Hierro had never made an arrangement like this before. For years, the captain's armband had belonged to Leo.
Whenever Leo was on the pitch, the captain's armband was his. No matter how well anyone else performed or how many years they had spent with the national team, they could only be second or third captain.
That was the rule Hierro had established after Sergio Ramos's generation left the national team. It remained unbroken until today.
Pedri had become the first exception, and not because he had asked for it. Leo had given him the armband himself.
Pedri barely had time to process what was happening. He could only watch as Leo slipped the captain's armband onto his arm, then ran back toward midfield and gestured for him to hurry over and get into the match.
Hierro understood exactly what Leo was trying to do.
Scholes remembered how Sergio Ramos had looked after Leo when Leo himself was still a young player. Now Leo wanted to give the next generation that same confidence.
"When Leo was a young player, he must have experienced plenty of both kindness and coldness from others. That exists in the football world too."
"We all know how talented Pedri is. There's a very good chance he'll become a midfield master one day. By letting Pedri wear the captain's armband in a UEFA European Championship final, Leo is trying to help him grow."
With the same captain's armband Leo had worn wrapped around his arm, Pedri almost felt as though he could sense the path Leo had traveled while leading this team.
The 92nd minute!
Spain's players could barely contain themselves anymore. Hardly anyone on the bench was still able to sit calmly.
Hierro, Zubizarreta, and Xavi, however, remained perfectly still in the technical area, sitting there like three composed grown men.
There were only three minutes of stoppage time.
There had not been many fouls in the second half. England wanted to attack, while Spain kept changing the tempo, so neither side had wasted much time.
Saka made one final attempt from the right, but Laporte blocked the shot behind for a corner.
Saka took the resulting corner as well.
Henderson combined with Saka on a short routine before sending the ball into the middle, where Kane headed home England's final consolation goal.
Then, amid the roar of the Spanish supporters, the UEFA European Championship final came to an end.
"The UEFA European Championship final is over! Spain defeat England 3-1 to claim another UEFA European Championship title!"
"This is also Leo's first UEFA European Championship title! Congratulations to every Spain player, congratulations to Hierro and his coaching staff, and congratulations to all the Spanish supporters!"
Pedri ran straight over to Leo and put the captain's armband back on his arm.
Every Spain player rushed toward Leo to celebrate. Even Hierro came running over.
"If Leo had been playing for England in this UEFA European Championship final, we'd definitely be champions!"
Scholes still wasn't entirely willing to accept the result. In his mind, England had not really lost to Spain.
"Well, I could just as easily say that if Leo had played for the Netherlands, then the Netherlands would've won the UEFA European Championship instead."
Gullit looked at the young England players crouched on the grass, some of them already in tears.
He no longer had the heart to keep teasing Scholes.
The sight reminded him of the Netherlands being eliminated, or of France and other excellent teams falling short of the UEFA European Championship title.
Winning a tournament like this could completely change the course of a player's career.
These were all outstanding young footballers with bright futures ahead of them. But everyone wanted their career to begin as perfectly as possible, almost like a fairy tale.
If England's young players had won the UEFA European Championship, they would already have had a dream start to their careers.
But this time, Leo had taken the trophy, and it was Spain's young players who were enjoying that perfect beginning.
Gaya, Pedri, Olmo, Oyarzabal, Sarabia, and many of Spain's other young players still couldn't quite believe they were actually UEFA European champions.
The UEFA European Championship was held only once every four years.
It was one of the biggest tournaments in world football, watched across the globe, and a major trophy countless players could go their entire careers without ever winning.
And today, they had actually won it.
"Leo, now I understand how you felt when you won the FIFA World Cup. I finally understand why you always said that no matter what happened, you had to fight for the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA World Cup."
Pedri wished his good friends could have been there to experience it with him.
"I have two very good friends watching from the stands right now. One is Gavi, and the other is Yamal. They're both among the best players in Spain's Youth Team."
"It's a shame neither of them made the squad for this UEFA European Championship. There are only so many places available, and Yamal is still a little young. But I believe that before long, they'll both be here too, winning major international titles alongside you just like I did."
Even at a moment like this, Pedri didn't forget to introduce his two close friends to the captain.
Gavi and Yamal both dreamed of making the Spain national team.
Their selection ultimately depended on Hierro, of course, but Pedri knew that if Leo mentioned their names to him, Hierro would certainly spend more time watching the two youngsters to see exactly how good they were.
Leo was surrounded by Spain's players as the UEFA European Championship trophy was prepared for the presentation.
The Spanish supporters could hardly wait.
"Back when Leo led us to the FIFA World Cup title, I said he'd lead us to the UEFA European Championship too!"
"I've just realized that hardly anyone managed to score against Spain in this tournament, let alone face us and come away unscathed!"
"So this is the young generation of Spain that so many fans questioned? We've won the UEFA European Championship now. Who's still going to doubt their future?"
Just as everyone was celebrating Spain's UEFA European Championship triumph, the latest market value rankings were released.
Leo was already ranked first, but his valuation had risen again.
And this time, the increase was enormous.
He had won the UEFA European Championship and was now on the verge of securing his third Ballon d'Or.
Scholes quickly got hold of the latest figure.
Gullit had barely had time to celebrate Leo winning the UEFA European Championship before he suddenly had another reason to celebrate.
Leo's market value had once again reached a level never before seen in football history.
"To everyone watching the UEFA European Championship final live, before the trophy presentation begins, I have another piece of news to share."
"According to the latest market value rankings, the captain of Spain, the captain of Liverpool, and one of the biggest stars in world football over the past several years, Leo Lin."
"His market value has officially reached 280 million euros!"
...
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