England's Greatest

Chapter 295 295: Is This the Year?

If you guys are looking for a good Naruto fic, I recommend, Naruto: Ashes of the Leaf, lol.Link: https://www.y minutes with this little bastard. You good?"

Bale nodded. "I'm alive."

Rooney looked over at Tristan. "The guys are waiting for you, I will be right there."

Tristan turned and jogged back toward the touchline, where the rest of the squad was forming a loose arc in front of the England end. Arms waving, clapping, shirts half-drenched. Fans on their feet, flags flying, scarves held high.

Walker called out. "Where you been, Captain?"

Tristan fell into the middle of them, one hand raised to the fans. "Diplomacy."

The squad laughed.

And together, shoulder to shoulder, England walked toward their supporters.

Post-Match Press Conference | Stade Bollaert-Delelis

Flashbulbs popped like lightning behind glass. The media room was packed, British journos in crisply rolled sleeves, foreign correspondents tapping translations on their phones, cameras perched like vultures waiting to catch a crack in the armor.

Tristan sat centered at the table, flanked by Roy Hodgson on one side and Jordan Henderson on the other. His hair a little wet with the Jersey swapped out for an FA press polo. A faint red mark just below his left eye from where Williams caught him earlier.

The moderator nodded toward the first hand raised.

"Tom Hargreaves, BBC Sport. This question's for Tristan."

Tristan leaned forward slightly.

"With all the noise surrounding the team, the media, the brawl fallout, the pressure on you personally… did you honestly expect to dominate Wales the way you did? Because it wasn't close."

There were a few chuckles in the back. Not from Tristan or Henderson though.

He answered slowly. "No match at this level is easy. And it wasn't 'domination.' It was execution. We respected them. But we believed we were better, and we proved it."

He paused, then added, "And as for the noise? We hear it. We just don't let it drive us."

Next question came fast.

"Samir Kazi, Sky Sports News. Tristan, you're 21. You're captaining England at a major tournament. You met the Queen last month. She literally asked if you could bring football home. Every tabloid, every pundit, every ex-player, you're under a level of scrutiny I have personally never seen in my lifetime. I don't believe any player in history has this much burden placed on a single player. How are you dealing with that pressure? Genuinely."

Tristan chucked a little before answering.

"Pressure's not new for me. It started when I broke into the first team, when I got called up for Brazil. It's only gotten louder since."

He looked out over the rows of cameras.

"I've learned to live with it. Pressure means expectations. Expectations mean you've done something worth watching. That's not a burden. That's a privilege."

He sat back slightly.

"The only thing worse than being under pressure... is no one expecting anything from you."

The room went silent for a second as reporters just knew they had their next great quote and headline.

Henderson leaned toward the mic. "And just to add he doesn't carry it alone. None of us are passengers. We trust him because he earns that trust every day. That's our captain."

A few seats over, another hand went up.

"Mark Doyle, The Guardian. Roy, what did you make of today's performance? Especially the shift from the opening match to this one?"

Roy adjusted his glasses, gave a tight smile.

"Well, it's not easy to go again with the same lineup when you've already played at such a high level. But the boys wanted to play. There's belief in that room with strong momentum. And today they showed it wasn't just one good day. It's who they are."

He glanced at Henderson, then Tristan.

"And when your best player plays like that? It lifts everyone."

Another hand.

"Lucy Morton, ITV. Tristan, are you worried about Vardy? Two games, no goals. He's used to scoring every week. Are you or the staff concerned about his form?"

Tristan's face didn't show much emotion at the question.

"Nah, mate," he said, leaning into the mic. "No one's worried about Vardy. We played like a hundred matches before this tournament and he's like forty years old. He just needs a few days to adjust, especially after partying like we did before the tournament."

The room cracked up. Even Roy snorted.

Henderson shook his head. "He's gonna love that."

Tristan shrugged with a grin. "He'll score when it matters. And when he does, he won't shut up about it."

The moderator gave the signal for last question. Tristan leaned back, hands clasped on the table.

They'd done the job. Time to focus on the next.

.

Twitter melted.

The final whistle hadn't even stopped echoing and Twitter had already melted with hot takes and debates.

@Storm22: I can't believe what I just witnessed lmao. I feel so bad for Bale, he tried he really did but that don't mean shit against Tristan.

????@Acaro_venduto: Bro was sprinting through the midfield like he was chasing rent money. I think seeing the opposing star players just drives a fire in Tristan, lmao. Like oh you think you're good, watch me. Like it gives him extra motivation to say fuck you with. Bale gave up at 60 mins, can't even blame him."

@Demonic_Divine: That chop on Ashley Williams sent my man back to Swansea 2011, you really can't stop Tristan in 1 on 1, just give up and let him pass you. This way you won't be embarrassed live in front of your friends and family.

????@Aaron_Hand_4795: We need a UN intervention. This is player abuse.

@FuckGarp: My captain got cooked but at least he ain't Joe Allen. Man got turned into Tristan's personal cone.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo was catching strays as his game ended.

@MihawkISaFruadlikeRonaldo: Reminder: Ronaldo has 0 goals, 0 assists, and 7 shots to the parking lot.

@Fuck_Garp: Tristan Hale got more G/A in 2 games than Ronaldo's entire international group stage career combined. Dude is useless just like the Marines in one piece when it comes to actually saving cilvians

????@Maelstrom443: We tried to tell y'all every single god damn time there is a interntional compeition. Ronaldo's just Portuguese Lukaku with abs.

????@Myth: [Photo of Ronaldo skying a shot] – "Me when the exam asks for the square root of 62." Caption: "SIUUUUU to the moon."

@Sengoku_Bum: "Real Madrid fans watching Tristan Hale outplay Ronaldo and Bale in the same tournament like ????"

But it wasn't just England and Portugal under the spotlight. Everyone who weren't performing up to expectations was getting slandered.

The headlines for Euro 2016 Group Stage Headlines So Far

???? England – 2 wins out of 2. Tristan Hale: 3 goals, 1 assist, 2 MOTM.

???????? Portugal – 2 draws. Ronaldo: 0 goals, 0 assists, 13 shots. All off-target.

???????? France – 1 win, 1 loss. Pogba benched. Benzema iced out. Deschamps under fire.

???????? Germany – Unbeaten but unconvincing. Goals not flowing. Pressure mounting.

???????? Italy – Old, slow, toothless.

???????? Spain – 80% possession. 0% fear factor. Too old.

It's only been a week, but the headlines were already forming. The favorites crumbling, the dark horses stalling, and England led by a 21-year-old phenom were the ones carrying the flag of dominance. And in the midst of it all… one truth is beginning to echo louder and louder from every pub, panel, and post…"

Is this finally the year football comes home?