Millwall maintained a perfect record in their first four group stage matches, scoring 16 goals and conceding just 3. This stat alone set them apart from the 24 teams competing in the Champions League this season.
Even formidable teams like Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, and Real Madrid couldn't match the impact of this lion from London.
While it's expected for traditional powerhouses to achieve good results, the ability of a newcomer like Millwall to dominate in such a tough group certainly created a sensation.
The in-form Larsson also catapulted himself into the ranks of top stars.
Every transfer window, whether in summer or winter, Millwall receives numerous offers to buy Larsson, with the nature of these clubs reflecting his rise in standing.
Manchester United has persistently pursued Larsson.
Beyond the UK, top clubs in Italy are also chasing him. However, this summer, names like AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain surfaced among the clubs seeking to sign him. Following the intense battle against Barcelona, Real Madrid made their interest known as well.
The entire elite of Europe wanted Larsson, which underlined his value.
Galliani wanted Larsson to don the red and black of Milan and help revive the club, while Moratti dreamt of pairing Ronaldo and Larsson as a dual threat. Sanz invited Larsson to Santiago Bernabéu to continue the fight against Barcelona...
Selling players in winter is unthinkable; it would disrupt plans for the second half of the season. Aldrich was unsure of Larsson's thoughts, but he wouldn't approach the player about it.
The news from Andrew was encouraging; Larsson showed a rather indifferent reaction to the invitations from major clubs.
The Swedish national team, having failed to qualify for the '96 European Championship, was also facing the grim reality of possibly missing out on the 98 World Cup. For Larsson, this painted a bleak picture regarding his chances of winning any honors with the national team. With his appearances on the international stage being disappointingly rare, and at 26—the golden age of his career—he understood that he had to work even harder at the club to achieve greatness and enhance his legacy.
Millwall was a team that Aldrich had meticulously built over three and a half years. Its strength was on the rise, and with bright prospects ahead, there was no reason for Larsson to consider leaving.
On a misty morning, long before five o'clock, Aldrich rose early, dressed in his sports gear, and slipped a walkman into his pocket, planning to go for a jog while listening to music.
As he stepped outside, he noticed movement at his neighbor's house. The door was wide open, and Yvonne, dressed in matching white sportswear, was getting ready, putting earbuds in her ears. Upon seeing Aldrich, she walked over with a smile and asked, "Exercising?"
Aldrich looked her up and down, her curvy figure highlighted by the athletic outfit. The ponytail she wore radiated youthful energy, and her bare face added a natural beauty.
"Yep, exercising. Want to join?"
"Let's go."
Under the dim morning light, they jogged along the neighborhood sidewalks, chatting casually until they reached a nearby park. As dawn broke, they had breakfast together before parting ways, each driving off to begin a new day of work at the club.
Although Aldrich was hailed as a legendary young manager in England, his legend was largely due to his age rather than his achievements.
People were excitedly hoping to see him create a football fairy tale, leading the team to unprecedented glories.
Yet Aldrich remained rational and clear-headed; he was nothing without tangible honors to his name.
Time passed, and Millwall continued to perform strongly in both the league and Europe.
In the fifth round of the Champions League group stage at Wembley, Millwall faced Dynamo Kyiv. For Dynamo, trailing Millwall by five points, a draw meant elimination, and while winning could keep their hopes alive, they faced a daunting task to top the group.
Nevertheless, at Wembley, Millwall offered no chances to Dynamo. Aldrich fielded the full-strength squad, dispatching their opponents 2-0 without breaking a sweat.
With five wins out of five, Millwall secured the top spot with 15 points.
In the final group match away at PSV Eindhoven, the Dutch champions had already been eliminated but played fiercely for pride at home, while Millwall opted for a reserve side.
New signing Gudjohnsen, having recovered after six months of injury, was finally fit to play.
Aldrich granted his wish, giving him time on the pitch against PSV, a match that rekindled memories of his exit from the club. Millwall employed a counter-attacking strategy, pairing Gudjohnsen and Van Nistelrooy up front. The game showcased thrilling moments, yet the score remained frustrating for PSV.
The match ended 4-2, with both Van Nistelrooy and Gudjohnsen each scoring twice. The latter celebrated wildly, as if exacting revenge for past grievances!
With the group stage concluded, Millwall advanced to the knockout phase with a perfect record, scoring 22 goals and conceding only 5—a tremendous effort that shook Europe!
In other groups, Ancelotti was disheartened as his Parma fell to the defending champions Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund finished strong with 15 points, while Parma's weaknesses were exposed, landing them second with just 9.
United topped Juventus, also amassing 15 points to progress.
Real Madrid unsurprisingly secured first place in their comparatively weaker group.
Bayern Munich advanced with superior defensive records, edging out Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference.
Three months ago, Tigana was ecstatic about his favorable draw. Monaco managed to advance with a slight advantage due to their goal difference. Even though they were at a disadvantage, they still advanced to the knockout rounds as second in the group with better results.
Leverkusen and Juventus grabbed the final two places among the six second-placed teams.
Among the eight quarter-finalists, three were German teams. Besides last season's champions and runners-up, Dortmund made it into the Champions League again, highlighting the strength of German clubs this year, especially as they all emerged from the group stages.
All eight teams came from Europe's top five leagues. Besides the dominant Germans, the English Premier League champions and runners-up also reached the last eight, with the three remaining teams being each nation's last season champions.
Undeniably, although this year's Champions League had expanded, the knockout stage would be fiercely competitive, showcasing the champions of the top five leagues—truly the stage for champions.
**December 22nd.**
**Ballon d'Or Award Ceremony.**
Aldrich did not attend this grand event, as he was focused on training and matches with the fast-paced Premier League schedule.
Two Millwall players, Nedved and Larsson, had been given time off to attend the celebration.
When the voting results were revealed, the applause was thunderous.
Larsson won the Ballon d'Or by the narrowest of margins over the extraterrestrial Ronaldo!
Before stepping onto the stage to accept his award, Larsson embraced Nedved tightly, his eyes glistening with tears.
Nedved whispered congratulations and urged Larsson to take the stage.
After receiving the Ballon d'Or, Larsson's first words were, "This award belongs to the entire Millwall team!"
His second statement was, "If I hadn't met Coach Aldrich Hall, I wouldn't be standing here."
...
In the final voting list for the Ballon d'Or that year, La Liga champion Mijatovic ranked third, Juventus Zidane ranked fourth, Nedved ranked fifth, and Bergkamp ranked behind.
In Southeast London, the community radiating from Millwall rejoiced when the Ballon d'Or was announced.
Millwall has its own Ballon d'Or winner!
This would raise Millwall's profile tremendously, significantly boosting Aldrich's reputation.
The young manager produced a Ballon d'Or winner!
This was a massive motivation for Millwall's players.
The young players aspired to reach the heights that Larsson had achieved!
This year's Christmas showdown promised excitement for the fans of both Manchester United and Millwall.
The two teams would face off at Old Trafford in a high-stakes clash between two top-tier teams.
Since defeating Barcelona in the fourth round of the Champions League, Millwall could now dedicate more energy to the league.
In their last few matches, they performed well, with just one draw and a complete victory otherwise. Meanwhile, they also triumphed over a League One team, Manchester City, in the quarter-finals of the league cup. In January, they would face Middlesbrough in the semi-finals.
Heading to Old Trafford, Aldrich's squad was missing Nedved and Larsson, both on a week-long vacation.
With Christmas upon them, the team's testing time had arrived.
At Old Trafford, Ferguson approached Aldrich before the match, extending his hand and calmly saying, "Congratulations on nurturing a Ballon d'Or winner. That's quite an achievement. It seems Manchester United won't have the chance to sign Larsson."
Aldridge shook his head and replied: "There is an element of luck. Last season's Champions League champion was Dortmund, and Sammer won the Ballon d'Or last year. This year, the judges will no longer favor defenders. Ronaldo is now playing for It's Inter Milan, not the Champions League, and Larsson performed well last month and his impression points increased significantly. If it weren't for this, the Ballon d'Or would definitely belong to Ronaldo again."
"What are you thinking so much for? Your player just scored the Ballon d'Or; you should just celebrate!"
Aldrich allowed himself a slight smile, nodding, "Yeah, happiness is what matters. There's no need to think about anything else."
"It's you and me in the title race again this year. Are you confident about defending your title?"
"What do you think?"
"Ha, shall we grab a drink after the match?"
"Is the 82 Lafite ready?"
"It's been in my wine cellar all along."
After finishing their conversation, Ferguson took his seat on the bench while Aldrich stood on the sidelines.
The players entered the field in an orderly manner.
Today, Aldridge decided to replace Nedved with Lampard. Ballack's good form at the beginning of the season seems to have run out, and he has been unable to regain form in the past month and his performance has been inconsistent. With the holiday season buzzing and a festive atmosphere in the air, Aldridge is really worried about Ballack. At least Lampard has a mental advantage as he may be able to handle the Christmas schedule better than foreign players. As for what level he can perform, let's see in the game.
Recovered from his injury, Gudjohnsen replaced Larsson. The Icelandic did not lack ability, as he had already represented PSV in the Champions League over two years ago. If not for the inept team doctor at PSV, Millwall wouldn't have had the chance to sign him.
Manchester United had been on an overbearing streak lately.
While Millwall remained unbeaten, with only a single draw, United had won every match, often by large margins. Not winning by three or four goals felt beneath the Red Devils' reputation.
This widened the point gap between the two teams to three points.
Without a doubt, today's fixture would be a six-point battle.
It would determine the halfway champion of the Premier League!