can't get over manu traveling with the team to be there for thomas in his last cl game. the way he looked for him after the game, the hug from behind, the hand placements? hellooo đđđ
Oh anon, I donât think Iâll ever be over it.
Itâs the thoughtfulness of it all, even though Manu knew he would be riding the bench and all the while wishing he hadnât gotten injuredâwishing he couldâve been out there to do his part. Yet he swallowed all that down and came anyway. Because Thomas might need him. Because this might be the last chance heâd ever get to see him play Champions League football, and he wasnât going to miss it for the world.
Something about the moment Manu found Thomas after the match reminds me of something Leon said when talking about Manuâs style of leadership: he always has a good sense of when you need him. And god, did Thomas need him then.
Itâs the intimacy of it all too. Something about the way Manu touches him feels so privateâtoo personal for millions of eyes to see. Maybe itâs the unspoken familiarity of it all. The way Manuâs hand looks like it belongs over Thomasâ heart, a silent acknowledgement that without him, Bayern has none. Maybe itâs the way his other hand looks so natural curled around his hip, steadying him. Grounding him. Or maybe itâs the relief in Thomasâ eyes when he looks up, realizing all at once that the hands holding him belong to Manu. That of course itâs him. That of course Manu wouldnât abandon him when he needed him mostâwouldnât leave him alone in his tears, in his mourning the fairytale ending that would never be.
Itâs a different kind of touch than back in 2013, Manuâs arms wrapped protectively around his thighs as he hoisted him onto his shoulders, the Champions League trophy gripped tightly in Thomasâ trembling hands. But maybe this touch means more. Manuel was there in Thomasâ victories, but that was the easy part. To be there when it all comes crashing downâwhen all thatâs left are decaying dreams and the tears crystallizing on his cheeksâthatâs something Thomas would never demand of him. And yet, there Manu was, anchoring him through it all â¤ď¸
titsay
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
