As the main goalkeeper of that cosmic Barca, Victor Valdés played the "background wall" scene is really not much, but that night ten years ago, after all, was an exception.
On February 24, 2009, at the Gerland Stadium in France, Messi and Eto'o lined up against the wall, Benzema grabbed the spot inside the penalty area, Juninho Pernanbucano looked into the box and stepped back to adjust, and the director of the Champions League live broadcast team threw the camera to Valdés, who was waiting for him. Just seven minutes into the opening leg of the 2008–09 Champions League quarter-finals, the Spanish goalkeeper was about to head out of the Brazilian midfield.
Without any ritualistic foreshadowing, in the face of a not-so-wide shooting angle, Juninho took the first, two, three steps... bang! It was a strange, unstoppable arc comparable to the "impulse shot" of the big empty wing, and when Benzema, Traran, Grosso, Henry, Harvey and Messi were all spectators, the goal guarded by Valdés was split in an instant... Like a supporting character who was physically attacked in the game, the Spanish goalkeeper staggered back a few steps and fell helplessly into the dangling net!
Compared to Lyon's two-legged defeat (3-6), Juninho's groundbreaking and amazing skills seem to be the most classic label of this series. We all know that there are always moments on the football field that become eternal beings that transcend victory and defeat and results.
Now, 11 years have passed, and when Lyon can welcome Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, the former meritorious captain Juninho has put on his glasses and started his own transformation.
Last year, together with Abidal, Sharu, Nuno Gomez, Kyle and Ralfez, he completed the UEFA Master of International Player Management programme and successfully completed it. Although he currently resides in Los Angeles, he has been following the electoral situation in Brazil through the Internet and often expresses his political opinions through comments and retweets on Twitter.
Starting from His sporting debut in Recife and retiring from Vasco da Gama, Juninho's career lasted 20 years. He played 40 games for the Brazilian national team, scoring six goals, with his only World Cup experience taking place in the Summer of Germany in 2006.
Facing the Japanese team's long-range world wave, it became the deepest memory left by Juninho for the national team. Throughout his seven-year national team career, in that samba team with a magical quartet, Juninho could only accept the fate of a substitute.
But in Lyon, France, Galafa, Qatar, and Red Bull, New York, usa, fans around the world have witnessed his elevator ball stunts. Especially during his time at Lyon, the Brazilian midfielder experienced seven consecutive titles in the history of Europe's five major leagues as a core backbone, and was also named the best player in Ligue 1 in the 2005-06 season.
Admittedly, Juninho, who has not been a big hit, does not have a surprising career record, but even the cold and restrained data can still give his killer skills: in his eight-year career in Lyon, Juninho played 343 games and scored 100 goals, of which 44 goals (76 in his career) were direct free kicks from pleasing and even inspiring juniors (led by Char khan olu).
expert? artist? scientist? The leaf clippers, which barely rotated, had been the nightmares of Kahn and Baldes.
"I've faced thousands of shots from him," recalls Fercourtre, who played for Lyon for 12 years, adding that at the end of almost every day of regular training, he was given a free kick by Juninho, "Each of our groups had about 3 or 40 free kick practices, 90% of which could be played within the frame of the goal, and in general, I couldn't do anything about it. ”
Little is known that the Brazilian once coached many of his teammates one-on-one in Lyon, but over the years no one has been able to replicate the former's set-piece miracle in Ligue 1.
Of course, the exception is a "disciple" who has never been a teacher, and his name is Andrea Pirlo.
In chapter 16 of his autobiography, released four years ago, the Italian midfielder recalls in its entirety the whole process of "stealing" from Juninho. At the time, Pirlo described Juninho's direct free kicks as a wonderful art, "like an orchestra conductor, perfectly controlling the trajectory of the ball". From footage of the game to yellowed photos, Pirlo grabbed every clue and hoped to find out the free throw code in the Lyon midfield.
This learning process has undergone several twists and turns, and Pirlo's imitation practice has had little effect. Until one day, the Italian, who was racking his brains even into the toilet, suddenly came to mind, and he focused his improved details on the toes touching the ball. Later, Pirlo, who came to the training ground in flat shoes, finally understood the principle of "three toes" hitting the ball, and under the reluctant witness of the equipment manager, he scored 6 fixed-point shots in a row - this time, there was no more marginal attempts, all wonderful.
"In the eyes of many, I later became version 2.0 of Juninho Pernanbucano, a Brazilian with an Italian Brescia accent."
Two legends, one classic, left a name in history.