I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 309 Zidane II! Real Madrid's "concubine selection"! The hottest star in the World Cup! [Subscribe]

Compared with Atalanta, Nice's current situation is much better.

As the second place in Ligue 16 last season and eliminated in the round of in the Champions League, Nice's revenue is constantly increasing.

This is a long-term accumulation process.

Especially after the training base, which is known as the best in France, was officially opened.

In Yang Cheng's opinion, having the best hardware does not necessarily mean the best youth training.

But if you are not willing to invest in hardware, you can imagine what will happen in other aspects.

Because in the youth training system, hardware is actually the cheapest.

For example, Manchester United.

The Red Devils' Carrington training base has not been updated for more than ten years, and many of the equipment has not been replaced for five or six years.

Apart from anything else, the past five years have definitely been the five years in which the world's top sports science has entered the field of football in a big way.

Various advanced instruments, equipment, facilities, etc., even training concepts, are undergoing earth-shaking changes.

In a situation like Manchester United's, where they are unwilling to invest in hardware and equipment and cannot keep up with the development of the times, how can things get better?
Therefore, Yang Cheng’s strategies have always been very simple.

First build the hardware, then manage the software well, persist in long-term investment, and you will see results over time.

In addition, Nice now has the support of the Chinese in Bayswater, which makes it very attractive to young players.

For example, Martial of Lyon.

This player came to the fore last season with outstanding performance. He will be reused by Nice in the new season and may even become the team's main striker.

He was poached by Nice from Lyon.

There are also Mbappé, born in December 98, and Ousmane Dembélé, born in May 12, in the youth training camp.

Both of these players were selected by Yang Cheng.

There is also a Nice local player in the youth training camp, central defender Malang Sarr, who was born in January 99.

He is a native of Nice, born and raised in Nice. He joined the Nice youth training team at the age of 6 and has been there ever since.

Players like him will be valued no matter which team they are in.

But in Yang Cheng's previous life, this player's achievements were not very high. He once joined Porto, Chelsea and Monaco, but failed to make it.

Nice’s youth training will definitely not only have Malang Sarr as a central defender.

Upamecano, born in October 98, joined the Nice youth training camp in 10.

I guess no one expected that someone would recommend him here.

Ousmane Dembélé!

The two are of similar age, have known each other since childhood, grew up in the same neighborhood, played football together, and have a very good relationship.

Even after Dembele came to Nice, the contact has never been interrupted.

Last year, Upamecano was spotted by Valenciennes in Ligue 1 and was invited to try out.

Dembélé also recommended him to Nice, and they hit it off immediately.

Today, the two are playing in the same age group and are likely to enter the first team in the new season.

After Yang Cheng arrived in Nice, technical director Emmanuel Perrin also reported on the latest progress.

In the summer of 2014, the team's youth training camp was also recruiting players.

A lot of players were introduced, including two central defenders.

One is from Paris FC, note, not Paris Saint-Germain, currently playing in the French third-tier Ligue 3.

Nice signed Ibrahima Konate, a central defender born in 99 with dual French and Malian citizenship, from the youth training camp of Paris FC.

Another one is William Saliba, who came from Bondy club in the suburbs of Paris for a trial and passed.

Does it feel familiar?

Nice also previously signed another young player, Mbappe, from Bondy.

Mbappe's father is still coaching the youth team in Bondy.

As the former head of scouting in France for Bayswater Chinese, Emmanuel Perrin is most familiar with the Greater Paris area.

Therefore, Nice has also established a very complete cooperation network in Paris, and Bondy Club is one of them.

If London is a treasure trove of English football talents, then Paris is a treasure trove of French football talents.

Over the past few years, Nice has never stopped cooperating with clubs in the Paris area.

The youth training system in French football has an interesting feature.

That is, after the youth training clubs have trained the players to a certain level, they will arrange them to higher-level youth training camps for further training.

For example, Clairefontaine, or other clubs with excellent youth training.

Nice is undoubtedly now one of the priority options for many young French players.

This summer, the first problem Nice encountered was Paris Saint-Germain's pursuit of Nice's two full-backs.

Aurier and Kurzawa just happened to take care of it, one on the left and one on the right.

This is also in line with Paris Saint-Germain's strategy of having sufficient financial resources and ample reserves of talent.

There is no big problem with the left back, as there is a 20-year-old Benjamin Mendy on the bench.

There is also a 19-year-old Ferland Mendy in the youth team.

Ferland Mendy also joined the team through a trial from the amateur team Mantua in the summer of 2013.

After communicating with Emmanuel Perin, Yang Cheng felt that with these two Mendys in charge, there would not be much problem on the left.

As for the right side, Yang Cheng proposed a candidate.

Benjamin Pavard of Lille's youth academy.

After Yang Cheng left Nice, Emmanuel Perin is in contact with Lille, hoping to sign the 18-year-old local right-back.

As for the transfers of Aurier and Kurzawa, they are currently under negotiation with Paris Saint-Germain.

Other players have also attracted attention from many teams, but they are basically from foreign teams.

In today's French Ligue 1, apart from Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco, other teams have no chance of poaching players from Nice.

……

Beijing.

As soon as the sun rises, this residential area near Peking University and Tsinghua University becomes bustling.

Professor Ma, who retired from the building next door, was dancing in the square with his elderly sisters; Grandpa Wang downstairs was playing shuttlecock with his wife; and Director Li from the street office started practicing calligraphy early in the morning...

The community is full of laughter and joy.

Cao Wenhui went downstairs carrying a basket of vegetables, and people kept greeting her along the way.

"Teacher Cao, why are you going out so early?"

"Hey, Teacher Cao, come over and dance. We're waiting for you."

"Good morning, Mr. Cao."

Cao Wenhui smiled brightly along the way and kept greeting the neighbors and colleagues with whom she had lived for many years.

"No, I have to go to the market to buy some vegetables. My daughter and son-in-law are coming back today."

"Oh my, Mr. Cao, is your son-in-law coming back this time too?"

"Let's go back together. We were too busy on weekdays and haven't been back for several years." Whenever Cao Wenhui mentioned this matter, her face always looked distressed.

Everyone knew that she loved her son-in-law even more than her own son.

"Those who are capable are busy! Teacher Cao, you are so lucky. Your son, daughter-in-law, daughter and son-in-law are all capable!"

"Teacher Cao's son-in-law is really amazing. I just saw in the party newspaper yesterday that he donated to build the largest and best football center in Asia in Northwest China. It is top-notch in the world. Amazing!"

"That's for sure. He is now a coach who has won five Champions League titles and three consecutive Champions League titles. Do you know what level he is at? Even FIFA President Blatter has to be polite when he sees him. He makes a living by his real ability!"

"This is amazing! Congratulations, Teacher Cao!"

Cao Wenhui smiled from ear to ear and quickly waved her hands, "It's not that exaggerated. The kid just likes football. I was worried that he would not do his job properly, but now he can contribute to the cause of the motherland."

"Teacher Cao, you are too modest."

"I feel that if Mr. Cao's son-in-law returns to China to lead the national team, he might be able to lead our national team into the World Cup."

"I think it's OK, but he is now number one in the world, so who will lead the national team?"

"It's not a question of willingness or not. I think it's impossible for the world's No. 1 to return to China to lead the national team, no matter who he is."

When Cao Wenhui saw these old football fans in the community arguing again, she quickly walked away with a smile.

Over the years, Yang Cheng has made her proud.

Be it students at school or relatives and friends around her, whenever they talk about Yang Cheng, they all praise him.

Who made our national football team so bad that we have such a world-class coach?

The key point is that they are not only good at coaching, but also good at club management. It is said that they are the best club in the world now.

Uh, that’s not right, Xia Qing corrected her.

It is said that in recent years, two more stores were purchased, one in France and one in Italy, and both are also doing well.

Yang Cheng is a very popular figure nowadays!
Last night, before going to bed, Xia Anmin was still talking about how, as soon as several senior leaders heard that Yang Cheng was going to return to China, they all came to Xia Anmin to plead for him and planned to arrange a meeting with him.

You said that Yang Cheng is in the football business. What is there to have with those people in banking and government circles?

Cao Wenhui went to the vegetable market and bought the vegetables that Yang Cheng and Xia Qing liked to eat.

Her son Xia Xi is not around, and her daughter-in-law is busy working in a ministry. Fortunately, Cao Wenhui has reached retirement age and is a full-time homemaker taking care of her grandchildren, which is a different kind of life.

After buying some groceries and returning home, my daughter-in-law was just about to go to work.

She and Xia Xi have their own house, but isn’t Xia Xi away from home all year round?

So she simply moved back so that Cao Wenhui could help take care of the children.

"Mom, what time does Xiaoqing's flight leave? I'll go pick them up." Before leaving the house, the daughter-in-law asked while hurriedly putting on her shoes.

"No need, your dad said he'll arrange for a driver to pick you up."

"Oh, then when will Uncle Yang and the others arrive?"

"It should be in the next two days. They haven't seen each other for a long time. It's rare for them to come back. On weekdays, they have to go abroad to see each other."

"Then I'll come back for lunch at noon, Mom. I'm going to work."

After seeing her daughter-in-law off, Cao Wenhui started to get busy in the kitchen.

Apart from taking care of her grandson who had woken up and was eating, she was busy preparing lunch.

During this period, Xia Xi also called and asked whether Yang Cheng and the others had arrived.

This made Cao Wenhui feel very satisfied.

At her age, all she wants is for her family to get along well with each other and be healthy and free from disasters.

The kitchen window faced the gate of the community, and she would stand on tiptoe to take a look from time to time.

It was almost noon when she saw Xia Anmin's black car drive into the community and arrive downstairs of her house.

Then Yang Cheng and Xia Qing got off the car one after another, each carrying large and small bags in their hands.

As soon as the neighbors in the community saw them, they all greeted them enthusiastically.

Many people even came over specially to take photos with Yang Cheng.

Among them are her colleagues and friends.

Even though she was upstairs, she could hear the praises from her neighbors.

This made Cao Wenhui extremely proud!

As soon as she saw them coming upstairs, Cao Wenhui immediately walked over to open the door, and called her grandson over, reminding him to remember to call for help later.

As soon as the door opened, Yang Cheng was seen walking out of the elevator carrying a bunch of things in his hands.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Yang Cheng's words made Cao Wenhui unable to hold back her tears.

Even though he hasn't been back for many years, this kid is still as sweet-talking as ever.

……

On the day Yang Cheng and Xia Qing returned to China, their parents also came to Beijing.

In the next two days, Yang Cheng accompanied Xia Qing to visit her grandparents and brought gifts to each of them.

Some social engagements are inevitable.

This included agreeing to participate in the recording of a program on China Television, which was about showcasing the scenery and culture of Xinjiang Province.

It was only after Xia Xi helped to plead for him that Yang Cheng agreed.

He has to give face to his brother-in-law.

While in the capital, Yang Cheng and Xia Qing secretly went to handle a private matter.

The two got their marriage certificate!
After driving without a license for so many years, it is finally legal now.

When the two of them took out their marriage certificate and showed it in front of their parents, they both cried.

After all these years, I finally figured it out!

So, they began to study when to get married, how many banquets to hold, how many relatives and friends to invite...

Later, we started planning how many children we would have, and whether they would go to school in the country or abroad...

As a professor at Peking University and Tsinghua University, Ms. Cao Wenhui suggested that students should go to high school in China and then go to university abroad.

Yang Cheng and Xia Qing expressed strong opposition to this.

Because they don't have any plans in this regard yet.

"What kind of plan is needed?" Yang Cheng's mother became anxious.

"No need to plan, all you have to do is nod your heads. You don't have to worry about anything before and after giving birth, including raising the child and finding a school. Leave it all to us."

This proposal was unanimously agreed by everyone.

You are already in your thirties. If you don’t hurry up, you will become an elderly mother!
"I don't care, Yang Cheng, you must be responsible for our Xiaoqing!" Li Hongying pointed at Yang Cheng and said.

Yang Cheng almost cried.

Mom, I am your biological son, who are you helping?
However, this matter is just a joke and more like an interesting topic among family members.

Both sets of parents really want it, but they won’t really force them.

It’s like they haven’t gotten married for so many years, and at most they’ll just urge each other a few times in private.

After dinner, Yang Cheng, Yang Jianguo and Xia Anmin went to the study to drink tea, and Yang Cheng took the initiative to mention things about Malaga and Marbella.

"This deal can be done!" Yang Jianguo clapped his hands in agreement as soon as he heard it.

"I've heard of Marbella before. It's said that as early as the 50s, the upper class of Europe liked to go to Marbella for vacation. It was a gathering place for European royal families and top wealthy people."

"Countless politicians and business celebrities live and buy houses here. The King of Saudi Arabia even built a summer palace here. Every summer, he would bring a team of 300 to 400 people to escape the heat and vacation here."

“There are also Puerto Banus, Marbella Club Hotel, etc., all of which are world-famous brands!”

Yang Cheng was a little surprised.

I didn't expect that my father knew so much.

Xia Anmin had obviously heard a lot about Marbella.

This is indeed a tourist resort that is very popular among wealthy people all over the world.

There are 3 yacht marinas.

The world-famous Puerto Banus is located in the new city area at the far west, but the yacht marina that Al-Thani obtained the right to expand is located in La Bagatira Port in the old city.

Marbella's world-famous seafront promenade runs from La Bagatilla to Puerto Banus.

But unlike Puerto Banus, which represents luxury goods, beautiful cars and women, the Port of La Bagatilla has never been renovated or expanded.

Although yachts are now moored here, local fishermen also moor their fishing boats here.

Because the facilities are old, problems often occur.

In 2023, in Yang Cheng's previous life, a fire broke out that burned 80 yachts. It was widely reported by European media and the losses were said to be heavy.

After Al-Thani obtained the expansion rights, the construction was delayed mainly due to resistance from local residents.

And he himself really had no money.

He seems to want to obtain the right to expand and then solicit investments from all over the world, including in the Middle East.

As the local government, this yacht marina will definitely be expanded and renovated to turn it into a complex like the other two yacht marinas, integrating yacht marinas, hotels, shopping centers, commercial streets, leisure and entertainment, and luxury homes.

You know, this sunny coast is praised by countless people as the most beautiful beach in the world at sunset!

"If we really want to do it, the investment will be huge. There's also the Malaga project, 800 acres of land, more than one kilometer of beach, and a complex. Can you do it?" Yang Cheng looked at his cheap dad with a teasing look.

Yang Jianguo felt that he was being looked down upon, and he straightened his back immediately, "Isn't it just a few billion?"

But this breath didn't last long.

"I'll try to get it together, it should be fine."

Yang Cheng and Xia Anmin both laughed immediately.

"If you are really interested and Uncle Xia thinks it is feasible, then I will let the Europeans negotiate. I will take care of the land and authorization. I will get them first and then slowly smooth the relationship. Then the Yang Group will invest there as Chinese capital."

"As for how to do it specifically, I don't care. You take charge and I'll be responsible for football and club matters, and I'll try my best to help build relationships in all aspects."

Yang Jianguo and Xia Anmin looked at each other and both thought that this was feasible.

The matter was decided in this way.

……

When the Brazil World Cup ignited the flames of war, Yang Cheng and Xia Qing flew from Beijing to Xinjiang Province.

In addition to people from government departments, there were also employees from Bayswater Chinese branches in China.

That’s right, Bayswater Chinese established a branch in China very early on, specializing in business development, and its performance is very good.

There were also more than a dozen authoritative British and European media invited by the Bayswater Chinese to accompany them.

The group flew to Xinjiang Province in a grand manner and received a grand reception from the provincial leaders.

Everyone knows that this is more like an opportunity for Xinjiang Province to show itself to the world.

Yang Cheng and Xia Qing also met Xia Xi, whom they hadn't seen for a long time.

My brother-in-law is a lot darker now, but he looks more energetic.

And standing there, he really started to act like a leader.

There is no need to say much about many things, as they are all understood tacitly.

On the third day after arriving in Xinjiang Province, Yang Cheng went to the south and attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Bayswater Football Center.

This had already been connected before.

From site selection to scale, to investment and so on, everything has been discussed.

It is also open to media around the world throughout the process.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Yang Cheng spoke highly of the future of Xinjiang football.

He introduced the physical conditions and qualities of the players from Xinjiang Province to everyone, believing that people living here have physical conditions that are very suitable for playing football, and that many players are very talented.

"The population living on this vast land is equivalent to the sum of the Netherlands and Belgium!"

Yang Cheng used words that everyone in Europe could understand to tell them how great the potential value of this place was.

"We are very confident and will continue to invest here, insist on youth training, and cultivate their own 'Robben' and 'Hazard' here!"

“This is why we are here to invest in youth training!”

In fact, over the past few months, as the news about the Chinese in Bayswater continued to ferment, more things have already been known to the media.

This time, major European media were invited to join the event, which naturally attracted the attention of fans around the world.

With the development of social networks and the influence of Bayswater Chinese new media, all the experiences and scenery along the way are exposed to the world.

The media in various countries have generally given positive coverage and support to this move. FIFA and UEFA have also given strong support.

Youth training is the biggest political correctness in the football world!

After the official activities ended, when Yang Cheng communicated privately with the Xinjiang provincial leaders and Xia Xi, the main topic they talked about was the sustainability of the youth training program.

The Chinese in Bayswater are rich, but coaches in Western Europe are too expensive.

And they probably don't want to come to China, to Xinjiang Province.

Even if the Chinese in Bayswater had such financial resources and influence, it would be difficult for them to persist in the long term.

Yang Cheng was obviously prepared for this.

"We Chinese in Bayswater also have our own channels and connections in Eastern Europe."

"When we decided to build this football center, we had already started recruiting a group of outstanding youth training coaches in Eastern Europe, mainly in Serbia and Croatia."

"The salaries for coaches there are much cheaper than in Western Europe, and they are more likely to stay there once they arrive."

"After recruitment, these coaches will all be arranged to receive centralized training at our Brent training center in London, and then dispersed to our satellite training centers around the country to familiarize themselves with the business."

“When this training center is completed, we will bring at least 20 outstanding European youth training coaches, and the heads and managers of the training center will be the best talents among our Bayswater Chinese!”

According to Yang Cheng’s suggestion, we should first introduce excellent foreign teachers to build the entire framework and system.

We will continue to expand the youth coaching team through training and appointment, and gradually cultivate our own coaching team in the country.

Finally, the entire system is put into operation and becomes a sustainable virtuous cycle.

By then, Xinjiang Province will not be short of youth training coaches.

Ten years later, football talents in Xinjiang Province will emerge in large numbers like mushrooms after rain.

Of course, the leaders of Xinjiang Province also made a decision on the spot that they will formulate a series of policies to coordinate as soon as possible.

For example, organizing a campus football league within the province, calling on primary, secondary and high school students to organize campus football competitions, etc.

The Yang Group’s sports brand will provide title sponsorship and sponsorship.

Yang Cheng also promised that if the outstanding talents in the training center can reach the European level, they will be sent to Europe to play football.

In the future, Bayswater Chinese will arrange a series of visiting matches every year, including youth teams visiting Xinjiang Province, or Xinjiang youth teams visiting Europe, etc.

"We now have our own football teams and training centers in the UK, Italy and France. In the future, we will continue to expand our football territory to Spain, Germany and even other Western European countries."

In a word, Yang Cheng decided to open up the entire chain to help Xinjiang Province and even the country's football talents to go abroad continuously.

Of course, if the domestic league environment changes in the next few years, Yang Cheng will also consider returning to China to invest and develop.

But that was a long time in the future.

It was also at this moment that all the Xinjiang provincial leaders present at the meeting, as well as the leaders of relevant central departments, had a deeper understanding of Yang Cheng and the Chinese people in Bayswater's determination and sincerity to give back to the motherland and develop Xinjiang football.

Otherwise why are they called Bayswater Chinese?

……

During the group stage of the 2014 World Cup, Yang Cheng didn't even have enough time to watch the games.

But he receives briefings from the club every day.

It contains information about the players' performances and some of the World Cup matches.

There are also some players who performed well.

There is a very interesting phenomenon in this World Cup, that is, most of the main players of the Premier League giants have performed mediocrely.

For example, Suarez and Aguero did not perform well in Uruguay and Argentina.

Instead, some clubs' substitute players shined.

For example Robben and Van Persie.

Interestingly, these two Dutch players were affected by injuries in the Premier League last season and their performance was not satisfactory.

But in the World Cup, under Van Gaal's leadership, they shined and even beat Spain 5-1!
Spain's first World Cup match was directly slaughtered by Van Gaal's Netherlands!

This is something no one expected.

Is this a coincidence?
Obviously not.

In France, Bayswater Chinese substitute Paul Pogba also performed very well.

But this France is obviously different from the France in Yang Cheng’s previous life.

The biggest variable lies in Kante!

In Yang Cheng's previous life, Kante performed well in Ligue 2014 in , helping Caen to enter Ligue , and his own strength was also very strong.

But at that time, Kante hadn't even stepped into the national team.

But now?

He is already a well-known midfielder in the Nice team and has performed well in Ligue 1.

This poses a difficult problem for Deschamps.

The first game saw Pogba, Kante and Matuidi starting in the midfield and they performed very well, beating Honduras 3-0 and playing steadily throughout the game.

But Deschamps made an adjustment in the second game against Switzerland.

Paris Saint-Germain arranged two players in the midfield, Cabaye and Matuidi to partner with Pogba, and Benzema to partner with Giroud on the front line.

As a result, the match ended in a 2-2 draw with Switzerland.

By the last round of the group stage, it became a crucial match.

Deschamps played a trick again and arranged Pogba and Schneiderlin to partner with Matuidi.

France finally beat Ecuador 1-0 thanks to Pogba's goal.

In 3 games, there were 2 wins and 1 draw, but Switzerland defeated Honduras 3-0. France lost to Switzerland in terms of total goals and ranked second in the group.

In the round of 16, France faced Argentina led by Messi.

The two sides were engaged in a long and bitter battle.

Obviously different from the Argentina led by Maradona in 2010, the Argentina coached by Sabella is more cohesive and more tenacious.

But Deschamps learned from the group stage and once again fielded a combination of Pogba, Kante and Matuidi in midfield.

Suppressed Argentina through the midfield.

Kante, in particular, was very aggressive and was almost everywhere.

In the 79th minute of the second half, Pogba received an assist from Giroud and scored a goal for France.

In the 92nd minute of stoppage time, Pogba scored again with an assist from Giroud.

The French midfielder scored twice to help France eliminate Argentina 2-0.

Messi's World Cup journey ended early.

In the quarter-finals, Giroud scored a goal during the opening minutes to help France beat Belgium 8-1.

Hazard's performance throughout the World Cup was mediocre.

This is also consistent with the outside world's impression.

All the players who were the main players in the Premier League performed poorly in the World Cup due to excessive exhaustion.

It is worth mentioning that in this World Cup, both dark horses were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Colombia, led by James Rodriguez and Falcao, lost to host Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Costa Rica, led by Nice goalkeeper Navas, also lost to the Netherlands in the penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.

But in the semi-finals, the German team slaughtered Brazil 7-1, to the astonishment of everyone in the world.

All the fans felt that this was a fixed match!
But on second thought, how could Brazil play out such a fixed match in its own home ground?
Toni Kroos performed very well and was named the best player of the match, winning cheers and applause from all over the world.

At this moment, everyone fully recognized the value of Toni Kroos.

They finally understood why Yang Cheng was willing to wait for him for 5 years!
Even the Brazilian media believed that the German midfielder directed this crazy massacre.

In the match between France and the Netherlands, the two sides fought hard for 90 minutes and ended up drawing 0-0.

But in extra time, Pogba scored the winning goal for France with a lob shot from behind that penetrated the Dutch goal.

1-0, France defeated the Netherlands and entered the final.

In the final, the French team still performed very tenaciously, suppressing the German team with solid defense and excellent midfield interceptions.

The two sides fought hard for 90 minutes, but the score was still 0-0.

Even until the 118th minute, it was still 0-0!

When the game was about to enter the penalty shootout, Toni Kroos used a groundbreaking long-range shot to penetrate the goal guarded by Lloris and won the World Cup championship for the German team!

In the end, Toni Kroos won the Golden Ball Award of this World Cup with his crucial goal in the final!

French midfielder Paul Pogba won the Silver Ball.

Thomas Muller, who scored 5 goals, won the Bronze Ball Award.

In addition, the Golden Boot winner was James Rodriguez, who scored 6 goals.

Thomas Muller and Neymar both scored 5 goals, ranking second and third respectively.

The Golden Glove Award went to Neuer.

The Best Newcomer award was given to Paul Pogba.

The best lineup is the 442 formation.

Goalkeeper: Neuer;

Defense: Marcos Rojo, Thiago Silva, Hummels, De Vrij;

Midfield: James Rodriguez, Philipp Lahm, Paul Pogba and Toni Kroos;

Forwards: Robben and Thomas Muller.

A very important reason why Robben beat Neymar in the best team was that in the third and fourth place decisive battle, Robben led the Netherlands to a 3-0 victory over Brazil.

After losing 1-7 to Germany, Brazil suffered another crushing defeat to the Netherlands.

However, there is a little controversy regarding the best goalkeeper.

The main reason is that Costa Rican goalkeeper Navas performed too well.

His save success rate of 91% far exceeds that of all other goalkeepers.

Perhaps another more intuitive data can represent Navas' outstanding performance.

Before the World Cup, his valuation in the German transfer market was 700 million euros.

What happens after the World Cup?

It soared directly to 1500 million euros.

In addition, goalkeepers like Mexico's Ochoa and Argentina's Romero also performed well.

Seeing a list of players who performed well, there are also naturally disappointing ones.

Hazard, Pepe, Walcott and other Bayswater Chinese stars were included in the disappointing lineup.

This also confirms what the outside world said.

The Premier League consumes too much energy. The better a player performs, the worse he or she will perform in the national team.

In addition, there are Diego Costa from Spain, Suarez from Uruguay, Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal, Yaya Toure from Côte d'Ivoire, Gerrard from Liverpool, Ramos and Casillas from Real Madrid, Alves from Barcelona, ​​etc.

These are all well-known stars to football fans, but their performances in the World Cup were disappointing.

After all, it was because the club performed too well.

After the World Cup came to an end, Paul Pogba, who was elected the World Cup Silver Ball Award, and James Rodriguez, who won the Golden Boot Award, both surpassed Toni Kroos, who won the Golden Ball Award, and became completely famous!
This is actually quite normal.

Toni Kroos is an organizing midfielder. Although he is the core, he is destined to play a supporting role on the court.

James Rodriguez and Pogba scored 6 and 4 goals respectively, and they were both the most eye-catching and popular stars in the World Cup.

James Rodriguez was only 91 years old in 23, and Pogba was only 93 years old in 21.

But both midfielders have shown extraordinary strength and talent.

Naturally, it also attracted the favor of major European giants.

How outrageous is that?
Before the World Cup, the German transfer market estimated James Rodriguez's value to be only 3500 million euros, but it soared to 6000 million euros, almost doubling.

The younger Paul Pogba's estimated value before the World Cup was 4500 million euros, which soared to 8000 million euros after the World Cup.

In such a short period of time, the value of players who performed well immediately soared.

This is the World Cup!

……

For football fans, the World Cup is a football feast that takes place every four years.

But for a top team like Real Madrid, it is more like a "concubine selection".

It’s just that this beloved concubine is a certain football star.

As the dust settles on the World Cup, Real Madrid's "concubine selection" game has also come to an end.

The two players who will finally enter the final showdown have also been freshly announced.

Paul Pogba from Bayswater Chinese, James Rodriguez from Monaco in Ligue 1.

Both stars have their pros and cons.

Paul Pogba was personally selected by Yang Cheng, which is considered to be a stamp of approval.

In European football, any player that Yang Cheng has looked at is basically not bad.

For example, Toni Kroos, who just won the World Cup Golden Ball.

Bayern must be regretting it so much now!
Especially when he received the Golden Ball and gave his speech, Toni Kroos did not forget to help Bayern, thanking Yang Cheng for helping him out of the quagmire and bringing him to the Premier League when he was in trouble!
What this means is that it is really difficult for him at Bayern!
As Paul Pogba became popular at the World Cup, his agent Mino Raiola also became active.

Serie A's Juventus and Inter Milan, Premier League's Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, as well as La Liga's Barcelona, ​​are said to be paying attention to Pogba.

When Raiola was interviewed, his words were also very ambiguous. He simply said that it was difficult for the Chinese players in Bayswater to shake the positions of Toni Kroos and Modric, and he hoped to get more opportunities.

But everyone knows that with Pogba's current market value and his age of 21, it would take an astonishingly high price to convince the Chinese in Bayswater to let him go!

James Rodriguez, who also has a sky-high salary, is represented by Mendes.

Playing for Monaco in Ligue 1, it is almost not difficult to poach James Rodriguez.

As long as you are willing to pay, you can take the person away.

The prerequisite is to be able to convince Monaco.

Mendes has also been very active recently, frequently appearing in newspapers.

Obviously, these two are the hottest super midfielders in this summer's transfer market.

How to choose?
This has become a difficult problem facing Real Madrid president Florentino.

"I support Pogba!"

Chairman's adviser Zidane was the first to speak out.

As a Frenchman, he is very familiar with Pogba.

"I would say that this player has unparalleled skills and talent, and his physical condition is also quite amazing. He reminds me of myself when I was playing football."

Zidane's comments on Pogba did not come as a surprise.

Anyone who has seen Pogba play will not refute this.

"I want to say that for a midfielder like this, no matter how much transfer fee we pay, we will not suffer any loss!"

“He deserves it!”

Zidane's words were very serious.

He really hopes that Real Madrid can listen to his advice and sign Pogba.

It's just like signing Varane back then.

But not everyone supports Zidane.

General Manager Jose Sanchez disagrees.

"Given the nature of the Chinese in Bayswater, if we want to poach Pogba, it will cost at least 1 million euros, and we may not even be able to do it!" Jose Sanchez said these words, and it seemed that he still had a shadow over the Chinese in Bayswater.

Those guys are damn good at negotiating!
"I think James Rodriguez is a better fit for us."

"What do you mean?" Florentino asked with concern.

"First of all, he plays as a No. 10, a typical South American attacking midfielder with excellent skills, delicate footwork, and creativity. He also has very thoughtful passing skills and strong offensive ability from behind."

"Of course, his physical talent is not as good as Pogba's, but it is not bad either, it is completely sufficient."

As a Spanish club, Real Madrid naturally feels closer to South American players.

And everyone knows that South American players have always had an advantage in various selections.

To put it simply, South American players are more likely to win individual honors.

"Secondly, I think James Rodriguez is more in line with the image of Real Madrid, which will be a great help to us!"

When Jose Sanchez said this, Zidane next to him couldn't stand it anymore.

"For such a big transfer, I think we should still consider it from a competitive perspective. The commercial perspective can only be used as a reference. Pogba's advantage at the competitive level is definitely greater than that of James Rodriguez."

"Don't forget, Paul Pogba is a player that Yang Cheng is optimistic about!"

I don't know how much this one thing is worth.

"I admit that!" Jose Sanchez nodded in agreement.

"But I still support James Rodriguez, because I have always believed that when we at Real Madrid introduce players, we need to consider not only the competitive factors, but also the image and commercial aspects of the players."

Florentino looked at Zidane, then at Jose Sanchez, without making any statement.

Didn't even show any facial reaction.

"Anything else?" asked the Real Madrid president.

Jose Sanchez knew that the chairman did not want the two to continue arguing.

Because that doesn't make sense.

"Finally, I think the most important point is that Pogba belongs to the Bayswater Chinese. It is not an easy task to convince the Bayswater Chinese to let him go."

"Even if the deal is finally completed, it will definitely be a huge price. James Rodriguez will obviously be more suitable."

After a pause, Jose Sanchez added another sentence.

"President, when a big competition is hot, the prices of players are often inflated. Pogba is so popular now, but is there any team willing to make an offer for him? I think this is a question."

"If not, then we can wait until next year, when his value is bound to drop. We can then make a move and it will be a good opportunity to pick up a bargain."

Florentino hesitated.

The Real Madrid president frowned and thought for a long time.

Whether it is Zidane or Jose Sanchez, what they said has their own reasons.

They are also sticking to their duties.

Taking all factors into consideration, it is indeed difficult to choose between these two players.

Florentino was unable to make a decision for a moment.

But at this moment, the Real Madrid president suddenly remembered the transfer last summer.

Real Madrid's first offer was for Javi Martinez, but because the price asked by the Chinese in Bayswater was too high, they eventually chose to give up and signed Illarramendi from Real Sociedad with a buyout clause.

As a result, Illarramendi underperformed.

Real Madrid were forced to sign Javi Martinez for a high price during the winter break.

After the latter joined, he helped Real Madrid win the La Liga championship and performed well.

Yang Cheng's reputation has always been strong.

Maybe a bit expensive, but it’s definitely worth it!
"Well, Jose, you send an offer to the Chinese in Bayswater, 8000 million euros, to sign Paul Pogba!"

Florentino made a prompt decision.

(End of this chapter)