The image quality was not very clear.
Leo Lin could not make out the figure. He could only see a vague flash of orange, while a tense atmosphere rushed toward him together with the scent of tulips.
This kind of tension only belonged to the most important finals.
"Long ball! Headed knockdown!"
"A follow-up header on goal!"
"Last-minute winner!!!"
"He's scored the winner and helped the Netherlands lift the European Championship trophy!!!"
"The Netherlands have won!"
"The Netherlands have won!!!"
...
As the dust settled, the scent of tulips grew even stronger.
With the European Championship trophy lifted high, countless Dutch fans shouted the name of the god in their history.
"Gullit!"
"Gullit!"
"Gullit!"
...
[Congratulations, Host. You have drawn one of the highest existences at the top of the skill chain: Gullit!]
[Orange-Gold Gullit Skill: When the Host is inside his own penalty area, headed clearance ability increases by 10%, and tackling ability increases by 10%. When the Host is inside the opponent's penalty area, heading ability increases by 15%, and jumping ability increases by 10%!]
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Oh hahahahaha!"
"Yohohohohoho!"
Barnett froze. Mike froze too.
"You people are responsible for this," Barnett said, looking at Leo Lin, who had suddenly burst into strange laughter.
"Who told you to offer Lin a contract like this? Look at him. A perfectly good handsome guy has lost his mind."
"You're responsible. I'm going to help my client claim ten million pounds from you for emotional damages."
Mike said, "Goodbye, demon."
"No, I hope we never meet again."
Mike turned and ran, fast. If he had been any slower, Barnett might really have finished him off right there.
Barnett thought Leo Lin was laughing like that because he was excited about the Premier League's highest-paying contract, but that was not the case.
Getting the Gullit template meant Leo Lin would become even more complete.
Gullit was a rare player in soccer history, someone who could play as a striker, a center back, an attacking midfielder, and even as a central midfielder when needed. He had produced outstanding performances in both European Championship and World Cup finals, and fans also called him one of the most complete players in soccer history.
The effect of the skill was obvious as well. It improved Leo Lin's defensive ability inside his own penalty area while also improving his heading ability inside the opponent's penalty area.
Leo Lin thought back to Gullit's headers, the way he could leap from a standing position, his body snapping through the air like a carp flipping upward. The power was immense, and the speed was fierce. Sometimes, even if the header went straight at the goalkeeper, it was still difficult to keep out.
The Ballon d'Or system reward really was powerful. Leo Lin was very satisfied.
After Leo Lin won the Ballon d'Or, Liverpool FC celebrated him for nearly two days, starting with the welcome home on the first day and continuing with a party on the second.
Liverpool even removed the original display board from one of the training pitches and renamed it the Leo Lin Training Ground, commemorating the Ballon d'Or Leo Lin had won for himself and for Liverpool FC.
Klopp also preferred training the players at the Leo Lin Training Ground. Back when he accompanied Leo Lin back to the club and saw the Liverpool fans celebrating along both sides of the street, Klopp had come up with a new tactic.
The team had already begun rehearsing that tactic in training. They were not yet fluent with it, but it was extremely destructive, and it required several players to work together.
On January 6, in the EFL Cup quarterfinals, Liverpool had already eliminated lower-division opponents in the previous two rounds and had hardly wasted much energy on this competition.
Only in the quarterfinals did Liverpool finally meet their first genuinely strong opponent: Wolves from the Premier League.
Wolves had the young striker Jota, Portugal's Moutinho, and fellow Portuguese player Ruben Neves, along with a Portuguese head coach. This was a team with a strong Portuguese flavor.
Klopp did not use the new tactic. He stuck with the system set up at the start of the new season, opening up space, creating chances for players to break through, and producing more combinations in the penalty area.
Klopp did not start most of his regular starters. Shaqiri and the others continued to appear, fighting for the team.
After being forced to start repeatedly during the earlier injury crisis, players like Shaqiri had improved significantly.
In the 67th minute, Shaqiri and Wijnaldum played a beautiful combination just outside the Wolves penalty area, with Wijnaldum assisting Shaqiri for the goal.
In the end, Liverpool beat Wolves 1-0 thanks to Shaqiri's goal.
But it was not over yet. Three days later, in round 20 of the Premier League, Liverpool's opponent was Wolves again.
This time, Klopp sent out his full-strength lineup. Salah opened the scoring for the team with a direct free kick from the right.
In the 52nd minute, Leo Lin had an open goal in front of him, but he unselfishly set up Firmino to score instead.
In the 90th minute, Mané beat the offside trap down the left and squared the ball into the middle, helping Leo Lin score the third goal of the match. Liverpool beat Wolves again, this time 3-0.
But the story still was not over.
Three days later, in the third round of the FA Cup, the incredibly lucky Wolves once again ran into the same opponent from their previous two matches. Liverpool, that sweet, sweet opponent.
Liverpool rotated their starting lineup again this time, but still eliminated Wolves 2-1 and advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Milner's long-range lob and Solanke's headed goal helped Liverpool reach the next round.
English fans quickly began joking about Wolves' luck over the past two weeks.
"I've heard of teams being beaten twice by the same opponent in one season, but getting beaten three times in a single week? That's a first!"
"The heavens are vast, but Wolves still can't escape Liverpool's claws!"
"If I were Wolves, my calves would start twitching every time I saw Liverpool from now on."
"Wolves are actually very strong, but they were facing Liverpool. They can only blame their bad luck. Put another team in their place, make them face Liverpool three matches in a row, and they might not do any better than Wolves did.
At least they almost equalized in the FA Cup, and they played some very attractive soccer too!"
After bringing in several Portuguese players, these talented young players helped Wolves steadily improve their Premier League results. They were currently eighth in the league and even had hope of pushing for the top six.
Liverpool had reached the EFL Cup semifinals, advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup, continued to lead the Premier League table, and were pulling farther and farther away from the chasing pack.
Not only had Liverpool avoided being dragged down by injuries, they had instead come back stronger, charging forward on every front.
After Liverpool eliminated Wolves in the EFL Cup, the Champions League knockout draw had already been made. Liverpool received a fairly good draw. They would face Lyon from Ligue 1.
After eliminating Wolves in the FA Cup, Liverpool would officially begin the Champions League Round of 16. In the first leg, Liverpool would travel away to face Lyon.
Klopp's long-hidden trump card, his newest tactic, would officially be used on the Champions League stage.
Leo Lin had also been holding back his own trump card. His brand-new Gullit ability would make its official debut in the Champions League knockout stage.
...
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