When the final result was announced, the audience burst into cheers and all the guests stood up and applauded.
Twelve years later, for the fifth time, the same club took the top three spots in the Ballon d'Or!
The first and second times were with the West German national team, the third and fourth times were during the AC Milan dynasty, in 1988 and 1989. In the same period, in 1988, the Dutch national team also took the top three.
And for the fifth time, 12 years later, Millwall accomplished such a feat!
Third place, Pirlo.
Second place, Ronaldinho.
First place, Henry.
Ronaldinho, who is in second place, is only 4 votes away from Henry. Pirlo is further away from the top two, with a difference of 80 points in voting scores. And his advantage over the fourth and fifth place is not too big.
The fourth place was won by Nedved, and the fifth place was Larsson. It was not until sixth place that I saw the name of another club player, Owen.
Millwall not only completed the top three, but also miraculously reached a new historical peak of winning the top five in Ballon d'Or voting!
There is no doubt that the Lion Dynasty has reached a peak in a pure sense this year, both in terms of team honors and individual honors!
The guests present also stood up and applauded to pay tribute to the award-winning players who created the Lions Dynasty.
The players and their families sitting in a row at Millwall also stood up.
The players looked at each other and smiled. The camera focused on Ronaldinho and Henry. The two hugged. As their teammates applauded, Henry and Ronaldinho whispered for a long time.
Before the result was announced, Millwall's players were filled with anxiety.
Everyone who came to attend the ceremony today was very low-key. Who knows if the joy will be in vain. After last year's experience, even if the outside world calls for it this year, they don't dare to have particularly high expectations.
Now the results are out, Millwall has won a big victory, and Ronaldinho has no regrets. He is only 21 years old. Finishing second this year will also help in the future, although Henry's age also looks very young. He is only 24.
age.
However, with Henry’s crazy performance in scoring goals over the years, no one would question winning the award.
Trophies, personal data, performance on the field, impeccable.
When Henry took the stage to deliver his acceptance speech, Fleet Street was preparing the headlines for the next day's publication. In addition to reporting on Henry's award, there was another news item they were editing.
"Aldridge Hall equals Michels! The creator of Mr. Golden Ball!"
When Henry became this year's Ballon d'Or, Aldridge also added a brilliance to his personal honor book and laid a foundation that may be unprecedented in the future.
Larson Nedved, Henry.
He has trained three Ballon d'Or winners.
In history, only Michels has achieved this. Now, Aldridge has equaled his achievements. In the future, as long as Aldridge trains another Mr. Golden Globe, this record will surpass the past and present!
Aldrich, who was watching the live broadcast in front of the TV, was already standing on the sofa, roaring excitedly and having a carnival with his friends.
He didn't listen to what Henry said in his speech. Anyway, it was basically some diplomatic rhetoric arranged by his agent.
Bert and Earl were also jumping around Aldrich like two little lunatics. In their eyes, Henry winning the prize was like winning a new champion.
"Hey, Aldridge, it's not over yet. UEFA seems to have announced a new honor."
"Huh? What?"
Aldrich hugged Yiwen and held a bottle of wine in his other hand. He took a sip and asked with a smile.
"The best coach of the year is you!"
Carter pointed at the TV, Aldrich stared at it, laughed and said: "This award is boring!"
Entering the new century, UEFA is also keeping pace with the times, so it has established a selection for the best European team of the year and the best coach.
This selection does not have much authority. It can only be said to be an honorary award established by an authoritative organization.
Voters are users registered on UEFA's official website, and then submit the list of the best 11 and the coach in their mind. UEFA will publish the results after statistics.
Therefore, this award does not have much authority, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it has merit.
Better than nothing, a prize is better than nothing.
After the results of the annual best team selection were announced, no one was surprised.
Among the 11 best players this year, 5 are from Millwall, and Trezeguet has a Lions background. The results of this selection and the shocking effect brought by the Ballon d'Or award have made some comments among the fans.
The best half of the team is the Mad Lion!
The name of Millwall's cradle of superstars is even more famous.
Three days later, the draw results for the second stage of the Champions League group stage were announced.
After the results of Millwall's group were announced, the media lamented: When will the injustice be repaid?
Millwall, Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, Boavista.
Bayern Munich alone and Millwall have met in the European War for the fourth consecutive year!
The opponents in last season's Champions League final will play two games in the second group stage.
Galatasaray also has a grudge against Millwall.
Even the unfamiliar face Boavista has a bit of hatred for Millwall, even if it is exaggerated by the media.
What team is Boavista from?
Portugal!
In which city?
Porto!
Millwall just sent Porto home in the group stage, and now they have to face a team from Porto, Portugal.
Millwall's players who attended the Ballon d'Or ceremony took a short holiday, showed up at the Ballon d'Or banquet, enjoyed a little glory, and then returned to the team to prepare for the East London derby on Christmas Day.
People feel refreshed when happy events occur.
On the eve of the East London Derby, Aldridge attended the press conference with a smile on his face.
A reporter asked him what he thought of Henry winning the award.
Aldridge smiled and said: "That's what he deserves. How many goals he scored for the team proves how important he is. As for how good he is, just look at how many teams want to get him.
knew."
Across Europe, although not every wealthy club is chasing Henry, more than 80% of those with financial resources want Henry.
Reporters also understand it. During the transfer period, Henry is definitely a name associated with many wealthy families. They themselves have become regular news sources. They are chasing rumors to make Henry cause some scandals with other wealthy families.
"Millwall's players have won the top five Ballon d'Or awards. This has never happened in history. This should be regarded as a great achievement for Millwall, right? Do you think this result is fair?"
"Fair? If you think it's unfair, then you have to come up with the basis for fairness. These five players not only completed their jobs well and helped the team continue to win, but they all have their own characteristics.
Many young players imitate them. They are idol players, like Nedved Larsson, who is also a model player. On this point, I think the coach has the most say. There should be no coach in the world who would refuse to have such a player.
."
Aldrich was talking eloquently, and now he was really in a state of ecstasy.
Pleasure of the soul is the greatest.
Premier League records, European records, team honors, personal honors, Millwall have all broken through history, and now open the records of the five major leagues, home winning streak, unbeaten, league winning streak, undefeated, goal record, attacking group record,
The record of goals scored and lost, the record of goal difference, the record of massacres with record-breaking scores, the number of games, as well as the record of trophies during a period of time, and the record of players' personal peak honors.
It can be said that the second generation of Millwall's Wild Lions reached its peak period in his hands, and even the outside world can no longer have higher goal requirements for this team.
What they can do is to break through themselves. The object they want to transcend is also themselves!
The atmosphere at the press conference was harmonious, more like Aldrich chatting with the reporters.
The reporter can't find fault with the mad lion. At this time when Aldridge is proud of the success and the mad lion is at its peak, there is no need to pour cold water on it. It would appear to be disgusting to others, harming others and not benefiting oneself, and it would be self-inflicted.
Next we talked about the Champions League draw groups.
Aldrich's smile continued, and the reporter asked an alternative question based on his previous experience.
"What do you think is the ideal group draw for Millwall?"
Why did the reporter ask that?
Because last year, Aldrich privately said after the draw results came out that it would be best to be in a group with the strongest team.
Aldridge smiled and said: "Because we have won six games and won first place, the draw for the second stage of the group stage has great limitations. We have to avoid the same league. We will be ranked second in two groups and first in one group."
Being assigned to the same group, drawing Bayern Munich should be considered a win.
Let's draw the strongest opponent. Maybe Real Madrid is also a good opponent. As for the second place in the two groups, Roma is the strongest. Next, among the other opponents that can be drawn, Galata
Salai, the result of the draw should be almost the same now."
"The results of the second stage draw have come out. Is it difficult for Millwall to advance to the quarterfinals?"
"Ha ha ha ha."
Aldrich laughed loudly.
Many reporters also laughed along with his laughter.
This question sounds a bit redundant.
It would be ironic if Millwall failed to finish outside the quarterfinals.
It’s not that a strong team won’t capsize in the ditch, but the probability of capsize in the group stage is not high because the fault tolerance rate is high. Unlike the knockout round, if you don’t perform well in the 180 minutes of the knockout round, you don’t have to be too surprised to get knocked out. This is the law of football.
But if there are four teams, six games, two qualifying spots, and the strongest and most stable favorite in the group is kicked out, this is probably not only an upset, but also a series of upsets that can lead to such a result.
After Aldridge smiled, his expression became somewhat relaxed, and he said solemnly: "In the past two seasons, Millwall has gone through hard battles and won two Champions League trophies. This season we have established a strong foundation in the league.
Huge advantage, we have a looser preparation space than other teams participating in the Champions League. We are the defending champion and we have three players.
Mr. Ballon d'Or, with half of the best players in Europe, we are strong because we have the will and determination to overcome difficulties. We will be fully prepared to deal with all unexpected difficulties that may arise, and then overcome difficulties and strive to win our country.
The glory of this period was further expanded. When we won the Champions League for the first time in 1998, I told my players that we
We have won the championship and know what we have to pay in order to gain. We have experience. Do we want to relive the joy of winning the championship? Do we want to enjoy the glory? Then we must always be ready for battle. This is Milvo
Our football philosophy is the team’s spiritual belief. Since we are already the most watched team in Europe and the world, one of the top teams
Team! Well, I don’t have to hide anything. Millwall’s goal in the European competition this season is no less than last year. We must strive to achieve three consecutive Champions League titles! Of course, this will not be easy, but we are not taking it one step at a time.
As a team, our ambition is to reach the top of Europe and even the world, and continue to do so!" (To be continued...)
