After the 2018 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony, global public opinion once again surged into a frenzy.
Fans of various clubs and players engaged in heated, toxic debates on social media.
After all, no matter who wins the Ballon d'Or each year, some fans always feel the result is unfair.
In truth, the Ballon d'Or has sparked major controversies more than once in modern history.
For example, in 2010, Wesley Sneijder, who won the historic treble with Inter Milan and was a World Cup runner-up with the Netherlands, shockingly failed to even make the top three for the Ballon d'Or!
Another infamous example is 2013, when treble-winner Franck Ribéry also controversially missed out on the Ballon d'Or to Cristiano Ronaldo, in a year that even saw the absolute farce of "delayed voting" by FIFA.
This year was no exception to the drama.
Luka Modric, the winner, was accused of giving false testimony in a massive corruption case involving former Croatian Football Federation Vice President Zdravko Mamić.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo remained heavily embroiled in sexual assault allegations, still unable to clear his name in the public eye.
Essentially, almost the entire top ten players in the Ballon d'Or rankings all had some sort of off-field incident dug up by the media, though the absolute truth of these matters still needed verification.
@FutbolFacts: Modric winning the Ballon d'Or is a joke. Sneijder and Ribery died for this.
@RMA_Ultra: Cry more. Modric took Croatia to a World Cup Final. He deserves it.
@UtdFaithful: Ling was robbed. Best stats in the world, broke the PL record, won the UCL with a hat-trick. Give him the damn award!
...
However, Ling no longer paid any attention to the toxic public discourse online.
Instead, he was currently traveling with the Manchester United squad down to London.
There is an unwritten rule in the British economy, "Over time, money ultimately flows to London."
And in professional football, there is another, more brutal rule, "Money determines almost everything!"
For example, clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and AC Milan are all located in Europe's most economically developed and populated regions.
This season, London boasts a total of seven Premier League clubs, the most famous among them being Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, West Ham United, and Crystal Palace.
They are spread out across the four directions of London.
This massive concentration of clubs also reflects, in a way, the deep passion and tribalism of London's football fans.
By just before two o'clock in the afternoon, the area around Wembley Stadium was already packed with crowds.
The Manchester United team bus navigated slowly through the congested, noisy streets, passing under the towering 133-meter white Wembley arch.
"Ling, do you know how much a Tottenham season ticket costs?" Scott McTominay asked, leaning over from his seat across the aisle.
"£950? Should be about the same as ours at Old Trafford, right?" Ling replied casually, looking out the window.
"£2,200! Honestly, Tottenham fans are really getting ripped off!" McTominay laughed as he complained about the London prices.
"Well, you can't really say that. London's cost of living is just incredibly high to begin with," Ling explained understandingly.
But internally, he thought that if he were a Tottenham fan spending so much money every single year to support the team, only to end up without any trophies, he would definitely feel very dissatisfied.
"By the way, Ling, do you think we can win today?" McTominay asked, changing the subject.
He was starting today's massive game and clearly felt a bit nervous.
"Of course! Just treat the Premier League like a training match," Ling said confidently, patting the midfielder's shoulder.
"Play your usual game, and I guarantee there won't be any problems! Besides, I've studied Tottenham's tactics. Their diamond midfield doesn't provide enough defensive width, so they are forced to drop one of their forwards back to help defend the flanks. You won't be under too much pressure in the middle!"
"Oh, that's good then." Hearing his captain's tactical breakdown, McTominay felt a bit more at ease.
Suddenly, sharp jeers erupted from outside the bus windows.
Ling looked up to see Tottenham fans making rude gestures and screaming curses.
In truth, the two teams didn't have much of a bitter rivalry in the past.
During Sir Alex Ferguson's era, they were even considered friendly allies.
But ever since Manchester United ruthlessly thrashed Tottenham 7-0 at White Hart Lane last season, relations between the two fanbases instantly plummeted to an all-time low.
Honestly, if it had happened at any other time, such a heavy defeat might have been slightly easier to swallow.
But that match was Tottenham's historic last ever match at the old White Hart Lane stadium.
All Spurs fans felt unprecedented humiliation that day, thereafter regarding Manchester United and Jeremy Ling as their most hated enemies!
After Tottenham had defeated Manchester United 3-0 at the start of the current season, Spurs fans had finally vented their frustration.
At the time, they were utterly arrogant and domineering—one might have thought they had already won the championship in August.
"Manchester bumpkins, this isn't your turf!"
"Fuck you, glory hunters! Glory forever belongs to Spurs! That's our anthem!"
"Just wait till we send you down to third place in the table today!"
The main reason why Tottenham is highly unpopular in England lies in their tactical approach and overly aggressive behavior on the pitch, such as Dele Alli's famously vicious and ruthless tackles, along with frequent diving incidents.
The secondary reason is the recurring violence, verbal abuse, and racial discrimination exhibited by some sections of Spurs fans.
"You'll be crying after the match," Ling muttered quietly.
He simply drew the bus curtains closed.
Out of sight, out of mind.
...
At the official pre-match press conference, Mauricio Pochettino took the microphone.
"I won't deny that Jose Mourinho is a legendary manager. He has created many miracles in the football world," Pochettino stared into the camera, his expression serious and earnest. "But all of that is in the past. We must look forward. Football has now entered a modern era dominated by attacking and possession-based play."
His meaning couldn't be clearer—implying that Mourinho's famously conservative, counter-attacking football philosophy was completely outdated and would eventually be washed ashore by the tide of the new era.
"Do you think Manchester United can retain the Premier League Title this season, Mauricio?" a reporter asked.
Pochettino pondered for a moment. "No. Based on the first half of the league season, Manchester United's attention to tactical detail isn't as strong as Manchester City's, and their defensive high-pressing aggression falls short of Liverpool's."
It wasn't because of any bad blood between the two clubs that he deliberately picked apart Manchester United's tactics.
He genuinely believed it.
In truth, Pochettino is a relatively low-key and pragmatic person. But he can be quite stubborn. Otherwise, he wouldn't have controversially disclosed so much sensitive information about Tottenham's dressing room in his recently published autobiography.
After all, there's an unwritten rule in world football: dressing room issues stay in the dressing room, and no one is allowed to expose them to the outside world.
This book had understandably upset many current and former Tottenham players, such as Kyle Walker, who's now at Manchester City.
Meanwhile, in another conference room, Mourinho was holding court.
"The main reason we lost to Tottenham last time was Jeremy's absence," Mourinho stated flatly.
"When the entire team's form was fluctuating, there wasn't a strong enough player on the pitch to lead the game. But today, we'll take all three points from Wembley. Tottenham can't stop us!"
Mourinho's tone was as calm as if he were discussing what to have for breakfast.
"Jose, what are your thoughts on Pochettino's comments regarding your tactical philosophy being outdated?"
"As for Pochettino's comments on tactical trends in football?" Mourinho smirked coldly. "If he wants to prove his point about being modern, winning a few trophies is the best way to do it—not belittling others in front of the media!"
He aint holding back!
Mourinho's response was as sharp and brutal as ever, filling the air with immense tension even before the match began!