remained empty for so many years.
Adam Blake, the great English star, would surely hope to win something for the team. Because if he succeeded, he would become the greatest player in Tottenham's history! In his youth, Adam Blake pursued fame and fortune. But at this stage of his career, he was more concerned with his legacy. And to be remembered, one needs glorious honors!
Therefore, people believed that in terms of fighting spirit, Tottenham's was stronger.
For this match, the Wanda Metropolitano stadium opened seventy thousand seats. By six in the evening, countless fans were already flooding into the stadium. The sound of Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone" was deafening, but the Tottenham fans were not to be outdone, engaging in a singing battle across the stadium. The Liverpool fans lit their iconic red flares. For a moment, the Metropolitano was filled with battle songs and smoke.
The great battle was about to begin.
On Sky Sports, they had once again invited Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as a guest. In addition, they had also invited another special guest: Ledley King, a player who had dedicated his entire career to Tottenham.
Before the match began, Gerrard and the host first welcomed Ledley, chatted about amusing anecdotes from their careers, and exchanged a round of mutual praise.
Then, they inevitably started talking about the match.
In an instant, the atmosphere between the two club legends changed.
The host, skilled at stirring things up, asked, "So, what are your predictions for today's final?"
"Liverpool will win, there's no doubt about it!" Gerrard said decisively. "We have the experience of winning the Champions League 5 times. Liverpool has the strongest champion's DNA in all of Europe. Plus, we just won the Premier League with 100 points in a single season. I can't think of any reason why we would lose!"
As soon as he said this, Ledley King became defensive. Gerrard's words were tantamount to saying Tottenham had no champion's DNA.
"That's right, Tottenham haven't won what we've wanted to for many years, but that doesn't mean we don't have the heart of a champion."
"It's precisely because we haven't won it that we are so desperate to make that breakthrough from 0 to 1!"
"This desire for victory is the most important weapon we have to defeat Liverpool."
"And, we have Adam Blake, the most complete striker in modern history!"
As a modern center-forward, Adam Blake (Kane) was almost perfect. He could shoot, create chances, hold up the ball... everything you could want, he had.
Gerrard had mocked Tottenham for lacking a champion's DNA, and Ledley King was now mocking Liverpool for lacking the desire for victory. The two were arguing heatedly. The host received a message from the director telling them to let it continue, because the viewership ratings were soaring.
"But Liverpool has TJ! He just won the Premier League Golden Boot, and he's only 18!" Gerrard immediately retorted loudly.
"That's right, we have TJ, the strongest 18-year-old player in history! Not long ago, he led Liverpool to a comeback against Barcelona at Camp Nou!"
"29 goals in 21 league matches, an average of 1.3 goals per game. Even Adam in his peak season didn't have stats like that."
Ledley King immediately countered.
"That's because Liverpool's squad is better! As far as I'm concerned, TJ has never been Liverpool's main man. They have Salah, Mané, Firmino, Van Dijk, Arnold... In a lineup like that, of course TJ can play comfortably and get good stats. It doesn't mean that much!"