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 😭😭😭
Oh anon, I don’t think I’ll ever be over it.
It’s the thoughtfulness of it all, even though Manu knew he would be riding the bench and all the while wishing he hadn’t gotten injured—wishing he could’ve 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 he’d ever get to see him play Champions League football, and he wasn’t 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 Manu’s style of leadership: he always has a good sense of when you need him. And god, did Thomas need him then.
It’s the intimacy of it all too. Something about the way Manu touches him feels so private—too personal for millions of eyes to see. Maybe it’s the unspoken familiarity of it all. The way Manu’s hand looks like it belongs over Thomas’ heart, a silent acknowledgement that without him, Bayern has none. Maybe it’s the way his other hand looks so natural curled around his hip, steadying him. Grounding him. Or maybe it’s the relief in Thomas’ eyes when he looks up, realizing all at once that the hands holding him belong to Manu. That of course it’s him. That of course Manu wouldn’t abandon him when he needed him most—wouldn’t leave him alone in his tears, in his mourning the fairytale ending that would never be.
It’s a different kind of touch than back in 2013, Manu’s arms wrapped protectively around his thighs as he hoisted him onto his shoulders, the Champions League trophy gripped tightly in Thomas’ trembling hands. But maybe this touch means more. Manuel was there in Thomas’ victories, but that was the easy part. To be there when it all comes crashing down—when all that’s left are decaying dreams and the tears crystallizing on his cheeks—that’s something Thomas would never demand of him. And yet, there Manu was, anchoring him through it all ❤️
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