Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 227 Making a living by selling one's face

competition is over.

On the way back to Manchester by plane, the media gave various reports on the match, and Shan Yongzhuo was naturally the subject of praise. His hat-trick of free kicks was a performance that was hard to fault.

What surprised the media even more was that Shan Yongzhuo's Europa League goal tally this season has reached 22. Although this is a bit less than last season's Europa League goal tally, he has played fewer matches in the Europa League this season.

Moreover, this number of goals is not shameful at all; in some years, it could even win the Golden Boot in the top five European leagues.

In this match, he single-handedly helped the team win on the road, which made people marvel at his strength.

3:2.

This scoreline is also extremely favorable for Manchester City.

With a victory and a three-goal lead, the chances of winning back at the Etihad Stadium are very high.

English media reports and analyses have directly stated that "Manchester City has one foot in the final."

While this statement may be somewhat exaggerated, it is enough to demonstrate the English media's immense confidence in Manchester City.

Upon returning to England, Shan Yongzhuo went home to rest.

However, the next day, Cross brought him some news about money.

Several major endorsements in a row have brought him a considerable amount of income, which is great news.

Dan Yongzhuo was delighted. He was thinking that once the money arrived, he would go back to China in the summer to buy a house. Then, after he found his little brother and retired, he would become a landlord, collect rent every month, and live a carefree life.

The more he thought about it, the more he looked forward to those days.

He has a well-thought-out plan for his career: even if his younger brother comes back, he will only play until his early 30s and then retire.

Money is something you can never earn enough of, and as for professional honors, he feels that he currently has enough to be proud of.

Italian Serie A champion, UEFA Europa League champion, Austrian Bundesliga champion, Italian Cup champion, Asian Cup champion.

This season, there is also a high chance of winning the Premier League title, a second Europa League title, and the FA Cup.

Shan Yongzhuo considers himself an easily satisfied person, and this honor makes him arguably the first person in Chinese football, or even Asian football, to achieve this.

It seems... that's already pretty awesome.

As for any honor, Shan Yongzhuo takes it lightly. It would be good to receive it, but he wouldn't lose anything if he didn't.

After all, those honors can't put food on the table.
At most, he could return to China and, when he got older, start selling his looks to make a living. But he might as well be a content landlord.

Once you achieve a higher honor, you'll pursue an even higher one; human expectations are limitless.

However, there are still some honors to look forward to, such as winning the Champions League.

Some honors can only be dreamed of, such as leading the Chinese team to win the World Cup.

Ha ha.

Shan Yongzhuo has a very clear understanding of this.

This kind of thing is hard to happen even in dreams.

However, that very night, Shan Yongzhuo actually had such a dream.

That was the 2014 Brazil World Cup. In my dream, Shan Yongzhuo led the Chinese team to the final. In the decisive battle at the Maracanã, Shan Yongzhuo scored the winning goal, defeating the German team to win the World Cup.

When Shan Yongzhuo woke up from the dream, he could only manage a wry smile.

It's best to stop having dreams like that.

The Premier League resumed its 35th round the following day.

In the final stages of the league, facing West Ham United, a team with relegation hopes, Manchester City could not afford to lose. Despite being exhausted, the key players, including Shan Yongzhuo, still gritted their teeth and played.

The league is very important right now. Manchester United are keeping a close score, and they must make the most of every game.

In yesterday's match, Manchester United lost 0-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, giving Manchester City a great opportunity to pull away from the top spot.

Manchester United's loss means that if Manchester City can defeat West Ham United, they will extend their lead to five points.

With only three league games remaining, a five-point deficit means that Manchester United has virtually no chance of overtaking them.

Therefore, Mancini attached great importance to this game, and at such a crucial stage, a 5-point difference could give the team a huge breathing space.

However, despite West Ham United's poor performance this season, they are precisely the kind of team that is most difficult to beat during this period.

In the final stages of each year's Premier League season, the most dangerous teams are often those fighting to avoid relegation, as they will fight with all their might to stay in the top flight.

Moreover, with the opponent being a violent team like West Ham United, Manchester City dared not take it lightly.

In fact, this match was indeed very difficult.

West Ham United displayed astonishing fighting spirit in their fight to avoid relegation, taking the lead in the 16th minute.

That was an own goal by Lescott, which gave the opposing team the lead at the Etihad Stadium.

After that, West Ham United adopted a stance of not letting Manchester City score, playing rugby football and pushing physical confrontation to the extreme.

Manchester City's overall form has not recovered particularly well, and they are completely bogged down in the opponent's defense, making their attacks very difficult.

Until the 87th minute of the match, Shan Yongzhuo, who had exhausted all his other skills and had not been able to use his headbutt technique, gritted his teeth and unleashed a world-class shot from 35 meters out, which finally allowed Manchester City to equalize the score.

1:1.

Manchester City's hard-fought draw against West Ham United at home was a very disappointing result.

Mancini shook his head with a wry smile. Although the draw extended their lead over Manchester United to three points, the team's performance in this match was far from satisfactory.

"It seems necessary to talk to the club to clear out some players in the summer and then strengthen the team's squad depth."

In a corner of Mancini's mind, things were already being considered for next season.

Manchester City will definitely qualify directly for the Champions League group stage next season.

Compared to the Europa League, the Champions League has fewer matches, but it is more intense.

To achieve good results in the Champions League, squad depth is crucial, especially for Premier League teams whose schedules are more challenging than those in other leagues.

Manchester City's starting lineup is quite competitive in the Champions League, but the squad depth is actually insufficient, with many overpaid but underperforming players and veterans in the team.

For example, Wright-Phillips, and veteran Barry, etc.

Moreover, the team is severely lacking in attack. If it is already basically confirmed that he will leave next season, the only available strikers are Shan Yongzhuo and Balotelli. Bringing in a striker is of paramount importance.

In addition, one must be wary of being poached.

Mancini isn't worried about players like Shan Yongzhuo who earn high salaries and have hefty buyout clauses. Compared to others, he's the least likely to leave.

His biggest worry was actually Balotelli, whose vampire agent, Raiola, was already getting restless and had started discussing a contract extension with the club.

These are all things to be wary of. Although Mancini is only the head coach, he still has a lot of say in transfers.

However, Mancini only thought about it briefly.

The most important thing right now is winning the three championships on three fronts. As for other things, those are things to consider in the summer.

(End of this chapter)