"What are you doing, Lin? Why are you hiding in the corner by yourself? Come sing with us!"
Diego Costa had already started a livestream and begun a conga line. He held his phone high, aiming the camera at the players behind him.
The Spanish players were all lined up behind Diego Costa, while countless fans flooded into his livestream.
"What is this? Diego Costa, stop pointing the camera at your giant head."
"Move the camera back a little. Let me see where Lin is. Let me see Lin!"
"Is this the World Cup locker room? First time actually coming in here. I'm a little nervous. Let me fix my hair first."
"We are champions! Spain are champions! We are the best team in the world, no one else even comes close!"
"Back at the South Africa World Cup, we stood on top of the world. After sinking for all these years, we're back. Once again, we stand at the summit of the world!"
The fans watched the players sing and dance, along with the coaches who had already lit cigars and started drinking dark beer.
Hierro was especially excited. He had taken charge in a crisis and brought four legendary coaches into the Spanish national team. Only Hierro himself knew the pressure he had carried afterward. If they had been knocked out too early, he would certainly have faced even harsher criticism.
Leo Lin had already hit send on the letter he had just written, and it quickly drew the attention of countless fans.
Countless fans came to like and share it. Just like that, Leo Lin's personal letter surged into the top twenty of the trending list amid countless World Cup related searches. This was the influence Leo Lin now possessed.
Sky Sports, Marca, Bild, the BBC, Golden Ball Football News, ESPN Football News, France's special column reports, and more than two hundred media outlets around the world immediately ran front page headlines, all congratulating Spain.
At the same time, media outlets released celebratory images for Leo Lin's Golden Boot. Without question, the Golden Boot for this World Cup had already been secured by Leo Lin.
The four goals he scored in the World Cup final alone were enough to leave most forwards in the tournament far behind.
"We finally did it. Top of the world!"
"I said it long ago. We would become world champions. Before the tournament, the predictions said we were finished. They said we changed coaches at the last moment and had no competitiveness at all."
"We were ranked ninth in the fans' title predictions. Some people even said we wouldn't make it out of the group. But look now. Where are they?"
"They are nothing, and we are world champions!"
Casillas was letting loose on Mundo Deportivo. Among the six legendary commentators, Casillas was the only one who could be this excited, along with special guest commentator Torres and the other Spanish legends.
Zidane and Makélélé shook their heads helplessly. Henry rubbed his forehead and sighed. He knew France had already done everything they could in this final.
"To be honest, France were always the biggest favorites to win this World Cup."
"Before the final, we had only trailed for about nine minutes in total across the entire tournament."
"And yet in this final, we were behind almost the whole time. We only took the lead for the first time after the seventieth minute, but then Spain suddenly equalized. That monster Lin scored his fourth goal of the match."
"I can't even imagine how happy it must feel to score four goals in a World Cup final."
"If it were me, I'd strap a megaphone to myself every second of every day and play the fact that I scored four goals in a World Cup final on loop."
"Unfortunately, only one person in the entire world gets to enjoy that feeling right now. That person is the super talent, the new giant of soccer, Lin!"
"When people first used new giant to describe Lin, they meant he was a newly risen genius among young players."
"But now, when we use the term new giant for Leo Lin, it means something different. He is the newest giant in today's soccer world, a top superstar. He is already a superstar."
The others beside him nodded again and again, because winning the World Cup meant Leo Lin would also win this season's Ballon d'Or.
As a quadruple winner, now with the World Cup added as well, Leo Lin had already won five trophies this season, along with the World Cup Golden Boot.
If achievements like these were still not enough to call someone a superstar, then how many people in all of soccer could truly be called superstars?
The awards podium was being set up quickly at Luzhniki Stadium. The World Cup champions' award ceremony was about to begin.
The Spanish players changed into their new kits. The Spanish Football Federation had prepared beautiful brand new jerseys, along with endless champagne for the players to enjoy.
Most of the people left inside the stadium were local fans and Spanish supporters, all waiting for the World Cup champions' ceremony to begin.
The individual World Cup awards would also be presented, beginning with the World Cup Golden Ball.
The French and Spanish players came into the tunnel to wait. Disappointment was written all over the French players' faces. There was no doubt that they were devastated.
The stadium DJ began the announcement.
"Fans, please quiet down!"
"Next, we will present this World Cup's Golden Ball!"
"The player receiving this award is Antoine Griezmann from France!"
The Spanish players immediately applauded. Griezmann nodded to the Spanish players, then walked onto the awards podium to receive the Golden Ball.
On ESPN, Derek Rae spoke.
"Griezmann has won the Golden Ball for this tournament. By tradition, this trophy is usually awarded to a key player from the runner up team."
"Although France finished second, Griezmann has been outstanding at this World Cup. He scored goals, provided assists, and served as France's engine in the attacking midfield, as well as a vital link in their transitions between attack and defense."
"Griezmann also performed extremely well in the World Cup final."
Griezmann stood on the podium holding the Golden Ball, but there was no smile on his face.
Then the DJ continued loudly.
"The winner of this World Cup's Best Young Player award is!"
"Lin!"
The Spanish players immediately started making noise, breaking into applause and cheers as they patted Leo Lin on the back.
Leo Lin smiled and high fived his teammates, thanked the French players for their congratulations, then walked toward the podium amid the cheers of the entire stadium.
But it was not over yet. The DJ immediately continued the announcement.
"The winner of this World Cup's Golden Boot is also a core player from Spain!"
"Lin!"
Two shining individual trophies were handed to Leo Lin. Holding the Best Young Player trophy in his left hand and the heavy Golden Boot in his right, Leo Lin stood beside Griezmann, embraced him, then raised both trophies high to show the whole world the honors he had won.
In the stands, Leo Lin's parents finally appeared and applauded him.
Before the match, both of them had kept telling Leo Lin that they would not be coming to watch in person. In truth, they had done it to keep him from being distracted.
They had watched the entire match from a luxury box. The moment Leo Lin secured the World Cup title, the two of them embraced and cried.
Leo Lin saw his parents. Happily, he waved the trophies toward them and blew them a kiss. They blew kisses back, their faces filled with pride and joy.
Julia could no longer hold back her tears and began crying hard.
She had never dared to dream that her child could reach such heights. From the time Leo Lin was little, the one thing Julia had always said to him was:
"As long as you're happy, that's enough. Go do what you love."
And so Leo Lin had worked little by little in the field he loved, until he reached where he stood today.
After the individual awards ceremony ended, the French players once again went onto the stage one by one to receive their silver medals as runners up. There was still not a single smile on their faces.
Deschamps felt it was such a pity. If they had lost four nil, he could have accepted the result calmly.
But France had equalized three times in a row, and they had even taken the lead for a while. They had once been less than a minute away from the World Cup title.
How could the French players ever forget a result like this?
Next, the Spanish players came to the awards podium one by one, receiving their World Cup winners' gold medals from FIFA President Infantino as they waited to lift the World Cup trophy.
Leo Lin was the first to start doing a little shuffle dance. The Spanish players bounced up and down on the podium, waiting for their captain, Sergio Ramos.
Captain Sergio Ramos was the last to receive his medal. Then, amid the cheers of the entire stadium, he held the World Cup trophy in both hands and slowly walked toward the middle of the players.
But he did not lift it right away. Instead, he waved at Leo Lin.
"Lin, come here!"
Leo Lin immediately understood what Sergio Ramos wanted to do. He quickly waved his hands, but captain Sergio Ramos and the Spanish players dragged him straight to the World Cup trophy.
Then Leo Lin and Sergio Ramos stood on either side and lifted the World Cup trophy together.
At the same moment, fireworks burst into the sky from every stadium used in this World Cup in Russia.
The sky above Luzhniki was filled with brilliant red fireworks.
Golden confetti poured down.
Leo Lin looked up at the sky and felt as if he were inside a dream. The World Cup trophy in his hands gleamed, looking almost sacred beneath the glow of the golden confetti.
The instant he lifted the World Cup trophy, the system notification sounded in Leo Lin's mind.
"Congratulations to the Host for winning the World Cup for the first time in your career!"
"Milestone achieved. Congratulations to the Host for receiving a milestone reward. The Host will directly receive one brand new skill and one brand new template reward!"
"Congratulations to the Host for receiving a brand new template: Precision Control Attacking Midfielder Template!"
"Drawing skill for the Host!"
"Congratulations to the Host for successfully drawing the skill: Modrić's Outside-of-the-Foot Control!"
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