Chapter 3: Paying tribute to the ten-year legend

After Wilford said goodbye to his teammates, Eastwood held a press conference at which he will officially announce to the media and the outside world that he would retire. No media had known about this news before, although some of them might have guessed it.

The press conference was held at the city stadium. Before the press conference, some media received rumors - Eastwood would definitely not announce good news at the press conference. Some forest fans who care about Eastwood gathered outside the stadium, waiting anxiously for the latest news that came out of the press conference.

When Eastwood appeared in front of the reporters in suit and tie, the noisy press conference suddenly became quiet.

Sitting in the seat, there were countless microphones and recorders in front of me, Eastwood did not rush to speak. It took some courage to make this decision public for the first time.

Tang En sat next to him and patted him on the back.

The venue was silent. After a while, Eastwood breathed out and said in his unique tone: "I made a decision. When I had surgery in the United States, my doctor told me that even if my knees were well, I might not be able to continue to bear the pressure of professional football. I thought about it for a long time and decided to retire. "

Although some people have roughly guessed the reason why Eastwood suddenly held a press conference, they were still shocked when they heard him say it. The scene was in an uproar.

After saying this, Eastwood ignored the fierce reactions of the reporters. He stood up and walked out with Don En. Some of the reporters who reacted first squeezed into the front row to ask him some questions, but he waved his hand to stop him: "I have nothing to say, thank you everyone."

After saying that, he lowered his head and went out.

Someone aimed at Don Eun.

"Mr. Tang En! Mr. Tang En..."

"I'm sorry, I have nothing to say.  This is the thing. We will arrange a farewell ceremony for Freddy in a home league in more than half a month.    That's it. Thank you for your special trip..."

Tang En waved his hand and refused further questions from the reporters.

"The Gypsy shooter announced his retirement!"

"Three serious injuries to the right knee will end your career!"

"Tony Donn lost a general, Eastwood said goodbye in tears!"

"Counting the three serious injuries in Eastwood's career, this retirement was destined to be ten years ago!"

"The culprit of the Gypsy retirement is another person, not the former captain of Nottingham Forest!"

...

Various horrifying and visually impactful news titles appeared in the media.

For a time, everyone knew that Eastwood was going to retire. Countless reporters flocked to Wilford, hoping to find out further news. Although Eastwood has never really ranked among the top European strikers, his two winning goals in the two European Champions Leagues still made his name spread throughout Europe and even the world. Some media even looked back on his career and believed that if Eastwood had not been to Eastwood, Tony Don would definitely not win back those two championship trophys.

Nottingham Forest fans have long regarded him as the best striker in the world, and there is no need to say much about his love. Now I heard that Eastwood is going to retire. I couldn’t accept it for a while. Every day, there are always a large number of fans outside the Wilford training base holding Eastwood’s avatars, posters and slogans to keep Eastwood. Unfortunately, the hero in their minds is not on the training ground, but at home to rest.

The atmosphere in the training ground was also different from before. Everyone felt uncomfortable when they saw so many slogans trying to keep Eastwood. But the boss was right. Since they were brothers, then they had to respect their decisions. The road was chosen by Eastwood himself, and no one else was qualified to interfere.

Some fans rushed to the message board of the Piaotianyi Station and posted excited messages, hoping to persuade Eastwood to change his mind.

But none of these works.

Some reporters wanted to go directly to interview Eastwood and found out that the other party had turned off their phones.

As a professional player, it takes more than courage to make a decision to retire when he is only thirty. Even if he makes this decision, it is really not good for him. Eastwood was in a very depressed mood during the twenty days of resting at home.

His wife, Serim, took all this in her eyes. Sometimes she would joke with her husband while playing cards: "Fate says you can go back and continue playing football."

Eastwood glared at her: "If I believe you, I'm not a gypsy anymore. Don't mention it, Serim. I won't change my decision..."

"You have been playing football for so many years, and suddenly one day you stop playing football again. Don't you feel uncomfortable?"

"What are you not used to? I haven't played football during this period. Isn't it good?"

Eastwood really has no contact with football these days. He can still walk freely with crutches and has been taking care of the old Ma Blank who has been with him for ten years in the stable.

Serim grinned and stopped talking about this topic. “You have to go to the court tomorrow, don’t you go to bed early?”

Eastwood shook his head: "I'm not a player to compete."

Serim kissed her husband on the forehead: "Then I'll go up and see if the children have slept."

"Yeah." Eastwood replied absent-mindedly.

When he was the only one left in the living room, Eastwood buried his face in his hands. Serem said right - he suddenly stopped playing football and he really couldn't adapt.

When he was calling the boss, he was just injured. At that time, he thought he was really tired of this kind of life. Looking at his knees, he even thought that the rest of his life would be spent in a wheelchair. At that time, he resolutely bid farewell to the past ten years. He firmly believed that he had made the most correct choice.

Now he still thinks that retirement is correct, but his heart is no longer as resolute as half a month ago. Sometimes when he closes his eyes, he will cheer in his ears like tsunamis of the city court, and everyone is calling his name. When he sleeps soundly, he will dream of returning to the court, having a healthy knee, and then running on the court and shooting to score goals, enjoying the cheers of the fans.

When he woke up from his dream, he realized that he really couldn't live without football.

His knees can't continue playing football anymore, but the boss gave him a coaching job. He was still very happy. At least he didn't have to be far away from football and had nothing to do with each other since then. He could still fight side by side with his brothers, but he had a different identity.

For me, football has long been no longer as simple as hobbies or a job.

Football is my life.

When the morning sun was still emerging behind the clouds, Eastwood had already gotten out of bed. He woke his wife up in a slight sound in his clothes.

Serim looked at her busy husband with sleepy eyes: "Didn't you say you don't play? What should I do when I get up so early?"

"Horse-ride warm-up." Eastwood's answer seemed to be when there was a home game on weekdays.

When Serim heard this, he sat up from the bed: "You don't play..."

"Go to sleep, Serim."

The wife reached out and grabbed a few handfuls of her messy hair on her head. She shook her head and muttered, "I'll make you breakfast."

A faint light shot in from the window, and smoke and dust were flying in the light column, and the dim stable seemed very quiet. This quietness was quickly broken by the creaking sound of the door pushing.

Eastwood stood at the door, took a deep breath, and sniffed the smell that made him familiar.

The creatures in the stable felt someone coming. They sniffed and said hello.

"Blank." Without turning on the light, Eastwood and others walked in after getting used to the dimness of the room.

Another sniff.

Eastwood stopped in front of a dark horse. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked the dark horse's neck. His movements were gentle, as if he was stroking his lover.

The dark horse Blank also leaned his head against his master and rubbed it affectionately.

Eastwood didn't answer his wife's question just now, he just asked Serim to continue sleeping. Because he couldn't explain to his wife what kind of emotion it was - he would only ride Blank in his own venue early in the morning when there was a home game that day, and he wouldn't do that. So why do you still do this today?

He was not confused. He knew that he was just going to the court to say goodbye before the game. He would not play football. But his body just wanted to ride Blank at this time. The inertia of the body?

Eastwood untied the rope of the horse, put a bridle reins on Black, and slowly pulled it out of the stable.

It was obviously brighter outside than indoors, and each man looked at each other. Eastwood looked at Blank and smiled: "Hey, old man. I retired today, and you retired too. Let's run again?"

When he was still in Grace Sports, he rode the nine-year-old Blank on the road. He lives in a modern caravan, and his home is in the woods of the green belt in the neighborhood. Others look at him with strange eyes. But he never cared, he proudly was a gypsy. Now he has money. He has children and doesn't have to continue living in a car, but he still retains the strange habit of warming up on horseback during the morning of every home game.

A reporter once interviewed him for why he always scored the winning goal at the most critical moment and helped the team win. He always attributed the reason to his lucky little Maverick Blank.

Now, the "lucky pony" has become the "lucky old pony", and he himself is thirty years old.

Eastwood patted Blank on the back and stepped on the stirrups.

"Walk, old man!"

He patted the dark horse's butt and Blank trotted with his master.

The cold morning wind blew on Eastwood's face, blew Blank's mane, and Eastwood felt a long-lost comfort. He wanted to whistle loudly on the horse's back.

"Oh. Blank! You run so hard! Actually, you can run, you are not old yet, right!"

Black ran around the racecourse, and then Eastwood simply let go of the reins, spread his hands, leaned back, and closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing around him. In a trance, Blank became his legs. He ran on the field, tirelessly, and no matter how fierce the collision was, he could not stop his progress. He ran like this, leaving all the pain and sorrow behind him. Run and run, and kept running...

"Freddy, do you want to play professional football?"

In the cold wind, a few drops of water fell from Eastwood's face.

When her little daughter Chardonnay got up to use the bathroom, she heard a jingle sound from the kitchen. She walked downstairs curiously and realized that it was her mother.

She rubbed her eyes at the door and asked, "Mom? Where is Daddy?"

Serim turned around and saw that it was her little daughter, and smiled and said, "Dad is going to ride a horse."

"Dad is there a competition today..." The six-year-old daughter doesn't know much about her father's affairs. She only knows one thing - once her father is riding a horse early in the morning, there must be his competition in the afternoon or evening. She has to wait in front of the TV to watch her father.

"Yes, the last game is here." Serim walked over and kissed his daughter's tender face. "Go back to bed, you're not wearing shoes yet. Be careful of catching a cold."

"Mommy, have you seen my new sneakers?" The voice of his eldest son Rahim came from the upper floor, and then a burst of rapid footsteps sounded from the upper floor.

"Why are you all getting up so early today?" Serim asked, looking at the two children in front of him. "I didn't see your new sneakers. You always throw your own things around. You can't find them when you want to use them, right?"

"I made an appointment with a friend to play football in the morning." Dilaheim, who was eleven years old, reached out to grab the bread slices on the table, but was quickly knocked out by Serim.

"Go and brush your teeth and wash your face!"

"Where is Dad?" Raheem did not act immediately. He turned around and looked around. "Have you gone to the stable to chat with Blank so early?"

"No, he's going to ride a horse."

Rahim whistled. He turned around and went upstairs to wash.

"Raheim, get your sister's shoes down!" Serim shouted downstairs.

"knew!"

Serim picked up his well-behaved little daughter and placed it on a chair to prevent her bare feet from touching the cold floor.

Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain.

The sound of the door opening sounded outside the restaurant, and Shadoni jumped out of the chair excitedly and ran towards the door barefoot.

"Dadly—"

"Sadoni! Good morning, my little beauty!"

"Good morning, daddy!" The little daughter kissed her father's face.

"Go and wash your face and brush your teeth. Shadoni. Raheem! How long will you have to procrastinate? Take off your sister's shoes!" In this family, Serim looks more like the head of the family. And Eastwood doesn't care about anything, just eat.

"Here's here!" The eldest son ran down like a wind. He threw his shoes in front of his sister and ran up again. "Good morning Dad!" When others returned to the upper floor, the greetings came.

While the family of four gathered together to have a meal, they made a daddy announcement: "In the afternoon, you go to the city court with me, Rahim, Shadoni."

Shadoni had no objection. She was still young and happy that she was able to be with her father. She didn't have much social time for her. Rahim was a little surprised: "Heather and Andy have made an appointment..."

"Raheim." Mom's voice sounded sternly, "Your dad hopes to be with you at that time."
To be continued...