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A legend belonging to a number. The No. 6 is a number for defensive art masters, they are the pillars of their teams, they love their jobs and dedicate themselves to it. In front of them, many heroes shine; they are loyal and dedicate their youth to their own teams; they stand firm and, after the accumulation of years and the passage of time, emit the eternal light of a star...
As the 243rd international derby came to an end, Xavi made the strongest push for his third Champions League trophy. This best No. 6 player in the world today comes from La Masia, with obvious Cruyff characteristics. He seems to be exactly the back-up midfielder that Cruyff and La Masia dreamed of. He has been performing his role on the midfield with stunning performances, neither ostentatious nor crazy. He is more like a strategist, putting all his energy and wisdom into observing his teammates' positions and movements. So whether it was in the Rijkaard era or the Guardiola era, people remember Ronaldinho and Messi, but what remains unchanged is that Xavi has always stood behind them. Although he missed the 2005-06 Champions League final due to injury, after three years of training and waiting, Barcelona once again appeared on the Champions League final stage under his leadership. In the 2008-09 Champions League final, it was Xavi's precise pass that helped Messi score the decisive goal, and the second touch of the Champions League trophy for Barca No. 6. When the whole world sang praises for Messi and looked forward to the Ballon d'Or competition between Messi and Ronaldo, Xavi's father smiled and said: "Behind Messi is my son, but behind Ronaldo there is no Xavi." From entering the La Masia training camp at the age of 11 until now, 20 years of Barcelona life, Xavi not only showed us his artistic football, but also explained the value of friendship. It was Van Gaal who brought this young man to the first team, making his debut in the 1998 Spanish Super Cup match between Barcelona and Mallorca, Xavi saved his mentor who was on the verge of being sacked with a goal. After that, Xavi became an indispensable player for Barcelona. When Coach Van Gaal was despised by all Catalans and forced to resign, he shed tears and was the only one who went to the airport to see off his mentor. Van Gaal finally said words that would make Barcelona No. 6 remember for life: "I may have a thousand mistakes, but bringing Xavi to the first team was the right choice, he is the one who can bring Barcelona to glory." In 1999, AC Milan wanted to bring this future star to their team, offering a salary ten times higher than Barcelona's and promising him a starting position, but Xavi firmly refused the kindness of the Rossoneri with just one reason: "I come from La Masia, my life belongs to the Nou Camp." In 2010, Xavi led the Spanish team to fight in the South Africa World Cup, winning the Jules Rimet Trophy for his country and becoming the most competitive candidate for the Ballon d'Or that year. Although in online voting, Xavi's vote count was the highest, the ultimate winner was Messi. This was his closest distance to the spotlight, and this time we could only jokingly say: Behind Messi is Xavi, and behind Xavi is only himself. Xavi is such a famous name dedicating his entire football life to the Nou Camp, although he never won the Ballon d'Or, never stood at the center of the spotlight, and because of Puyol's existence, he was never the first captain of Spain and Barcelona. But in these two teams dominating world football, the most important and indispensable player is Xavi. Such a man does not need flowery rhetoric, it only brings us his simplicity, his devotion to football, and the red and blue fire that will never fade.
Time rewinds 20 years, it was when we first got in touch with European football, that era belonged to AC Milan, the Three Musketeers shone brightly, and the young Maldini was strong, but there was someone you couldn't forget. That person who carried the banner of the Rossoneri, that great player who turned boring defense into an art, that last No. 6 of the Rossoneri, the old captain - Baresi, sports news. Like the football emperor Beckenbauer, Baresi is considered one of the greatest sweepers in the history of modern football. Leaping, resolute, and tenacious are the first impressions given by Milan No. 6. He did not have a tall and strong physique, nor did he have the speed of chasing the wind, but with merely 1.76 meters height and 70 kilograms weight, he built an impregnable fortress for the Milan dynasty. Milan No. 6 had a large range of motion on the field, broad vision, incomparable awareness, and appropriate positioning, often leaving world-class forwards at a loss, especially with the opponent's cross balls, he almost always intercepted them perfectly. At the same time, his long passes were accurate and hit the key points, initiating the team's offense. Whether in AC Milan or the Italian national team, he was the core of defense. For nearly 20 years, he has been among the top defenders in the world, becoming a model for sweepers and a synonym for football defensive awareness. Born in Travagliato, Italy, in the local language, it means trouble, perhaps hinting at the ups and downs of Baresi's fate. His small stature caused him to be rejected during trials at Atalanta and Inter Milan, even the Rossoneri rejected him twice. On the contrary, his brother Giuseppe Baresi smoothly joined Inter Milan, fortunately, in the third trial, the future Milan No. 6 received great praise and thus joined the Rossoneri. The experience of multiple failed trials made him cherish this hard-won opportunity even more, every training session in his 20-year career was very hardworking, and every game was played with full effort. With 20 years of effort and extraordinary talent, Baresi eventually became an immortal legend of the Milan dynasty. Any language used to describe Baresi's loyalty to Milan seems pale. During his 23 years in the red and black jersey, the old captain experienced all events of the Rossoneri in that era. It was Milan that gave Baresi a new life, so he repaid his adoptive parents with his entire life. In the 1978-79 season, Baresi was promoted to the first team by his mentor Liedholm and directly entered the starting lineup, winning the Serie A championship in his first complete season, which was almost a miracle for a defender under 20 years old. But in the 1980-81 and 1982-83 seasons, AC Milan was relegated to the second division twice, the saddest era for the Rossoneri. Many key players fled, the team owner fled with the team's assets to South Africa, many teams including Inter Milan extended olive branches to AC Milan's No. 6, but Baresi firmly chose to stay here, in the embrace of the red and black mother who raised him during his hardest times. Baresi's dedication to the Rossoneri was rewarded, in 1986, Berlusconi took over AC Milan, bought many players, and Baresi wore the No. 6 jersey that belonged to him, the Rossoneri declared to the world that the Milan dynasty was born, and Baresi announced to the world that the Baresi era had arrived, sports news. Subsequently, Baresi and his No. 6 jersey fought together, bringing five Serie A championships and three European Cups to the Rossoneri, the defense centered around him is still regarded as the most stable steel wall in football history. The ups and downs in Milan cultivated the old captain's iron will. But on June 24, 1994, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the tough Baresi shed tears, it was a game we could never forget. On June 24, just 23 days after surgery, Baresi stood on the World Cup final stage, playing all 120 minutes, firmly commanding the defense. As the extra time was about to end, the tough Baresi collapsed in pain due to leg cramps. But as the captain, he unhesitatingly stood at the penalty spot in the penalty shootout, and fatefully, he missed the first penalty that no one wanted to take. The tough Baresi cried, at the moment he was closest to the Jules Rimet Trophy, yet he could not touch it. That was his dream, shattered mercilessly just before it came true. Baresi accompanied the Rossoneri through 23 years of storms, in his 20-year career, Milan No. 6 served as captain for 16 years. In 1999, on AC Milan's centenary birthday, Baresi was overwhelmingly selected as the club's best player of the century by fans. In 1997, the old captain hung up his boots, and AC Milan's No. 6 jersey permanently entered the club's museum, henceforth, the Rossoneri No. 6 became history, and no one would ever have the chance to fight alongside it, because it belonged only to Baresi. Facing the tide, standing against the storm, holding the red and black flag, standing firm like a rock, this is Franco Baresi, AC Milan's eternal No. 6, he is that flag, forever standing in the south stand; he is that loyal heart, forever jumping with Milan; he is the symbol of San Siro, the eternal spirit totem of red and black.
Last weekend, at Westfalenstadion, the stadium with the highest attendance rate in all of Europe turned into a sea of yellow, where Dortmund won their fourth Bundesliga title after the reform, and the previous three titles were all related to one person, Sammer. In 1992, Sammer came to Westfalenstadion, this steel giant trained under the East German system, after three years of training, wrote the most glorious history of Dortmund, sports news. The league championship in the 1994-95 season was Dortmund's first league championship after the reform, when fans and clubs were all in despair, they didn't expect that Sammer would bring them even greater surprises, the next year Dortmund won the league championship again, and Sammer won the European Golden Ball Award for his outstanding performance in the European Championship, at the peak of his career, Sammer kept challenging, and finally wrote his name in the history of the Champions League, leading Dortmund to defeat Ajax and Manchester United one after another, on May 28, 1997, Sammer reigned in the Munich Olympic Stadium, Dortmund defeated Juventus at its prime 3-1, seizing the only Champions League trophy in the club's history, Sammer and his No. 6 jersey together brought everyone a miracle. This was Dortmund's most glorious moment, this was Sammer's most peak moment in his career.
If the impression of a defensive midfielder is often brutal and strong, then one person has portrayed this role nobly and elegantly, he is the Bernabeu Prince Redondo. In the 1997-98 Champions League, Redondo pushed his characteristics to the extreme, his defense left the then rising Zidane at a loss, Bernabeu No. 6 finally brought the Champions League trophy that Real Madrid had been dreaming of for 32 years back to Bernabeu, 29-year-old Redondo was at the peak of his career, but his unruly personality kept him away from the World Cup, because he insisted on keeping his golden long hair, he was rejected by coach Passarella from the 1998 World Cup squad. At the peak of his form, without the opportunity to serve his national team, his personality made him but also destroyed his dream of playing for the national team. On April 18, 2000, in Manchester, Redondo displayed his superb skills, the prince who had cut his long hair performed perhaps the most beautiful move of his football career, his heel pass has become a classic in the history of the Champions League, subsequently, when both captains Sanchez and Hierro stood aside, Redondo put on the captain's armband, leading Real Madrid to crush Valencia in the Champions League final, Bernabeu No. 6 told the world his legend with the second Champions League trophy, when Florentino sold the current season's best player in the Champions League, Redondo, to AC Milan for his own private interests, Bernabeu erupted, nearly 90% opposition voices could not stop the departure of the Bernabeu Prince, on March 14, 2003, Redondo returned to Bernabeu with the Rossoneri, returning to the stadium that had won him countless adoration, returning to the stage that belonged to him, Bernabeu fans stood up and applauded collectively, although at this time Bernabeu already had a new prince, but the long-haired Redondo will forever exist in the white memory of Bernabeu fans, they will never forget the figure of the former Bernabeu No. 6 galloping on the field for six years, they will never forget, the white figure with flowing hair brought them urgent honor, he does not belong to Argentinos Juniors, there is his cradle, where he first stepped into the football world, he does not belong to Tenerife, there is his school, where he grew up, he does not belong to AC Milan, there is his tomb, he does not even belong to the Argentina national team, his long hair, his personality, blocked his opportunity to serve his country, he only belongs to that team, that team that makes him dream, and serves for six years, that team dressed in white snow, that legendary Real Madrid!
When we remember those players, we also witness their past glories and hardships. Time flows, but the only thing that remains unchanged is the No. 6 jersey and those legendary stories about the art of defense, the story of No. 6 is not finished yet, and the story of No. 6 will continue to be passed down under the guidance of predecessors forever.
(Tencent Blog)