Both teams followed their head coaches off the buses, stepping into the Stade de France amid deafening cheers and chants from fans on both sides.
All the staff applauded as the players, dressed in sharp, tailored suits, kept their faces composed, each doing their best to stay calm.
Leo Lin felt his mind go blank.
This was his first Champions League final. From the moment he stepped off the bus to entering the dressing room, everything felt eerily quiet, as if the entire world had faded away, leaving only himself.
Klopp had already finalized the starting lineup. Inside the dressing room, the atmosphere was noticeably different from usual, unusually quiet.
Of course, Klopp understood the players' nerves. He had led Borussia Dortmund to a Champions League final before.
Back in 2013, a historic final drew 360 million viewers worldwide. Klopp had been one of the head coaches that night, with Krawietz right beside him. They knew exactly what this stage felt like.
7:50 p.m. European time.
Ten minutes until kickoff.
The pre-match show at the Stade de France had ended. The stadium had been cleared, now waiting in silence for the players to emerge.
At the tunnel exit, two violinists sat ready. As both teams walked out, they would perform the Champions League anthem.
"Alright, lads. Ten minutes."
Klopp stood up.
"After that, you step onto the pitch for the Champions League final."
"I don't have much to say. You've already won the treble. You're good enough."
"The only thing I need from you is belief."
"I know what this match means."
"On a stage like this, you might only play at seventy percent, maybe even fifty. That's nerves."
"But if you can relax, you'll reach one hundred percent. Maybe even one hundred and twenty."
"And that's what makes the Champions League final special."
Klopp turned to Leo Lin.
"Leo Lin."
"Say something."
He always liked handing the floor to Leo Lin at moments like this. When the youngest player showed fire, the rest would follow.
Leo Lin took a deep breath and stepped forward.
He was still nervous, but far calmer now.
He looked at his teammates.
"I'll tell you what I've been fighting for."
"When I heard that inside a Rolls-Royce going seventy kilometers per hour, the loudest sound is just the ticking of a clock."
"When I learned that a paper-thin slice of beef can sell for eighty thousand pounds, and that someone can sit in one of London's finest restaurants, overlooking the city at night, slowly savoring it."
"When I realized that a top footballer earns in a week what most people can't earn in a lifetime."
"Fuck. I told myself, I have to reach the very top of this profession."
"The very top!"
Leo Lin roared.
"That was my starting point. I'm not some noble person."
"I was driven by those raw, material desires. That's what pushed me onto this path."
He paused, his voice softening.
"But now, I want more."
"I want respect. I want glory. I want trophies."
"I want to stand at the top of Europe."
"That's why I'm here."
"I want every young fan waving a Liverpool flag for us to be smiling when this match ends."
"I want every supporter who's stood behind us for decades to raise that flag with pride and show the Liverpool crest."
"I want the world to see Liverpool's name engraved on that Champions League trophy."
"I want to hear our names shouted again and again by the fans."
Leo Lin raised his arms.
"Come on. Everyone in."
"Get in!"
The Liverpool players stepped forward, linking arms.
"Liverpool!!!"
"For football!!!"
...
Under soft blue lighting, stepping over the Champions League trophy emblem on the ground, both starting lineups entered the tunnel.
Leo Lin didn't look at any Real Madrid players, but he could feel it.
Cristiano Ronaldo was right beside him.
Referee Turpin led the officiating team into the tunnel, followed by the mascots.
Holding a child's hand, Leo Lin walked at the very back as they stepped onto the pitch.
To his right, the moment Cristiano Ronaldo crossed the white line, he stamped twice on the spot and leapt into the air, his signature warm-up.
As Liverpool stepped onto the field, a wall of boos crashed down from the Real Madrid fans behind them.
The pressure hit instantly.
This was the atmosphere unique to a Champions League final.
For Liverpool, returning to this stage after so many years, it was a massive test. Meanwhile, the Real Madrid players looked completely relaxed.
They even had a slight advantage.
Before kickoff, both teams had to line up facing the stands near the tunnel.
And those seats had been filled by Real Madrid fans.
So when Liverpool lined up, what they faced were furious faces, raised middle fingers, and relentless boos.
The Real Madrid supporters were trying to crush them mentally before the match even began.
That confidence came naturally to the fans of the Champions League kings.
The broadcast cameras focused on the Liverpool players, searching for any sign of fear, hesitation, even the slightest trace of panic.
But most of them remained calm.
Then the camera cut to Leo Lin.
And everyone watching thought they were seeing things.
Because he was smiling.
Facing tens of thousands of raised middle fingers and a storm of boos, Leo Lin chewed his gum, the corner of his mouth lifted, his eyes steady and relaxed.
There was no tension. No fear.
Even he couldn't explain it.
Just moments ago in the dressing room, even after his speech, he had still felt nervous.
But the instant he stepped into the tunnel, walked across the floor marked with the Champions League trophy, felt the blue light closing in from both sides, and emerged under the blinding lights, surrounded by cheers and boos—
Something changed.
That overwhelming sensation, something unique to the Champions League, surged through his entire body.
The nerves were gone.
Completely gone.
His adrenaline was surging.
At that moment, he only wanted one thing.
To run.
To run freely on this pitch and show the world everything he had.
For the first time, Leo Lin understood something clearly.
When it came to football, he was a madman.
A complete madman.
...
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