In Gao Shen's past life, whenever fans or the media discussed Guardio's Dream Team III, one name would iably e up: his so-called godfather.

  That person was widely believed to be UEFA President Michel Ptini.

  Back when he was just a fan, Gao Shen had thought the same. But as he gained a deeper uanding of European professional football, he realized that this was a simplistic view of a far more plex situation.

  Think about it logically: If Ptini really were Bara's godfather, why wouldn't other top clubs push back? Why didn't they file pints or wsuits?

  People often said Ptini had the final say at UEFA. But anyone familiar with the anization's operations khat was impossible. Ptini had e to power by building alliances with smaller football nations, toppling former UEFA president Lennart Johansson. His influence was broad but not absolute; power was ily detralized.

  It was no different from how major football clubs operated. Unless you were someone like Florentino Pérez, who wielded extraordinary influence, you'd always have to share authority. Presidents like Joan Gaspart, Joan Laporta, Sandro Rosell, or Ramón Calderón, they all had to delegate power after winning their eles.

  Ptini was no exception. He couldn't simply beo favor one club.

  So, if Ptini wasn't the source of Bara's preferential treatment, who was?

  Bara had undeniably beed from troversial refereeing decisions. And UEFA couldn't have beeirely unaware.

  This poio one key institution: the UEFA Referees ittee.

  ---

  Fans who followed the Calciopoli sdal would recall a revealing phone versation. In one rec, a UEFA official informed Juventus general manager Luoggi about which referee would oversee their match against Ajax.

  That official aolo Pairetto, then the vice-chairman of the UEFA Referees ittee.

  Pairetto was forced the sdal broke in 2006.

  After his departure, the Italian Football Federation nominated a new representative to UEFA's referee ittee: Pierluigi Collina, the iic bald-headed referee.

  Collina had retired after end Opel, A's sponsor, a flict of i ualiaions. But after Calciopoli, Italy turo Collina as a figure of iy to restore trust.

  At the top of the ittee was ángel María Vilr, the president of the Spanish Football Federation.

  Vilr was a remarkable figure. A former professional pyer and Spanish iional, he became head of the Spanish FA in 1988 at just 38 years old. Over the years, he climbed UEFA's ranks to bee its First Vice-President and head of the Referees ittee.

  His influence was substantial.

  Gao Shen recalled how Vilr's retionship with Real Madrid had deteriorated during Florentino Pérez's first tenure.

  In fact, when the Spanish FA celebrated its tenary in 2009, the event was inally scheduled for the Santiago Bernabéu. But after Pérez was re-elected as Real Madrid president, Vilr abruptly moved the celebration to Atlétiadrid's Vite Calderón Stadium.

  That move said it all.

  Still, even with all these facts id out, many people would struggle to ect the dots.

  Godfather?

  Where's the e?

  Well, they o zoom out further.

  ---

  Gao Shen had always believed that tactical evolutions in football often stemmed from rule ges.

  Take the rise of teical midfielders, for example. Their success artly enabled by offside rule ges that created more exploitable space.

  That was a major rule shift. But the game's evolution also came from subtle tweaks to the ws, like the rules around tag.

  Many fans knew about the ban on tackles from behind. Fewer uood how deeply tag rules had been tightened over time.

  The initial ban on tackles from behind was introduced at the 1997 federations Cup and enforced fully during the 1998 World Cup in Frahe driving force behind that rule ge? Michel Ptini.

  It ivotal decision.

  Football in the 1990s had been notoriously brutal. Tackles were often aimed at the pyer rather than the ball, and the careers of many stars like Ronaldo Nazáriued by injury as a result.

  After 1998, the rules kept evolving.

  By the 2002 World Cup, defenders could be penalized if their studs were visible during a tackle. By 2006, referees were instructed to caution pyers who didn't keep their feet close to the ground when sliding in.

  These adjustments might seem minor on paper, but collectively, they radically altered defensive py.

  Imagine being a defender who could no longer:

  Tackle from behind

  Show their studs

  Leave the ground during a challenge

  Meeting all these requirements simultaneously made tag an art form, ohat demanded caution. Defenders begaating, adjusting their bodies more carefully, and missing split-sed opportunities as a result.

  As tag became more difficult, attag pyers gained more freedom to express themselves.

  Yes, these ges protected pyers from career-threatening injuries, a positive development overall.

  But the tactical side-effect was undeniable: Teams that prioritized teical, possession-based football beed immensely.

  Bara, with their tiki-taka system, fit that mold perfectly.

  Many fans mocked Sergio Ramos and Pepe as butchers. But pared to defenders from the 1990s, even hard-nosed pyers like Alessandro a often celebrated for his elegance had been far mgressive.

  In 2007, after Ptini became UEFA president, Vilr took over as the Referees ittee chairman. Together, they tinued introdug policies that favored fluid, attag football.

  The official reasoning behind these rule ges was to better protect teically gifted pyers and enhahe viewing experience of football matches.

  Everyone khat refereeing standards varied across Europe's top leagues. The same challehat might go unpunished in the Premier League could earn a yellow card in La Liga.

  Beyond pyer prote, these differences also exteo how referees handled physical frontations.

  Take the Premier League, for example. Defenders often prioritize using their bodies to jostle, squeeze, and apply pressure on the ball carrier, what's known as a fair shoulder-to-shoulder challenge. Physicality is a core element of English football, demanding exceptional strength from pyers.

  Without that strength, you'd be knocked off band dispossessed. The referee wouldn't even bat an eye.

  Now pare that to La Liga.

  In Spain, even slightly aggressive tact result in a foul. A stronger shove might bring a yellow card. A mistimed collision? Potentially a red.

  This reality influences defeactics. Rather than engaging physically, defenders in La Liga often try to anticipate the ball's path, gambling on interceptions instead of direct frontations.

  roof? Rewatch Messi's famous solo goal against Getafe.

  Time and agaiafe's deferied to poke the ball away rather than body-check Messi.

  Were they slow? Not likely. With multiple pyers surrounding him, someone could've stopped him if speed was the issue.

  After the game, Getafe's coach at the time, Bernd Schuster, attributed the goal to his defenders' overly passive approach. But why were they so passive?

  Because they feared itting a foul.

  Messi's low ter of gravity, rapid ges in speed, and exquisite ball trol made guessing his move a nightmare. Oppos sed-guessed themselves, hesitated, lunged in the wrong dire, and Messi danced past them.

  Now imagine Messi fag that same sario in the Premier League.

  If two defenders closed in, muscled him off the ball, a him on the ground, py would likely tihe ball might squirt loose, but Messi wouldn't get far.

  Which begs the question: Why does Messi struggle to replicate his club form fentina?

  The answer lies in the differing officiating standards.

  Iional tours like the World Cup allow more physicality, closer to Premier League norms than La Liga's. And in that enviro, Messi loses a critical advantage.

  The two petitions most protective of teical pyers?

  La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.

  And who oversees those petitions?

  Michel Ptini, UEFA president, and ángel María Vilr, UEFA's First Vice-President and head of its Referees ittee also president of the Spanish FA.

  They're the architects of these enfort standards.

  That's why some argue Messi wouldn't thrive in Serie A or the Premier League. There's some merit to that cim.

  ---

  By now, anyone following this thread would have grasped what a "football godfather" really was.

  The tackle rule ges Ptini introduced were ostensibly about safety and, to be fair, fewer pyers suffered career-ending injuries after the reforms.

  But while the rules protected talent, they also tilted the bance of power toward teically adept, possession-based teams.

  Bara became the most spicuous beneficiary.

  Was this bias iional? That remained an opeion. Outsiders could only specute.

  The Calciopoli sdal had id bare how powerful a single referee could be. Juventus' feneral manager, Luoggi, tried to influence referee appois because the official in charge could effectively dictate how a matfolded.

  That wasn't uo Italy. Refereeing troversies had pgued football long before Ptini and wouldn't end with him either.

  Subtle adjustments to rules could cause seismic tactical shifts.

  And in high-stakes matches like the Champions League final referee sele wasn't just a procedural formality. It involved yers of politid behind-the-ses maneuvering.

  Take Napoli's situation, for instance.

  Weeks earlier, the club's ma had quietly approached the Italian FA, hoping to leverage Collina's influehin UEFA's referee ittee. The request was simple: get someoral.

  Napoli didn't referential treatment. They just wao avoid a referee who might favor Bara.

  Because if the official applied the usual Champions League standard with even more leniency toward Bar?a, Napoli might as well not show up.

  That sario was easy to picture:

  Messi dribbles forward. Foul. Yellow card for Napoli.

  Ia gets tripped. Free kiear the box.

  Alves goes down after tact. Another card.

  It would bee a slow, tactical dismemberment.

  Napoli needed a referee who'd apply a baandard.

  ---

  The pool of referees qualified for a Champions League final was small.

  They couldn't assign an Italian or a Spaniard, giveeams involved. That left only a handful of experienced officials from other tries.

  Which brought Pierluigi Collina to Napoli's hotel.

  Such visits were standard procedure.

  UEFA required referee ittee representatives to brief both teams before major finals. The officials would crify how the match would be officiated, what behaviors would draw immediate punishment, which situations were left to the referee's discretion, and how pyers could expect fouls to be interpreted.

  Collina, as UEFA Referees ittee vice-chairman, personally hahis task for Napoli.

  He arrived with a small delegation of UEFA officials, presehe guidelines clearly, and answered the pyers' questions with his trademark calm precision.

  Everything followed official protocol. Nurities. No subtle hints.

  But as the meeting ed up, Gao Shen lingered by the door.

  "Pierluigi," he said softly as the others shuffled out. "About tonight… what should I expect?"

  Collina's pale blue eyes locked onto his. His expression was inscrutable.

  "Don't worry," Collina replied, tone measured. "The referee tonight is Howard Webb. Experienced, fair, and highly regarded. He's officiated plenty of inteches in the Premier League. You'll get a top-level performance."

  The words were straightforward, something he could fortably repeat in any UEFA review.

  But Gao Shen caught the slightest flicker in Collina's eyes. A fleeting signal.

  A silent message: It'll be fair. Py yame.

  Gao Shen held out his hand. Collina shook it firmly.

  "Thank you, Pierluigi."

  Collina gave him the fai nod of approval before leaving.

  The moment the Italian stepped out of the hotel, Gao Sheuro his room and immediately summoned his coag staff.

  His fidence surged.

  Tonight, they had a real ce.

  ***

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