“The Old Age of a Martyr”: “My Last World Cup”
”Yes, this will definitely be my last World Cup,” said Argentine legend Lionel Messi sadly, facing the camera.
In the first group match of the World Cup, Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. Although Messi scored a penalty kick, he lost the ball 21 times under the opponent’s focus. This can’t help but make people question “Lian Po is old and can still eat”, but after the game, Messi said that the whole team will return to the training ground and continue to strive for victory. Endless” pride.
There are also many stars who regard this World Cup as their last to play. Their names are as recognizable as Messi: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo (C Ronaldo), Croatian star Modric, German star Thomas Muller, British Welsh star Gareth Bale, Uruguayan star Damian Suarez Adams and Edinson Cavani…
The exit of a generation of stars reflects the curtain call of an era. These predictable partings made the fans sad and lonely, but after the emotions passed, they could feel the tension brought by the star’s belief in breaking the boat. There is only one Hercules Cup, and there is only one life. No matter how talented a person is, how hard he trains, how self-disciplined his life is, the pinnacle of his sport is only a few short years away. So what about a star-studded star?
The mascot of this World Cup is called La’eeb (Raib), which means “highly skilled player”. Each of the above-mentioned stars deserves such a title and has a brilliant career. However, it is obvious that no matter how many honors they have gained, how much wealth they have accumulated, and how many inspirational stories they have written, if they have not won the Hercules Cup, their careers will eventually end in regret.
So in this winter, we are destined to witness the “Battle of Raib” started by these football celebrities in the twilight of their careers. Compared with previous years, the carnival is destined to be more passionate; the fight is destined to be more intense; the tragedy is destined to be more exciting…
Ups and downs and struggles
If we look into the times these stars carried, we can find a roughly clear scale: they are a group of people born between 1985 and 1990, that is, what we define as “post-85s”.
If we enlarge the scale of this scale, we will further discover that these superstars galloping across the green field were once grains of fine sand that were ups and downs, tumbling, and struggling in the torrent of history. When they entered the youth training system and officially stepped into the professional league, it coincided with the new millennium, and the times left an indelible mark on them.
In an era of shining stars, the Ballon d’Or is a relatively authoritative benchmark for stars. Since 2008, except for the Croatian star Modric in 2018 and the French star Benzema in 2021, “grabbing” the award, and the suspension due to the epidemic in 2020, Messi and Ronaldo have shared the remaining All Ballon d’Or trophies of the year. Since the award was founded in 1956, this phenomenon of duo hegemony is unique. Therefore, the life experiences of Messi and Ronaldo have a certain representativeness of the times.
Madeira is known as the “Pearl of the Atlantic”. If you spread out the map, you will find that this place is far away from the mainland. Although it belongs to Portugal, it is closer to Africa. In February 1985, Ronaldo was born here.
Junior Ronaldo.
The author of “C Ronaldo’s Biography” Gilliam Balague found when he visited the local area that although the scenery here is beautiful and the funds from the European Union have also promoted local prosperity, “this island is actually floating on a sea of economic inequality.” . The local self-government does not extend benefits to everyone, but claims that only 2% of the population lives below the poverty line, while charities put the figure at 20%. Unfortunately, the Ronaldo family is within this 20%.
Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores, lost her mother when she was young, and her father dumped her to the nuns to raise her. Later, she was abused by nuns and stepmother. Still later, she became a family, and after giving birth to three children, she became pregnant again at the age of 30. Frustrated by her barren life, she contemplated abortion. “A neighbor told her she could drink boiled stout and run until she felt like passing out,” she said. But the method didn’t work, and Ronaldo’s “lucky” was born.
Ronaldo’s father, Dinis, was originally a motivated person. Shortly after marrying Dolores, he was drafted into the army. At that time, the Portuguese colonies of Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique were all fighting for independence, and Dinis went to Angola with the team. After returning to his hometown, affected by the psychological trauma of the war, he became extremely decadent and drank heavily every day.
The family lived in a slum halfway up the mountain. Ronaldo’s two older sisters and one older brother worked as waiters in hotels and aluminum products companies before they were 17 years old. They also weaved wicker baskets to maintain their household. The children never wore new clothes when they were children, and they all took over other people’s clothes in a low voice, and even their underwear was thrown over by others. The roof of the house is made of asbestos, which often leaks rain.
But in their memory, it is very warm here. This stems from the simple local folk customs: villagers never lock their doors, and neighbors can come in and out at will without knocking. Since he was a child, Ronaldo has been with a group of friends without any scruples, and he has continued this habit to this day: in the mansions in Manchester, England and Madrid, Spain, he still prepares guest rooms for relatives and friends, and the doors are always open.
Someone asked Ronaldo who is the most important person in his life, and he answered without hesitation: mother. Since she suffered from homelessness and poverty in her childhood, she struggled to avoid letting her children grow up in poverty. When Ronaldo’s father became unemployed due to his decadent will, Dolores went to Paris alone to work. This tenacity in the face of difficulties has deeply affected Ronaldo’s growth.
Poverty has plagued many stars of that generation. For example, Suarez, the core of the Uruguayan team, also grew up in a single-parent family in the local slums. At the age of 11, he even gave up the precious training opportunity because he couldn’t pay the travel expenses to the training camp.
And this kind of life experience gave birth to the characteristics of this generation of stars. Rodgers, the former coach of Liverpool in the Premier League, said that Suarez was filled with extreme blood because of the hard life in his childhood. “Many South American players will do anything for victory. They have been fighting for their own survival since childhood. Suarez is A typical representative.” Suarez himself said more directly: “If I don’t work hard, I can’t see the future!”
In contrast, Messi’s early life was relatively comfortable. In June 1987, he was born in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. His father worked in a pressed steel production company, and his family belonged to a typical middle class. Messi recalled that the daily food at home was nutritious and abundant, and no one would waste it. “We are a low-key family, which doesn’t mean we are poor.”
During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, refugees were displaced. Modric has also experienced this kind of life
Gilliam Balague introduced in the biography “Messi”, except for the special case of Maradona who was born in a slum, most Argentine players came from middle-class families. , sometimes because of lack of access, sometimes because of lack of money.”
The Croatian star Modric, who “robbed” the 2018 Ballon d’Or from Ronaldo and Messi, was the most unfortunate in his early years. He was born in Zakar, former Yugoslavia, in September 1985. As a child, he was raised by his grandfather in the countryside. At that time, he followed his grandfather to shovel snow, pile grass, herd cattle, buy building materials, and do maintenance every day. The most exciting thing was to occasionally go hunting in the forest with a shotgun. In this way, the grandpa and grandson spent the most carefree time in their lives. Grandpa told Modric that he was very good at futsal, so Modric also fell in love with football, and his talent became more and more apparent in the day-to-day play.
At that time, the carefree days seemed to never end. However, with the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, the situation in the Balkans took a sharp turn for the worse. One day in the winter of 1991, the grandfather disappeared, and the whole family began to look for it. It wasn’t until very late that grandpa was carried back, and his father walked up to Modric, put his arms around his shoulders and walked towards the coffin: “Son, say goodbye to your grandpa…” Later Modric found out the cause of his grandpa’s death: While grazing sheep on the side of the road, grandpa was shot dead by militants without warning.
The conflict intensified, and Modric began to flee with his family. After tossing around many places, the whole family came to a refugee camp. This is a hotel, and with the continuous influx of refugees from all directions, the environment has become increasingly harsh. Every day, refugees are also frequently transferred to temporary shelters to avoid shelling. Modric remembers that he was more afraid of the sound of the shells whistling overhead than the distant shells, because immediately after the shells hit the ground, the tragic roar and shock would turn the neighborhood into a hell on earth, terrifying the children. In such an environment, only football can bring little comfort to Modric. In the corridors of the hotel, there are always refugee children playing football happily. Running the alarm every day, no matter which shelter he goes to, Modric can see many peers, “At this time we will play games to make time pass faster.”
love and run
No matter what kind of environment they are in, these great stars, while possessing super talents, also regard football as the love of their lives from the bottom of their hearts.
British Welsh star Bell has a super talent for running. When he was 14 years old, his 100-meter sprint time reached 11.4 seconds, approaching professional athletes. In the school football match, he was so much better than his classmates that the physical education teacher had to make special rules: Bell was not allowed to use his best left foot, but could only kick with his right foot.
Messi also has this super talent. At the age of 5, he was dragged by his grandmother to watch a 6-year-old sevens game. On the same day, a child was absent, and my grandmother recommended Messi to the organizers, but was rejected: “He is too small.” Compared with his peers, Messi is short, let alone with a child who is one year older. compared to. But grandma insisted on letting him play, and the organizers had to reluctantly agree. Unexpectedly, little Messi surprised everyone when he came up. Years later, Messi did not remember this day, but his grandmother told him that he scored twice in this game and represented the team in all the remaining games of the season, winning the championship trophy.
Messi is a person who is not good at revealing his heart, but many years later he rarely revealed his true feelings: “Grandma is really kind, and tolerates all our childish and strange ideas. I don’t know if she understands football, but she often takes me Playing football. She is my first fan in training and games, and the hoarse voice of cheering always lingers in my ears.”
Unfortunately, when Messi was about to turn 11, his grandmother died of Alzheimer’s disease. He died of illness, so in my grandmother’s mind, Messi was never an international superstar. Grandma is gone, and part of Macy’s soul is dead. Relatives and friends still remember how Messi climbed into his grandma’s coffin and cried bitterly. Since then, every time he scores a goal, he has to do a classic celebration action: pointing his index fingers to the sky with both hands, and looking up at the sky above his head affectionately. Messi said: “I miss her very much, and I will dedicate every goal to her.”
Deep down, Messi will not put football and fame and fortune together. Whenever he was asked about his ambitions for the future, he said this: “I don’t play football to be the best in history or the present, but to do the right thing…Why am I fearless? Because I don’t care about those things. Evaluation, whether good or bad.”
Messi doesn’t often reveal his personal emotions, but he always expresses his affection for football without hesitation. Shortly after the death of Argentina’s “ball king” Maradona in November 2020, Messi revealed the Newell’s Old Boys Club jersey inside after scoring a goal in the game. This was his hometown team, where Maradona briefly played in 1993. This way of remembering is more like Messi reminding himself of his original intention of playing football not for fame and fortune, but for love.
The love for football without any ingredients is the unremitting motivation for these stars to persevere to this day. Uruguay star Edinson Cavani once wrote a letter to his 9-year-old self, which is like a love letter to football. During his childhood, every two or three years, his parents would be forced to move due to job changes or unable to pay the rent. As an adult, Cavani enlightened his 9-year-old self: “But, do you know where the beauty is? Every new residence, no matter where it is located, there is always an open space outside where you can play. Football. It’s the only thing in the world that a landlord can’t take away from you.”
In order to motivate 6-year-old children, the local football league has established a “ice cream goal” rule: During the entire game, no matter whether two The team wins or loses, and the child who scored the last goal can get an ice cream. “Even if the score is 8-1 on the field, it doesn’t matter. It’s a race against time, when you score the ‘ice cream goal’, when you hear the coach blow the final whistle, you feel the best. Pure joy. All day, you’ll be like a king.”
These kids who play football always like to play the second half with bare feet, “If I close my eyes now, I can still feel the dirt under my feet. I can still feel it To my heartbeat, chasing the ball, waiting to get an ice cream after the game.” Cavani also said to his 9-year-old self: This kind of love is something that I can’t get in exchange for no amount of honor and money.
At this point, Ronaldo is almost exactly the same. As a volcanic island, there is almost no complete flat ground with a large area on the Madeira Islands, but this still cannot stop Ronaldo’s enthusiasm. On the narrow and rugged streets, Ronaldo and his friends used two stones as goalposts. Sometimes when there was no football, they used plastic bottles or paper balls made from waste paper instead. There are often cars passing by on the street, and the children have to move the stone gate, and then kick after the car passes.
Long passes cannot be achieved in a small space. Ronaldo showed off his dribbling skills, dribbling past everyone, everyone called him “noodles”. When everyone left, Ronaldo ran to the open space, facing the wall, and practiced volleying for hours.
In the slum environment, Ronaldo experienced a “wild” competitive spirit. Ronaldo’s close friend once commented: “The competitive spirit in street football will make you full of confidence. In poor villages, you have no choice. You have to have a little character. If you can’t do it, they will eat it up.” You. Either you step on them, or wait for them to trample you.”
Ronaldo brought this strong style to the green field, and evolved into a strong sense of competition and self-esteem. If he suffered a disastrous defeat or was substituted, he would cry bitterly. So much so that for a while, his teammates called him a “crybaby”, and while crying, an unstoppable ferocious emotion would infect everyone around him.
Behind the extreme love, there are also unimaginable sacrifices and sacrifices.
At the age of 11, Messi watched his peers grow taller, but he was still so short. After diagnosis, the doctor determined that he suffered from “growth hormone deficiency”, and his height could only stay at 140 cm. The treatment of this disease required a monthly payment of nearly 1,000 US dollars, which was an expense that Messi’s family could not afford. At this time, many people thought that the prodigy’s football career would come to an end, but the Spanish football giants Barcelona Club threw an olive branch, not only willing to bear his treatment costs, but also to recruit him to the club’s youth team. In order to seize the opportunity and get rid of the curse of height, Messi insisted on injecting growth hormone every day for three consecutive years and ran 10,000 meters. In the end, strong will and self-discipline helped him fix his height to 170 centimeters.
After scoring a goal, Messi always makes the classic gesture of pointing to the sky and looking up at the sky to comfort his deceased grandmother.
In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo and other Portuguese players put pressure on the referee. England player Wayne Rooney was sent off, and the camera captured Ronaldo blinking.
After the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, Messi, who missed the championship, stared at the Hercules Cup and explained what it means to be “unattainable”.
For Ronaldo, sacrifice means being away from home. On this island far from the mainland, there could be no greater prospects for development. At the age of 11, in order to pursue his dream, he had to leave his parents, brothers and sisters, and went to Lisbon alone. After many years, he still remembers that part of the past: “I still remember the scene when I went to the airport. Although my sisters were wearing sunglasses, I could still see their tears. The whole family was crying.” My mother said to Ronaldo: “Son, I don’t want you to tell me one day that it’s all because of me, or because of your father, that you didn’t become a football player. I don’t want that to come true. Go for your dream Let’s work hard!”
Ronaldo recalled affectionately: “When the plane took off, tears welled up in my eyes. That’s life!… What is the thing I regret most? Probably not enjoying my childhood more.”
struggle and regret
As the peerless twins of today’s football, Ronaldo and Messi have almost won all the awards that individuals can get. However, there is only one Hercules Cup missing.
In 2006, Ronaldo and Messi debuted as rookies in the World Cup in Germany. New stars born around 1985, such as England’s “Little Tank” Rooney, Spain’s “Golden Boy” Torres and “Little White” Iniesta, are all shining.
In the third game of the group stage against Serbia and Montenegro, Messi made his first appearance as a substitute in the 74th minute. In the end, he helped the Argentine team beat their opponents 6:0 with a goal and an assist to complete the World Cup debut. In the following games, Messi did not get another chance to play. The Argentine team met the German team in the quarter-finals and was eventually eliminated in a penalty shootout.
Ronaldo’s first trip to the World Cup was even more reckless. Figo, who was awarded the “World Footballer”, was the captain of the Portuguese team at the time. In the second game of the group stage, Figo entered the opponent’s penalty area in the 79th minute of the game and made a penalty kick. Perhaps he wanted to support his juniors. Figo gave up the opportunity to take a penalty kick to future star Ronaldo. Cristiano Ronaldo made a steady hit and completed the first goal of the World Cup. After many battles, the Portuguese team entered the semi-finals. After losing to the French team, they lost to the German team in the third and fourth finals and won the fourth place. With his outstanding performance, Ronaldo won the best rookie award in that World Cup.
However, C Ronaldo fell into a huge vortex after the World Cup, because in a scramble against England in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese team, Rooney of the England team fouled Carvalho of the Portuguese team, and C Ronaldo took the lead. “The way to put pressure on the referee, Rooney was immediately sent off with a red card. With the England team missing one player, the game was dragged into a penalty shootout, and Ronaldo used a fatal penalty to eliminate the England team. At that time, Ronaldo was playing for Manchester United in the Premier League. Rooney was his club teammate. As soon as Rooney was sent off, the TV camera caught Ronaldo blinking to the sidelines, which further aroused the anger of England fans. After the World Cup, Ronaldo was afraid to return to Manchester United. For a long time since then, Ronaldo will be booed by fans when he plays at the club’s home court.
After this World Cup, both Ronaldo and Messi have matured.
In April 2007, in the match between Barcelona and Getafe, Messi dribbled the ball from the midfield to pass 5 people in a single-handed manner, and scored a goal past the goalkeeper. This is a replica of Maradona’s classic goal in the 1986 World Cup against England. In 2009, Messi led the Barcelona team to win the Copa del Rey, La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup, achieving Barcelona’s shocking “six crowns” honor.
Ronaldo has also shifted from the gorgeous personal style of street football to a practical style of play that pays attention to teamwork. Later, he won the 2008 Golden Globe Award. In 2009, Ronaldo moved to the Spanish football giants Real Madrid.
In the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Ronaldo and Messi set off as team leaders.
Ronaldo carried the flag of the captain of the Portuguese team, but the Portuguese team was eliminated by the Spanish team, the final champion of the World Cup, in the 1/8 finals.
At that time, Maradona was the head coach of the Argentine team. Under the dream combination of Maradona and Messi, the Argentine team won all three group matches. In the knockout round, the Argentine team advanced all the way to the top 8, and then met the old rival Germany. Unexpectedly, the previously aggressive Argentine team was out of shape and was swept out by the German team 4:0. Less than 3 minutes into the game, German striker Müller headed past Argentina’s goal. Muller is now 33 years old, and the World Cup in Qatar is also his last.
After 2010, Ronaldo gradually realized that if he wanted to go further, he had to be more demanding on himself. Therefore, he, who was originally rebellious and rebellious, became more and more restrained. Although he has received a lot of positive comments in the media, he always finds the most harsh negative comments and pastes them on the door to motivate himself. Many team members who have been with him day and night have seen that Ronaldo has become more self-disciplined. He is no longer satisfied with winning a championship, but more focused on maintaining the state of the championship.
But in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, good luck tricked people, and Ronaldo insisted on playing with injuries. Portugal was eliminated in the group stage due to poor goal difference.
It was the Argentine team that shined in that World Cup. The 27-year-old Messi is at the peak of his sports career. In the 3 group matches, Messi scored goals in each game, and the Argentine team advanced to the knockout round with a complete victory, and went all the way to the final. But they met their old rivals Germany again. In the past two World Cups, the Argentine team was eliminated by the German team. If the Argentine team wants to win the championship, it must break this curse. During the game, Messi made threats many times, but failed to break through the German team’s defense. In the 113th minute of extra time, German midfielder Gotze completed the lore and helped the team win the Hercules Cup.
After the game, Messi went to the stands to receive the runner-up medal. When he passed the rostrum where the Hercules Cup was placed, he deliberately stopped and stared at the trophy that he had dreamed of all his life. The Hercules Cup is close at hand, but far away…
Although Messi won the World Cup best player award, in the eyes of many people, this is more like a consolation. In addition to the huge regret and psychological gap, the pressure of public opinion has also come. Some people think that the biggest problem of the Argentine team is that it relies too much on Messi. In the face of continuous doubts, Messi’s big heart couldn’t stand it anymore, so he announced his retirement from the national team in 2016 and would not go to the next World Cup.
In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, in Portugal’s game against Spain, Ronaldo shot hard.
In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Italian star Roberto Baggio missed the ball in the penalty shootout.
In the 2006 World Cup final in Germany, French captain Zinedine Zidane headed Italian defender Materazzi. He missed the World Cup when he was sent off.
In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the German team won the championship, and Klose won the Hercules Cup.
Soon, the time came to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The Portuguese team faced the Spanish team in the first round of the group stage. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and drew with his opponent with 3 goals. But after qualifying in the group, the Portuguese team was eliminated by Uruguay in the 1/8 finals.
Messi, who withdrew from the national team, broke his promise and chose to play for the Argentine team again. In the group stage, the Argentine team performed poorly and barely qualified. In the 1/8 finals, the Argentine team met the French team that later won the championship and was eliminated miserably.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi left the 2018 World Cup in Russia in a hurry, but Modric persisted until the end. As the captain, he led the Croatian team to the final for the first time and became the biggest dark horse. Although the final 2:4 loss to the French team, but the Croatian team still created the best record in history. Later, Modric recalled that although he won the best player award, he was in a trance when he received the award on the podium, “I tried to look away from the other trophy (Hercules Cup), But before I knew it, my eyes were drawn to it – we had hoped to bring it back to Croatia.” And as he was about to walk off the podium, “memories of Grandpa came to mind again… …Although he only spent 6 short years with me in my life, he gave me the deepest understanding of family affection, dedication and loyalty.”
One day later, more than 500,000 Croats poured into the streets to welcome the national team members back home and the little boy who had walked all the way from the war in the way of celebrating the world championship.
instant and eternity
At this moment, the 2022 Qatar World Cup is in full swing. The strength of each of the 32 teams entering the World Cup finals should not be underestimated.
In the sitcom “I Love My Family”, which was broadcast nearly 30 years ago, there was an episode “94 World Cup”, which contained a plot. The old Fu played by Wen Xingyu didn’t understand football. He asked his son Zhiguo: “Who will play against whom tonight?” Zhiguo said: “Bulgaria vs. Germany.” The old Fu then asked: “Which one of them is more likely to win? ?” Hu, a fan on the side, sneered and said, “Idiots know it too, of course Germany won.” Old Fu was unconvinced: “Every idiot knows? So you are on the same side as the idiot? You’re so sure ?Okay, then you said that Germany won, and I will say that-yes, I will say that Bulgaria won.”
It really made the old man hit the mark. In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, the Bulgarian team upset the defending champion Germany with a score of 2:1 in the quarter-finals and became the biggest dark horse in that World Cup.
Football is the sport with the greatest uncertainty, and any kind of “authoritative prediction” may be “slapped in the face”. The only thing that is certain is that there is only one team that can win the Hercules Cup as it wishes, and most veterans are destined to say goodbye to Qatar with regret.
And this kind of uncertainty, is it not the charm of the World Cup?
Just like the “Prince of Melancholy” Roberto Baggio missed the ball in the 1994 US World Cup final penalty shootout and lost the championship. Four years later, in the World Cup in France, he made a comeback with the Italian team, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals again with a penalty kick.
Just like the “God of War” Batistuta in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, witnessed the Argentine team being tied by the Swedish team in the group stage and had no hope of qualifying. He squatted on the bench and cried helplessly. The best interpretation of “I Cry”.
Just like Beckham retired due to injury in the quarter-finals of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, covering his face and crying bitterly, the England team was finally eliminated by the Portugal team.
Just like France captain Zinedine Zidane headed down Italian defender Materazzi who abused him in the 2006 World Cup final in Germany. When he was expelled by the referee, he passed away with the Hercules Cup he held in his hands 8 years ago.
Just like the “King of Highbury” Henry led the French team to accidentally lose to the host South African team in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was eliminated. His dejected back is just like Zidane’s engraved 4 years ago.
Just like “God K” Klose won the Hercules Cup with the German players in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as he wished, and ended his 13-year national team career in the most dignified way.
Just like “Little White” Iniesta in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Spanish team was eliminated by the host Russian team in a penalty shootout in the 1/8 finals, and was upset.
Glory, regret, conflict, remorse… These emotions and memories are precious gifts left to us by the World Cup. Every superstar on the World Cup field may bid farewell to all fans in the most unexpected way. This is not only football, but also the youth and life that each of us has and cherishes…
In fact, after the passage of time, we may not be able to recall the team and those people who won the cup this winter. What comes to our minds may be precisely those people who have really struggled, tempered, and struggled. Whether they succeed or not, they deserve to be respected and remembered. In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, there will be dreamers and losers. The light at dusk is already brilliant, and the golden light on the Hercules Cup belongs not only to the champion, but also to every dream chaser who has done their best for the championship.
