After signing with AC Milan, I will be the king of football!

”Go to the press conference, Kevin.”

Baldi approached the sideline and said.

Wherever Huang Kaiwen appeared, others would become side characters.

Letting Huang Kaiwen attend the press conference would take some heat off himself; it would be much easier for him.

”Forget it, I’m not the coach. There’s no need for me to attend every press conference.”

Huang Kaiwen laughed as he declined.

Baldi said, ”That’s really too bad. I believe the reporters will think so too.”

If Huang Kaiwen didn’t go, it would be a headache for him.

Even if he was just the interim coach of Real Madrid, the reporters wouldn’t go easy on him, often asking pointed questions, and Baldi couldn’t afford to speak carelessly.

In this position, every word spoken could be infinitely amplified.

He didn’t want to stir up any trouble.

If things got out of hand, not even Capello could protect him.

”Wait, I’ll go!”

Ramos grabbed Baldi and said.

”Is that so? That’s good, then.”

Baldi nodded and said.

Ramos also attracted a lot of media attention; his going to the press conference was a good thing.

Huang Kaiwen went back to the locker room to change with his teammates, while Ramos and the assistant coach headed to the press conference site.

Meazza press room.

”The players performed very well; they played a top-level game, and I think they can walk off the field with their heads held high. After the elimination, we will focus on the league. In the long season, there’s always a chance as long as we don’t give up.”

Mancini said with a smile.

His face no longer showed the bruising from before, and he had regained his dapper appearance.

Baldi thought Mancini was performing well.

He also placed both hands on the table, struck a pose, and then began, ”We breathed a sigh of relief after advancing. Now, the head coach still can’t return to the bench, so both the players and I will give our best effort. Today’s result shows that we did well.”

”But you lost the match, you lost the second leg.”

A reporter reminded him.

”Scores aren’t always that important, advancing is victory.”

Baldi said, annoyed.

He hated how reporters quibbled over words.

In a two-legged tie, no team could guarantee a win in both matches; advancing was enough.

The reporter wanted to ask Baldi another question.

”Wait a minute, let me say something!”

Ramos banged on the table, grabbed the microphone, leaned in close, and said: ”Although we advanced today, it was not a good match. Every Real Madrid player should feel ashamed. Without Kevin, Real Madrid performed extremely poorly, which is absolutely unacceptable. Even though we won on aggregate over the two legs, allowing Kevin’s unbeaten record to be lost is simply criminal. However, Kevin still maintains an unbeaten record in the league, which is a great achievement. Every Real Madrid player must work hard for Kevin’s league unbeaten record. After ruining one of the greatest records in Champions League history, each one of us has a responsibility to protect Kevin’s league unbeaten record! This is an achievement greater than any championship; championships come every year, but an unbeaten league record has never happened before!”

Baldi began to rub his temples, sitting beside him.

He really wanted Capello to return.

What kind of things were players saying?

As a coach, he damn well had to be responsible for a player’s unbeaten record, Baldi asked himself if he could do it.

Fortunately, Ramos was talking about the league; Capello wasn’t suspended from league matches.

Let Capello worry about it then!

”Sergio, you said Kevin’s record is more important than championships. Isn’t that against the professional ethics of a player, especially since he’s the highest-paid player at Real Madrid, shouldn’t he care less about personal wins and losses?”

A reporter asked.

”Kevin has never asked us to help him maintain the record. He has always been contributing silently, without making any demands. But we can’t take Kevin’s modesty and humility for granted and treat him casually. Every one of Kevin’s teammates has the responsibility to protect this great record. While enjoying the victories and cheers Kevin brings, every one of Kevin’s teammates should also stand up and do something for Kevin! Kevin’s unbeaten record does not conflict with us winning championships. He is a born winner. If we lose a championship, it must be because someone other than Kevin didn’t perform well enough, including me. With no one dragging their feet, Kevin will win everything!”

Ramos shouted passionately.

”You might be right, but I have another question. Today, you and Kevin were shouting instructions from the sidelines, could that cause resentment from the assistant coaches?”

Baldi quickly said, ”Not at all, Kevin is a player with a strong desire to win, and it’s just a display of that desire. I’m very happy to have such players in the team as it motivates those on the field. I know what kind of news you want, but it’s not going to happen. Kevin is respected by everyone in the locker room, on and off the field. He is a leader of the team, not what the newspapers write, and Kevin doesn’t receive any special treatment. Fabio treats all players equally.”

”But I saw Mr. Capello hand Kevin a towel at every halftime break. Isn’t that special treatment?”

Another well-known reporter asked.

Ramos irritably said, ”That’s not because he is Kevin, but because when Kevin plays, he is the best player on the field. The coach is simply giving a towel to the best-performing player, and that’s not an issue. If others also want the same treatment, they just need to perform better than Kevin. What’s wrong with a coach valuing a player who can guarantee victory? If he didn’t do this, that would be favoring someone based on personal preference. Kevin’s efforts are far less than what he gets in return. Don’t write nonsense in the newspapers, or I’ll make you regret it!”