Chapter 766 - 766: Kopa Trophy
‘Maybe I should have taken on their offer after all,’ Hiro thought while standing outside the glass door.
Earlier, some of his teammates had offered to accompany him to the ceremony. But he had refused their offer, thinking it would trouble them.
If he had taken their offer, at least it wouldn’t be this difficult right now. Hence, he couldn’t help but feel regretful.
Thinking about this, Hiro couldn’t help but reveal a nervous smile.
‘Well, let’s sneak unnoticed,’ Hiro sighed before pushing the door open. The guards standing beside the door couldn’t help but stare at him.
For someone who was deemed the main man of the event, he looked weird and out of place.
“Do you think something’s wrong with him?” One of the guards whispered.
“You’re here, lad,” Diego beamed with a smile as he noticed Hiro. “What took you so long to get here?”
The moment Diego greeted him, the crowd turned to look at him. Hiro had been wanting to go unnoticed. But it seemed like that wouldn’t be possible.
Now that he had caught the attention of the people, there wasn’t a point in avoiding the crowd. Hence, he lowered his guard as he greeted Diego with a smile.
It didn’t take long for others to approach him. Different people approached him to interact. Some complimented him, some admired him, and some presented their views.
Without complaining, Hiro interacted with the people who approached him. Even if their response wasn’t to his liking, he didn’t dodge the questions. Instead, he remained as humble as he could.
Until the start of the event, Hiro remained occupied.
This constant interaction exhausted him.
Hiro beamed a bright smile as he tried to greet Dembele, who sat beside him. Both of them were seated in the front row.
However, Dembele ignored him as if he didn’t even notice his presence. Hiro could sense some distress. Hence, he didn’t bother with the greeting. If he wanted to ignore him, then he wasn’t dying for his attention either.
He just wanted to express his goodwill since both of them had been nominated for the award.
But it looked like Dembele and some of the PSG players were still bothered about the finals. Even though half of the season had already been wrapped up, it looked like the PSG players still held some grudge against him.
Well, he had been nothing but marvelous even after the completion of the previous season. Even now, Hiro had been performing well.
He performed even better this season than he did in the previous season. This performance of his further solidified his spot for the award.
Perhaps, this was the reason for their treatment of him.
“I told you,” Julian whispered.
Julian was also seated beside him. Just like Hiro and Dembele, Julian had also been nominated for the award.
“It’s better to avoid them. They’re just upset about the finals.” Julian added.
Hiro didn’t respond. Instead, he made himself comfortable as he looked at the stage. With marvelous decorations that could captivate the heart of onlookers, the stage had been decorated. The stage looked grand.
The event had begun, and the host was entertaining the guests.
Hiro had seen this scene before on screen. But right now, he was part of this event. This made his heart swell with excitement.
Previously, he could only dream about participating. But now that dream had turned into a reality. More than that, he wasn’t just partaking in the event; he was one of the main attractions of the event.
‘Is this happening for real?’ Hiro couldn’t help but question.
This entire moment felt like a dream. The stage itself looked like something straight out of his fantasies. Even the people and the environment around him felt like a dream.
This moment felt as if he were in the middle of a class, dozing off during a boring lecture.
But at the same time, it felt too vivid to be a dream.
The event progressed as the host announced the winners for different awards. Diego was announced as the Best Coach, and Atletico Madrid was named the best club.
The other awards, such as the Socrates award, were also being handed out.
This event served as an opportunity to commemorate the best-performing individuals of the past season.
“Now, the nominees for the Kopa Trophy are Desire from PSG, Lamine Yamal from FC Barcelona, Lucien Deneuve from PSG, and Hiro Takahashi from Atlético Madrid.”
The announcement for the nominees of the Kopa Trophy rang. The names included two players from PSG, both of whom had been consistent with their performance: Lamine Yamal, who had been deemed the next big thing in the world, and Hiro, who had had a fabulous season.
The nomination made sense.
Every one of the nominees had performed on the highest level. But the winner was already clear. Hence, some people couldn’t help but wonder about the point of announcing the nominations.
It felt more like a waste of time.
However, the announcement had to be made even if the winner was clear.
To present the award, a bald individual with a charismatic smile was invited on the stage. He had a rather tall stature.
Hiro had noticed this individual before, too. However, he didn’t get the chance to interact with this individual.
The bald individual opened the envelope he held and brought his lips closer to the podium before speaking, “The winner is Hiro Takahashi from Atletico Madrid.”
The sea of people erupted in cheers as the sound of applause resounded like a rumble of thunder, shaking the entire venue.
Hiro stood from his seat, adjusting his blazer.
“Congratulations, once again,” Julian said with a smile.
Hiro proceeded to walk towards the stage.
The sound of applause kept on echoing as he proceeded to the stage.
‘You deserve it, lad,’ Diego thought, his heart swelled with pride and elation.
Hiro’s teammates stood as they applauded him. Their eyes were filled with joy and pride. They couldn’t help but feel excited for him.
Hiro had attended award ceremonies before, too. However, he still couldn’t help but feel anxious while walking toward the stage.