Since Ronaldo started the game against Sevil, many specuted that he would be a substitute in the Champions League final.

  It wasn't a difficult guess. Given Ronaldo's physical dition, it was unlikely he could py two high-iy games within three days.

  But even so, Ronaldo is still Ronaldo.

  At his level, no team would dare to ignore his presence.

  Bara was no exception.

  Rijkaard had made extensive preparations to deal with Ronaldo before the game, but as the match progressed, he realized that most of those pns were useless.

  Unless he was willing to weaken Bara's offense, Rijkaard had no effective way to tain Ronaldo.

  On the trary, Gao Shen's decision t Ronaldo on at this moment was more about sending a message to Bara.

  Gao Shen wanted Rijkaard to know that Ronaldo could strike Bara's penalty area at any moment, f them to be cautious in their attack. But the problem was that Bara was the team trailing in the score.

  If Bara were ahead, Rijkaard might have made some adjustments, but now… there was no time.

  ...

  This was Ronaldo's first Champions League final.

  After more than a decade of pying football, it was the first time he set foot oage of the Champions League final.

  For Ronaldo, the Stade de France carried a heavy psychological burden because it was in this stadium that he had wandered around like a sleepwalker, tributing to Brazil's loss in the World Cup final.

  Although he helped Brazil win the World Cup four years ter, it never fully erased the pain of that defeat in 1998.

  What made Ronaldo even more nervous was that Brazil had also used the home team's locker room at the Stade de France back then.

  Everything seemed to be fated.

  Especially in the first half, after Bara scored the opening goal, Ronaldo grew even more anxious. He feared that the nightmare of 1998 would repeat itself and that he would once again fall short of the championship trophy.

  That feeling was truly, utterly despairing!

  Fortunately, the tinuous adjustments made by head coach Gao Shen brought Real Madrid bato the game, sg two goals in a row to turch around.

  Before sending him onto the field, Gao Shen didn't give Ronaldo any tactical instrus. Instead, he pulled him close, looked into his eyes, and said, word by word, "Don't let yhtmare repeat itself! I believe in you!"

  These weren't just empty words, because Ronaldo saw gerust in Gao Shen's eyes.

  Ronaldo had never been someone who was good at expressing himself or unig with others, nor had he beeo share his thoughts easily. But surprisingly, every time he sat down with Gao Shen, he found himself talking about many personal matters, including past experiences he rarely mentioo anyone.

  Gao Shen was an excellent listener, skilled at drawing out the other person's thoughts while maintaining strict fidentiality.

  Ronaldo felt that Gao Shen was like a tree hollow, a safe pce to fide in.

  Therefore, Ronaldo had shared with Gao Shen his ay and the pressure he felt, and how the Stade de France ce of nightmares for him.

  Now, Gao Shen was encing him to end this nightmare with his own hands!

  ...

  After Ronaldo came on the field, he pyed with remarkable determination and moved with great energy.

  This caught everyone by surprise.

  "We have to admit now that Gao Shen is like a mysterious magi who make his pyers instinctively give their best for him, just like Zidane, just like Ronaldo."

  "We all see that Ronaldo is still carrying some weight, that he's not as fast as he was at his peak, and that his fitness still looks poor, but he is truly giving it his all."

  "From the momeepped onto the pitch, he's been running and pressing."

  "We really don't know what kind of magic Gao Shen has cast on Ronaldo to make him so obedient and hardw, but ohing is for sure: Gao Shen is truly remarkable!"

  "Leading Real Madrid to the Champions League final, overturning Bara to win La Liga, and being able to get Ronaldo, Zidane, Raul, Beckham, and other top stars in the world to py for him, we have to admit, Gao Shen is a genius."

  "A 25-year-old genius!"

  ...

  Iands, Carlo khat Gao Shen wasn't just a genius. He simply did things that others couldn't or wouldn't do.

  For instance, unig with superstars, listening to their needs and ideas, and providing them with the support they needed.

  Getting this group of already established superstars to give their all on the field was by no means an easy task.

  In fact, how many famous coaches in today's world of football truly do that?

  Only by genuinely reag their hearts, uanding their desires, and gaining their trust, you get them to fight for you och.

  Carlo had coached Real Madrid before, so he knew better than ahat while this may seem simple, it was actually the hardest thing to achieve.

  Tactics, teique, fitness… these alone aren't enough to reach a pyer's heart.

  In football, the hearts of pyers are the most plex.

  Siaking over as Real Madrid's coach, Gao Shen had worked tirelessly to win over every pyer.

  From youth pyers to first-team superstars, he made them all willing to fight for him.

  Only at this moment, watg Ronaldo running hard on the field, did Carlo finally admit that Gao Shen had surpassed him.

  At least, oh of coag, he couldn't catch up to Gao Shen.

  Because he could never get Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham, Raul, and others to py for him like they did fao Shen.

  That was the difference.

  ...

  The Stade de France is most remembered by fans around the world for the 1998 World Cup final.

  Gao Shen was no different.

  That was the first World Cup of his life.

  Although he didn't watch the live TV broadcast at the time and could only learn about it through neers, it didn't diminish his longing for the World Cup, the final, or his admiration for superstars like Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham, and Raul.

  And now, Zidahe hero of France, Ronaldo, the ace of Brazil, David Beckham, Engnd's golden right foot, and Raul, Spain's golden boy… were all pying for him.

  What a source of pride this was! What an achievement!

  When the ace superstars of both teams from that historial joined forces, how powerful could they be?

  Gao Shen was eager to find out.

  Ronaldo did not disappoint Gao Shen's trust and support. In just nine minutes on the field, he gave the world a glimpse of the Ronaldo who onihe Stade de France.

  And Zidaoo, showed that he still had youth in his legs.

  ...

  Real Madrid won the ball at the edge of their penalty area, with Beckham passing it to Zidahe Fren shielded the ball from Xavi, turned after trolling it, a a perfectly weighted pass to the front.

  Ronaldo, finding space, sprinted forward with the ball, heading straight for Bara's penalty area.

  Puyol and Marquez hurriedly retreated.

  It was two against two, with Negredo following closely behind.

  But Ronaldo drove the ball to the left, bypassing Marquez, and chose to take on Puyol one-on-one.

  Puyol stepped up to front Ronald to force him to the left, narrowing the shooting angle, and giving Valdés more spaake a save.

  Marquez, positioned behind Puyol, kept an eye on Negredo, ready to step in and block his shot if Ronaldo passed the ball.

  The two Bara ter-backs tio retreat as Ronaldo advanced into the penalty area with the ball.

  Just as Ronaldo was about to face Puyol directly, he suddenly started to execute a series of quick stepovers, his left and right feet stantly moving the ball. His entire body also shifted direultiple times.

  Just when the Bara captain tried to stay banced, Ronaldo swiftly pulled the ball to the left with his right foot.

  Then a shot came out of nowhere.

  From the tinuous stepovers and dribbling to the sudde-footed strike, the entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye.

  Valdés reacted quickly, diving to make a save, but Ronaldo's shot had been lofted just enough. The ball grazed the underside of the crossbar aled into the back of Bara's .

  After sg, Ronaldo let out a loud ugh, spreading his arms wide. He didn't run out to celebrate but turned around in the penalty area, walking back with a swagger.

  Everyone iadium was stunned.

  Including Gao Shen on the sidelines.

  This is the differeween ordinary humans and an alien.

  Even when everyohought he was finished, even using his weaker left foot, even with nearly no ao shoot, he still scored!

  It's almost unreasonable how he does it!

  Because his name is Ronaldo!

  ...

  The Stade de Fraed in wild cheers—not just from Real Madrid fans, but from many Bara fans too.

  In the face of such a spectacur goal, all fans share the same feelings.

  Ronaldo's goal may have looked simple, but it was incredibly difficult to execute.

  More importantly, this goal pletely shattered Bara's fidend hopes for a eback.

  Rijkaard could throw everything into the attack, but he had to sider the cost.

  When Bara pressed forward desperately, they faced a Ronaldo who ying out of his mind, a mysterious Zidane behind him, and Beckham, capable of delivering deadly long passes. Could Bara stop them?

  Gao Shen ched his fists and appuded Ronaldo's goal.

  He turo the visiting team's coag bend saw Rijkaard c his face, walking back to the ben deje.

  This was no surprise.

  Rijkaard, known for his appreciation of exceptional talent, pced all his faith in Ronaldinho, with Messi, anenius, pying a supp role. This strategy paid off initially, as the duo's brilliance led to Bara's first goal.

  However, Real Madrid, posed rgely of hardw pyers rather than superstars, mao turn the game around, taking the lead with a 2-1 scorelihis alone would have been frustrating for Rijkaard, but what truly made it unbearable was seeing Real Madrid's own genius shine.

  In a moment of brilliance, Zida up a perfect assist, allowing Ronaldo to go one-oh the defense. Despite being closely marked by Puyol, Ronaldo muscled his way through and scored from an almost impossible angle.

  This moment struck Rijkaard the hardest, as it highlighted a harsh reality: Real Madrid was never short on talent. Despite his relian individual brillia was Real Madrid's collective effort and their own star power that ultimately delivered the most devastating blow to his team.