Under the sun, there is nothing new. Ranwen? ??．? ｒ?ａ?ｎ?? With the rutted traces of history, generations of green field overlords have come and gone, but one green story has survived to this day.

Blackburn Rovers have completed their 2016-17 Premier League title defence and are just one step away from the final of the Champions League title, and all Blackburn Rovers fans have reason to be excited, but on the eve of the Champions League final night on 3 June, the news came that made them cry.

On 30 May, Blackburn legend Frank Lampard announced his retirement, officially ending his 21-year football career.

Born on 20 June 1978, Frank Lampard began his career at West Ham United and began his legendary career in 2001 when he joined Blackburn Rovers, where he became one of the most attacking midfielders in the Premier League and Europe, scoring in double figures in 10 consecutive seasons from 2003-04 to 2012-13, and was named a European Ballon d'Or winner in 2005.

In his 16 seasons with Blackburn, Frank Lampard scored a total of 213 goals for Blackburn Rovers and is the all-time top scorer of the Roses.

It's a very impressive record, as Frank Lampard is one of only seven players to score more than 150 goals in the Premier League, and he is the only midfielder in the squad. Meanwhile, he currently ranks third on the Premier League's all-time assists list, behind Manchester United star Ryan Giggs and team-mate Xavi Alonso.

Speaking on Instagram, Frank Lampard announced his decision to retire, 'After an incredible 21-year career, I decided it was time to put an end to it. I received a lot of invitations from home and abroad, but at the age of 38, I decided to start a new chapter in my life. I'm proud of the fact that not only have I won a lot of trophies, but I have also made more than 100 appearances for my country and scored more than 300 goals in my career. I am very grateful to Arthur for giving me the opportunity to learn from coaching and continue my football career off the pitch and thank them for supporting me and I am looking forward to it. ”

Captain Frank Lampard's departure is not alone, as another team-mate who has been with him for 16 years has also chosen to hang up his boots after the Champions League final.

On 31 May, the day after Frank Lampard announced his retirement, Xavi Alonso also announced that he would retire at the end of the season.

The sensual Spaniard tweeted: "Born in it, love in it. Goodbye, this beautiful sport. ”

Alonso has been with Blackburn Rovers even longer than Frank Lampard, signing Arthur in his first season in charge and has been with Blackburn Rovers since his Championship days and is now in his 17th year.

The day after his retirement was announced, Alonso was interviewed by Spanish outlet Daily Basque, and when talking about his decision to retire after the season, he said: "The whole world is asking me questions about the future, and when the decision was announced, I felt relieved. I was just waiting for a suitable opportunity to make the announcement, and that moment is now. ”

On the future, Alonso was not as clear as team-mate Frank Lampard: "Now I just want to put my heart and soul into the game, finish the season with Blackburn Rovers and try to win more titles. After that, take a vacation, and then meditate on the future. ”

Become a coach?

"Let's wait and see, I want to live in Blackburn and San Sebastian."

Although Frank Lampard and Alonso are not players cultivated in Blackburn's academy, one has been 16 years and the other has been 17 years, and the two have vividly displayed the "loyal soul" that is not common in football today, and the farewell of the two has made countless Blackburn fans tearful.

The departures of Frank Lampard and Marcos Alonso marked the end of their respective playing eras, while the farewell of another veteran Blackburn Rovers was tinged with a hint of embarrassment.

Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Petr Cech has also announced his intention to leave the Rose Theatre this summer after the Premier League season in hopes of returning home at the end of his career.

Cech is no longer an absolute mainstay in the team this season, although he has played 34 games for Blackburn Rovers this season, but all in the Premier League, with the strong arrival of second goalkeeper Trapp, Cech has become a league goalkeeper completely.

However, the 35-year-old has taken that lightly, and the Czech, who has been fighting here for 13 years since joining Blackburn Rovers in 2004, has long called it his home.

'I'll be 36 next season and I'm not in the team's plans for the future, it's no secret,' said Cech. I've won enough championships, a dozen or so? I can't even count it, it's time for me to leave, and I think I can still pass on some experience to the young players of Sparta Prague. ”

The departures of Frank Lampard, Marcos Alonso and Petr Cech do not mean they can cut ties with Blackburn.

Frank Lampard and Marcos Alonso will become assistant coaches at Jurgen Klopp and part of Blackburn's youth squad after training with the FA. Arthur would prefer that one of the two will become the future manager of Blackburn Rovers and take the helm of the Roses.

Although Cech, who has not yet retired, may be able to fight on the pitch for many seasons because of the special nature of the goalkeeper position, Arthur arranged for Cech to be Blackburn's ambassador and liaison in Eastern European countries in addition to the player, hoping to further expand the team's influence and closeness in Eastern European countries.

The departure of three veterans who have been with the team for at least 13 years in a row has undoubtedly added a touch of tragedy to Blackburn's Champions League final on June 3, with the likes of vice-captain Phil Jones, Neymar, Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale all saying they will do their best to win the final title for Lampard!

The Champions League final against Blackburn Rovers was a challenge for Barcelona, but Enrique remained confident that the team was ready to challenge the Premier League giants.

The Barcelona boss, who is leaving at the end of the season, said of the upcoming Champions League final with the word "glamorous": "We should not continue to dwell on the past, but look at the present, and I know that we are strong enough now to be honest with our opponents. The better team wins the game. ”

Enrique added: "Barcelona are growing every day, this challenge is coming at the right time, and we should respect Blackburn Rovers but not be afraid because we are standing high enough to face them. ”

Commenting on the three biggest names either hanging up their boots or returning to their hometowns, Enrique said: "Time is ticking for everyone. The teams that have won a lot of honours over the last few years also know they won't be like this forever, but this contest is still top in terms of form and we will have to pay more if we want to qualify. We're ready, but if we want the opponent to be tough, we have to do our best. ”

The draw also meant that Suarez would have a direct conversation with his old club, and "Bucktooth Sue" joked about it: "I understand that for players who have played for Blackburn before, we would prefer to avoid this opponent, but I will try to make everyone happy." In addition, Leo would be willing to touch Blackburn. We are very happy to be here today and to continue to move forward as the only team in all of Spain, which makes us proud. ”

The day before the game, Blackburn Rovers and Barcelona had already announced their starting line-ups in advance.

Barcelona starting line-up (3-5-2):

Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen

Defenders: Mascherano, Pique, Umtiti

Midfielders: Raphinha, Sergio Busquets, Andre Gomez, Iniesta, Alda Turan

Forwards: Messi, Suarez

Blackburn Rovers starting line-up (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Trapp

Defenders: Alaba, Phil Jones, Raphael Varane, Azpilicueta

Midfielders: Bale, Pogba, Rakitic

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Harry Kane, Neymar

Neither side has been cautious about their staffing for the Champions League final, at least from the starting line-up, it can be seen that both Klopp and Enrique are prepared to play attack-oriented tactics.

On the night of the Champions League final, Phil Jones lost the kick-off for Blackburn, and I don't know if that was a bad omen.

As soon as the Barcelona players came up, they launched a fierce attack on Blackburn's position.

Sergio Busquets was racing towards Blackburn's half with the ball, but before he could get any far, Pogba got in front of him.

Although he was very confident in his skills, Busquets was not blindly impulsive, and when he saw that Turan next to him had run over, he immediately swept and shifted the football to the middle.

Receiving Sergio Busquets' pass sideways, Turan landed the ball firmly at his feet, ready to look for an opportunity to make some play down the middle, but before he could find his team-mate, Rakitic had already blocked the Turk's forward pass.

Then Barcelona didn't find any chance in several passes, and Messi could only reluctantly pass the football back to Raphinha behind him in the pressure of Varane.

As soon as Raphinha got the football, Griezmann rushed towards him quickly, remembering Klopp's advice in his heart, even if Blackburn's three strikers have strengthened the pressing of the midfield, Griezmann does not want to leave any space for Raphinha to stay.

Raphinha couldn't find the slightest gap in Blackburn's defence, so he had to make a helpless return pass in a hurry, and the football was completely handed over to Pique at the back.

But as soon as the Spanish defender received the football, Harry Kane was already rushing towards him, as if he didn't care about the football at his feet, but was just bent on knocking him away.

Pique had to kick the ball backwards again, and after the game started, Barcelona had not yet scored the ball into the Blackburn Rovers penalty area, but were forced to pass it back to their own goal.

In his hurry, Ter Stegen kicked the ball high and flew far towards the midfield, no matter what time it is, danger must not exist in front of his own goal, this is the goalkeeper's first rule.

The ball whistled and fell, and while Raphinha jumped, Griezmann didn't have the slightest scruples, and jumped up and headed towards the ball.

Disturbed by Griezmann, Raphinha could not control the football on his side, and could only rush towards Turan in front of him.

With his back to Blackburn's goal, Turan stopped the football firmly at his feet, but as soon as he turned around, he saw that Rakitic was already sitting on the ground and sliding fiercely at the football at his feet.

Rakitic made a clean tackle and stabbed the ball from Turan's feet to his team-mate.

Bale quickly slid the ball up, and at the same time, the Griezmann trio in front of him was also active and flexible in front of him.

As soon as Bell was moving, Raphinha immediately followed him closely.

It's just that Raphinha alone couldn't restrain Bale's high-speed running, and it wasn't until Busquets quickly chased back that Bale gave the football to Pogba in the middle with a helpless look.

Because of Busquets' robbery of Bale, there was no Barcelona player to defend the distance of ten meters around Pogba, and he saw a smooth road in front of him.

Seeing such a good opportunity, Pogba did not mean to be polite at all, and immediately rushed towards the hinterland of Barcelona with the ball like a cheetah galloping on the grassland.

A series of changes took place in an instant, and by the time Busquets reacted, Pogba had run away leaving him with only one back.

Soon Umtiti pressed up, Pogba ran quickly, suddenly turned around, and his body floated in the direction of the sideline again, avoiding Umtiti while continuing to rush towards the baseline.

When Pogba ran parallel to the penalty line, before Busquets could make a move, he raised his left foot and swept the ball on the ground, and the ball flew towards the middle.

Looking at the rapidly rolling football, Harry Kane, who had been waiting for a long time at the edge of the penalty area, did not hesitate at all, leaning against Mascherano behind him, and at the same time, he quickly pushed the ball with the arch of his foot, and handed the football directly to Neymar, who was fighting for position with Pique.

Seeing Neymar get the football, not only Pique next to him, but also Mascherano who was still by Harry Kane's side just now, his heart became anxious.

The two of them coincidentally struck towards Neymar one after the other, and Neymar, who had his back to the goal, was leaning closely against Pique behind him, fighting for the position while trying to control the football at his feet.

In terms of height and weight, Neymar is obviously much thinner than Pique behind him, but compared with other strikers who are not physically strong, Neymar, who has been in the Premier League for many years, is not afraid of physical confrontation, even in the confrontation with Pique, falling to the downside, Neymar has firmly controlled the football at his feet.

Feeling the power coming from behind him, Neymar did not show the slightest weakness, and suddenly leaned back in the stalemate, and his body was like a hard rock, crashing towards Pique behind him.

Hit by Neymar's sudden burst of power, Pique, who was not prepared at all, could only helplessly take a step back, and then looked at Neymar in front of him, calmly buttoned the football under his feet, and then turned his body to look at the goal not far away, and Ter Stegen with a serious expression in front of the goal.

It's time to shoot!