Chapter 617: The Opening Match II
Chapter 617: The Opening Match II
Upon the announcement, the room fell silent. All of their attention converged on the screen while the opening ceremony began to take place.
Different colors merged to create a breathtaking masterpiece as the screen lit up. The
audience stared at the scene in awe.
Famous personalities popped one after another, entertaining the audience and the viewers.
For some while, the stadium continued to buzz with excitement.
Finally, after about more than two hours, the opening ceremony drew to an end. However, until the end, the audience was kept thoroughly entertained.
"Now, let us welcome the president of FIFA."
The announcement rang, the stadium speaker bombarding the announcement.
At that moment, all the spotlight converged at one point- the entrance of the stadium. One after another, people began to come out of the entrance while the audience converged their eyes on the entrance with anticipating eyes.
"Isn't it the moment they bring the cup out?" Tatsuki whispered, his gaze fixated on the
screen.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Just then, a bald individual with a withered face dressed elegantly in a suit entered the field from the entrance. Upon seeing the appearance of the bald individual, the audience rumbled with excitement and anticipation.
Seeing the appearance of the bald individual, Hiro slightly lifted his eyebrows.
'Does he not age at all?'
Hiro thought, looking at him. Even before he regressed, the bald individual looked the same as he did now. It was almost as if he had stopped aging.
'Despite facing numerous allegations, he remained the president of FIFA even until the time I regressed. Just how was he able to hold his position that long?'
While everybody was enjoying the event, Hiro was pondering.
That man on the screen had dictated the position of the president of FIFA even until Hiro's regression. Thus upon seeing him on the screen, Hiro couldn't stop pondering about the tactics he had used during his regime.
After taking the stage, the bald individual began to deliver some kind of speech. With the years of experience he had under his wing, he immediately captivated the hearts of people in the venue.
Even the viewers weren't spared.
The speech was simply exhilarating and catchy.
For a while, he began to talk about the importance and history the World Cup carried with itself. Then he began to talk about the previous winners and the notable individuals that had emerged from the tournament.
Finally, he concluded his speech by saying, "It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. So, let's have a fair game, shall we?"
A thunderous round of applause erupted the moment he concluded. It was like the roar of thunder and the entire stadium was buzzing.
He had ignited a flame of passion that spread like wildfire, sending waves of excitement all over the stadium.
"Man! Oddly enough, I've got goosebumps listening to him," Tatsuki said, extending his
arms.
"Indeed, that was one powerful speech."
Kein and the rest nodded in agreement. Even Hiro couldn't bring himself to deny it. After all, the speech was indeed impactful.
The sheer response of the audience was a testament to the fact.
"Guy's the cup. It's here."
A group of people carefully walked in with a wooden casket. At this moment, the entire stadium erupted into loud excited cheers.
The atmosphere of the stadium turned electric as the cheers of the fans shook every nook and canny of the stadium.
The moment they opened the casket to reveal the cup shimmering in gold, the players couldn't bring themselves to look away. Their eyes gleamed with envy, greed, and all sorts of desire. It was clear that they longed to hold that shimmering trophy.
It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that they were bewitched.
Even Hiro couldn't suppress his desire to hold that trophy. Even though the trophy was right before him, he couldn't hold it.
It felt so close yet so far.
At that moment, Hiro couldn't help but recall one of the conversations Messi had with his teammate.
"Leo, would you trade your Ballon d'Or for a World Cup?"
"I can exchange all my Ballon d'Or's for the World Cup. Individual titles, I don't care I want to win something for my country"
It was the response Messi had made when asked if he'd trade his Ballon d'Or for the World Cup. He didn't even flinch while responding.
'You could only speak those words because you've won it.'
Thinking about the speech, Hiro scoffed.
However, for once, Hiro couldn't help but think what would have happened if Messi had really won the 2014 World Cup. Perhaps, he would have retired way earlier than anybody would have
even expected.
After all, despite receiving numerous offers from top-flight European clubs, he signed with Inter Miami after he won the World Cup.
'Then why is he even participating in the tournament?'
Hiro once again couldn't help but ponder.
It wasn't only Ronaldo who was participating in the tournament. But even Messi was participating in it despite having won the cup.
Hiro felt curious about their participation.
Hiro could tell that Ronaldo was still aiming for the title. But Messi had already earned it. So,
why was he participating?
'It must be the Argentine people.'
Hiro concluded.
After all, the people there still wanted to watch their GOAT play. Also, Messi could still
perform well even though he was old.
While different thoughts were perking up in Hiro's mind, the match had already started. One thought led to the next and the next to the other.
Hiro had been trapped in a loop.
"Hiro, the match is starting," Kein said, nudging him slightly.
Kein's somewhat gentle voice pierced his eardrums waking Hiro from his reverie, and
bringing him back to reality.
"Oh...."
Hiro murmured, composing himself.
"What were you thinking about?" Kein inquired. He had noticed the aloof state of Hiro.
"Maybe, he was imagining lifting the Cup, haha..." Tatsuki chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah and you scored the winning goal," Hiro responded sarcastically with a solemn
expression.
"Shhhh! Quit talking. The match is starting," Naoto reminded.
With that, they diverted their attention to the screen. The match was between the USA and
South Korea.