I am the king of football

Chapter 294: Becoming the Protagonist Too Suddenly

"Qin, Robin, Wayne, the three of you will come with me to the lottery ceremony."

In the midst of intensive preparations, Manchester United manager Ferguson named three players who will travel with him and his coaching staff to Switzerland for the quarter-final draw.

As the three most important offensive players of the Red Devils today, there is naturally nothing wrong with this choice, and the other players have no objections.

So, on the night of the draw ceremony, the Manchester United delegation took the team's chartered plane from Manchester to Switzerland.

Qin Hu himself did not feel anything when he participated in the Champions League draw ceremony again. In his opinion, this was an opportunity to get close to other big stars and famous coaches from other giants. Apart from that, he had no other thoughts.

You have to know that when he first appeared at the draw ceremony with Ferguson and a group of Manchester United stars, no one paid much attention to him except for the media taking a picture of what Manchester United's new season's top scorer looked like at the beginning.

But this time, everything was different.

Qin Hu is no longer the 7-year-old who had no achievements. The name of Chinese Qin has spread all over the world with his outstanding performance in the Premier League and various cup competitions. Now, after the end of the Champions League group stage, he has scored goals and firmly occupies the top position in the Champions League scorer list.

According to the scorer rankings of the Champions League over the years, the data of 7 goals is enough for him to maintain his ranking in the top six of the scorer list even if he does not score a goal in the subsequent knockout rounds.

This is a huge achievement for a 19-year-old player who is participating in the Champions League for the first time, not to mention that in addition to scoring goals, he also provided two assists in the Champions League. It can be said that Qin Hu played an indispensable role in Manchester United's ability to secure the first place in the Champions League so smoothly and advance easily.

That night, when the Manchester United team participating in the draw appeared at the end of the red carpet, the flash lights began to flash wildly. Van Persie, who once led the Manchester United stars, became a supporting role, and Ferguson's favorite striker Luke Shaw also took the initiative to slow down and follow behind Qin Hu.

Even Ferguson happily moved aside to allow the surrounding reporters and media to take as many photos of Qin Hu as they wanted.

"Qin, smile!"

"Qin, look at me, look at me~"

Cameramen from the world's major sports media kept shouting and smiling at various positions as they walked forward. Qin Hu was a little surprised at the sudden change, but then he walked to the C position after a push from Ferguson.

Just like Andy sang in "Seventeen Years Old", just one year was too fresh, and later he became the protagonist too suddenly. Unlike the eighteen-year-old who was just a minion, the nineteen-year-old Qin Hu's popularity and attention in the football world are already close to the two recognized football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

It was not until they left the red carpet that the flash lights around them finally stopped. Qin Hu looked at Ferguson, and the old man was looking at him with admiration.

"Well done young man, stand up straight. I think you should get used to being the protagonist from now on."

Patting Qin Hu's shoulder heavily, Ferguson's mind flashed through the images of many players who grew up under his cultivation.

Being over 70 years old, he doesn't know how many years he can devote to football, but it is an extremely happy thing for the old man to welcome another proud disciple in the final stage of his coaching career.

When all the members of the Manchester United group entered the draw ceremony, the eyes of many other giants and teams around them also turned over. Everyone looked at Mr. Ferguson and Qin Hu, who was smiling brightly beside him, with interest, and everyone had different thoughts in their minds.

Manchester United's group stage draw this season can be said to be a very good one. None of their three opponents can be considered strong teams in the Champions League, so the strength of this team cannot be seen through the Champions League games.

However, the Red Devils' state this season can be seen from their league development. Apart from anything else, last season's Champions League champion Chelsea has not had a good time here at Manchester United. Champions League regulars like the Gunners are even more inferior to Manchester United.

Although Manchester United always showed their defensive problems in some games, their forward line is even more terrifying, especially Qin Hu. The comprehensiveness and impact of this tiger would make any coach murmur. In short, Manchester United can be said to be one of the opponents that many powerful teams least want to meet. This is the draw for the quarter-finals. Everyone wants to go further in the Champions League, and it is better to meet strong opponents later.

After the Manchester United team was seated, there were two more commotions outside the draw site. Needless to say, they were caused by the entry of Real Madrid, where Ronaldo is, and Barcelona, ​​where Messi is.

As Ferguson's most proud disciple in the past, Ronaldo did not forget to greet his mentor when passing by Manchester United's position after entering the field, and Ferguson also responded with a smile.

As for Messi, he was still so low-key, standing among his teammates. If it weren't for his terrifying creativity and goal-scoring performance on the court, it would be easy for everyone to overlook him.

After all sixteen teams arrived, the host finally announced the official start of the draw ceremony.

Because the competition has not yet entered the stage where there are fewer teams, the drawing of lots alone will take quite a while. The guests who were invited to touch the ball officially started the drawing without much delay.

As the small balls representing each team were taken out, the first two pairs of opponents were not very exciting, namely Galatasaray vs. Schalke 04 and Celtic vs. Juventus.

It wasn't until the third pair of teams was drawn that the scene reached its first climax of the day.

"Arsenal's opponent is~~~~Bayern Munich!"

Wenger's Gunners faced off against Heynckes' Bayern, which could be said to be the first heavyweight matchup in the quarter-finals. The two drawn teams looked at each other and their fighting spirit immediately began to soar.

Subsequently, the matches between Shakhtar Donetsk and Dortmund, Valencia and Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan and Barcelona were drawn one after another. Among them, except for the match between the Rossoneri and Barcelona, ​​which was considered a heavyweight, the other matches were not eye-catching either from the fans' perspective or from the teams' perspective.

At this point, only four teams had not appeared: Malaga, the dark horse in Group C that beat AC Milan to win the first place in the group; Porto, the Portuguese Super League giants that ranked second in Group A; Real Madrid, the strongest team in the second place in the round of 16 draw, and Manchester United, the Red Devils that ranked first in the group.

At this moment, the Manchester United team, which had been expecting to draw a good lot again, became even more nervous. Those who hoped that the team could go one step further in the Champions League clenched their hands and prayed silently.

Soon, the guests on the stage drew out the new team that won first place in the group.

"Oh~, it's Manchester United."

Manchester United was drawn first, and next, their opponents will be decided between Real Madrid and Porto, which means that when the next ball is drawn, all the matchups in the round of 16 will be finalized.

"Then, Manchester United's opponent is——————Real Madrid!!!"

Holding up the ball in his hand, the guest in charge of drawing lots showed a meaningful smile on his face. It was also a surprise for him to draw such a hotly discussed duel.

"Wow~~~"

When the two teams for the Champions League round of 16 were confirmed, there was a huge uproar at the draw ceremony and the reporters present could no longer sit still.

The first chapter is here! Thank you all for your support!!!

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(End of this chapter)