Chapter 336: The End of a Legend, The Dawn of a New Era
"This big-eared trophy is f***ing beautiful!"
At the Champions League award ceremony that night, Ibrahimović couldn't take his eyes off the silverware as he received his medal.
The sudden outburst drew laughter from the surrounding Chelsea players and even the officials on stage.
But no one blamed him.
Everyone understood how emotional this moment was for Ibra.
After all, aside from Li Ang and Kroos, none of the Chelsea players had ever lifted the Champions League trophy.
Each of them, too, was brimming with excitement—barely able to contain themselves.
Whatever Infantino and Platini were saying from the podium, none of the players could hear.
Their eyes and hearts were locked on one thing—the trophy.
Finally, after all the formalities, John Terry, surrounded by his teammates, stepped forward and lifted the Saint Blaise Trophy high into the sky—the very one that had broken Chelsea's heart more than once.
Confetti rained down in waves, cascading like a dream.
And this time, Li Ang saw it clearly—Terry's tears, falling quietly as he kissed the trophy with reverence.
And not just him—Lampard, Drogba, Čech, Torres...
Nearly every Chelsea veteran on the pitch had tears in their eyes.
They had burned the last embers of their careers, and in this final, brilliant blaze, they finally reached their long-awaited, perfect ending.
Li Ang didn't stand at the center of the group.
He stood to the side, smiling contentedly as he watched his teammates celebrate with unrestrained joy.
Back in the stands, after the trophy lift, Chelsea's players didn't forget their coaches.
They swarmed Holland, Ruiz—and at last, Mourinho.
When the entire Chelsea squad lifted Mourinho and tossed him into the air again and again, countless fans watching the live broadcast couldn't help but feel emotional.
Back when Mourinho returned for his second spell at Chelsea, many pundits predicted he'd lead the team to another Premier League dynasty.
But no one believed he could, in just two seasons, deliver back-to-back Premier League titles and Chelsea's first-ever Champions League crown.
Four Premier League titles. One Champions League title.
In the Premier League era, Mourinho now stood second only to Ferguson in career achievements.
And with this title, he had officially elevated Chelsea into the elite circle of European football giants.
Up in the executive box, Abramovich was swamped with congratulations—face-to-face and over the phone.
His head was still spinning from the overwhelming joy and satisfaction.
But amidst the euphoria, he didn't forget to instruct his assistant:
"Call the top brass. Make sure we move quickly on contract extensions—for the players and for Mourinho."
In recent seasons, Chelsea had spent heavily on the transfer market—but with incredible cost-effectiveness.
Setting aside the veterans, every young player in the squad had seen their value skyrocket.
They had to prioritize renewals.
Not just Li Ang, Kroos, and Hazard—even squad players like Maguire, Kalas, and Aké.
Letting any of them walk for free? Unthinkable.
These players had grown rapidly under Chelsea's staff and system.
Even if some couldn't break into the starting XI yet, they were the future.
Whether they'd play at Chelsea next season would depend on Mourinho and his staff.
But the contracts had to be locked down.
They could always go out on loan and return as polished stars.
Abramovich was already planning for the next chapter.
But for the players who had delivered now—he wasn't shy about showing his gratitude.
At the victory banquet that night, Abramovich appeared in person—and handed out the Champions League bonuses on the spot.
The bonuses for the league title and the domestic cup doubles had already been paid in advance.
At Chelsea, rewards were never late—win, and you're paid well.
The celebration reached its emotional peak.
With personal glory and financial rewards both delivered, every player present felt a new surge of loyalty to the club.
Ibrahimović, rarely seen drunk, was absolutely hammered.
Overjoyed, he fell asleep hugging the Champions League trophy in his hotel bed.
The next morning, he lay there, hands still on the silver cup, chuckling quietly to himself.
But alongside the joy came clarity.
He had made his decision.
That afternoon, still in the hotel, Ibrahimović called Li Ang and Mourinho to his room and told them his future plans.
"If I were five years younger, I'd want nothing more than to keep playing alongside you both. I love Chelsea. I've loved working with you, and I love this group of young guys...
But I'm not young anymore. These last two years have been joyful, but my body's been speaking loud and clear—it's time to rest.
I haven't decided which league I'll play in next, but one thing's for sure—I'm not staying in the Premier League…"
Mourinho nodded, the gentle smile on his face showing that he had seen this coming.
He patted Ibra on the arm.
"I understand, Zlatan. You've earned the right to enjoy your football now. Follow your heart. I'll talk to the club and help with your transfer."
Li Ang said nothing.
He just stood, stepped forward, and opened his arms wide.
"Thank you, Little Lion. Thank you for that phone call back then."
"You coming was all that mattered," Li Ang replied. "There's no need for thanks between us, Zlatan. I'll always treasure the time we spent playing together. Go enjoy football, no matter where you go—you'll always be one of a kind."
The two hugged tightly—a final farewell between brothers.
Later, Ibra made sure to find every single teammate in the hotel and personally said goodbye.
That evening, he hosted a private dinner for the entire team and coaching staff.
Li Ang took a photo of the Milan Brothers—himself, Ibrahimović, and Thiago Silva—and posted it to social media.
At that moment, Chelsea fans had no idea Ibra had already decided to leave.
The comments were full of love:
"Look at those three! Bromance goals!"
"Next season, let's go again, boys!"
"Never break up this trio!"
Fresh off their Champions League triumph, the Chelsea faithful were still lost in a sea of joy.
They didn't yet know...
A new chapter was about to begin.
But inside Chelsea, the wave of goodbyes surged in almost immediately after their perfect season came to a close.
Ibrahimović was the first to formally express his intention to leave.
Not long after, Drogba and Ashley Cole also told Mourinho and the club's higher-ups that they were ready to move on.
Drogba had only signed a one-year loan deal with Chelsea to begin with.
Now that he had fulfilled his dream of winning the Champions League, he no longer had any regrets.
Galatasaray wasn't planning to renew with him either, so he and a few other veterans started planning their next move—likely heading to MLS for one last contract before retirement.
Ashley Cole had a similar plan.
Lampard, though, was still undecided.
He was about to turn 37, but he felt his form was still decent.
At Chelsea, he clearly wasn't going to be a starter anymore, but in a mid-to-lower-tier team in one of the other top four leagues, he figured he could still go for another one or two seasons.
So he was considering sending his agent to test the waters in Europe before committing to an MLS retirement deal.
Meanwhile, Mikel and Ramires had both received offers from Chinese clubs.
At first, they had planned to decline them outright, but after seeing the size of the contracts on the table, they actively sought out Li Ang to learn more about the clubs that had reached out.
With that, Chelsea now had nearly six first-team players indicating they'd leave in the summer.
Even Ivanović, who had completely lost his starting spot to Azpilicueta, seemed to be seriously considering his exit.
With so many departures on the horizon, Chelsea's management couldn't afford to turn a blind eye.
Fortunately, Mourinho had long prepared for this scenario.
He wasn't panicking.
The coaching staff already had a shortlist of replacement targets.
As long as the club moved quickly and closed the deals early, they could get a jumpstart on pre-season.
Overall, the core of Chelsea's starting lineup wasn't going to change much.
Most of the overhaul would come in the rotation and bench depth.
A lot of veterans were leaving, and aside from Lukaku, who had a strong desire to start regularly, most of the younger players were expected to renew and stay.
So from a squad planning perspective, Chelsea's summer transfer window didn't look too troublesome.
Except for one thing—Ibrahimović's departure meant Chelsea urgently needed a new starting striker.
Reinforcements in other areas could proceed at a normal pace, but the hunt for a new No. 9? That was Mourinho's top priority.
And their first choice was clear: Luis Suárez, who had had an unhappy season at Liverpool.
With Li Ang having already made personal contact, Chelsea moved quickly once the season ended—opening negotiations with Suárez's agents and with Liverpool simultaneously.
Suárez's agent was more than happy to help.
As soon as Chelsea reached out, he eagerly promised to do everything he could to push the move through.
But on Liverpool's side, Chelsea got a hard "no" right out of the gate.
Their stance was firm: Suárez is not for sale.
And Mourinho didn't doubt their sincerity.
After all, aside from Suárez and a couple other forwards, Liverpool had almost no reliable performers last season.
Suárez had practically carried their entire attacking system on his back.
The club didn't even have a new head coach yet. If they lost Suárez now, their entire campaign could fall apart.
Besides, Liverpool wasn't exactly broke—they had wealthy owners.
But as always, having money didn't mean they were willing to spend it.
It seemed Liverpool still hoped to convince Suárez to sign a new contract.
Seeing that Chelsea's negotiation team kept hitting walls, Mourinho decided not to push—yet.
Instead, he had Li Ang keep in contact with Suárez while sending scouts to Chile to monitor his performance in the Copa América.
But in the very first group match, Suárez was injured due to a reckless foul from an opponent.
Though it was just a sprain and he'd be back in two to three weeks, it ruled him out for the rest of the tournament—and Suárez was crushed.
Li Ang called him right away—not to talk transfers, but to check in and offer comfort.
He told him not to worry, that there would be plenty more Copa América opportunities in the future.
Right after Li Ang's call, Liverpool's board rang up Suárez, relentlessly pressuring him to sign a new deal.
That contrast? Sharp and glaring.
Suárez had already had a tough season at Liverpool.
Now the board wouldn't stop pushing for a renewal—and his resistance only grew.
With Gerrard now having left for MLS, Suárez felt even less inclined to stay and waste his career.
Not even two days later, news broke across Europe:
Contract renewal talks between Suárez and Liverpool had collapsed.
This leak didn't come from Chelsea—it came from Suárez's own camp.
Suddenly, Liverpool's boardroom went into chaos.
They scrambled to do damage control, denying rumors while trying to reopen talks with Suárez.
But at that point, Suárez had already received Mourinho's promise—he would be Chelsea's starting striker next season.
His mind was made up.
Liverpool couldn't afford to lose him for nothing the following year.
Chelsea then submitted their first formal offer—extremely generous.
Barcelona, having caught wind of Suárez's availability and in desperate need of a center-forward, swooped in to compete.
But after Chelsea upped their bid with a second offer, Barça went silent.
Liverpool, after seeing the offer on the table, was stunned.
On July 6th, just a day after the Copa América ended in Chile, Chelsea and Liverpool issued a joint announcement:
They had reached an agreement for the transfer of Luis Suárez.
Just a few days earlier, Chelsea fans had been nervous.
With six player exits already announced, many feared the club was about to enter a penny-pinching phase—wrecking everything they'd built over the past two seasons.
But the moment Suárez's transfer became official, all those doubts vanished.
Neither club revealed the final figure, but Sky Sports dropped the bombshell:
"The estimated fee, paid in full, ranges between €88 million and €92 million.
With add-ons, it could reach up to €110 million…"
The entire European transfer market shuddered.
The summer window had arrived.
And once again...
Chelsea had entered in style.
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