Zidane remained gracious in defeat.
He crossed the technical area and extended his hand toward Mourinho.
"Congratulations. Keep going and try to complete the three-peat."
Although United had also denied Madrid two years earlier, Zidane held little resentment.
Football did not owe anyone victory, no matter how grand the club or how glorious its history.
United had been better.
Complaining afterward would merely sound bitter.
"Thank you," Mourinho replied as they shook hands. "You're rebuilding well."
"I went through something similar here. Stay calm, take it step by step, and don't try to solve everything in one transfer window."
During his own time at Madrid, Mourinho had constructed a new tactical identity and helped refresh an aging squad.
His greatest regret remained the Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich, when Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Ramos all missed during the penalty shootout.
That defeat had reduced him to tears—the first time football had ever done so during his coaching career.
Now it belonged to the past.
Mourinho had stopped allowing old disappointments to poison the present, particularly when his life at United was going so well.
After leaving Zidane, he wandered toward Madrid's bench and found Bale.
"Last time, you never made your intentions clear enough, so I couldn't bring you to Manchester," Mourinho said cheerfully. "How do you feel about it now?"
Several Madrid players turned toward them.
Mourinho was openly attempting to recruit one of their teammates before they had even left the pitch.
Nobody interrupted.
Manchester United's appeal now rivalled—and in some cases exceeded—Madrid's.
They were winning trophies, paying enormous salaries, and building their team around the best footballer in the world.
Ling made almost every player imagine how much easier football might become beside him.
Bale remained silent.
Casemiro and Varane exchanged glances nearby, both appearing more interested than they would ever admit publicly.
United did not urgently need either of them.
Maguire and Thiago Silva remained the established center-back pairing, while Nathan Aké would arrive in the summer.
The midfield already possessed Kanté, Matić, Herrera, and McTominay.
Bale's situation was different.
He barely played in Madrid.
At United, he could serve as an experienced rotation option—and England offered more than enough golf courses to occupy the rest of his time!
Mourinho smiled.
He had planted the idea.
That was enough for one evening.
...
The following morning, European football belonged to the headlines.
📰 BBC Sport: Manchester United Eliminate Real Madrid 4–1 on Aggregate
📰 The Guardian: Ling Strikes Twice as European Champions March into Quarterfinals
📰 The Sun: Ling Overtakes Lewandowski at the Top of Champions League Scoring Chart
📰 MARCA: Madrid's European Dream Ends at Old Trafford
📰 AS: Ramos Admits Real Madrid Were Punished for Failing to Take Their Chances
📰 Bild: Bayern Recover from First-Leg Defeat to Eliminate Chelsea 7–1 on Aggregate
The eight quarterfinalists were now confirmed:
Manchester United.
Manchester City.
Barcelona.
Atlético Madrid.
Juventus.
Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern Munich.
RB Leipzig.
The draw would take place two days later.
📱 @UCLWatch ✔
Only two Premier League clubs remain. Could Manchester United and Manchester City meet in the final?
📱 @NeutralFootball
Possible, but Bayern, Barcelona, Juventus, and PSG are all capable of winning it. United's three-peat will not come easily.
📱 @StretfordEndTom
Ling always becomes more dangerous as the season progresses. Give him another two months and see what happens.
📱 @MadridTactico
Madrid created chances across both legs. They simply didn't convert them. At this level, wastefulness gets punished.
| ↳ 📱 @UnitedStand ✔
| Reply: Especially when the other team has Ling.
📱 @EuropeanDraws
United have already drawn Real Madrid. Surely UEFA won't give them another giant immediately.
| ↳ 📱 @RedDevilBeijing
| Reply: That sounds exactly like how you summon Barcelona!
| ↳ 📱 @UnitedTilIDie
| Reply: Delete this before the draw.
...
Two days later, representatives from the remaining clubs gathered at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
Ling spotted Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and several other familiar faces around the room.
He exchanged greetings with both legends, but the three did not naturally drift into a long conversation.
Their personalities were too different.
Instead, Ling found himself seated beside De Bruyne.
"Congratulations on your second child," Ling whispered while the opening speeches dragged on. "I sent a gift."
"Thank you."
De Bruyne leaned slightly closer.
"I watched your match against Madrid. You were brilliant."
Ling stretched his neck. Sitting through ceremonial speeches had already made him restless.
"What do you think is still wrong with our midfield?"
De Bruyne considered the question seriously.
"The transition after winning possession is still too slow."
"Your midfielders see the safe pass before the dangerous one. That's partly technical, but mostly vision. It's difficult to teach."
Ling nodded.
He had noticed the same issue.
United possessed excellent ball-winners, tireless runners, and tactically disciplined midfielders.
What they lacked was someone who could instantly recognize and execute the most dangerous forward pass.
Pogba, sitting nearby, overheard the conversation.
A smug thought entered his mind.
'They still need me.'
Being pushed out of Manchester United had wounded his pride.
No matter how professionally he behaved at Juventus, part of him wanted the opportunity to face his former club and prove they had been wrong to let him leave.
He could already imagine scoring at Old Trafford and celebrating in front of Mourinho!
"I've had to drop deeper quite often because of it," Ling said. "Fortunately, I enjoy playing that way."
He was telling the truth.
Standing inside the penalty area and waiting for service had never suited him.
He preferred receiving deeper, accelerating through midfield, and breaking the opposition line by line.
A full-pitch run allowed him to display far more than a traditional center-forward role ever could.
The speeches finally ended.
The draw began.
That season's final would take place at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, so Luís Figo had been invited to conduct the ceremony.
He reached into the first bowl.
"Juventus."
The next ball followed.
"Atlético Madrid."
A murmur spread through the room.
Simeone's face changed immediately.
He glanced first toward Cristiano, then toward Ling.
Those two had become Atlético's greatest European tormentors.
Whenever Simeone's side met either of them in a final or knockout tie, something painful seemed inevitable.
Atlético had avoided Ling.
Instead, they had drawn Cristiano Ronaldo.
Simeone looked ready to swear.
Figo continued.
"Bayern Munich."
He opened the second ball.
"RB Leipzig."
Hansi Flick, who had taken over Bayern only months earlier, smiled openly.
On paper, it was the most favorable draw available.
The third tie followed.
"Manchester City."
"Paris Saint-Germain."
Guardiola buried his face in both hands.
Thomas Tuchel's expression became equally grim.
Neither coach wanted a quarterfinal defined by De Bruyne, Neymar, Mbappé, and the pressure of two clubs still chasing their first Champions League trophy.
Only two teams remained.
Manchester United.
Barcelona.
The cameras immediately turned toward Ling and Messi.
Ling wore a faint smile.
Messi remained completely serious.
Barcelona still possessed enormous quality, particularly through their captain, but their Champions League performances had become increasingly fragile.
Napoli had troubled them badly in the round of sixteen, while their defense no longer carried the security of earlier years.
Piqué had lost pace.
Lenglet remained inconsistent.
Real Madrid had recently defeated them 2–0 in La Liga.
Manchester United had just beaten that same Madrid side 4–1 across two legs.
That did not guarantee anything.
But United had no reason to fear them.
Barcelona's recently appointed manager, Quique Setién, leaned back and exhaled slowly.
His timing could hardly have been worse.
He had inherited an aging, politically divided squad and now faced the reigning European champions within months of taking the job.
Unless Messi produced something extraordinary, defeating United would be extremely difficult.
Setién could not avoid the thought that these two matches might cost him his position before he had even completed half a season.
The ceremony had not yet ended when the internet erupted.
📱 @ChampionsLeague ✔
Quarterfinals confirmed:
Juventus vs Atlético Madrid
Bayern Munich vs RB Leipzig
Manchester City vs Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester United vs Barcelona
📱 @LegacyFootball
Messi against Ling. One era's greatest genius against the man trying to define the next.
📱 @UnitedStand ✔
Real Madrid first. Barcelona next. Apparently UEFA wants United to complete the full Spanish tour.
📱 @BarcaUniversal
Barcelona's defense must survive Ling over two legs. That may be the greatest challenge of Setién's career.
📱 @UCLBracket
The winner of Manchester United–Barcelona will face the winner of Juventus–Atlético Madrid.
📱 @NeutralFootball
So Ling could face Messi in the quarterfinal and Cristiano in the semifinal. This tournament is writing its own story.
📱 @JuveWorld ✔
Do not assume Juventus are already through. Atlético exist purely to make beautiful football miserable.
📱 @RedDevil
Madrid. Barcelona. Possibly Juventus. If United complete the three-peat through that route, nobody will ever question it.
After the official photographs, everyone hurried back to their clubs.
The quarterfinals would not begin until April, and the domestic title races continued.
Manchester United faced the heaviest workload of all. Liverpool and City remained close enough that a single poor week could change the entire Premier League table, while the FA Cup and Champions League continued to demand attention.
Mourinho could not allow one competition to destroy another.
...
On March 12th, Sheffield United visited Old Trafford.
Manchester United attacked immediately.
In the seventh minute, Mahrez escaped down the wing and drove a low cross through the penalty area.
Ling slid in at the far post and directed it into the net.
Five minutes later, Havertz lifted a clever pass over the defensive line.
Ling raced through one-on-one, performed a rapid series of feints that left the goalkeeper collapsing in the wrong direction, and calmly rolled the ball into the empty net.
His third arrived in the 67th minute.
Receiving near the edge of the penalty area, Ling powered through the first challenge and swept a low shot inside the near post.
Then, during stoppage time, Wan-Bissaka made a rare overlapping run and delivered a cross.
Ling met it first time.
Four goals.
Manchester United demolished Sheffield United.
"FOUR FOR LING!" Peter Drury cried. "Real Madrid survived him twice. Sheffield United have been made to endure him four times in one night!"
"Barcelona have been warned."
...
Six days later, United faced Norwich City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
Maguire opened the scoring with a powerful header in the 28th minute.
Ling then struck from long range before Mourinho removed him early, preserving his legs for the demanding schedule ahead.
United eventually won 3–1 and advanced to the semifinals.
...
March 30th brought Brighton to Old Trafford.
Ling opened the scoring in the sixteenth minute, using a series of stepovers to create half a yard before driving the ball into the far corner.
McTominay helped create the second. He surged forward, exchanged passes with Havertz, and delivered a precise cross for Ling to head home.
The hat-trick arrived during a flowing counterattack.
Matić launched a long pass toward Sandro, who had advanced down the left. The Brazilian reached the ball and cut it backward toward the edge of the penalty area.
Ling arrived in stride.
One touch sent it beyond the goalkeeper.
"ANOTHER HAT-TRICK!"
"The Premier League's leading scorer is no longer being chased. He is disappearing over the horizon!"
...
On April 4th, United travelled to Villa Park.
Grealish earned an early penalty against his former club, and Ling converted calmly.
Aston Villa responded by retreating almost entirely into their own penalty area. Every available player defended behind the ball, turning the match into a long siege.
United pushed, crossed, and recycled possession without finding a second goal.
Only in stoppage time did Ling finally create enough space outside the box.
He struck through a crowd of defenders and found the bottom corner.
0–2.
The victory preserved United's position at the top of the Premier League.
More importantly, it brought them to the edge of their next European challenge.
April 11th.
The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.
Manchester United against Barcelona.
Ling against Messi.
The next chapter of the three-peat awaited!
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