I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 99: Battle for Genius! Grab another world's best [Subscribe]

Yang Cheng originally planned to go to Paris to watch the Champions League final.

But after thinking about it, I decided to give up.

He has a lot to do in London.

I don’t know if it was because he didn’t go to watch the game in person, but Wenger’s team lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final just like in his previous life.

The difference is that this time, the Gunners lost without much temper.

Lehmann was not sent off early with a red card, but the Gunners still had no way to deal with Rijkaard's Dream Team II.

This also proves one thing once again: luck is important on the football field, but in the end it all depends on strength.

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein contacted UEFA in the hope of receiving special treatment.

Doesn’t the Champions League champion qualify for next season’s Champions League?

Is runner-up okay?
After all, we made it to the finals!

As a result, UEFA said decisively: No!
This is not surprising.

The title of champion is barely enough to say too much, but if reaching the final means qualification for next season's Champions League, can the semi-finals also make the same request?

Going forward, the quarterfinals and round of 16 will all be guaranteed entry to the Champions League.

It doesn’t make sense!

This incident was a huge blow to Arsenal.

Although they eventually finished fifth in the Premier League, they failed to qualify for the Champions League and suffered a huge loss in revenue.

But Arsenal's foundation is still there, so there won't be any major problems in the short term.

Highbury Stadium began to be demolished the day after the last round of the Premier League.

Now everyone is looking forward to the demolition of Highbury Stadium, the land being used to build apartments, being sold quickly and some funds being recovered, which will greatly ease the pressure on Arsenal.

Only Yang Cheng felt pessimistic about this.

Because Arsenal's real estate project will encounter the US subprime mortgage crisis and then the European debt crisis.

The UK property market will suddenly fall from its peak.

By then, this real estate project that everyone has high hopes for will not only fail to become Arsenal's lifeline, but will instead become a burden to Arsenal.

That was when the Gunners faced real crisis!

It is expected to be between 2008 and 2009.

……

Putting aside his work in London temporarily, Yang Cheng took Mike Rigg and flew to Porto, Portugal.

The two first checked into the hotel, made arrangements by phone in advance, and then headed straight to the Dragon Stadium.

The person who came to the door to greet Yang Cheng was Porto's football director, Antero Henrique.

Many fans probably don’t know him.

This was a talented person, who was later poached by the wealthy Paris Saint-Germain.

"Hello, welcome to Porto!"

Antero Enrique shook hands with Yang Cheng and Mike Rigg in turn and welcomed them into the office.

In the conference room, Yang Cheng also met Porto's chairman Pinto da Costa and vice chairman Reinaldo Telles.

There was also another big shot who surprised Yang Cheng.

Jorge Mendes, a famous Portuguese agent.

Yang Cheng had an appointment with Porto, but the appearance of Mendes can only prove one thing, that the cooperation between Porto and Mendes is very in-depth, which is very interesting.

Regarding his appearance, Mendes explained with a smile that he happened to be in Porto on business, and when he heard that Yang Cheng was coming, he shamelessly asked to stay.

"I also want to meet and get to know this famous and talented coach in European football."

Mendes' words made everyone around him laugh.

Yang Cheng felt comfortable, so of course he didn't mind his rudeness anymore.

This guy is really good at talking, but he is also very cunning and calculating.

But since he has become one of the world's top agents, he is certainly not a profit-driven person.

If you are really profit-driven, you won't last long in this industry.

The most important thing for an agent is to be versatile and take into account the interests of all parties including the club, players and the agent himself.

Mendes is the best at this.

But Yang Cheng still had a bad impression of him.

There's no way. If we can't sit together, it's strange to have a good impression.

After everyone had finished their pleasantries and sat down, Yang Cheng got straight to the point.

"We came here this time to talk about Pepe."

As soon as Yang Cheng said this, everyone in Porto showed different expressions.

Some were surprised, some were puzzled, and some nodded.

It seems that they have been guessing the purpose of Yang Cheng's trip.

Porto now actually has some famous stars.

For example, there is the talented Portuguese winger Quaresma, and the Argentine international midfielder Luís Óscar González, also known as Lucho González.

Diego, Pepe, Anderson, McCarthy, Postiga, Bosingwa, Ricardo Costa, Raul Meireles, Hugo Almeida, Baia...

The most popular players in the transfer market right now are actually Diego and Anderson.

Needless to say, Diego has been famous in Brazil for a long time. He and Robinho are known as the twin stars. Their talent and ability are unquestionable, but they failed to play well in Porto.

Especially this season, after Dutch head coach Co Adriaanse took office, he was not impressed by the Brazilian attacking midfielder.

Anderson is another player who has attracted attention in the Porto team, nicknamed Ronaldinho II.

In Yang Cheng’s previous life, this little guy signed with Manchester United at a high price.

It’s a pity that he was later transformed into a midfield engineer by Ferguson.

As a central defender, Pepe is Porto's main player this season.

But to be honest, he has only played as a main player for one season. He was originally a player for Martínez, and transferred to Porto for 04 million euros in the summer of 200.

He was the team's rotation central defender last season. The turning point was the 7th round of the Portuguese Super League this season, when they played against Benfica at home.

Before this, Porto's central defender combination was Pedro Emanuel as the main player, Bruno Alves and Ricardo Costa rotating, and Pepe as the fourth central defender.

But in the 7th round, Pedro Emanuel was injured and missed the game, and the central defender combination of Bruno Alves and Ricardo Costa lost 0-2 to Benfica at home.

In a rage, head coach Co Adriaanse sidelined Bruno Alves, made Ricardo Costa a substitute, and supported Pepe to take over and partner with Pedro Emanuel.

From then on, until the end of the season, Pepe performed very well.

In the 27 league rounds that Pepe played, Porto only conceded 10 goals and lost 2 games.

It can be said that the 05/06 season was the season in which Pepe made the fastest progress and matured.

Yang Cheng is very optimistic about this Brazilian central defender.

It's not just because he coached Pepe in his previous life, but more importantly, in his opinion, among all the central defenders born in the 80s, Pepe's overall strength is definitely in the top 3, or even the strongest.

Ramos has excellent personal defensive abilities, but he is limited by his height disadvantage, which is a fatal shortcoming.

This is also the reason why he is prone to fouls when encountering high center forwards.

If you can't defend, then you can only foul.

Vidic is also very strong, especially his strong physique. After all, he is a man who can challenge Drogba alone.

But the Serbian central defender is a bit bulky, turns slowly and is not flexible enough. Facing speedy forwards like Torres, he obviously struggles.

Because of his excellent passing ability, Pique's power confrontation is underestimated. Overall, he is also a world-class central defender.

But it was not aggressive enough and was weak at the critical moment.

Thiago Silva is a very balanced player, but he is not good at stealing the ball and is used to staying behind.

It is hard to say which of these two types of central defenders is better, the one that lies behind and the one that attacks. There is no need to compare them.

But everyone who has played football knows that the most valuable people on the football field are not those who lag behind and squat in the pit, but those who dare to rush forward and grab the ball under pressure at the critical moment.

It is right to rush forward and grab the ball. Failure to do so would be a fatal mistake.

Some people may ask, since the risk is so great, why bother to rush in?

Let me ask you, if everyone just squats, wouldn’t that just be handing the initiative of defense to the opponent for nothing?

It is precisely because of the importance of the forward-moving central defender that no matter how many mistakes David Luiz makes, there are still a lot of giants vying for him, and Guardiola also speaks highly of him.

It's the same principle as passing the ball.

In a team that cannot be criticized, a captain named Feng once explained why the national team and the club played at two completely different levels?

Because in the national team, when he wanted to pass the ball, he found that his teammates around him were avoiding the ball and running away.

The pressure is too great, I’m afraid of making mistakes, so I dare not take it!
Isn't this why the ball burns your feet?

On the defensive side, whether or not they can grab the ball is a question of ability.

Whether you dare to grab the ball or not is a matter of attitude!

Of course, it is not appropriate to arrange two offensive central defenders at the same time.

For example, the combination of Pepe and Ramos in Real Madrid's early days.

Pepe's biggest advantage is that he can both rush forward and stay behind to hide.

If Yang Cheng were to say, Brazil's biggest loss was that they failed to recruit Pepe in time, allowing him to join Portugal.

Otherwise, with Pepe and Thiago Silva as the central defenders, this combination could definitely help Brazil reach the top.

As for Pepe's rough fouls in the early days, especially the various "atrocities" after joining Real Madrid, as well as his stage as a saint in the later period of Real Madrid, Yang Cheng felt that it had a lot to do with the team's tactical style.

When Pepe first joined Real Madrid, he was carrying a sky-high price tag of 3000 million euros. He was eager to prove himself and fought hard in every game.

But Real Madrid had a lot of problems at that time, especially defense, which was not well-organized.

A funny thing happened at that time.

After Pepe joined Real Madrid, he played with Cannavaro.

During a defensive situation, Pepe reminded Cannavaro and then rushed forward himself.

As a result, the ball was lost.

Pepe asked Cannavaro frustratedly why he didn't give him help in defense?

Guess what Cannavaro said?

"In Real Madrid, the defenders are all looking after themselves and have no habit of cooperating with each other."

Listen, this is what Italian central defender Cannavaro said!
In fact, Cannavaro himself did not perform well at Real Madrid.

Not only him, Samuel, Woodgate, Cannavaro, Pepe, Ramos...

In those years, almost all the defenders who came to Real Madrid did not perform well.

The reason is that Real Madrid does not have a stable defensive system at all.

That's why what Cannavaro said happened, the defenders all take care of themselves.

The collapse of this defensive system began in the Galacticos era and improved during Capello's period, but then quickly fell into chaos again.

The real change came in 2010, when Yang Cheng took over as coach of Real Madrid and reshaped the Galacticos' defensive system.

Since then, Pepe and Ramos' overall performance has taken off and transformed.

That's why Yang Cheng came to Porto.

……

"Pepe is a very important player for us."

Porto chairman Pinto da Costa looked at Yang Cheng with a smile.

Yang Chengke is all too familiar with such opening remarks.

He almost couldn't help but want to reply: Brother, can you please stop stealing my lines?
"Pepe's current valuation is 800 million euros..."

"Let me correct you, Chairman Da Costa. The estimated value in the German transfer market is 600 million euros." Yang Cheng interrupted with a smile and reminded.

There is a difference of 200 million euros here.

Da Costa and Mendes looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Yang Cheng cursed in his heart, two old foxes.

"Well, for 800 million euros, you can take Pepe away." Da Costa looked very straightforward.

Yang Cheng shook his head. "This price is far beyond our expectations."

Exceeding expectations?

"So what price range do you Chinese at Bayswater plan to introduce for a central defender?" Agent Mendes interrupted at this time, asking a question that Da Costa was embarrassed to ask.

By the way, he is also Pepe’s agent.

"I have a lot here, at all price ranges, let's talk."

After saying this, Mendes burst into laughter.

This seems like selling himself, but in fact it is helping Porto to find out Yang Cheng's psychological price.

"As far as I know, Porto now has four excellent central defenders, and Pepe has only played for one season, and his performance is not very stable..."

"Your Chimbonda only played for half a season and was sold for 1500 million pounds," Vice Chairman Reinaldo Telles said lightly.

Yang Cheng knew very well that whether it was the third-party ownership held by agents like Mendes or the black shop model like Porto, it was a bit like buying and selling used cars.

The most important thing is not how much money you can make from a car, but to get in and out quickly, sell it in time, and leave with a profit.

Only what you get is profitable!
In the summer of 04, Pepe joined Porto for only 200 million euros.

"I'll give you a price for your reference."

Yang Cheng still seemed very calm.

Da Costa, Mendes and others all looked over.

"Five million." Yang Cheng raised his right palm.

"Pounds?" Da Costa's eyes lit up.

This signal was captured by Yang Cheng.

"EUR!"

……

“The price is a bit off.”

Leaving the Dragon Stadium and getting in the taxi back to the hotel, Mike Rigg said with a frown.

Yang Cheng offered 500 million euros, but Porto insisted on 800 million euros.

The difference is 300 million euros.

For such a transfer, the price difference is very high.

Of course, the next step is to see the sincerity of both parties.

If the Chinese in Bayswater really want to buy and Porto really want to sell, then it can still be discussed.

but not now.

"You underestimate Porto and Mendes." Yang Cheng smiled slightly.

Yang Cheng, who has been a coach for three generations, has been coaching for decades and knows the methods of Porto and Mendes very well.

Let’s not talk about others, just take their hype about Pepe in the summer of 2007 as an example.

There was indeed a panic about central defenders in European football at the time.

It’s not that it’s hard to find a central defender, but that excellent central defenders are very scarce.

Porto and Mendes began to hype the so-called shortage of central defenders. At the same time, many teams also broke out rumors that they needed to introduce central defenders, which suddenly created a situation of supply exceeding demand in the transfer market.

There are even several clubs pursuing Porto's Pepe at the same time.

Before the panic in the transfer market, Inter Milan asked for a price for Pepe from Porto. At that time, Porto's asking price was 900 million euros, which was roughly the same number as Pepe's valuation in the German transfer market.

What's the result?

After some hype, Pepe's value skyrocketed, jumping to 1800 million euros in a very short time.

Even 2000 million euros.

Doubled!
Isn’t this outrageous enough?

This kind of hype directly scared away many top teams.

But there are always a few irrational people in the transfer market.

For example, those two guys in Real Madrid who think they are smart but are actually big idiots.

Chairman Calderon and technical director Mijatovic.

Of course, some people later said that both of them benefited from the transfer, but no one knew that.

Yang Cheng felt that with the way they were doing things, they might not be able to get any benefits.

why?
Neither Mendes nor Porto are fools. If they don't kill two rich guys now, when will they do so?
While Real Madrid continued to stay at the negotiating table and was determined to get Pepe, Mendes and Porto had already locked on the target and wielded the butcher knife.

In the end, Pepe's transfer fee was 3000 million euros.

This is an extremely outrageous number!

It's even more outrageous than Aaron Lennon's £2000 million.

At least Aaron Lennon has the advantage of household registration and age.

From 900 million euros to 3000 million euros, it just takes one transfer period.

Of course, Yang Cheng would not tell Mike Rigg directly about his past life. He just told him about Porto and Mendes' hype tactics, and also mentioned some of their operating methods.

As the chief talent officer of Bayswater Chinese, Mike Rigg will have to deal with these people frequently in the future.

"When negotiating with these people, we can't be careless at all. We must stick to the bottom line. No matter how high their prices are, we will never waver. If it doesn't work, we will find someone else."

Yang Cheng told Mike Rigg about the used car business practices.

This is very similar to the way Porto, Mendes and others operate.

"Professional football is a people-oriented industry. No one knows what will happen in the next game."

"Especially for young players, once they get injured, their future is uncertain."

"So, they focus on getting in and out quickly. If they are not careful, they will end up with a lot of money."

There are many cases like this.

Since Porto's asking price for Inter Milan is only 900 million euros next summer, it is impossible for them to ask for 800 million euros this summer.

As far as Yang Cheng knew, Pepe performed even better in the next season.

Of course, in terms of results, Porto would be better as they are the double champions of the league and domestic cup this season.

Mike Rigg was stunned by what he heard.

There are many secrets and twists and turns involved, and he has never heard of them, let alone seen them in action.

Now hearing what Yang Cheng said, he was really surprised.

It turns out that there are so many inside stories behind a player's transfer.

"By the way, Yang, how do you know all this?" Mike Rigg asked curiously.

Yang Cheng suddenly paused.

I have been a human for three lifetimes and have seen it for decades, but I still can’t learn it?
"In the past few years, I have been in charge of the club's player transfers. I have been in contact with many people, listened to many things, observed many things, collected many things and analyzed many things. I understand a lot naturally."

Mike Rigg suddenly realized.

Since he wants to be the chief talent officer, he must also work hard to learn from the small boss!

Although the trip failed to conclude the deal, it was not completely fruitless.

Yang Cheng obtained a very valuable piece of information from Mendes.

Pepe is applying for Portuguese citizenship!
Moreover, it is very likely to be passed before August.

This means that before the start of the new season, Pepe is likely to obtain Portuguese citizenship and participate in the competition as an EU player, which does not require the use of a special genius clause of the Chinese in Bayswater.

Originally, Yang Cheng found it difficult to choose between the two Brazilian players.

Now that Pepe is no longer needed, the problem is solved.

From the time we landed in Martimer in 01 to now, it has been exactly five years, which is in line with the regulations of the Portuguese government.

Therefore, Yang Cheng believed that the information revealed by Mendes was true.

"Mike."

Yang Cheng made a prompt decision.

This is a godsend opportunity, he wants to grab another world best!
"Don't come back to London with me. We'll break up in Lisbon. You fly to South America and help me do two things."

As the club's vice president and head coach, Yang Cheng has too many things to do and has no time to go to South America again. Especially considering that he has more important things to do next.

For example, Wembley Stadium, the construction of a new stadium, the Brent training base and the satellite training centre.

More importantly, there is the new season's Asian tour.

There are simply too many things, big and small.

……

After returning to England from Portugal, Yang Cheng became extremely busy.

He spent a few days, accompanied by Xia Qing and Chris Hunter, inspecting the three satellite training centers that the club had purchased in the past period of time.

If you circle the map, you will see that these three training centers not only have very convenient transportation, but also densely populated surrounding towns. More importantly, they are only about 90 to 120 minutes’ drive from the Brent training base.

In other words, it can just cover the youth training territory.

Chris Hunter is also looking for the best solution for youth training coverage. He said that he will focus on inspecting a larger satellite training center next, which is probably in the southeast suburbs, about 3 hours' drive from the Brent training base.

In this way, the older young players trained in several surrounding satellite training centers can be selected and arranged in this training center to continue their training.

Yang Cheng also feels very confident about Chris Hunter's ability to get things done.

After he acquired the three youth training clubs, he cooperated with the local councils, and various subsidies and policies were basically continued, which reduced the investment of Chinese in Bayswater.

As the three youth training clubs already have youth training teams, Bayswater Chinese are still in the integration process after taking over.

Next, the three satellite training centers will undergo software and hardware transformation and upgrades and personnel training.

Yang Cheng's visit was also warmly welcomed by local parliamentary officials.

Apart from anything else, the Chinese in Bayswater have been so strong and developed so fast in the past two or three years, and they have promised to invest in youth training. This is simply a timely help for them.

If these youth training clubs are really allowed to go bankrupt, their reputation will also be affected.

After inspecting the three satellite training centers, Yang Cheng went to the Brent training base.

Speaking of this, Yang Cheng really had to admire Xia Qing.

She really managed the club's finances in perfect order, and she could always make money no matter what she did.

Now, the second phase of the project is in full swing.

The entire north bank of Brent Reservoir was in full swing.

Yang Cheng personally went to the construction site to inspect and was quite satisfied with the current progress of the project.

Of course, this is based on the speed of infrastructure construction in the UK.

If it were an infrastructure maniac...

Forget it, just don’t say it.

For the future new stadium, Yang Cheng actually considered looking for a domestic construction company to do the work.

But Adam Crozier had warned him that this couldn't be done.

One reason is that it is impossible to give this project to Chinese builders if it is to be done together with the reconstruction of Queen's Road.

Especially when it comes to the London Olympics.

If this is really done, and the public finds out, won't there be an outcry?
Also, even without the reconstruction of Queen's Road and the Olympic Games, it would be very difficult to find Chinese builders.

Because we have to consider the job position.

If we just let Chinese builders take the contract and the jobs remain in the UK, what is the point?

Adam Crozier instead proposed another idea, playing the Olympic card.

Since the money is going to be spent like this, then just take advantage of the Olympic hype and win the favor of British fans.

We have spent more than a billion pounds to support the UK in hosting the Olympics. Can't we promote it and win the favor of local fans at the same time?

What's wrong with the club invested by Chinese?
We sincerely want to promote friendship between China and the UK, support the UK in hosting the Olympics, and invest in British football.

Do not believe?

The investment of more than one billion pounds is the best proof!

This involves the club's brand marketing and image packaging.

As Adam Crozier said, in London, most of the people who can actually buy tickets and consume are not mindlessly xenophobic.

On the contrary, most people are rational and think about what benefits they can get from this kind of cooperation.
For example, what are the profitable projects in China?

Nothing is more convincing than real investment!

Reputation and image all depend on packaging.

Yang Cheng was persuaded by Adam Crozier.

……

In June, when the German World Cup was about to start, Adam Crozier, who had been communicating and coordinating with the governments of London and Westminster, brought Yang Cheng further news about the new stadium.

They can start launching a public opinion survey among surrounding residents.

At the same time, a preliminary draft is prepared for submission to the Westminster Development Control Committee for review.

As for the design company of the new stadium...

"After much communication and coordination, I think there is one person who can make all British people speechless."

"Who?"

"Norman Foster."

Yang Cheng knew him, he was a world-class British designer.

"Many designs are bound to cause controversy, but with Norman Foster's endorsement, I believe the controversy will be much less. Besides, you also heard what Ken Livingstone said that day."

Yang Cheng nodded.

This doesn't necessarily mean that Ken Livingstone has any calculations, it's probably just to reduce the impact.

There will certainly be controversy over preferences for a building designed by Britain's most famous designer and the reconstruction of Queen's Road, but there will not be any issues of stance.

"Norman Foster doesn't personally participate in design anymore. It's more like his company takes on the work. It's a bit difficult to get him to do it himself."

Yang Cheng had also heard of it.

It is very difficult, but as long as he designs it, it will immediately become famous all over the world.

"However, if we package our new stadium with the renovation of Queen's Road and give it to him to design together, I believe he will be very interested. This is a major project of great importance to the UK."

“It’s just that the design fee will probably be a bit expensive.”

Having said that, Adam Crozier looked at Yang Cheng with a questioning look in his eyes.

"How expensive?"

"For a big project like this, the fee should be 3% to 5% of the budget. For someone of Norman Foster's stature, it should be 5%."

That is to say, with an investment budget of 10 billion pounds, the design fee will be 5000 million pounds.

Yang Cheng was a little shocked, and immediately thought of a piece of news he had read in his previous life.

Norman Foster is demanding payment of $6 million in design fees from the Indian local government.

"Sure enough, professionals still make the most money!" Yang Cheng sighed.

£5000?
Give!
Of course, this money is not given all at once, but is paid according to the progress of the entire project from beginning to end, and the span is often several years.

Therefore, the Chinese in Bayswater can still afford it for the time being.

It just hurts a bit.

……

The 2006 World Cup in Germany kicked off with a fierce shot from German defender Lahm.

Overall, it is basically the same as what Yang Cheng remembers.

After all, the strength of many teams is there.

Yang Cheng’s butterfly effect is not as big as imagined.

For example, in Germany, Neuer went to the World Cup as the third goalkeeper, with Lehmann and Kahn ahead of him.

Unless something unexpected happens, Neuer will basically have no role to play in this World Cup.

This is a tradition within the German national team.

The Polish national team now has a new player, Piszczek, who plays as a right back and performs quite well.

But as a team sport, having one more defender does not have a big impact on the overall performance of the game.

The original 0-2 loss to Ecuador has now become 1-2.

The overall strength is still inferior to that of the opponent, so we have to lose.

It's just like playing FM Football Manager and encountering those difficult teams.

Even if I save/load the game multiple times, I still lose more than I win.

The situation in England is similar.

After Leighton Baines was selected, he basically became Ashley Cole's substitute and had little chance of a comeback.

The French team has undergone the biggest changes.

Unlike Ribery's previous life when he first entered the World Cup, Ribery has now become a sharp knife for the French national team.

In his previous life, Scarface was very nervous and did not perform well in his first World Cup match.

But this time, he not only became the best player of the game, but also scored the only goal.

That was in the 69th minute of the second half. The French team had been unable to attack for a long time, and many players, including Henry, wasted a lot of opportunities.

After creating good chances for Henry, Vieira and Zidane to shoot, but none of them were seized, Ribery chose to take action himself.

Zidane made a wonderful pass, Ribery broke into the left side of the penalty area, received the ball and had a one-on-one chance, and shot with his right foot.

This was also the only goal in the game.

In the end, the French team won all three games and advanced as the group leader.

Ribery also became one of the best players in the French team's group stage.

The 23-year-old young player is determined to unleash his talent on the World Cup stage so that more top teams can see him.

It is a pity that although Modric played as a main player, Croatia still failed to beat Brazil and Australia and eventually stopped in the group stage.

As for the players who impressed Yang Cheng the most in the group stage, apart from his own players, it was Antonio Valencia from Ecuador.

The player performed very well in the World Cup, helping Ecuador qualify from the group stage.

Manchester United's four dark kings: Naby can't pass, Beal can't score, Yang can't pass, and Wa can't shoot.

From a practical point of view, these four players all have excellent strength.

The key is how to use it.

There is a problem with stars of this level, they cannot be the pillars of top teams because their strength is not top notch.

But as long as the tactics are arranged well, they can become excellent wingmen.

The most typical example is another player, Di Maria from Argentina.

Di Maria's strength is better than the Four Dark Kings, but asking him to be the core player and attack the opponent's defense is indeed not his forte.

But he can be the best auxiliary next to the core.

So whether he is in Real Madrid, the Argentina national team, or Paris Saint-Germain, he is great.

Why not at Manchester United?

Because Manchester United's core players are not good, the tactics are not good, and the head coach is not good.

……

After the group stage, the situation has not changed much.

The most there was a difference in the score, but we basically won.

For example, the French team won all the games without any danger.

In fact, Domenech's 4231 style of play is really despairing.

The double defensive midfielder formation of Makelele and Vieira, coupled with a solid defense line, is enough to scare opponents.

There was Ribery's sharp breakthrough in the front, Henry's personal ability, and Zidane's coordination.

This French team is a bit old, but their strength is really terrifying.

More importantly, they have integrity.

Just like Brazil.

When it comes to this World Cup, Brazil is undoubtedly the strongest team.

Ronaldo is still as powerful as ever, and Ronaldinho has already won the Ballon d'Or and the Champions League, making him a well-deserved world superstar.

There are also superstars like Adriano, Carlos, Kaka and so on.

But Brazil's biggest problem is that they play too casually.

This made Yang Cheng think of an explanation.

Some people joked that the Brazilian national team's participation in the World Cup is just a group of people going on vacation, barbecuing, dancing samba, and winning the World Cup by the way.

The previous one is actually correct.

Especially in recent years, whenever Brazil won the World Cup, it relied on strict discipline and overall defense.

As long as they grasp these two points, Brazil's offense will never have to worry about it.

But when a team has so many big-name stars, it is not easy to restrain them.

So, in the end, Brazil, the strongest favorite on paper, lost to the aging France.

Not unjust.

But the score was not 1-0 as in the previous life, but 2-0.

Because in the second half, Ribery received an assist from Henry and scored again against Brazil.

In the end, the French team made it to the final thanks to the powerful offensive combination of Henry, Ribery and Zidane.

Unfortunately, in the end they encountered Italy, which was forced into a desperate situation by the Calciopoli scandal.

When Lippi's Italian team put up an iron wall, they held on to the 0-0 score until the end.

Zidane lost his composure at the last minute of the game, had an argument with Materazzi, headbutted the Italian center back and was sent off with a red card.

This also created an eternal regret in the history of the World Cup.

But it is also a classic scene remembered by countless fans.

In the end, Italy won the game with a penalty kick against the French team, which had lost Zidane and was somewhat mentally broken.

……

As soon as the World Cup ended, the European transfer market immediately became lively.

Especially those players who performed very well in the World Cup.

After Shevchenko moved to Chelsea for £3500 million, Henry also announced that he would move to Barcelona.

The transfers of the two superstars completely heated up the transfer market.

As soon as the World Cup came to an end, the 23-year-old winger Ribery, who had performed extremely well for the French team, became a darling in the transfer market. Many top clubs, including Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bayern and Inter Milan, were paying attention to him.

In the just-concluded 05/06 season, Ribery achieved a double-double in goals and assists in the Premier League.

Among them, his Premier League goals reached 17.

He was also the best player in the UEFA Cup and the MVP of the final.

Now, in the World Cup, Ribery once again let everyone see his strength and potential.

As commented by German Kicker magazine.

"At 23, Ribery is already beyond the age limit for the FIFA Best Newcomer Award. Otherwise, there would be no suspense about this award."

At the same time, Kicker magazine also concluded that "Ribery is, and has become, one of the best players in the world!"

When the World Cup came to an end, Arsenal was the first to make an offer for Ribery.

The Gunners' first offer was £2500 million.

This transfer offer is quite surprising.

But the Bayswater Chinese rejected Arsenal's offer without hesitation.

Are you kidding me, only 2500 million pounds?
The Chinese in Bayswater didn't even bother to ask for the price.

When Arsenal started to get wind of the situation, other top teams also began to take action.

There was a lot of speculation about Ribery's transfer.

……

In addition to Ribery's transfer, there is another major player in the transfer market, that is Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Due to the conflict with Rooney at the World Cup, which resulted in the England star being sent off with a red card, Ronaldo became the number one culprit for England's loss. Some angry fans even smashed Ronaldo's home in Cheshire.

The angry English fans made the Portuguese dare not return to England.

Spanish media revealed that Ronaldo is interested in leaving Manchester United and joining Real Madrid in La Liga.

This once again attracted the attention of fans around the world.

But Ferguson is really good.

The team had not yet assembled, but Ferguson ended his vacation early, contacted Ronaldo through his agent Mendes, flew directly to Lisbon to meet with Ronaldo, persuaded Ronaldo in person, and promised that he would become a core player of Manchester United.

This is not only about resolving the World Cup feud between Ronaldo and Rooney, but also about making a choice in the controversy over who was the offensive core of Manchester United last season, Ronaldo or Rooney.

Not only that, Manchester United decided to renew Ronaldo's contract, and his weekly salary will reach 10 pounds.

From the time the incident at the World Cup to when Ferguson stepped in to resolve it, it only took about 10 days from start to finish.

When Ferguson decided to keep Ronaldo and use the Portuguese as the offensive core of Manchester United, the fate of the Dutchman Van Nistelrooy was destined to be a tragedy.

Subsequently, Manchester United and Real Madrid simultaneously announced that Van Nistelrooy had transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of 1000 million pounds.

Real Madrid's new president Calderon was very excited when the transfer was officially announced, praising Van Nistelrooy as a world-class scorer.

"We have every reason to expect that the world-class striker combination of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo will bring us a steady stream of goals."

In an interview with the media, Calderon also announced that Real Madrid's recruitment has not yet ended.

Before signing Van Nistelrooy, Real Madrid had already signed Cannavaro and Emerson from Juventus.

Because of the Calciopoli scandal, the Zebras will be relegated and the team is falling apart.

Head coach Capello took Cannavaro and Emerson to Real Madrid, Vieira and Ibrahimovic went to Inter Milan, and Zambrotta and Thuram went to Barcelona.

Spanish media revealed that after signing three world-class players, Real Madrid's next target is French star Franck Ribery.

This is also what Zidane acknowledged in public. After his retirement, he is the most talented star in the French midfield.

More importantly, he is only 23 years old.

Real Madrid technical director Mijatovic said, "We hope Ribery can fill the vacancy left by Zidane after his retirement. This will be a crucial part of our team's tactical map."

Not only that, Marca also revealed a secret in the transfer market.

While Real Madrid was determined to sign Ribery, Barcelona did not make much move.

This is unusual.

Because there have been rumors that Barcelona is also interested in Ribery.

But why was there no movement later?

Marca revealed that after Arsenal made an offer for Ribery, Barcelona actually had contact with the Chinese in Bayswater and tried to ask for Ribery's price.

"The Chinese in Bayswater made a request that Barcelona could not accept, including Messi in the transfer and asking Barcelona to pay more money."

"Barcelona have given up the fight for Ribery because Rijkaard believes that this is a condition they cannot accept."

……

When the entire transfer market was in a frenzy, Bayswater Chinese officially announced that they had signed Brazilian central defender Pepe from Portuguese Super League Porto for a transfer fee of 400 million pounds, or 600 million euros.

Among the many star transfers, this transfer did not attract much attention.

And the transfer fee is not high.

At the same time as announcing the signing of Pepe, Bayswater Chinese also officially announced that they had sold the team's fourth central defender Roger Johnson to newly promoted Sheffield United for a transfer fee of 250 million pounds.

Subsequently, Bayswater Chinese announced that they had signed Brazilian U100 international Marcelo from Fluminense in Brazil for £17 million, and Argentine teenager Di Maria from Rosario Central in Argentina for £100 million.

The British Sun revealed that these two young players had just made their mark in the first team and were both substitutes when they were spotted by Bayswater Chinese scouts.

Among them, Bayswater Chinese will use the special talent clause for Marcelo.

Di Maria has Italian citizenship, so he can easily obtain a work permit.

Just when the Chinese in Bayswater signed two young players in a row, Real Madrid, which had been planning for a long time, finally made its move.

The Galacticos made a transfer offer of 3000 million pounds, or 4500 million euros, to Ribery!

For a moment, the entire transfer market became excited.

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(End of this chapter)