Ling stood on the podium, looking down at the medal on his chest—the symbol of championship.
In just two seasons since his debut, he had successfully defended the Premier League Title.
To be honest, he found it a bit hard to believe himself.
After all, the current Premier League landscape was a clear-cut tripartite rivalry.
Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool—none of them had absolute confidence in defeating the others.
A glance at the point differences among the three teams on the league table made it evident.
"The competition in the Premier League is getting fiercer. I wonder if there's a chance to achieve three consecutive Premier League titles again," Ling murmured to himself.
"Congratulations." Greg Dyke interrupted Ling's thoughts.
He looked at the bright and handsome young man before him, his eyes brimming with admiration.
Since taking office as the chairman of the English Football Association in 2013, he had promoted the Premier League worldwide.
The results proved he was an excellent talent.
Moreover, he had once been a member of Manchester United's board of directors, witnessing the club's historic treble in 1999. He could be considered a distinguished former heavyweight of Manchester United.
However, he stepped down in 2016, entering retirement mode ahead of time.
Back when he was promoting Premier League broadcasting, he had also visited Ling's hometown.
Unfortunately, at that time, everyone preferred watching La Liga.
The reason, of course, lay with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Spanish El Clásico, featuring the legendary duo, always attracted a massive following among Chinese football fans.
But now...
Dyke smiled and said, "As a Manchester United fan, I thank you for bringing so many honors to the club, and I hope you'll continue to lead Manchester United forward."
Do you know how much the Premier League viewership in China has increased since Ling was promoted to Manchester United's first team?
The surge was staggering, it felt suffocating just to look at the numbers.
Thus, Ling had become the Premier League's cash cow and its public face.
Dyke had heard that Real Madrid was making a lot of noise lately, talking about spending over 200 million euros on transfers.
If Ling were poached by Real Madrid, it would be an unbearable loss for both Manchester United and the Premier League.
"I hope so," Ling nodded with a smile.
Before he could exchange pleasantries with Dyke, another familiar face approached.
Greg Clarke. The current chairman of the English Football Association and vice president of FIFA.
"It's a shame. Last season, you won four awards, but this season, you can only win three," Clarke joked.
That's because the Premier League Young Player of the Season award can only be won once by any young player.
And Ling had already won it last season.
"As for the Premier League Player of the Season, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year, and the 2018-19 Golden Boot, they will all be presented together in London the day after tomorrow. I'd like to congratulate you in advance here," Clarke continued.
PFA stands for the Professional Footballers' Association.
Players, by nature, form a closed community with certain tangible or intangible unwritten rules. For example, voting for Mane was considered politically correct.
However, Ling's performance was undeniable.
He broke his own goal-scoring record and led Manchester United to a dominant victory over Manchester City and Liverpool to win the title. Most players cast their votes for Ling.
Besides, Manchester United was also working behind the scenes.
FWA stands for the Football Writers' Association, and its voting also carries a degree of exclusivity.
The one that carries weight is the Premier League's official Player of the Season award.
It is determined by a committee of Premier League legends, votes from the captains of all 20 Premier League clubs, and a 10% public vote.
"Thank you," Ling gave a slight nod.
His status had risen.
In the past, he could only watch events like the Champions League draw on TV. Now, even the chairman of the Football Association treated him with warmth and respect.
This feeling was quite nice.
"Damn! I looked at the stats carefully, and it seems like only Ling and David from our team got awards. I didn't even make the top three for the Golden Boot." Mahrez put his phone back in his pocket, his face twisted in a bitter expression as he wailed.
Manchester United's current tactics revolve entirely around Jeremy Ling as the core, which is why his goal tally is so high.
But this also means the stats of other players don't look as impressive.
"Want me to play support for you next season then?" Ling teased.
"Better not. You should shoulder responsibility according to your ability," Mahrez shook his head. "I couldn't handle the pressure you're under."
Although he envied the tactical resources Ling received, he also knew his own limits.
As the saying goes: strength brings status.
"David's form has been getting better and better lately. I heard France Football is establishing a new Yashin Award to honor the world's best-performing goalkeeper," Ling gave De Gea a pat on the back.
"David, I've got my money on you this year!"
De Gea didn't feign modesty either, striking a pose on purpose.
"Do you know what 17 clean sheets means? If it weren't for Harry occasionally losing his mind, my stats would look even better."
Maguire was basking in the joy of winning the title when he heard De Gea's jab.
He rushed over to defend himself: "If there was a Best Defender award in the Premier League, I'd definitely win it this season! Just look at those brilliant goal-line clearances and that terrifying aerial duel success rate!"
"Is Van Dijk not better than you?" Ling asked slyly.
Maguire: "..."
'Forget I said that.'
Just look at what Ling did to Premier League defenders this season, yet Van Dijk still managed crucial interceptions.
That individual ability alone is formidable, not to mention Van Dijk's excellent leadership skills.
Ling stopped joking around with the lads and walked towards the edge of the podium.
"Boss, why aren't you celebrating with everyone?"
"People always say I'm too much of a showman, stealing the spotlight from the players. I'm just trying to reduce my screen time," Mourinho said with a light laugh.
The two chatted as they walked to the edge of the stands.
Mourinho took off his winner's medal and hurled it into the crowd.
Ling was stunned for a moment.
He remembered the boss's past. Back in 2006, after Chelsea retained the Premier League Title, the boss had also thrown his winner's medal to the fans.
The reason was that he didn't like keeping duplicates.
Of course, after losing the 2015 Community Shield to Arsenal, Mourinho threw his runner-up medal to the Arsenal fans.
That time, the reason was that second place equaled disgrace.
Looking at his boss, whose hair had turned white and youth was long gone, Ling also took the medal from around his neck.
Amid the cheers of the Manchester United fans, he threw it with all his might to a young fan.
"Hmm?" Mourinho looked over, puzzled.
Ling grinned, revealing his white teeth, and spoke with a long-absent, brash tone.
"We can win countless more League Titles, can't we?"
This time it was Mourinho's turn to be stunned.
He stood rooted to the spot for a long time.
So the pride deep in his bones had not faded with time—it had simply been passed on to his disciple.
"That's right, we can still win countless League Titles!" Mourinho also broke into a smile.
The two stood side by side in front of the Stretford End, leaving the fans with a memorable silhouette.