The perfect center forward: Becoming a soccer king from the corner of Chuanu Chapter 295

Lucia was full of questions. As a player reborn from 2025, Arnold actually had the nerve to complain about his rumored transfer to Real Madrid.

And even if he was rumored to be with Real Madrid, so what?

Lucia had never claimed to be loyal!

He came from Arsenal’s youth academy, joined West Ham United and won a championship, then transferred to the Red Devils Manchester United.

In a way, the Manchester United No. 9 had already fulfilled the “three-family slave” title that some haters used.

Even another transfer would be a reasonable market action; there was no need to fuss about it.

“Thanks for the reminder, Liverpool boy. Real Madrid really isn’t anything special~”

“I hope you can become the new Gerrard~”

Lucia squeezed past Arnold with a body check, continuing his run, and sent his blessing with a smile on the wind.

He wondered if this guy would feel a blush recalling their conversation on the field years later.

In a blink of an eye, Manchester United’s attack continued to press forward.

“Fred dispossesses Fabinho! Straight to Mata!”

“Mourinho has arranged for Mata, with his excellent footwork, to orchestrate the attack in the front field.”

“The Spaniard’s backheel pass! Lucia is making a run!!”

“Van Dijk makes a crucial play! The Dutchman is very focused; a sliding tackle successfully defuses the threat!”

“Manchester United didn’t use simple long passes this time to launch their attack. This is because Mourinho’s team has an extra ball-holding point in the attacking third.”

“Mata’s technical characteristics lean towards ball control and organization, excelling at short passing combinations and creating chances. When facing Liverpool’s high press, Manchester United has a midfielder on each flank with excellent ball control to relieve pressure.”

“Although Mata’s defensive ability is weaker, in the Special One’s tactical system, his flaws can be covered by the system, while Mata’s talent for linking the midfield and attack is fully unleashed. This way, Manchester United can not only leverage Lucia’s individual ability for strong attacks but also occasionally break Liverpool’s press with a technical passing style.”

Klopp on the sidelines frowned, clearly, Mourinho had made targeted arrangements against Liverpool, and to be honest, he hadn’t quite figured out how to deal with Lucia, this powerful explosive point.

He could only react as it happened. If the Manchester United No. 9 was in excellent form, he would have Matip and Van Dijk double-team to try and lock down the Italian, hoping that other Manchester United players would perform poorly.

If he was in bad form, Van Dijk could mark him alone, which would definitely increase Liverpool’s winning probability significantly!

The gap in hard power forced Liverpool to go all out. Klopp on the sidelines quickly hid his emotions, using passionate gestures to urge the Red-Army players to intensify their attack!

And on the field, Liverpool, who wanted to shatter Manchester United’s dream of a sextuple, also retaliated. Van Dijk orchestrated the attack from the back, Wijnaldum dropped back to receive the ball and drive forward, and the Senegalese forward Mane galloped down the flank.

Wearing the No. 10 jersey, the dark-faced Mane ran with his body slightly leaning forward, his knees bent significantly, and his foot frequency fast with short strides.

This posture maintained balance and facilitated instant bursts, helping Mane smoothly shift his center of gravity when making sudden stops, changes of direction, or turns while dribbling at high speed, appearing almost without deceleration to opponents.

This ability stemmed from his excellent ankle flexibility and core strength, allowing him to complete movements without breaking rhythm.

In terms of fluidity, Mane’s movements were more graceful than Lucia’s, who had activated the “alien” trait.

Compared to the Manchester United sharp shooter who relied on explosive power and brute force to overpower opponents, the Senegalese had a slithering, snake-like quality. In confrontations, he could use muscle elasticity to quickly adjust his posture, avoiding head-on collisions, and instead escape through small feints or changes in rhythm.

This time, facing the interference of Darmian and Lindelöf on the left flank, he used this characteristic to complete a dribble!

After finding space, Mane wasted no time, instantly sweeping the ball across the middle!

“Salah’s chance!!!”

“Maguire’s pressing interference!!!”

“The Egyptian King is a step quicker, changing direction to create space, then taking a shot first in a tight angle!!!”

De Gea, prepared, immediately dived sideways, his fingertips barely touching the ball, instantly changing its black and white trajectory!!

With a loud bang, the Madrid stadium proved its worth!

Liverpool fans in the stands sighed; what a great opportunity, but they couldn’t score!

The TV camera was still replaying the attack, and Zhan Jun’s praise for the Liverpool forward was overflowing.

“This ball showed the world-class forward qualities of Mane and Salah!”

“First, Mane’s display of individual ability on the flank, steadying his balance in a tight space and sending the ball in!”

“Then, Salah, who was lurking in the middle, from stopping the ball to getting rid of the defender, all in one smooth motion! First, he cushioned the ball with the outside of his left foot upon receiving it, then, seeing Maguire rush up, he poked it with his right foot, tilted his body 30 degrees to turn. The whole sequence was fluid!”

“It’s just a pity that Liverpool couldn’t convert their attack into a goal!”

“Hehe, Liverpool’s form since the start of the match has indeed been excellent!”

In the PPTV studio, the two commentators were still explaining the tactical content of the Red-Army’s attack to the fans, but on the pitch, the situation suddenly changed.

Pogba, with the ball in the backfield, easily dealt with Liverpool’s high press using his height and long legs, then a 40-meter low through ball instantly cut through Liverpool’s defense!

“Lucia makes a run!”

“The Italian appears in Liverpool’s right-wing area!”

“Henderson can’t keep up with the Manchester United sharp shooter’s physical prowess; the speed gap between the two is widening!”

“Don’t think that only Lukaku can drift wide for Manchester United. When Lucia appears on the flank, he’s a true killer!”

“Speed and technique comparable to a winger, coupled with a strong and powerful physique, Super Lucia is like a heavily armored knight, easily overwhelming opponents’ lightly armored full-backs!”

Arnold retreated step by step, his attention highly focused, not daring to relax in the slightest. As he moved, he maintained a fighting stance, upper body leaning forward, knees slightly bent, heels slightly lifted, like a bow ready to shoot.

Unfortunately, as a winger with better attacking talent, his defensive footwork and physical confrontation ability were slightly lacking, and against Lucia, it was a super short-board.

Lucia, with his “Great Emperor” ball control technique, looked at Arnold and grinned, starting his heavy-winger performance.

With a powerful stomp of his thick thigh, the turf vibrated, and Lucia accelerated again, simultaneously tapping the ball with the outside of his foot. The ball obediently passed through the gap between the two!

A nutmeg! Arnold, realizing his opponent’s intention, quickly tried to turn and chase, but a huge force struck him. The moment of physical contact, the Liverpool right-back felt his center of gravity instantly wobble.

Arnold, who had decent balance, staggered two steps before immediately adjusting, but the sound of Lucia’s heavy breathing was no longer in his ears.

All he saw was the No. 9 figure, a full body length ahead!!

A clean and decisive dribble, combined with high-speed change of direction ability and direct physical and speed dominance, Arnold was instantly thrown off like a broken kite.

Shooting and passing spaces had already emerged. Matip, seeing the danger, quickly came over to cover. As long as he defended the cut inside and the byline, it wouldn’t be a big problem. After all, the Italian was rushing too fast, and there wasn’t much shooting angle left!

Matip’s first choice was to position himself, but when he turned and saw his opponent’s action, the Liverpool center-back felt like he didn’t know how to play football anymore!

Choosing to shoot from this position???

Is that reasonable???

Lucia, who had already observed the goalkeeper’s position while running, noticed Alisson was guarding the near post, wary of Mata’s tap-in.

A full instep shot with a slight outside curl, aimed at the far post, at least a 70% chance of scoring!

He gambled!

The moment Lucia caught up to the ball, his body immediately tilted to a 45-degree angle with the ground, his left arm spread like a sail for balance, and his right leg released suddenly like a fully drawn bowstring.

In slow motion, the Manchester United sharp shooter’s calf muscles were knotted like steel cables, and his tensed instep caused a significant deformation upon contact with the ball!

In an anime, it would be a close-up of the ball turning banana-shaped!!

Newton’s third law appeared on the pitch of the Premier League civil war!

Lucia’s instep could feel the immense energy generated by the ball’s rebound!

A loud bang came first, then the ball flew like an arrow released from a bow straight towards the far end of the goal!

The Manchester United sharp shooter’s action directly made Matip’s jaw drop slightly!

Not a fake shot and then a cut, but actually choosing to shoot directly!!

Wouldn’t such a player be benched by the coach to learn how to play football??

Although he had already judged this shot to be a wild miss, Matip still had to confirm it with his own eyes to be relieved!

The ball whistled up parallel to the six-yard box, its incredible speed creating a tearing sound in the air!

It flashed like lightning, flying towards the goal in less than two seconds!

Its kinetic energy had not yet dissipated; the black and white football precisely wedged into the net like a surgical knife, right in the corner between the far post and the crossbar.

Matip’s confident expression instantly turned ashen; a shot from that angle actually went in!!

Alisson, after falling, helplessly pounded the ground in frustration!!

If only he had positioned himself a bit more centrally!!

“A sliver of light splits the heavens!!”

“The Manchester United sharp shooter performs a white rainbow piercing the sun!!”

“Goal!!!!!!!!!!”

“Lucia’s 25th Champions League goal, an unbelievably exaggerated statistic!!”

“But if you are witnessing this magnificent goal on TV right now, you won’t doubt the ability of this legendary striker!”

“Almost zero angle, a powerful shot from 2 meters from the touchline, with only one such shooting line, Lucia did it!!”

“It threaded perfectly into the net, right in the corner between the post and the crossbar; exquisite shooting technique is demonstrated to the fullest here!!!”

“Congratulations to Manchester United for breaking the deadlock first, currently leading the Red-Army Liverpool 1:0!!”

-[What luck, no doubt that was a fluke shot from Lu Yu!!]

-[Exactly, it must have been a mis-hit cross. How can he, a big center forward, play as a winger? He doesn’t have that ability, you know!!]

-[Get lost, just look at Lu Ge’s footwork and celebration, it was definitely a conscious shot!!]

-[I suggest changing the Puskas Award to the Lucia Award from now on. Lu Ge has too many beautiful goals like this in a season!!]

-[This goal was truly amazing. I’ve been watching football for almost twenty years, and at this distance, this angle, this power, I personally think it’s even more spectacular than Roberto Carlos’s!!]

-[Lucia: I admit there was an element of gambling in this shot!!]

-[Hahaha!! Alisson: I want to check the cards!!!]

The CCTV live broadcast platform instantly erupted. The score was changed less than ten minutes into the match, indicating that this would be a passionate Champions League final!

Gary Neville, as a guest on Sky Sports, was gloating in front of Carragher, stepping on his rival’s legend to further provoke hatred!

“Pogba’s pass for that goal was a work of art! Look at the passing lane, it went right through Fabinho and Henderson; Fabinho didn’t even have time to foul!”

“Of course, more importantly, Lucia’s timing was perfect. Look at the slow motion; the most perfect center forward in history can still be a legend on the wing!!”

“Lucia dismantled Arnold into pieces with a center forward’s body, a winger’s technique, and warrior-like confrontation!”

“Such a gap is like the current Manchester United and Liverpool; it’s an insurmountable chasm!!”

Watching Gary Neville’s preamble, Carragher could barely suppress his urge to punch someone. It was just a one-goal lead!

Liverpool had experienced being behind before!!!

Back on the pitch, Lucia stood in the corner area, successfully striking a “king reigning over the world” pose in Madrid!!

The Red Devils fans in the stands began to sing the Lucia song, especially emphasizing the line “He makes opponents look like clowns” to mock Arnold and the Liverpool fans who made the “Loser” banner!

The music and singing from over thirty thousand fans erupted like an avalanche, the Red Devils showing their support for Lucia with their actions.

Even if this super striker left Manchester United this summer, so what? At least he brought two years of joy to the fans!!

A father held his baby high, and the Manchester United jersey on the swaddling clothes had the heartfelt message of many fans written in gold!

[Manchester United is great again!!! Thank you, Lucia!!!]

On the other side, the Liverpool stands remained resilient. Although their team was 1- 0 down and the opponents were fiercely mocking them, the “You’ll Never Walk Alone” song never stopped.

Even though many couldn’t understand how Lucia could score from such an angle, their inner turmoil did not affect the fans’ original intentions.

Regardless of victory or defeat, fighting with the team until the last moment, that was the true meaning of football!!

Van Dijk actively pulled Arnold, who was kneeling on the ground, up. “Win it back with your most confident attack. The game has just begun. Do you want to surrender without a fight?”

“How could I? I’m a true Liverpudlian!!!” Arnold, speaking in English that ordinary people couldn’t understand, rekindled his fighting spirit!

“Beat the Red Devils, I won’t let the Mancunians become sextuple winners over us!”

“Want to win the same number of Champions League trophies as Liverpool?”

“Dream on until I retire!!”

Arnold, restarting the game, pressed forward frantically, and the tempo of both teams’ offense and defense continued to accelerate!