Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Lin Feng's goal completely shattered the already plummeting morale of the Japanese team. The Japanese players, who had been trying to attack, seemed to have lost their spark, and they all began to question their existence!

Who am I, where am I, and what am I doing?
They weren't unaware of who they were; it was just that the bright red score on the big screen was too glaring for them to bear.

Seeing that the Japanese team had completely lost their fighting spirit, the referee did not torment them.

The match only had three minutes of stoppage time, and before those three minutes were even over, the referee hastily blew the final whistle.

The moment the whistle blew, the Japanese players seemed to have all their strength drained away, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

Some people even knelt on the grass and sobbed. For all the Japanese players, this game was a nightmare!
For the Chinese players and countless fans, this match will become one of the most cherished memories of their lives!

With a resounding victory in the Asian Cup final, they avenged their long-time rival Japan and reclaimed the championship trophy that rightfully belonged to them!

This is a storyline that many people have imagined over and over again!

Now, the scene in my dream has finally become a reality.

The moment the game ended, the players on the bench, head coach Zhu Guanghu, and other coaching staff all rushed onto the field like madmen.

Meanwhile, the fans in the stands created an even more terrifying roar.

The cheers celebrating the victory not only echoed through the stadium but also resonated in countless homes across the country.

When the match ended, it was already past 11 p.m. in China.

This should be the time when most people are asleep, but in many households, there is a group of loyal fans who stay up late to watch the games.

The moment the halftime whistle blew, these fans were just as excited as the fans who had come to watch the game in person.

Their celebrations woke up their sleeping wives, children, and elderly relatives, and even disturbed the dog downstairs and the streetlights that had already been turned off.

In an instant, most of the city seemed to wake up ahead of time, with lights turning on in large swaths.

The scolding of parents, wives, and children who were woken up, the barking of stray dogs in the streets and alleys, and the excited shouts of the commentator on TV all wove together to create a vivid picture.

Tonight, at least Chinese football fans won't lose their beloved television sets!

……

"hateful!"

"They actually lost to the Chinese team!"

"This is a disgrace to the Japanese team!"

"Does this mean we have to look up to Chinese football from now on?"

Inside a bar in Japan, the Japanese fans who had gathered there broke down in tears upon seeing the final score.

In recent years, China's GDP growth has been extremely rapid, almost catching up with a major European country every year, which has also made the Japanese feel a great sense of crisis.

The economic troubles were already a headache enough, but unexpectedly, even football, a sport that is usually used to relax and relieve stress, has been caught up with and even surpassed by the Chinese.

This instantly ruined the mood of Japanese fans, who even felt a great sense of humiliation.

……

Japan's national youth team head coach, Hajime Moriyasu, turned off the television and turned to look at his players.

His gaze swept over outstanding players in the Japanese national youth team, such as Shinji Kagawa, Atsuto Uchida, and Maki Yamamoto, and he said, word by word:

"You must remember this shameful moment, remember this feeling of humiliation!"

"If you want revenge, you don't want to suffer the same humiliation as your predecessors."

"From now on, you need to put in 200% effort, overcome all difficulties, and strive to become stronger, just like the Chinese are doing now."

"Only in this way can we defeat them and reclaim the honor that belongs to us!"

"I will be with you all to witness this moment!"

……

At the Grosselas de Boncano Stadium, both Blatter and Chung Mong-joon congratulated Zhang Jilong.

"Congratulations! Your national team performed exceptionally well and fully deserves this championship trophy!"

Blatter wasn't very familiar with the Chinese team, but he had an old acquaintance on the team—Lin Feng!
After Lin Feng led Inter Milan to victory and won the Golden Boy award last year, FIFA decided to make great efforts to promote Lin Feng and establish him as a role model for the younger generation of players.

Lin Feng has a good personality, good character, and excellent appearance and temperament. Most importantly, his football skills and personal abilities are outstanding, and he comes from Asia, a region where football is not well developed.

He's got all sorts of buffs stacked up, he's practically a perfect example to be used as!
Blatter admired Lin Feng, so by extension, he also began to appreciate the Chinese team.

China's economic rise is clearly visible, and China is the world's most populous country.

Such a rapidly developing economy and a vast potential market with a large population are highly coveted by any sport.

FIFA has been working to promote football for years. If Chinese football can be fully promoted during his tenure and reach or even surpass the level of European football, it would be equivalent to doubling the existing football market.

With this achievement, Blatter will surely leave a significant mark on football history!
Seeing how close Blatter was to Zhang Jilong, Jung Mong-joon also chimed in:

"I never thought that Asia could produce such an outstanding player as Lin Feng. With him on the team, the Chinese team won't have to worry about their performance for the next few years!"

These words carried a hint of flattery, but also sounded somewhat sarcastic.

As a representative of South Korean football, Chung Mong-joon actually has high expectations for this South Korean team.

Unfortunately, they encountered the Chinese team in the first stage of the knockout rounds and were ruthlessly swept out of the competition, causing the Koreans' dreams to fall before they even had a chance to take off.

With both Blatter and Chung Mong-joon, the president and vice president of FIFA, speaking up, Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi could no longer remain silent. Even though he was in a terrible mood, he had to force a smile and congratulate them.

"Congratulations, Chairman Zhang! I'm very curious how you managed to cultivate such an outstanding player. Do you have any experience to share so that Japanese football can learn from you?"

Saburo Kawabuchi placed great emphasis on youth training. Under his leadership, Japan's school football and youth training teams at all levels flourished, providing the Japanese national team with a large number of outstanding talents.

But he wasn't praising Chinese football; rather, he was satirizing Chinese football for not focusing on youth training, because Lin Feng wasn't a talent developed through China's own youth training system.

The Chinese team can rely on Lin Feng and the 85 Super Platinum generation to carry the team for a few years, but what will happen after these players retire?

Without a solid foundation in youth training, Chinese football will eventually be stripped bare.

"Hehe, it wasn't really organized very well, it's just that there are a lot of people, and the people like playing football!"

Zhang Jilong's opening remark left Kawabuchi Saburo speechless. The sheer number of people... such a simple and blunt reason, yet he couldn't refute it, because what the other man said was true!

Is youth training in Chinese football going well?
It's not good at all. Among the four East Asian countries, China's youth football training is probably the worst.

But the other side has produced a lot of talented people in recent years. What is the reason for this? It's just that they have a lot of people.

With a large pool of people, the selection range is wider, and the probability of producing exceptional talents is naturally higher than that of others.

Seeing his opponent's discomfiture, Brother Long felt a surge of satisfaction and delivered another blow:

"I believe that after our revenge victory, various youth training institutions will spring up like mushrooms after rain, the public's enthusiasm for football will continue to rise, and more children will devote themselves to football in the future."

"Hehe, I dare not expect the next Lin Feng-level player to emerge, but it shouldn't be difficult for a few talents like Zheng Zhi and Chen Tao to appear!"

The podium was already set up, and Zhang Jilong no longer intended to provoke the Japanese.

He extended an invitation to Blatter to present medals to the winning team.

Blatter declined, explaining that the Asian Cup was ultimately an AFC affair, and it seemed inappropriate for FIFA to get involved.

But after Zhang Jilong's repeated invitations, Blatter reluctantly agreed.

If even the host doesn't object, what else can he say?
If this opportunity can be used to increase FIFA's influence over the AFC, it would be a good thing for FIFA as well.

Zhang Jilong was delighted to see that Blatter had agreed to his invitation.

His intention in extending the invitation to Blatter was simple: to bring in the influence of FIFA to balance the influence of the West Asian Football Associations within the AFC.

As for whether it would affect his rights in the AFC, he didn't care, because he could only serve in that position for four years.

The AFC will hold elections in 2011. If a balancing force is not introduced, the AFC will fall back into the control of the West Asian Football Associations, and all its efforts will be in vain.

Rather than benefiting the West Asian Football Associations, it's better to benefit FIFA. At least that way, they can take the opportunity to demand benefits from FIFA.

FIFA has a project team dedicated to the development and training of youth football, which includes many experienced youth coaches and professionals.

If China can cultivate a good relationship with FIFA and leverage its resources to promote the standardization and industrialization of youth training in Chinese football, it would be a significant achievement for the sport.

Moreover, this time it wasn't just their own national team that won the championship; the fact that the FIFA president personally presented the award is a tremendous honor for the Chinese team.

He certainly wouldn't let such a good opportunity, which offered multiple benefits, pass him by.

The Chinese national football team members, who were waiting in line to receive their awards, were somewhat surprised to see the FIFA president appear at the awards ceremony.

"Wasn't it Brother Long who was giving us the award? How come it's this bald guy now?"

When Mao Jianqing saw that the award presenter was not the long-awaited Brother Long, but a bald white man, he was immediately displeased!
Seeing this, Gao Lin joked, "Do you know who this bald guy is? Tell me his name, and you'll be shocked!"

"I think this old man is the current president of FIFA. I think I've seen him on TV before!"

It seems that domestic players don't pay much attention to FIFA; even Li Weifeng doesn't have a strong impression of Blatter.

After all, they rarely come into contact with people of this caliber, so there's no need for them to care.

Blatter clearly didn't recognize them either, but he shook hands with them politely and then pinned the medals on their heads.

Only when it was Lin Feng's turn did Blatter's expression change.

His smile was no longer the formulaic one; instead, he adopted a kind expression and warmly embraced Lin Feng.

"Congratulations, Lin, your performance today was truly impressive!"

"Thank you, Mr. President. I hope to see you on the World Cup stage next time!"

Blatter laughed heartily: "Then you'd better work hard, the World Cup is much more difficult than the Asian Cup!"

That's the truth, but he seems to have misunderstood something. Lin Feng didn't say he wanted to lead the Chinese team to win the World Cup.

This kind of thing is too difficult and the probability is extremely low, so it is not within his consideration.

Lin Feng's intention is to lead the Chinese team to qualify for the World Cup again.

Compared to leading the Chinese team to victory in the World Cup, this goal is much more realistic and less difficult.

"Hehe, that's a wise goal. I wish you success!"

Blatter's words were sincere, after all, besides Chinese fans, FIFA is the organization on this planet that most wants the Chinese team to qualify for the World Cup!

Even in World Cups where the Chinese team doesn't participate, a large number of Chinese sponsors still sponsor the German World Cup.

If the Chinese team were to participate, sponsors from China would probably be lining up at FIFA's doorstep!
After awarding medals to the champions and runners-up, Blatter then presented the Golden Boot award to the winner of this Asian Cup.

The winner of the Golden Boot at this Asian Cup was none other than Lin Feng himself.

With 5 goals in the group stage and 7 goals in the knockout stage, Lin Feng broke the Asian Cup record with 12 goals in a single tournament, and was undoubtedly selected as the Golden Boot winner of this Asian Cup.

Blatter hadn't watched the previous matches and repeatedly checked with the staff to see if there was a mistake.

The Asian Cup only has 16 teams participating and a total of six matches.

Lin Feng has scored 12 goals in these six games, which is simply terrifying!
However, not long after Lin Feng won the Golden Boot award, he went on stage again!

This time, he was awarded the Asian Cup Most Valuable Player award.

Lin Feng's advantage in this award is also obvious. In addition to 12 goals, he also provided 7 assists, more than the second and third place on the assist list combined.

When Blatter saw Lin Feng going up on stage to receive the award again, he was stunned. Was this guy really that dominant in Asian football?
"Hehe, Mr. Chairman, we meet again!"

Lin Feng was also a little helpless. Why couldn't they just give him all the awards at once?
Why make him run around and around? Isn't that a hassle?
After all the various awards were finally presented, it was time for the most prestigious Asian Cup championship trophy.

This time, Blatter refused to overstep his bounds and insisted that Zhang Jilong hand the championship trophy to the Chinese team himself.

Zhang Jilong did not insist. This might be the only opportunity in his life for him to personally present an award to the Chinese team, and he did not want to miss it!
With great excitement, Li Weifeng accepted the trophy, symbolizing the highest honor in Asian football, from Zhang Jilong.

As if holding a priceless treasure, they carefully made their way to the awards stage.

As the chants rang out, the championship trophy was lifted high by countless hands.

"123!"

"We are the champions!" (End of Chapter)