[football] walk side by side

When Costa saw Cyril's silence, he knew he was right. He covered his face in pain: "God... my dear Cyril, after the painful lesson last time, didn't you Learn to shut up on such a sensitive topic?"

"..." Cyril, who didn't want to be labeled as a "crow's mouth", decided to reason with his friends: "Actually, I think this is a very good lottery result, in every sense.` ```"

Costa squinted at him, but said nothing.

"We need to beat a giant team to prove ourselves, and among the teams that have entered the knockout round, Manchester United, which has lost Beckham and suffered sudden injuries of many players, is the best choice," said Cyril Said: "As for AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Barcelona needless to say, these three teams are on the same level as Real Madrid, you also saw the match against Real Madrid, we lost two goals to Real Madrid."

Costa raised his eyebrows: "So in your opinion, Manchester United is the weakest among the giants?"

"That statement is also true."

"Very good," Costa nodded in satisfaction, and then quickly edited a text message: After confirming that the words were correct, he clicked the confirmation button, and a few seconds later, this text message appeared in the "old friend" in the far away England peninsula hands.

Within a few seconds, a new text message appeared in his inbox, and Costa clicked on it.

Cristiano: Go away.

Costa, who received the reply, happily relayed what Cristiano said to Cyril. The latter frowned slightly, and then stretched it out quickly. Cyril calmly called his name: " Costa."

Costa: "Huh?"

"Are you stupid?"

"???" Costa thought to himself, am I just forwarding a fact? What does it have to do with being stupid?He was very proud of having successfully sowed discord between Jiyou and Jiyou, so it was rare that he didn't run away, waiting for Cyril to finish speaking.

"Chris is the kind of player who the more sarcastic you are, the better he will play." Cyril: "Do you think you are stupid?"

Costa: "... Is it too late for me to praise him to the sky?"

Cyril glanced at him in disdain, disdaining to answer this stupid and boring question, turned around and walked out of the locker room to find his teammates for training.Only Costa was left sitting alone in the locker room, struggling to organize the words of praise.

***

After the UEFA Champions League group match with Real Madrid, Porto is greeted by the Portuguese Super League.

4-1轻取吉尔文森特，2-2马里迪莫，2-1阿尔维卡……

After defeating Arvika 2-1, Porto's next game can be described as smooth sailing, until they met Sporting Lisbon again in the league.

This game at the Alvalade Stadium was an extremely bad game-the two sides were full of conflicts in the game, and the whole game was full of controversy, lies and tearing.

After this game, another sharp irony from Mourinho managed to hit the headlines of the Portuguese media: Never have I seen a great club feel so elated just because of a home draw in the league.

The rivalry between the two sides lasted for a long time before it ended. When Porto draws with Benfica at the Stadium of Light again, the winter break is just around the corner.

The particularity of Christmas makes many players boarding in the player dormitory of the Porto club choose to pack their bags and go home for Christmas-in this regard, Costa is no exception.When he came out of the room with the suitcase, he happened to see Cyril on the phone.

"...well, okay. Nothing... Merry Christmas."

Costa had no interest in Cyril's call at first, although he seemed to have overheard part of it by accident.He sneaked a peek into Cyril's room, where all kinds of furniture and items were neatly arranged, and it didn't look like a sign of going home at all.

"Cyril, why didn't you pack your things? Aren't you going home for Christmas?"

"...No." Cyril shook his head: "Mom can't come back in China, and it doesn't make sense for me to spend Christmas at home alone."

When he said this, his tone was very natural, but Costa felt a little sorry for his friends. Spending Christmas alone, it just sounds miserable, okay?He held the hand of the suitcase for a while, and couldn't help suggesting: "Or you can go home with me and live with our family? My mother will definitely welcome you."

"Come on," Cyril didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "It's fine to have a good Christmas with a girl, what's the matter with you bringing a man back?" His heart was slightly warm, but he smiled on his face: "Don't worry Well, if I really feel deserted, it's the same to go to Mr.'s house for dinner."

"That's right," Costa nodded in agreement, "I remember when Mrs. Tammy came over last time, Tita said that she would grow up and marry you in the future," he said with a smile, "Mr. Will reject his family's future son-in-law."

"...Didn't you clear everything?" Cyril said angrily, "What are you still doing? Get out of here."

Costa didn't dawdle any longer. The time limit for the flight he booked was tight, and there was no room for him to dawdle.He let go of his luggage, opened his arms and gave Cyril a hug: "Merry Christmas, I hope you will be a little more lovable next year." It's annoying to always stab him or something.

Cyril shrugged: "I try to--Merry Christmas and be careful along the way."

Costa waved his hand and left with his luggage.

Cyril turned his head and looked at his room. He didn't pack anything. To be honest, for him, there seemed to be no difference between spending Christmas in a club and spending time in a deserted house with only himself. .

At any rate, there will be a few staff members in the club, so it won't be so deserted.

He lowered his head and thought about the food that should be prepared for Christmas, until the sudden ringing of the phone called his attention back, he glanced at the phone screen, and connected the call: "Isn't Christmas in the Premier League very busy? Why don't you Are you free to call?"

Unlike other leagues, the FA resolutely chose to deprive the players of the winter break in consideration of Christmas ratings, ticket attendance and other interests. When around Christmas, players from other leagues When everyone can happily spend Christmas with their loved ones, only the Premier League players are either training for the game or in the game.

The person who called at this moment was Cristiano who couldn't go back to Portugal for Christmas.

"Let's take a break from my busy schedule..." Cristiano's voice was full of complaints: "So, whenever there is a festival, that's when I hate the UK the most, whether it's food or being too far away. The distance ... there is nothing that doesn't make me feel bad."

Cyril didn't speak, because he knew that Cristiano just wanted to complain.

I don’t know when, Cristiano began to talk with him about things other than football, such as the topic about women that men often talked about last time, or showing off his goals in the league. , Who in the team went out to pick up girls and was caught by Sir Alex, all kinds of trivial matters.

This should be nothing. It is normal for friends to share their joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys in their lives. However, Cyril feels that there is a ghost in his heart, and he always feels that this is not a good sign. It was Cristiano who was talking enthusiastically on the other end, and Cyril was listening quietly here.

As for now... It's not so much a complaint as a three-year-old feeling homesick.

Cyril didn't poke him, but just followed his words, occasionally echoing him with a sentence or two.Until Cristiano complained enough, he changed the subject again: "By the way, Christmas presents."

"..." Cyril blinked, not quite understanding how Cristiano's topic jumped: "Isn't it Christmas now?"

"But I'm in Manchester," Cristiano said seriously, "You have to make a decision early and send it in advance so that it can reach me on time, right?"

Cyril, who had no idea what gift to give to his friend, said casually, "Do you want a plane ticket from Porto to Manchester?"

Cyril said this without thinking, and before he realized what he said, Cristiano's voice pretended to be calm: "You want to come to Manchester? Christmas? But..." Christie Arno paused for a moment, then remembered the news he had read in the newspaper that Cyril's relatives were not in Portugal, and immediately said happily: "It's just right, if you come to Manchester, we can spend Christmas together."

"..." Cyril, who finally realized what he just said, was a little confused. He hesitated for a while in the consideration of whether to take back his words. Cristiano over there had already started talking on his own with great interest: " Originally, I planned to spend Christmas at Boss's house—for the sake of your pity that you spend the holidays alone, I will show mercy and accompany you."

Cyrillic:"……"

Is it too late to take back what I just said? _(:3j∠)_

He was still hesitating, but Cristiano on the other end of the phone also fell silent for a while, and Cyril was stunned for a while, was this...worried that he would disagree?That's true, although that guy would speak nonchalantly every time, but Cyril knew that Cristiano just never had the habit of expressing some of his thoughts directly.

Thinking of this, he felt a little soft-hearted, and sighed softly in his heart, helpless at his own compromise, but finally agreed: "Then I will trouble you, a busy person, to accompany me for the holidays?"

Cristiano, who received an affirmative answer, quickly regained his strength: "That's good! Remember to call me when the time comes, and I'll pick you up... By the way, when are you going to leave? How many days?"

Cyril didn't know how to answer this question.

How many days?In terms of the winter break, he can stay for at least a week. From an emotional point of view, compared to being alone at home or entertaining himself in the club during the winter break, the seven days in Manchester may be a good experience. Said—he shouldn't even have made the deal at all.