The post-ceremony banquet was lavish and the atmosphere were lively.
"Ling, let me touch the trophy." Maguire rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"My assistant already took it away. Don't you know France is full of thieves?" Mahrez patted Maguire's large head.
"Speaking of which, our December schedule is a bit terrifying," Mahrez said. "We play Tottenham just days after we get back, and at the end of the month we've got City in a top-of-the-table clash."
Maguire carefully picked up a piece of cake and, while Mourinho wasn't looking, stuffed it into his mouth.
"We can't slip up during this stretch," Mahrez went on. "We have to win every match we can."
Ling set down his champagne glass.
In January he'd also need to make time for a short trip tied to China's U23 Olympic qualifying and his youth academy project.
He couldn't play for them, but video analysis, training support, overseas contacts, and a few days of on-site guidance still mattered.
During that same stretch, United would face tough domestic fixtures of their own β the first leg of the North West Derby had ended in a draw, which made the next league meeting with Liverpool even more important.
"With me here, you've got nothing to worry about!" Maguire wiped the cream from the corner of his mouth and thumped his chest.
Ling fell silent.
The more Maguire said that, the more nervous he actually felt.
...
The banquet didn't last long, since Ling and the others had to head home and prepare for the Premier League match in two days.
But this night was destined to be extraordinary.
Reports about the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner spread across the internet like wildfire.
π° France Football: Jeremy Ling Wins 2019 Ballon d'Or After Historic Seven-Title Season
π° BBC Sport: Ling Crowned World's Best as Manchester United Star Claims First Ballon d'Or
π° Sky Sports: A New Era Begins: Ling Wins Ballon d'Or in Paris
π° Manchester Evening News: From Carrington to the Summit of Football: Ling Brings Ballon d'Or Back to Old Trafford
π± @BallonDorWatch β Jeremy Ling wins the 2019 Ballon d'Or. The Messi-Ronaldo era finally has a true successor.
π± @UnitedStand β | Reply: Not successor. Conqueror!
π± @StretfordEndTom A Manchester United No.7 winning the Ballon d'Or again. Football heritage restored!
π± @CNFootballRealist First Chinese-born Ballon d'Or winner. Complicated feelings, yes, but history is history. This moment belongs to every kid who ever dreamed with a ball at their feet.
π± @ThreeLionsWatch β England now has the Ballon d'Or winner. No pressure, Gareth!
...
The next day, with fans eagerly waiting, Total Soccer aired a new special feature: Peerless β Season One.
Ling's professional career had lasted only a little over two years, yet there were already too many stories to tell β so many they had to be split across three seasons.
Chinese football itself changed dramatically in just a few days.
Pitches that had once sat empty were now full of children playing, and football was no longer just a target for easy ridicule.
A new football landscape, and a brighter football future, were slowly taking shape across the country.
Meanwhile, comments from fans flooded every major platform.
π± @DongqiudiHot The world's first Asian Ballon d'Or winner!
π± @OldFan1988 Fear not the road ahead lacks friends, for who in the world does not know you!
π± @YouthCoachLiu Taking my child to play football tomorrow. I want to raise a football king too!
π± @UnitedCNFan Can Manchester United replicate the Seven-Title season this year?
| β³ π± @TacticalCN | Reply: Unlikely. Pogba's departure still has a big impact. Ling now has to take on more playmaking responsibility, which will reduce his direct threat in front of goal.
π± @RedDevilBeijing Take it step by step. First, achieve what Real Madrid couldn't β three consecutive Champions League titles!
π± @BinCityNightOwl Come on, and three consecutive Premier League titles too!
...
While the afterglow of the ceremony still lingered, the 14th round of the Premier League kicked off, and Manchester United hosted Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
"LING! LING! LING!"
The sea of red roared, the cheers echoing through the stadium.
On the pitch, a golden trophy shimmered under the lights, adored by the crowd.
"Now β lets welcome the winner of the 64th Ballon d'Or, Ling!" the stadium DJ's hoarse voice rang out.
Under the gaze of thousands, United's number 7 stepped forward and raised the Ballon d'Or high.
Old Trafford erupted.
Peter Drury's voice followed the moment like a hymn.
"OLD TRAFFORD RISES FOR ITS GOLDEN SON! Eleven years after Cristiano Ronaldo last carried the Ballon d'Or back through these doors, the Theatre of Dreams has its crown again! From Carrington's grass to Parisian gold, from boyhood promise to football immortality β Jeremy Ling has brought the world's most precious individual prize home to Manchester United!"
Jim Beglin added, "You can feel what this means to the supporters. This is not just an award. It's a symbol that United are back at the very top."
In the players' tunnel, watching dust drift down from above and feeling the vibrations underfoot, the Aston Villa players looked deeply uneasy.
United would be riding a wave of morale right now, at their most terrifying.
Why couldn't the schedule have been swapped? It should have been Tottenham, that unlucky lot β they'd already been thrashed 7β0 at home, so doing it again wouldn't have been half as embarrassing!
"Today's tactics are simple: defend, defend, defend!" Aston Villa boss Dean Smith repeated it over and over.
Not long after, the referee's whistle blew, and the match began.
Aston Villa followed their coach to the letter. Retreat, fall back, defend.
They parked the bus in front of goal, leaving almost no gaps.
Were there good ways to break down a packed defense? Plenty β for instance, the set piece United were about to use.
Grealish used his sheer bulk to bait fouls out of defenders.
Honestly, the man was a kind of football succubus: whoever laid eyes on him wanted to kick him.
Some sort of dark magic, maybe.
In the 9th minute, Guilbert tripped Grealish on the right edge of the penalty area, earning a yellow card and handing United a free kick.
"Bruno Fernandes to take it! Not much of an angle here β surely he won't shoot directly. And it's a high ball into the box!"
Ling darted to the left, feinting a run onto the ball, and two defenders closed in on him at once.
But the next moment the ball sailed over his head toward the far post.
'Oh fuck.'
Villa realized they'd been fooled β they'd committed too many bodies to Ling, leaving only one man on Maguire.
And an aircraft carrier bearing down on the near post is almost impossible to stop head-on!
Maguire's forehead met the ball and Villa's goal fell into danger.
But Heaton β a product of United's own youth system β pulled off a crucial save.
"HEATON SAVES! The old academy boy shows no mercy to the club that raised him! Even the Ballon d'Or winner's stage may have to waitβ"
The commentary cut off abruptly.
Because the parried ball bounced loose toward the near post, and United's number 7 was already there.
One explosive step and he'd turned a losing position into a winning one, the ball changing direction again and plunging straight into the net.
1β0!
"NO, IT WILL NOT WAIT!" Drury roared. "LING IS THERE! OF COURSE HE IS THERE! The golden man has touched down at Old Trafford and scored before the echoes of his coronation have even faded! Aston Villa closed the door, locked it twice, and still found Jeremy Ling standing inside the house!"
The two defenders watched Ling celebrate, exchanged a glance, and sighed together.
There was nothing they could have done.
They'd had the better position, but Ling's terrifying burst of pace meant they never even got a chance to clear.
The gap in quality was laid bare in that single moment.
And their nightmare had only just begun.
What else worked against a packed defense? Long-range shots.
In the 27th minute, KantΓ© collected the ball near the center circle and slid a through pass forward at just the right moment. It rolled perfectly to Ling's feet.
Back to goal, he leaned into the defender, pulled the ball, turned, flicked it past his man, set his body β and boom!
The strike cracked across Old Trafford!
The ball tore through loose grass like a meteor under the floodlights, and a second later Villa's goal shuddered.
"LING... OH, THAT IS A STRIKE FROM ANOTHER KINGDOM! The step is sharp, the turn is cruel, and the shot is pure thunder! Red Devils fans, can your hearts survive this man in this mood? He won the Ballon d'Or in Paris, and now he's brought the storm back to Manchester!"
Even Drury sounded like he could barely stay in his seat.
Out on the pitch, Ling struck his signature celebration, and three thunderous roars went up around Old Trafford.
Aston Villa's morale was shattered.
They had only one thought left: lose by as little as possible.
But even hunkered down like a turtle in its shell, they couldn't hold back United's surging momentum.
Late in the first half, in desperation, a Villa defender dragged Ling down at a corner.
The referee pointed straight to the spot.
Ling didn't waste it, hammering the penalty home to complete his hat-trick.
"HAT-TRICK! THE BALLON D'OR WINNER WEARS HIS CROWN IN GOALS! Three strikes at Old Trafford, three signatures of supremacy, and the golden ball has barely had time to cool in his hands! This is not celebration β this is confirmation!"
The ninety minutes were up: Manchester United 3β0 Aston Villa.
The Ballon d'Or winner had scored three in his first match since the coronation.
"Put a hat on the Ballon d'Or," Drury said, laughing now. "Because Jeremy Ling has marked his coronation with a hat-trick!"
π° Sky Sports: Ling Scores Hat-Trick in First Match Since Ballon d'Or Triumph
π° BBC Sport: Golden Boy Returns to Old Trafford With Three Goals Against Aston Villa
π° Manchester Evening News: Ballon d'Or Winner Delivers Perfect Homecoming
π° The Athletic: Ling's Confidence Reaches New Level After Paris Coronation
π± @UnitedStand β He lifted the Ballon d'Or before kickoff and scored a hat-trick before full-time. He is a scripted main character!
| β³ π± @StretfordEndTom | Reply: "Aston Villa locked the door and found Ling inside the house." Drury is cooking again!
π± @VillaTalk Could we maybe not be the first opponent after a Ballon d'Or ceremony next time? Thanks.
π± @BallonDorWatch β Winning the Ballon d'Or usually brings pressure. Ling treated it like a power-up.
...
After the 14th round wrapped up, life didn't quiet down.
On the back of the Ballon d'Or, brands came swarming in, all wanting Ling to endorse them.
Mendes' answer was simple.
"We only take brands with real influence."
That wasn't all β the brands couldn't have any negative history either.
Ling's image had to stay tied to positivity, discipline, and a clean reputation.
If he chased money by endorsing some trash brand and wrecked that image, the loss would far outweigh the gain.
Meanwhile, a farm on the outskirts of Manchester was being prepared at full tilt β because the Ballon d'Or winner's wedding was about to take place.
According to The Sun, more than 500 guests would attend, most of them still-active players.
There was no helping it.
Who could blame Ling and his future father-in-law for having such deep connections? It felt less like a wedding and more like a business summit!
Ling felt a little helpless about it too, and could only promise Maria they'd hold a second ceremony someday β one with only family and close friends from both sides.
...
Soon, another Premier League matchday arrived.
Wembley Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur versus Manchester United β a heavyweight clash was about to begin!
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