After Zidane finished speaking, the entire venue fell silent.
Only when Su Hang began clapping from his wheelchair did everyone slowly follow.
The applause grew louder and louder. Many players' eyes turned red, tears shimmering.
But Zidane—who should have been overwhelmed with emotion—didn't shed a single tear.
Su Hang, the first to applaud, also didn't cry.
In fact, he was quietly humming to himself.
Ramos leaned in and whispered, "Captain Su, don't get too excited. Zidane is our club teammate. His retirement isn't exactly good news for us… Anyway, what are you humming? Kinda catchy."
Su Hang: "A song about someone who felt invisible at eighteen, standing alone at a school dance, swearing through tears that one day the whole world would notice him."
Ramos: "Wait—were you really that miserable in school?"
Su Hang: "No. I'm not the one singing it. Zidane is."
Ramos was completely lost.
What was he supposed to do with this?
Did Su Hang injure his brain instead of his back?
Soon after, the entire French team went onstage to receive their runner-up medals. They took a group photo, then left quickly.
And now—the real main event began.
The Spanish players came out one by one to receive their World Cup champion medals.
Ramos then pushed Su Hang's wheelchair forward so he could lift the World Cup trophy.
Aragonés sighed, "Ramos is a good kid. Still too young, a bit shaky, plenty of defensive flaws—but he's kind."
"He did all that pushing up and down without complaint."
Simón nodded, though his inner thoughts were far grander:
"Yes… everyone thinks he's just helping out. Little do they know this moment will define his future status in world football."
"Time flies. Many years from now, Ramos will no longer be this long-haired, wide-eyed youngster. By then his name will be Sergio Wheelchair Guardian of the King Ramos!"
You think he was pushing a wheelchair?
No!
He was pushing the gears of football history!
Of course, Ramos himself was nowhere near as strategic as Simón imagined.
He simply wanted more camera time. If Su Hang was on camera, and he stood right behind him, wouldn't he appear too?
What Ramos didn't know was that all the fans could see was Su Hang.
Everyone knew someone was pushing the wheelchair, but every shot cut off at the helper's chest. Nobody could tell who this mysterious Good Samaritan was.
Usually, Su Hang would've been pushed to the edge of the group photo.
But with a wheelchair, moving elsewhere was inconvenient.
And he was holding the trophy—you can't exactly put the trophy off to the side.
So Su Hang sat at center stage in his wheelchair. Ramos, as the wheelchair attendant, naturally stood right behind him, claiming the "second center" spot.
Raúl and Casillas stood left and right, forming the center cluster.
Puyol could've stood in a secondary center spot too, but Su Hang played for Real Madrid. On the pitch everyone's brothers, but once the match ended, the club rivalry crept back in.
If Puyol leaned in too close, Barcelona fans might tear him apart online.
"One, two, three!"
The entire Spanish team threw their arms up in celebration!
Su Hang lifted the trophy high above his head, shaking it with all his strength.
"We are the champions!"
Click!
Another iconic moment was captured—Spain's World Cup victory photo.
But when photographers reviewed the pictures, they realized that in every shot, one player was completely hidden behind Su Hang's wheelchair and the trophy.
They searched endlessly for a group photo where that player appeared—but found none.
So major media outlets had no choice but to publish a team photo missing a player, giving rise to the saga of "The Missing One."
Later, when Ramos received the commemorative champion photo, he cried for a long time.
The wheelchair blocked his body; the trophy blocked his face.
In this World Cup, he played—and yet didn't play.
From that day on, Ramos's legend ascended yet again:
He became Sergio Ramos, Guardian of the King's Wheelchair · Turner of Football's Great Gears · Keeper of the Hidden Night · The Sixth Son.
Football media worldwide broadcast the scene.
Fans were ecstatic.
Derek Rae became overwhelmed with emotion and shouted into the microphone:
"This wasn't easy! For Spain or for Su Hang, this World Cup trophy was hard-earned!"
"No one thought Spain would be standing here, or that Su Hang would be the one lifting the trophy!"
"Victory isn't as easy to grasp as a dandelion on a hillside!"
"Only Su Hang and the Spanish team know the price they paid behind the scenes!"
"This is a team victory—Spain's football is unquestionably team football."
"But it is also the triumph of an individual hero—Su Hang's contributions are unmatched."
"Forgive me—for I must recite a poem for Su Hang!"
Derek Rae cleared his throat and began declaiming before three hundred million viewers:
"First came the Fenómeno, and the heavens parted—
Zizou and Figo carved the path before us.
Iron Men and Human Warheads marched toward 2006,
Brazil's magic four, France's unbreakable spine.
England's stars shone bright, Germany's iron will rolled on.
Riquelme soared like an eagle, Portugal drew its bow.
Italy bore its burdens, the Tulips fought for glory.
Yet only Spain rose as the true hero,
Lifting the sacred cup for the world to see.
They felled the old gods and cleared the sky—
And the Su Emperor began a brand-new age!"
"New!"
"Era!"
"Dawn!"
...
Kicker: "A dark horse to the end! Spain beats France to claim their first World Cup!"
Bild: "Poacher's strike, zero-angle blast, solo run from midfield! Su Hang's hat-trick seals the final!"
Marca: "Real Madrid's two true cores duel! Su Hang's three goals and one assist surpass Zidane's two and one to rule the world!"
AS: "Tears on the podium! Zidane wins the World Cup Golden Ball and announces retirement in his speech!"
La Repubblica: "Su Hang, Raúl, Casillas, Ramos and other Real Madrid players collect five major titles in one year! The World Cup trophy shines brightest!"
France Football: "France's loss to Spain—no tactical failure, simply Su Hang's doing!"
Sport: "Su Hang's overhead-kick clearance causes back injury—may affect next season!"
Sky Sports: "Su Hang—single-handedly ending the era of the gods, launching a new age of football!"
Time Magazine: "Alexander the Great, Augustus, Napoleon… Su Hang!"
Record: "Spain's Invincible Armada sets sail! Su Hang declares dominance—how many years will they rule the world this time?"
Chosun Ilbo: "A rising powerhouse shakes the world! If Japanese football hopes to nurture a new superstar like Su Hang, developing talent early in Europe will be essential."
Corriere dello Sport: "33111! Su Hang's World Cup final: three goals, three yellows drawn, one assist, one red drawn, one injury caused—god-defying numbers!"
The London Globe: "In this summer of the Twilight of the Gods, we witnessed the rise of a new king! Ten goals, two assists, lifting the golden trophy—Su Hang slays the gods and ascends in a single match!"
News Broadcast: "Player Su Hang led Spain to the World Cup title. Commentator Derek Rae's poem The Su Emperor went viral nationwide and has been suggested for inclusion in school literature materials."
"Only Spain stands as the true hero… The Su Emperor ushers in a new era—New! Era! Dawn!"
...
(35 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser