Chapter 740 - 665: Please Cherish the Final Time

Chapter 740: Chapter 665: Please Cherish the Final Time

CCTV Headquarters, 3:00 PM. The broadcast for the match had already begun.

The commentators were Liu Jianhong and Huang Jianxiang.

The match was scheduled to start at 3:30, meaning the television station had a half-hour pre-game show to build up the hype.

In the past, only the World Cup received this kind of treatment.

Meanwhile, field reporter Duan Xuan was also on a live link with the studio.

"It’s absolutely packed here at the Beijing Workers’ Stadium. As you can see through our cameras, the areas outside the stadium are also surrounded by a huge number of fans, especially near the player entrance. The municipal police have even dispatched a SWAT team to maintain order, and the fire and medical support teams are all in place."

"According to reports, there should be close to ninety thousand people here today!"

"A crowd this big was simply unimaginable in previous Chinese Super League matches."

"And from what we know, before the match, Guo’an and Pioneer jointly organized for Batty and the other stars to come to the sidelines and interact with the fans who couldn’t get tickets. The scene was incredibly lively."

A smile crept onto his face as he couldn’t help but add, "I was also lucky enough to get a close-up interview with Batty. We’ll be airing clips from it on the evening news."

Not only had he interviewed Batty, Albertini, and the other stars up close, but he had also gotten Batty’s autograph, just as he’d hoped.

Back in the studio, Huang Jianxiang couldn’t help but say, "You know, I could have gone to do the on-site interviews too."

Beside him, Liu Jianhong laughed. ’You want to go? I want to go too!’

"To be honest, it’s been a long time since the Capital was this excited about football."

The Capital’s football scene had been quiet for a long time after the 2002 World Cup.

"Yeah, and I heard Baggio is coming to China soon. Seriously, I just want to go to Guang City right now to see Baggio!"

Baggio... an idol to so many Chinese fans.

Elsewhere, in the control room, the director’s eyes were glued to the live feed.

The station was taking the broadcast of this match very seriously.

Originally, they hadn’t been able to reach an agreement on the broadcast rights last year, so the Modu Media Group had snatched up the exclusive rights for the Chinese Super League for three years with a 150 million yuan deal.

It was hard to say if CCTV regretted it or not, but in any case, the station didn’t have that high of a budget for broadcast fees.

After Modu Media Group bought the rights, they also began to sell sub-licenses.

Many local stations bought the broadcast rights.

Modu Media Group even said, "We welcome CCTV to purchase broadcast rights from us."

What a joke. CCTV couldn’t bring itself to stoop to that level.

But this time, they made an exception.

After all, the attention on this match was just too high.

The station’s leadership discussed it again and again, and in the end, they "did Modu Media Group a favor" and bought the broadcast rights for this single match.

As it turned out, they immediately made the money back from advertising revenue.

CCTV, after all, had a much wider audience.

They had broken even on the cost, but there was still the matter of ratings.

If the ratings were to soar, then that would be a perfect outcome.

At 3:30 PM, amidst the deafening cheers of the entire stadium, the players of both teams walked onto the pitch.

The names of Batty and the four other stars echoed throughout the stadium.

War God Batty, Child of the Wind Cannigia, Tactical Master Albertini, Golden Warrior Crespo, and of course, one couldn’t forget Nadal, the pillar of Barça’s defensive line.

"This is insane!"

Albertini couldn’t help but marvel after Batty gave a casual wave and the crowd erupted in a thunderous roar.

He had never imagined that in the distant East, so many fans loved Batty, and loved him as well.

"Well, I am the War God,"

Batty said, a little smugly.

In Europe, he was called Batigol, a portmanteau for ’Batty goal.’ And of course, during his time with the Purple Lily, he was also known as Batman.

But after coming to China, Batty learned that in the hearts of Chinese fans, he was the War God.

’The War God!’

’Who wouldn’t love a nickname like that?’

By now, Batty’s most fluent Chinese phrase wasn’t "hello," but "War God."

It was just too cool!

Beside him, Cannigia teased, "Gabriel, don’t celebrate too early. As far as I know, Robert is the most popular one in China, and Chen will be bringing him over soon. The fans might just forget all about you then."

"No way. You have no idea how famous I am in Guang City," Batty said, shaking his head.

Living in Guang City, Batty didn’t act like a diva or become a recluse. He often just took two bodyguards and wandered freely through the city’s streets.

And he would inevitably be recognized. No matter where he went, people would chase after him for a photo together.

He thoroughly enjoyed this kind of life and had truly come to love these wonderful fans.

"Demetrio," Batty said, turning to Albertini. "You’d better play seriously in a bit. You’re still young, you’ve got another couple of years in you. So you need to feed us good passes. We’re here to win today."

When the fans show you this much love, you have to give something back.

And for a player, the best way to repay the fans is, of course, to win.

In the first few rounds, the Pioneer players’ skills were limited. The midfield, in particular, frequently lost possession and made inaccurate passes.

This left the two forwards up front staring at each other helplessly, occasionally having to drop back to get the ball.

But now things were better. Albertini, the midfield metronome, had arrived. If he made good passes, Batty could put the ball in the net.

Albertini nodded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

’I’m already 34, that’s not young,’ he thought. ’If I weren’t still thinking about returning to AC Milan, I might have just retired already.’

However, over the past two years, the various training philosophies promoted and spread by Chen Yu, especially regarding injury prevention, had actually led to many players in the football world having significantly longer careers.

Otherwise, how could a 36-year-old veteran like Batty still be running around so energetically on the pitch?

"Alright!"

Albertini gave Batty a thumbs-up, then added a reminder, "Watch out for Hernan. We’re old now, but he’s still young. He won’t be easy to deal with."

Batty said dismissively, "That’s Miguel’s problem."

’How good the opposing striker is, that’s for the defenders to worry about.’

With a blow of the whistle, the match officially began.

「CCTV」

"Albertini is organizing the play, he’s looking for an opportunity... Oh, Feng Junyan is still too young. As soon as Xu Yunlong puts on a little pressure, he loses the ball. Feng Junyan used to play in China League Two, and now that he’s moved up to the Super League with the team, he’s still a bit lacking in experience."

"Great ball! That through-ball from Albertini is gorgeous, so precise! Cannigia is on the run! He crosses it! Batty receives it... my god, he’s shot it directly—GOAL! It’s in!"

"A worldie from Batty! Good heavens, that’s Batty’s most iconic type of goal!"

"He struck the ball so suddenly, Yang Zhi had no time to react!"

"That was magnificent! I can’t... I think I’m going to cry!"

As he spoke, Huang Jianxiang suddenly started wiping away tears.

For his generation, these goals were memories branded deep into their minds.

Beside him, Liu Jianhong was also incredibly emotional. This goal was likely Batty’s first iconic "worldie" since joining the Chinese Super League.

"Xiaoduan specifically wrote a passage and asked me to find a chance to read it. I think this is the perfect moment."

Liu Jianhong picked up a piece of paper and began to read.

"To talk about Batistuta is to recount a story of our youth."

"As of this year, a full seventeen years have passed."

"Seventeen years have turned those who loved him from youths into middle-aged adults."

"But his distance from the mainstream leagues has not faded his mark on the hearts of young fans. The essence of the War God he defined in the world of football is a brand of heroism that would be etched into one’s soul in any era."

"Because he was so perfect, he was idealized into the image of a War God. And because he was so real, he was pulled back down to earth, his life’s journey resonating with countless fans."

"To many, Batty is a phenomenal presence. But to even more, Batistuta is a memory they can never forget!"

Reading up to this point, Liu Jianhong was already growing emotional. He continued in a deep voice.

"Finally, I want to say this."

"You can catch the wind, but you can never catch the footsteps of time."

"You can only watch helplessly as the hands of the years turn back the rings of time, one by one."

"So please, cherish these final moments!"

"Because soon, there will be no more!"