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The presentation stage was assembled while both teams changed into their ceremony kits.

When United returned to the pitch, much of the Estádio da Luz had become a sea of red.

Flags moved throughout the stands, streamers hung over railings, and the United supporters who had travelled to Lisbon continued singing as though the match were still being played.

The players climbed the podium one by one.

Medals were placed around their necks.

Then came the trophy.

Ling stood with his teammates around him as the European Cup was brought forward.

For all the trophies he had already won, the sight still affected him.

This was the one they had spent the entire season chasing.

The Premier League mattered.

The FA Cup mattered.

But this was history.

Ling took hold of the handles.

His teammates crowded around him.

Then he lifted it.

The trophy rose above his head as confetti burst across the podium and the United players shouted around him.

Three consecutive Champions League titles!

Ling had imagined this moment throughout the season, but the reality arrived differently from expectation.

The emotion was less explosive than the first title and somehow deeper.

The first had felt impossible.

The second had proved the first was no accident.

The third meant they had done something nobody had managed in the Champions League era.

"Manchester United are champions of Europe once again," Drury said. "Once might be a moment. Twice begins to resemble dominance. Three consecutive European Cups belongs to another category entirely."

Beglin allowed the pictures to carry much of the moment.

"You cannot do this through one player alone. Ling will receive enormous attention because of the goals, and rightly so, but look at the squad around him. Three years of changing personnel, changing opponents, different tactical problems, and they have continued finding answers."

Ling lowered the trophy so another teammate could take it.

Maguire immediately grabbed hold.

McTominay appeared beside him.

Bruno pushed in from the other side.

Within seconds, the trophy was moving through the entire squad.

There would be time later to discuss whether this United team could win a fourth, how long their dominance might last, or which players would still be present several years from now.

None of that mattered tonight.

For now, they were allowed to enjoy what they had already done.

...

Mourinho stood slightly away from the main group and watched.

His mind, inevitably, was already beginning to move toward next season.

The squad was excellent.

It was not finished.

Herrera and Matić remained valuable, but both were getting older.

Their experience had been crucial throughout the season, particularly in European matches, yet Mourinho knew the physical demands of midfield would eventually catch up with them.

United needed younger depth there.

He already had several names in mind.

Nathan Aké would return from Bournemouth in the summer to strengthen the defensive options, but midfield was likely to become the next priority.

Those decisions could wait until tomorrow.

Mourinho looked toward the trophy again.

Even he could allow himself one evening without thinking about recruitment.

Probably.

...

The ceremony eventually ended, but Lisbon remained awake long afterward.

Supporters filled the streets surrounding the Estádio da Luz, while bars and public squares remained crowded with red shirts.

United's players did not stay for long.

They boarded a late flight back to Manchester, carrying medals and another European trophy with them.

At Carrington, supporters had already begun gathering despite the hour.

They wanted to welcome the team home.

They wanted to see the trophy.

They wanted confirmation that what they had watched on television had actually happened.

On the plane, the mood was considerably less ceremonial.

Maguire held his medal up.

"Left hand or right hand when we get off?"

"Harry," McTominay said, "just wear it around your neck like a normal person."

"I want it to look good in the pictures."

"You're asking the wrong group for fashion advice."

Someone farther back shouted, "How much prize money do we get for this?"

Another voice answered, "Enough that Ling can buy dinner!"

Several players immediately agreed.

Ling looked up.

"Why am I paying?"

"You scored four."

"That means UEFA should pay me, not the other way around."

"You earn more than us."

"That's not how mathematics works."

"It works perfectly."

The argument continued across several rows.

Ling eventually gave up and looked through the window instead.

Beyond the glass, there was little except darkness.

Behind him, the cabin remained noisy.

Three years earlier, many of these players had not even been his teammates.

Three years from now, some of them probably would not be.

Football squads rarely stayed together forever.

That made nights like this more valuable.

...

By the time United landed, coverage of the final had spread across almost every major sports platform.

📰 BBC Sport: Manchester United Beat PSG to Complete Historic Champions League Three-Peat

📰 Sky Sports: Ling Scores Four as United Win Third Consecutive European Crown

📰 The Guardian: Mourinho's Manchester United Make Champions League History in Lisbon

📰 L'Équipe: Paris Fall Short as United's Experience and Ling's Finishing Decide Final

There was already speculation about the following season.

Could United win four consecutive Champions Leagues?

Would PSG return stronger?

Would Mbappé remain in Paris?

Could anyone challenge Ling for the Ballon d'Or?

One widely shared statistical graphic attributed to Sofascore claimed that Ling's average Champions League match rating since his debut placed him above every other eligible player in its database.

Supporters immediately began using it in the inevitable debates involving Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, and every other elite player of the era.

The more sensible discussions recognized the obvious limitation.

Ling's Champions League career was still young.

Cristiano remained far ahead in many cumulative competition records, including career goals, knockout goals, appearances, and other longevity-based categories.

Ling had produced three extraordinary seasons.

Matching an entire career required considerably more time.

Online reactions reflected both sides.

📱 @StretfordEndTom

Three seasons. Three Champions Leagues. Twenty-three goals this year and FOUR in the final. This doesn't feel real.

📱 @EuropeanFootball

Ling is clearly the defining player of this United run, but longevity still matters. Cristiano's Champions League career was built over well more than a decade.

📱 @MadridistaGlobal

Exactly. Peak comparisons are one thing. Career comparisons need another five or ten years.

📱 @RedDevilBeijing

That's what makes it exciting. Ling is still young enough to chase those records instead of just being compared with them.

📱 @FootballGenerations

Would have loved to see prime Messi, prime Cristiano, and this version of Ling all at the same time.

📱 @BallonDorWatch

Maybe the interesting part isn't "who replaced whom." Their careers overlap just enough that Ling actually has to beat them, not inherit an empty stage.

Attention also turned toward international football.

Ling represented England, and expectations surrounding the national team were naturally rising alongside his club career.

📱 @ThreeLionsTalk

Club football completed. Next question: what can Ling do with England at the 2022 World Cup?

📱 @EnglandAnalytics

Qualification shouldn't be England's biggest concern with the squad they have. Winning the tournament is a completely different challenge.

📱 @WembleyWatch

Southgate has an interesting problem. Do you leave Ling high and maximize his finishing, or let him drop deeper and get more touches?

📱 @TacticalEngland

He's too good between the lines to isolate permanently up front. Let him drop, then have runners attack beyond him.

📱 @RedDevilLion

He already organizes, dribbles and finishes for United. England just need to build something coherent around those qualities instead of expecting one player to solve everything.

The debate would continue for years.

Ling was not particularly interested in settling it that night.

...

A few days later, Manchester celebrated properly.

United flags hung from windows and balconies throughout the city, while enormous screens displayed images from Lisbon.

A double-decker bus carried the squad through streets packed with supporters.

The Premier League trophy was there.

The FA Cup.

And the European Cup.

Three major trophies collected at the end of a season in which United had once again dominated both England and Europe.

Ling stood near the front of the upper deck with several teammates, occasionally lifting one of the trophies whenever the crowd below demanded it.

Maguire had apparently spent far too much time deciding how to pose with his medal.

McTominay kept mocking him for it.

Bruno filmed half the journey on his phone.

Mourinho alternated between waving at supporters and looking as though he would rather nobody point a camera at him.

Eventually the bus reached Old Trafford.

The players stepped onto the stage that had been prepared outside the stadium as thousands of supporters continued singing.

Ling looked toward the familiar stands.

Carrington had been where his second life in football began.

Old Trafford was where it had become real.

Three years earlier, he had entered the senior team simply wanting the chance he once believed he had wasted.

Now he was captain of Manchester United.

Three-time Premier League champion.

Three-time Champions League champion.

Ballon d'Or winner.

And the centerpiece of another United dynasty.

His teammates gathered around him once more.

Ling took hold of the Champions League trophy.

Together, they lifted it toward the Manchester sky!

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