The Champions League awards ceremony began at Allianz Arena.
The runners-up, Juventus players, all looked dejected and crestfallen.
Like frostbitten eggplants, they walked up to the podium with hunched backs and sickly expressions.
In football matches, no one remembers the runners-up; they merely serve as the backdrop for the champions!
An Olympic silver medal may hold commemorative value, but a silver medal in a football cup signifies a loser.
Tonight at Germany’s Allianz Arena, Juventus served as the backdrop for Barça’s victory!
As the fireworks soared into the sky, Captain Harvey raised the fifth Champions League trophy in the team’s history!
Beside him were Iniesta, Busquets, Messi, Pique, and other veteran members from La Masia.
Champions League, league title, King’s Cup—Barça once again crowned as the treble winners of Europe, historically becoming the team to achieve the treble twice!
"So, what do you guys feel after watching the match?" Ronaldo asked Tang Long and Bonazzoli with a smile.
Bonazzoli spoke with a tone of envy, jealousy, and hatred:
"Neymar is absolutely formidable, whether it’s shooting, dribbling, or passing—it’s all top tier. If I had even thirty percent of his skill, why would I worry about being a starter at Inter?"
However, Tang Long had much deeper thoughts.
Without blinking, he watched the entire 90-minute match.
This match brought Tang Long an unprecedented shock!
In Serie A, Juventus is undoubtedly the absolute dominator.
They had just won their fourth consecutive Serie A title with a nine-point lead.
Even teams like Inter, AC Milan, and Rome could barely compete with Juventus; other Serie A teams would often give up before the match even started.
You could say that Juventus could walk sideways on the Apennine Peninsula at this stage!
This season, Inter and Juventus faced each other three times, resulting in one win, one draw, and one loss.
From the results, the two teams appear evenly matched.
But as someone who participated in the three matches, Tang Long could clearly feel Juventus’s overall hard power was still a notch above Inter!
Especially the golden midfield composed of Marchisio, Pogba, and Pirlo.
They often crush Inter Milan’s midfield through relentless running and dispatching.
These three midfield masters play comfortably in Serie A; whoever encounters them ends up completely dazed.
But when it comes to the Champions League stage, against strong La Liga teams like Barcelona, Juventus seemed like a completely different team, no longer navigating with ease as they do in Serie A, but rather stumbling awkwardly.
In Serie A, Juventus boasted absolute defensive strength, conceding the least goals among all 20 Serie A teams.
After all, the ironclad defense transplanted from Italy’s national team with Buffon, Chiellini, and Barzagli, was a nightmare for all forwards!
These four could always guard Juventus’s goal solidly.
But against Barça in this match, Juventus conceded three goals~
It’s important to note that throughout all 38 rounds of the Serie A, the most they had ever conceded in a single match was only two goals.
The key was in Barça’s midfield!
Habib was stronger than Pirma Bob!
The presence of Habib is the reason Barça had so many attacking opportunities, repeatedly sending the ball into Juventus’s defensive third, allowing seemingly impossible plays to become possible.
And these three, born from La Masia, have passing-and-controlling genes ingrained in their DNA, enabling them to seamlessly maneuver through Juventus’s muscle-based pressure, constantly threading the needle, elusive in their movement, evading opponent’s pressing.
Despite both being groups of three, the overall strength of Busquets, Harvey, and Iniesta far surpasses Pirlo, Marchisio, and Pogba!
There are always higher mountains, greater talents.
The Serie A champion’s midfield, when faced with Barça, was played with ease, defenseless!
During this match, Juventus’s possession rate was only 41%, far lower than their average 58% in Serie A.
This match left Tang Long deeply shaken, a real eye-opener.
With these thoughts, he couldn’t help but sigh and ask Ronaldo:
"Mr. Ronnie, if our Inter Milan encounters this Barça, how much chance do you think we have to win?"
Ronaldo was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
He never expected Tang Long to ask this question.
After thinking for a few seconds, he replied, "At most, one or two out of ten."
"Doesn’t that mean we’re bound to lose?" Bonazzoli asked in return.
"What do you think? Kid, you watched the entire match. Barça’s absolute control in midfield was something even Juventus couldn’t withstand, can Inter withstand it? It’s a very obvious question."
"And look at Messi, Suarez, Neymar; even pulling out one player alone, they’re candidates for the Golden Ball. Now look at Serie A, who could win the Golden Ball there?"
"We must admit, the most glorious era of Serie A has passed!"
"But in 2010, we defeated Barça in the Champions League semifinals," Bonazzoli countered.
"True, but back then we had President Moratti, and we had Mourinho. Now, the wealthy owners are gone, and the top-class coaches are gone; they’ve all left Serie A."
Bonazzoli never experienced Serie A’s golden age.
As a player born in the late 90s, as he gradually grew, Serie A also transitioned from prosperity to decline.
"If only I could get a picture with Neymar." Bonazzoli suddenly blurted out.
During this match, the 18-year-old young Italian striker was completely enamored by Neymar’s marvelous performance.
This was his first time watching the Brazilian star play live, and Neymar’s ethereal dance steps on the field left this traditional Serie A striker marveling.
After all, in Serie A, there has never been a player who could play like him.
That innate football talent, so undeniable, left Tang Bonazzoli immensely envious.
Bonazzoli just casually mentioned it, and hearing this, Ronaldo was inspired and told him:
"Come on, let’s head over to Barça’s locker room; you can take pictures with whoever you want!"
Tang Long, upon hearing this, felt a stir in his heart.
His mind was filled with images of Iniesta playing.
This 31-year-old Spanish top midfielder was the first passing teacher Tang Long encountered after activating the AI Cloud Training Ground!
With days and nights of training alongside Iniesta, Tang Long saw a substantial improvement in his passing skills.
If he could ask Iniesta for advice in person, that would indeed be fantastic.
Moreover, Tang Long secretly hoped that encountering Iniesta might trigger some hidden system rewards?
Tang Long hadn’t figured out this AI system’s temperament, but after meeting Maradola previously, he had indeed activated hidden rewards.
Bonazzoli looked at Ronaldo skeptically.
"That’s not right, big brother," he shyly scratched his head, "we don’t know them, how would we even go there? Besides, at this moment, they’re surely celebrating with the trophy in the locker room, suddenly barging in—what would that be about?"
"You’re mistaken; you don’t know them, not me."
Ronaldo confidently waved his hand, full of bravado:
"Let me tell you, you two just watch—your big brother here can go anywhere with just this face, in this stadium, unhindered. If you don’t believe me, follow me!"