A Christmas Showdown at Old Trafford

Five players had eagerly attended the Ballon d'Or ceremony, but only four of them returned to training with their clubs. Nedved was still recovering from an injury, expected to rejoin full training by the end of January.

Seeing those four back at training, Aldrich couldn't help but feel one thing: silence.

It was an eerie silence, not born from frustration or a sense of defeat, but a quietness that felt different from their usual demeanor.

Aldrich offered them a few comforting words, though he knew there was nothing more to say.

He could no longer criticize the Ballon d'Or as he had in the past.

It wasn't that outsiders couldn't see how talented Millwall's players were; the problem was that there were just too many outstanding players!

Everyone has their preferences.

The judges are human, not machines, and their football values and perspectives vary.

To put it bluntly, they were just a bit unlucky.

If Aldrich were one of the judges, he'd be in a dilemma. For example, if he liked La Liga, his first vote would definitely go to Figo, followed by Zidane, Henry, Ronaldinho, and so on. The order after the first few would be hard to decide, but it wasn't something to agonize over.

If he preferred Serie A or France's national team, or valued major tournament performances, his first vote might go to Zidane, followed by Henry, or perhaps Figo. The first name was always crucial; the others were just filled in without much thought.

If Aldrich were a Premier League fan or focused on club performances, Millwall players would certainly be his top picks.

At the press conference before the Manchester United match, reporters also asked Aldrich for his thoughts on the Ballon d'Or results.

In the past, when Aldrich supported Larsson for the Ballon d'Or, he had declared, "The best player should be able to help their team achieve top honors." Based on that statement, Figo's win this year should have left Aldrich with a lot of grievances.

But Aldrich had no complaints.

Figo only beat Zidane by two points, and the margin between him and the other players wasn't much. If Millwall had just one player in the spotlight, or if Larsson and Nedvěd hadn't had the media buildup for past Ballon d'Ors, Henry would likely have won with an overwhelming lead.

Aldrich responded calmly, "If we look at the fact that the top eight candidates were all very close in points, we have to consider why that happened. I think it reflects the independence of the voters. Each judge has their own perspective and appreciation for players. The players who made it to the final ballot all have exceptional skills and have had standout performances throughout the year. The reason the votes were so dispersed is that it was a tough decision. Millwall did win the treble last season, but there was the European Championship in the summer, and players' performances in international tournaments are an important factor. With candidates coming from different leagues and playing different styles, direct comparisons are hard to make. Figo ultimately won the Ballon d'Or, and I congratulate him. He's had a great few years, helping Barcelona win titles and shining for his national team. I don't think there's much controversy over this result. But as the manager of Millwall, I do feel a little regret."

In Aldrich's view, there was no need to debate whether Figo was more deserving of the Ballon d'Or than Millwall's players. The issue wasn't the result; it was simply that Millwall had too many exceptional players, and that was that. There was no controversy.

Millwall didn't win the Ballon d'Or, nor did they have a player in the top three.

But Millwall did set a record in the Ballon d'Or voting.

The total votes for players from the same club, with none in the top three, exceeded half of the total votes!

Five players, plus one vote for Southgate, two votes for Zambrotta, and unfortunately, zero votes for Schneider.

Millwall had eight candidates nominated, and the final scores, when converted into points, were more than half of the total score!

Fleet Street media had already comforted Millwall, calling them the "undefeated kings" of the Ballon d'Or.

It sounds a bit absurd, but the sentiment was appreciated. Fleet Street didn't speculate about any shady dealings, and even if there was controversy, it wasn't centered on Millwall. The debate was about whether Zidane or Figo deserved the Ballon d'Or, but in the context of Millwall's five players "coming back in defeat," that discussion seemed irrelevant.

If we focus purely on the issue, the Ballon d'Or, before becoming the FIFA Ballon d'Or, didn't have much controversy. The only exception might be Michael Owen winning it in 2001. Liverpool, the so-called quintuple winners, had actually won a collection of minor trophies, but the most important titles—league and Champions League—eluded them. Meanwhile, Bayern, who triumphed in the Champions League that year, had Oliver Kahn shining, but it was extremely difficult for a goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or. Raul, despite multiple nominations, couldn't claim the prize, often overshadowed by other stars at Real Madrid. Owen's victory over him wasn't a huge gap.

Each year's Ballon d'Or voting is influenced by the era's context and events on and off the pitch.

When it became the FIFA Ballon d'Or, the biggest controversy occurred in 2010, when Messi won, and Inter Milan's treble-winning star Sneijder didn't even make the top three, finishing fourth.

Was this controversial?

If you understand the FIFA Ballon d'Or voting rules, it's clear that Sneijder was just unlucky.

Had the FIFA Ballon d'Or been established a year later, Sneijder would've undoubtedly won.

The Ballon d'Or by France Football was voted on by media journalists. In 2010, Sneijder topped the media vote with 7.7%, followed by Iniesta and Xavi, who had 7.53% and 5.96%, respectively. Messi was only fourth with 4.38%, over 3% less than Sneijder. That year, even Diego Forlán, who shone in the World Cup, only had 3.63%. Cristiano Ronaldo had less media support than Iker Casillas, with only 0.41%.

So, how did Messi win?

He triumphed in the expanded FIFA Ballon d'Or voting rules, which included votes from national team captains and coaches. Together, they pushed Messi's score well above all the competition, more than 10% ahead of Sneijder, and Iniesta and Xavi were left trailing by over 8%.

Was this a controversial result?

It depends on your perspective. Those defending Sneijder should target FIFA for diluting the Ballon d'Or voting process, not blame the journalists who did their job. This led to Platini's anger and the subsequent re-establishment of the European Best Player Award.

The journalists still held a grudge about the Ballon d'Or results, and Fleet Street hoped that a Premier League player would once again claim the prestigious honor.

Especially if Henry, who had been in outstanding form last season, could lift the Ballon d'Or, Millwall would have three Ballon d'Or winners in their squad!

An undeniably star-studded team!

Aldrich would join another legendary list: the one who nurtured three Ballon d'Or winners!

But unfortunately, none of this came to fruition.

Aldrich took it all in stride and quickly ended the Ballon d'Or conversation, shifting the focus to the upcoming match against Manchester United.

"Regardless of tomorrow's result, the league isn't over, and the championship race is still open. Undoubtedly, Manchester United will put enormous pressure on me at home. For the past four seasons, they've finished second in the league. That frustration has been building up. As direct competitors, I believe Manchester United won't make it easy for Millwall to leave Old Trafford with all three points. This is good for us. I feel that recently, Millwall has been lacking pressure. The players have become a bit too relaxed, distracted by the unbeaten record. Either they think the opponents are easy to beat, or they're anxious about maintaining the unbeaten streak. Now, we can forget that record and start fresh, putting all our energy into the game. No distractions. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and we want to gift all the Lions' fans a victory. Can we beat Manchester United at Old Trafford? We have confidence, of course we do. Why wouldn't we? We've won there before. We're not nervous. The stronger the opponent, the more excited we get. Millwall should fight like this."

The next day, Millwall's entire team set off for Manchester, preparing to face Old Trafford.

As Aldrich walked into the stadium, he was met with boos from the crowd. It seemed that his remark about Manchester United's four consecutive second-place finishes had touched a nerve with the Red Devils fans.

Boos? He had long since gotten used to them.

Ferguson walked into the stadium with an incredibly serious expression, passing Aldrich with a silent pat on the back as a greeting.

It was a high-stakes showdown, a six-pointer. Even though this was just the final match of the first half of the season, its impact on the entire season was immense, and that went without saying.

"Hello everyone, Merry Christmas! This year's Premier League Christmas showdown is truly a heavyweight battle. The top-of-the-table clash, Manchester United at home against defending champions Millwall, both teams' strengths are undeniable. Right now, Manchester United is one point ahead of Millwall on the league table. After 90 minutes of play, what will the outcome be? When Fleet Street analyzed this game before the match, many people believed that if Manchester United loses at home today, then it's very likely that they will lose their chance at the title. This isn't about the points situation, but the psychological blow from losing to Millwall will affect their entire second half of the season! Ferguson even said before the match that, in some ways, this is Manchester United's final. It seems Ferguson understands the importance of this game. If they lose at home, Manchester United will be overtaken, and the mindset of the entire team could shift dramatically."

"Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams. Manchester United is still using the 4-4-2 formation, with the biggest change being Solskjaer partnering with Van Nistelrooy up front. Andy Cole's form has been poor, and Yorke is caught up in a love triangle scandal that he can't escape, with his conflicts with Ferguson becoming public. Now, Ferguson is trying to use Van Nistelrooy to replace Yorke. On Millwall's side, Gattuso is suspended and injured again during training, so he has to watch from the sidelines. He's replaced in the starting lineup by Neil, who will be tasked with holding off Manchester United's attacking forces."

Aldrich stood on the sidelines, hands in his pockets, staring at the field with a serious expression.

As soon as the match began, Aldrich furrowed his brow.

Manchester United were playing a 4-4-2?

Bloody 4-4-2?

Aldrich glared angrily at Ferguson.

Damn it, he's stolen my tactics!

Ferguson, you've already got your knighthood, and yet you're openly using my strategy—on top of that, you're using it against Millwall!

Keane is good, but can a single holding midfielder really contain Millwall's attacking line?

If that was the case, not only would Manchester United be dominating Europe, but Millwall would have been wiped out by the big teams ages ago.

Now, Manchester United are playing a 4-2-3-1.

And who's beside Keane in the midfield?

It's David Beckham, the same Beckham Aldrich had set up in the holding midfield role for England.