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Chapter 288 I came here to do only one thing.
"...In a Premier League match that concluded early this morning, Tyne, playing at home, did not field their full starting lineup due to international duty and the upcoming Champions League match next week. Nevertheless, they still easily defeated 11th-placed Sendham 3-0 at home..."

"Wang Lie made a surprising start in this match and scored two goals. These two goals were scored in quick succession within two minutes, which further demonstrated Wang Lie's excellent competitive form."

"After winning this match, Tyne remains in first place in the league. They currently have 23 points, one point ahead of second-placed Scorsese..."

He Zhenyong's son took his phone and went to find his father:
"Dad, are you under a lot of pressure right now?"

He Zhenyong looked at his son, completely bewildered: "What pressure do I have?"

His son pointed to his phone screen and said, "Look, Wang Lie didn't score in our national team match, but he scored twice when he got back to his club. I saw someone online saying that there was a reason behind his two goals..."

"What's the significance?"

"He made up for the goal he missed for the national team! That means he's still averaging one goal per game. It's a silent protest!"

He Zhenyong laughed in exasperation: "What kind of tradition is this? You just believe whatever netizens are talking about?"

The son pouted, "I don't believe it, but some people do! There are genuinely people online saying that Wang Lie is expressing his dissatisfaction with you in this way... Some even say that Wang Lie was a substitute on the national team, but back at his club, even after flying 10,000 kilometers, McNeil put him in the starting lineup. The difference is obvious, the contrast is stark. They're saying McNeil is setting an example for you, Dad..."

He Zhenyong snorted, "You'd be better off believing I'm Qin Shi Huang than believing their nonsense."

Seeing his father like this, the son became anxious: "Dad, aren't you worried that Wang Lie won't be able to get over that hurdle?"

He Zhenyong laughed and said, "You're right, I'm really not worried."

The son was surprised: "Why?"

Because I know that the Wang Lie of today is completely different from the Wang Lie of the past.

He Zhenyong thought to himself.

Although he didn't know the reason, he was too lazy to delve into the underlying issues.

All he needs to know is that Wang Lie is the perfect leader of Chinese football in his mind.

However, he couldn't say these things to his son. Seeing his son looking worried and genuinely concerned for him, rather than just being a joking kid, He Zhenyong decided to explain things to his son from another angle.

So he asked, "Do you know what the score was before I substituted Wang Lie onto the field?"

"3:1, what's wrong?"

"Yes, 3:1. Wang Lie was substituted on in the 67th minute, when the score was 3:1. The score remained unchanged until the end of the game."

The son complained, "That's right, because Wang Lie didn't score after he came on! All the players were trying to create opportunities for him and help him score. But Wang Lie's finishing touch on goal was really bad that day, so he didn't score a single goal... It's a good thing Canada isn't very strong, otherwise if they had taken advantage of those half an hour to attack, we might have conceded a goal..."

He Zhenyong ignored his son's complaints and continued:

"When Wang Lie was performing well, everyone thought the Chinese team could win because of him. Conversely, everyone was also worried that if Wang Lie wasn't there, or if he wasn't in good form, like in our game against Canada where he just couldn't score, would the Chinese team also be unable to score, let alone win?"

The son immediately understood what his father was going to say: "So even though Wang Lie didn't score, it proves that the national team can still win without Wang Lie's goal?"

He Zhenyong nodded and said, "That's right. If we always rely on Wang Lie to handle everything in next year's World Cup, the team will definitely not go far. Wang Lie himself is very clear about this, which is why he said that the team's victory is more important than his own goal... Don't think that he's just saying this for show. He values ​​next year's World Cup more than anyone else. You have to believe in his seriousness about this matter."

In fact, if He Zhenyong were to reveal the national team's true goals for next year's World Cup, it would greatly enhance the persuasiveness of his words.

But he couldn't tell his son. So far, regardless of how widely the shocking target had been circulating in private, it hadn't been made public, so he couldn't tell anyone, not even his own son.

Even if he didn't say it, his son knew about Wang Lie's obsession with the World Cup.

So when he explained it like that, his son understood.

Wang Lie is indeed someone who cares a lot about scoring goals. If he is not in good form, he will take thirteen shots in a game in order to score a goal – this is the Premier League record for the most shots by a single player in a single game, which he set in the 2030-2031 season.

But Wang Lie is also someone who cares a lot about the team's victory; he's willing to do anything to win.

At the national team level, this kind of recklessness is even somewhat insane.

So much so that in the World Cup, this reckless madness has become a double-edged sword...

Thinking about this, the son understood that Wang Lie didn't care about the record being broken, but he also had a new worry:
"Given Wang Lie's current form, how high will everyone's hopes be for the national team at next year's World Cup? I'm afraid even reaching the quarterfinals won't be enough for everyone, right? We'll probably have to aim for the semifinals instead?"

At this point, he looked at his father again:

"Dad, isn't this pressure on you going to be unbearable?"

Upon hearing this, He Zhenyong gave an awkward, dry laugh:

"It's alright, it's alright... I did my best."

The semifinals?

The top four are nothing!

Our goal is the championship!

※※※

"I saw some people on Chinese websites saying that your second goal was a show of defiance against Coach He..."

Tang Xingmei nestled in her husband Wang Lie's arms, and after their tender moment, the couple lay in bed chatting.

The topics of conversation naturally revolved around recent hot topics.

Wang Lie laughed: "Sometimes I feel that the internet is a very magical world."

"How to say?"

"I wouldn't say the same things in real life because it's too stupid. But online, people will believe any stupid thing... Isn't that amazing?"

Tang Xingmei knew her husband was mocking those who spouted nonsense online to grab attention, so she went along with it, saying, "Because the internet connects people from all over the world, the probability of you seeing idiots online has greatly increased. Actually, it's not that there are more idiots, just that they've become more concentrated. After all, there are over seven billion people in this world. Even if the percentage of idiots is small, with a base of seven billion, it's still a lot. If you can't even encounter one idiot online, doesn't that mean you're living in a virtual world?"

Wang Lie thought about it for a moment and realized that made sense. So he laughed and said, "That's right! So those idiots are like the spinning top in Inception. If I never encounter an idiot, and everyone in this world is a rational and objective 'saint,' then it means this world is fake."

Tang Xingmei didn't ask her husband if he was really not worried that Coach He would misunderstand, because the answer to that question was actually unimportant.

Given her husband's condition and behavior, no matter what Coach He thinks, how could he possibly not use him?
It was just some idle nonsense stirred up by bored people online, and she believed that Coach He wouldn't care. He might just treat it as a joke, like her husband did.

Another reason is that Tang Xingmei understands her husband. If he is really dissatisfied with Coach He, he will definitely say it directly. He would never want to scold him but dare not speak out. Instead, he would hide behind public opinion and fuel the flames.

So since he didn't say anything, he definitely didn't have any complaints about Coach He making him a substitute.

Her husband certainly had many flaws, but "lying" was definitely not one of them.

※※※

"...In a Bundesliga match that just concluded, Sven Heldon's Ruhr United secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen at home, achieving their second consecutive league win. Considering that Ruhr United rotated their squad for this match, this result is truly remarkable. The team's ranking has also risen from ninth to sixth..."

In the video, Sven Heldon sits on a platform with microphones and recorders bearing the logos of various media outlets in front of him.

Under the stage lights, even the bald patch on the top of his head shone brightly, making it clear that he was very pleased with himself.

Facing a large group of reporters, Sven Heldon spoke in German:
"...I believe the team is back on track, we are on the right path, and Ruhr Steel Union's next task is to return to the title race..."

"Ah, right, right, right!" This wasn't the voice of a reporter at the scene, but rather a voice emoticon added by Zhao Zhou to the video, with a very sarcastic tone.

He is producing a video of the Ruhr Steelers' post-season press conference, mainly adding some funny sound effects and Chinese subtitles so that fans in China can understand it.

Actually, Zhao Zhou couldn't understand it either, because Heldon was speaking German. However, the original video had English subtitles, and he translated it from the English subtitles—he was a middleman too…

It must be said that Heldon is indeed a language genius. As a Belgian, he is fluent in multiple languages ​​and communicates in the language of the country where he teaches.

There have long been rumors that the reason Sofia United chose Sven Heldon, who was not very well-known, to coach the team was mainly because he was multilingual and could communicate and coach better within the international Sofia United team.

In Zhao Zhou's opinion, with this bizarre line of thinking, it's no wonder Wang Lie said that Sofia United's problems wouldn't be solved just by firing Heldon—what you need is a translator, not a head coach!
Zhao Zhou also couldn't understand why the Ruhr Steel Association would choose Heldon to replace Yannick Jürgensen.

Does the top management of Ruhr Steel Union also need a translator?
Although he couldn't understand the reason, Zhao Zhou was still very grateful to Ruhr Steel Union for choosing Heldon.

After all, if he didn't do this, how would he have anything to watch or any trending topics to ride?

When Heldon was dismissed by Sofia United, Wang Lie's fans in China were worried that the old man would lose his spirit after being thrashed 9-0 and would stay at home like a corpse, preferring to collect the severance pay from Sofia United every month rather than look for a job—because once he found a job, he would no longer be able to receive a salary from Sofia United.

They hoped that Heldon could stand up and make a comeback, but it was definitely not for Heldon's own good; they just hoped that Wang Lie would have another chance to slap Heldon in the face.

As a result, Heldon learned his lesson and worked hard, and UEFA was very understanding, actually putting the two in the same group in the Champions League group stage.

From the moment the draw results came out, Wang Lie's fans in China... no, probably all over the world, were looking forward to this match.

Media reporters are also looking forward to it.

So after Heldon said his team was back on track, a reporter asked:
"Wang has been doing very well lately. Does this make you worry?"

What do you mean by "the next task is to return to the championship contention"? The next task is clearly to face Wang Lie head-on!

Heldon couldn't give the reporter who asked that question a hard time, because the next match was the Champions League game between Ruhr United and Tain, and it was understandable that the reporter was interested in that game.

Wang Lie, as Tyne's number one ace, is someone that cannot be bypassed.

Therefore, it cannot be said that the reporter who asked the question was deliberately trying to embarrass Heldon.

Although this reporter may genuinely think that way...

Perhaps having been mentally prepared for this question, knowing he would definitely be asked a similar one, Heldon remained remarkably calm this time.

He said, "I'm not worried because the form is different in every game. How you perform in the last game is not the same as how you perform in the next game. The opponent is different, the field conditions are different, the tactics are different, the time is different... There are so many differences, every game is brand new, so we have no historical baggage."

Zhao Zhou added a video meme to Heldon's answer:

"Makes sense!"

Then another reporter asked, "So, will you lead your team to beat Tyne at home?"

Heldon replied without hesitation: "Of course, that's our goal. Our goal in every game is to win."

This time, Zhao Zhou chose a clip from a Japanese movie as his "straight man":
"Good! Very energetic!"

※※※

"I feel like all the football journalists in Europe are here..."

In the press conference hall of the Ruhr Steel Union's home stadium, the North Rhine-Westphalia Arena, Liu Zhong remarked to Guo Xuequan beside him.

Guo Xuequan shook his head and said, "Wrong, not the whole of Europe, but the whole world."

They were indeed surrounded by reporters speaking various languages.

Many people without seats were standing in the aisles and along the walls.

Even though they knew that it was impossible for so many people to get a chance to ask a question, they still stayed there and refused to leave.

All people want is to witness it with their own eyes here, and that's enough.

Liu Zhong was amused by Guo Xuequan's words and then said, "I feel that the press conference before the Champions League final is nothing special."

Guo Xuequan continued to correct him: "You're wrong again. Even the press conference before the Champions League final wouldn't be this exaggerated."

But Liu Zhong clearly had a backup plan this time: "I mean if Wang Lie can lead Tyne to the Champions League final."

Guo Xuequan shook his head again: "There would definitely be much more people than today."

Liu Zhong was speechless, because he also felt that would be the case:

If Wang Lie can really lead Tyne to the Champions League final, the pre-match press conference will have to be moved outdoors, because that's the only way to accommodate sports reporters from all over the world...

The two men were joking around, naturally in anticipation of the main character of this press conference:
Tyne's head coach, and Tyne's player representative, Wang Lie.

Prior to the pre-match press conference, official sources confirmed that Wang Lie would attend.

This is why a typical pre-match press conference for a group stage game can attract so many reporters...

Soon a commotion arose in the newsroom as McNeil and Wang Lie walked in together.

Upon seeing the two of them, the commotion vanished instantly, and everyone remained silent, simply staring intently at them.

Or to be more precise, he was looking at Wang Lie.

The reporters in the room all turned into sunflowers, their necks following the only sun in the room.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, Wang Lie and McNeil climbed onto the platform and sat down together.

This was a signal; as they took their seats, the press officer announced the start of the press conference, beginning with head coach McNeil introducing the preparations.

This isn't about tomorrow's starting lineup, but rather some basic information.

However, McNeil didn't give a long introduction, because he knew he wasn't the main character today.

After briefly introducing the basic information, he signaled to the host that the Q&A session could begin.

Before the host could even announce it, all the reporters present raised their arms in unison.

Looking at the densely packed arms in front of him, which resembled a forest, the host was momentarily at a loss as to who to call on to ask a question.

Just as he hesitated, Wang Lie, who was sitting on the platform, made a gesture to him, indicating that he had something to say.

The host thought Wang Lie was going to call on someone, but he was happy to get rid of this troublesome matter, so he said, "Do you want to come and choose, Wang?"

Wang Lie did not deny it, but spoke directly to the microphones in front of him:

"I know what everyone wants to ask, so I'll just get straight to the point..."

He raised his right index finger.

"I came here for only one thing, and that is to win, to achieve victory!"

(End of this chapter)