Three hours later, the plane landed in Switzerland.
As Mourinho and Ling stepped out of the airport terminal, they saw numerous fans wearing Manchester United jerseys waving frantically at them from behind the security barriers.
Camera flashes flickered incessantly beside them.
As last season's Champions League winners, Manchester United had attracted a lot of attention and gained a massive number of fans.
Ling put on a professional smile and waved enthusiastically.
Boarding the business car prepared by UEFA, the mentor and his protégé arrived once again in Nyon.
By the time they reached the UEFA headquarters, the area outside was already packed with a massive crowd.
Posters of representatives from the 16 clubs lined both sides of the red carpet.
Ling carefully examined his own photo, recalling his first visit here when Paul Pogba was still the face on Manchester United's poster.
Back then, he was an insignificant young player, seated at the very back of the venue.
Who would have thought that in just over a year, he would be mentioned alongside football superstars and even win the UEFA Player of the Year award? It truly makes one reflect.
Soon, representatives from other clubs arrived as well.
Cristiano Ronaldo was his usual cold self, Mo Salah's afro swayed as he walked and there were others like Kevin De Bruyne and Neymar, whom Ling had seen just a few days earlier.
Ling greeted everyone, except for Diego Simeone and Antoine Griezmann—he simply had no interest in anyone from Atlético Madrid.
Simeone, noticing this, snorted coldly and took his seat.
Not long after, the draw ceremony officially began.
UEFA Deputy Secretary-General Giorgio Marchetti presided over the event, with French women's football star Laura Georges and final venue ambassador Luis García serving as guests.
The opening segment once again featured lengthy, tedious speeches, prompting the players below the stage to whisper among themselves.
"Kevin, who do you think you'll draw?" Ling turned to De Bruyne on his right, always feeling that Manchester City had good luck—or perhaps Pep Guardiola's luck was simply excellent.
"Schalke 04, they seem the weakest," De Bruyne replied without hesitation, directly picking the most favorable draw.
"Haha, good luck to you then!" Ling said with a laugh.
Not far away, at the coaches' representatives' seats, UEFA's seating arrangements were rather peculiar.
Guardiola, Max Allegri, and Erik ten Hag were seated close together.
Under the soft lighting, their bald heads appeared strikingly bright and shiny.
After finishing his speech, Marchetti continued, "This season's Champions League knockout stage will introduce the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system!"
The venue immediately erupted into commotion. Even though everyone had known about this in advance, they couldn't help but murmur in discussion.
After all, VAR would inevitably impact teams' tactics, such as offside traps and tactical fouls.
Once the venue quieted down again, accompanied by the iconic Champions League anthem, staff carried glass bowls containing small balls onto the stage.
García pulled out a small ball and unfolded the slip of paper inside for the cameras.
"Liverpool!"
García's expression instantly turned serious.
During the year of the Miracle of Istanbul, the world only remembered AC Milan's tragedy, but few noticed how Liverpool had reached the final. In the Round of 16 against Bayer Leverkusen, García had scored three goals across two legs.
In the quarter-finals against Juventus, he scored a spectacular long-range goal. In the semi-finals against Chelsea, he netted a "ghost goal."
It could be said that García single-handedly carried Liverpool to the final!
But today, it seemed he might be drawing a nightmare matchup for his former club.
Georges also pulled out a small ball to draw their opponent.
"Bayern Munich!"
Niko Kovač's face instantly darkened, clearly unable to accept the draw result. After the end of last season, Jupp Heynckes explicitly stated he would not renew his contract, leading Bayern to appoint Kovač from Eintracht Frankfurt.
However, due to his lack of experience coaching a top-tier club, he struggled to adapt initially at Bayern.
Although their league performance was still acceptable, the Bundesliga had long been dominated by Bayern.
Given Bayern's current strength, a head-to-head clash with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool likely wouldn't end well.
Klopp adjusted his glasses, not overly concerned. Because he knew Bayern all too well.
As the slips of paper were revealed one after another, the Champions League knockout stage draw results were finalized!
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the LED screen.
Due to extensive hype from sports media, it was widely known that Ling wanted to face Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.
At the time, no one took his words seriously.
But today, Ling's "wish" had somehow come true!
Manchester United drew Atlético Madrid.
Simeone felt his temples throbbing wildly—he truly did not want to face Manchester United in the Round of 16.
Even though Atlético Madrid had been performing exceptionally well recently, Manchester United had not stagnated either.
Despite their recent struggles in both the Champions League and the league, that was merely a normal outcome under Mourinho's rotation system.
Only by facing them on the pitch could one truly understand Manchester United's strength.
Moreover, Manchester United had a player in Ling who was practically a cheat code.
Mourinho's mood wasn't any better either.
It was truly a case of fearing what might come—Atlético Madrid was no pushover. Who in the world could manage to draw against Barcelona and defeat Real Madrid? Manchester United's schedule was already packed, and now they had to play two high-intensity matches.
Atlético was the kind of team that played dirty to the bone, so injuries were almost certain during the matches.
This would inevitably have a negative impact on Manchester United's league and cup performances.
Guardiola, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear.
They had drawn Schalke 04, one of the only three "weaker teams."
Ernesto Valverde and Santiago Solari also wore smiles on their faces.
Although Lyon and Ajax were no pushovers either, they were far more manageable compared to teams like Tottenham, Juventus, and Roma.
One could even call them a generous gift.
In the players' representative seating area, Ling was surrounded by the gazes of numerous players, likely marveling at his prophetic mouth.
How else could he have predicted exactly what came to pass? However, there was a hint of schadenfreude among them.
If last season's Champions League champions were to fall in the Round of 16, Manchester United would become the butt of jokes for years to come, and even the legitimacy of their previous Champions League title would be questioned.
Ling, however, didn't have many thoughts on the matter.
Since the outcome was already set, complaining was pointless. It was better to focus on training instead.
Besides, it was Atlético who should be worried, given that Manchester United had just beaten them in the Super Cup.
"Ling, are you heading to Turin later?" Matthijs de Ligt walked over. "We should be on the same flight."
During the preseason friendly between Manchester United and Ajax, the two had exchanged jerseys and contact information.
They occasionally liked each other's posts on social media, so their relationship could be considered decent.
"Yeah, want to go together?" Ling quite liked De Ligt's personality.
As the two were chatting, a young player approached them.
"Hello, I'm Vinícius Júnior."
"Ling, that punch of yours in the Super Cup was legendary. I've always disliked Filipe Luís—his tackles are reckless, and he's made subtle racial remarks," Vinícius's tone was full of admiration.
Although he was a year younger than Ling, Vinícius had been scouted early by Real Madrid.
However, he hadn't gotten any playing time last season.
Now, with Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid for Juventus, Vinícius had become one of Real Madrid's future stars.
Having witnessed Ling's rise last season, Vinícius naturally saw him as a role model to chase.
"Nice to meet you." Ling pulled out his phone from his pocket and exchanged contact information with Vinícius as well.
He thought to himself that if he kept playing for a few more years, his connections would likely span across Europe's top five leagues.
He'd have someone to treat him to a meal no matter which away game he played.
A little later, Phil Foden, Justin Kluivert, and others joined Ling's circle.
Since the Champions League knockout draw and the European Golden Boy award ceremony were only a day apart, the group skipped the remaining events in Nyon and boarded a flight to Turin, Italy.
...
The next day, in Turin.
As Italy's third-largest city, Turin boasts a rich history and cultural heritage. It is home to two Serie A clubs: Juventus and Torino.
The former has won seven consecutive Serie A titles. Football elements are scattered throughout the city's streets and alleys.
Although Serie A has declined due to economic reasons, the passion for football among the people has only grown stronger.
"Ling, I've reviewed your personal brand plan. Starting with apparel and collaborating with Puma on a small scale is indeed a viable first step," his agent, Jorge Mendes, said as they walked through the city, rubbing his tired temples.
"Once I finish handling Cristiano's matters, I'll immediately help you negotiate with Puma."
"Mhm, let's have both teams make preliminary contact first, and then assess the markets in China and Europe," Ling replied, taking a sip of coffee.
He was interested in the personal brand venture, but not overly so.
For now, his focus remained firmly on football—after all, that was his foundation. Winning championships was more effective than any marketing strategy.
"Let's go, the awards ceremony is about to start," Mendes said, patting Ling on the shoulder.
Mendes felt immensely grateful that he had swallowed his pride back then, leveraging not only his connections with Manchester United and Mourinho but also personally seeking out the then-unknown Ling.
'That fatso Raiola must be kicking himself with regret!' Mendes thought to himself.
Soon, the two arrived at the OGR venue, which was already filled with stars.
Italian football legends like Giorgio Chiellini, Pavel Nedvěd, and Paolo Maldini were in attendance, along with rising stars from Europe's top five leagues.
Amidst the frenzy of flashing camera lights, the ceremony began!
"Congratulations to Juventus player Benedetta Glionna for winning the European Women's Golden Boy Award!"
"Congratulations to Jorge Mendes for winning the European Best Player Agent Award!"
And finally, the main event.
"Congratulations to Manchester United player Jeremy Ling for winning the 2018 European Golden Boy Award!"