Football: I am only 16 years old, and you want me to retire and make a comeback?

Chapter 859 With nowhere else to turn, the Chinese team chooses to sacrifice their flag before the match.
Pepsi reminds you: On November 22nd, the World Cup Group C highlight match is China vs. Argentina, with Tang Ye and Messi facing off.

In the first match of Group C, Argentina was actually enjoying the home team's locker room, but Pepsi was very thoughtful. In their advertisements in China, they chose to put "China" and "Tang Ye" first, creating a clever message: China VS Argentina.

However, in advertisements from other countries, you'll find that the home team, Argentina, is actually listed ahead of China.

Of course, these minor details don't really have much impact, at least not for Pepsi, the sponsor. They are one of the few commercial companies that have signed both Tang Ye and Messi, making them the winners of this World Cup group stage.

……

The Chinese team held a warm-up match at the Lusail Stadium on the 20th before the match on the 22nd.

The Chinese team was quite lucky, as their first match was scheduled to be played in the largest football stadium in Qatar, which is also the venue for the World Cup final.

"8 seats...that's about the same as Manchester United (referring to Old Trafford)."

Zhang Xizhe exclaimed, "I've never played football at Old Trafford."

"There's a huge difference."

Tang Ye said.

"A big difference? No, aren't they all 8 seats? Um... this might be a little more, but it's not even 9."

"No, didn't you notice how new this stadium is? Old Trafford isn't this new."

"Ha ha!"

I originally thought Tang Ye was going to speak up for Old Trafford, but he surprisingly sided with Qatar.

"No, Tang Qiuwang, how could you become a traitor?"

Zhang Yuning put his arm around Tang Ye's shoulder.

"This isn't traitorous at all. I'm just telling the truth, okay? This stadium even has air conditioning. Seriously, if I were a Manchester United shareholder, I'd fill the Old Trafford stands with air conditioning. Manchester is so stuffy. It feels like 20 degrees Celsius, and after 20 minutes of playing, your clothes are practically glued to your skin."

As he spoke, Tang Ye tugged at his jersey.

The temperature in Qatar is still quite high in November, but the Lusail Stadium is well-designed, filtering out some of the sunlight and providing cool air conditioning.

Air conditioning is truly amazing. If Tang Ye knew who invented it, he would definitely award them a certificate.

"Tang Ye!"

Wow!!!

"Wu Lei is awesome! Go China!"

As the players exited the tunnel, they raised their hands in response to the cheers from the fans in the stands.

Although it was just a warm-up match, the organizers also sold 5000 tickets to the public.

Well, strictly speaking, it should be considered a gift. Qatar doesn't make money from the 5000 tickets; they just hope that the fans in attendance will create a suitable atmosphere for the match, making it easier for the team to adapt to the upcoming World Cup finals.

This arrangement is indeed very necessary for the Chinese team, because the players in the national team are currently in a very awkward psychological state. Knowing that they are unlikely to advance to the knockout stage, the Chinese players feel somewhat embarrassed when facing their own fans.

"Relax, it's okay."

Feng Xiaoting comforted his teammates.

……

Dongqiudi pinned post: 48 hours until the China-Argentina match, Chinese team players warm up on the field.

Today's Headlines -- Tang Ye's wife appeared in the stadium stands with a mini Bond to thank the fans for their support.

The Qatar Football Association reposted news of the Chinese national team's warm-up match at Lusail Stadium: "Welcome the Kings of Asia to Lusail Stadium." #China #ManUnited #Ballon d'Or #TY #TangYe #GG Bond
According to a Xinhua News Agency reporter on site, a small number of England, Portugal, and Netherlands fans were spotted in the stands during the warm-up match.

"The fans at the scene were very enthusiastic. Even though the national team will face challenges in the first round of the group stage, the fans still gave their team the warmest cheers."

Perhaps due to their shared Asian heritage, the organizers of this World Cup have shown an almost exaggerated level of respect for the Chinese team. However, upon closer examination, this respect seems to be specifically reserved for Tang Ye.

A four-time Globe winner, the legendary King of Asia.

Even though his Chinese national team encountered some difficulties in the group stage, they still represent the highest level of competition in Asian football and carry the hopes of football fans all over Asia.

If the Chinese team fails in the group stage, then the timeline for everyone's hoped-for "Asian rise" will probably have to be postponed.

"Hmm... I'm quite surprised. The stadium design is excellent. We've played in Qatar before, but Qatar has changed a lot. The stadiums are much more advanced now. I especially like the air conditioning. I think it's really great to have air conditioning in the stadium, especially in a hot place like Doha."

Tang Ye speaks very quickly.

"What would you like to say to the fans about the game the day after tomorrow?"

"Um...actually, haha."

Tang Ye smiled wryly: "Everyone knows the game will be tough, but we won't give up right away. After all, it's the first game, and our decision is to go all out. As for the result, we'll just have to wait until the game is over. We don't know anything right now."

"Your family also came to watch the warm-up exercise today..."

The reporter talked about Tang Ye's son.

Although she is less than a year old, Tang Rui is a household name and a big star in China.

This guy already had a nickname before he was even born:
The son of the 21st century – Mini Bond!

Do you think your son will become a professional athlete in the future, like you?

"Well... I knew you would ask me this question."

Tang Ye pondered, "To be honest, it's fine if he wants to play football, but I'd prefer him to take the conventional route. After all, playing football is indeed... well, a bit tiring."

"It would be great if he were willing to go to school."

[Tang, the King of Football, please stop!]

Please, please don't let Mini Wave read books; you're leading him astray!

Seriously, mini-soccer should be a sport! It's only 20 years, I'm ready!

[Chinese-style parenting! Tang Ye, I'm so disappointed in you. If Tang Rui goes to university, I'm unfollowing you on Weibo!]

Tang Ye's thinking was this: as a professional player, he felt that playing football was too tiring, so he hoped that his son would follow a more conventional development path, a path that he himself had not taken—to study hard and become a respected intellectual.

But from the fans' perspective.

The sons of star athletes usually embody the hopes of their fans.

Although the chances of a star player's son making it big through football are slim, people still have high hopes that Mini Bond will become as great as his father, GGBond.

After all, if you calculate the time frame, it's been 20 years, and after GGBond retired, Mini Bond took over.

You've seen people inherit family fortunes, but have you ever seen someone inherit a football fan club?

When Mini Bond joins the top five leagues, they will have 10 billion fans right from the start, which will be devastating!

Of course, this is all predicated on the premise that Mini Bond truly has the talent to play in the top five European leagues.

……

That evening, the Chinese team players returned to the hotel and went to the conference room.

Today is not only the Chinese team's warm-up match, but also the opening ceremony of the Qatar World Cup.

The opening match is between host nation Qatar and Ecuador.

"Qatar has no chance of winning."

Tang Ye sat on the floor in front of the multimedia screen, watching the cultural performance of the opening ceremony, with his teammates sitting at tables behind him.

"Lower your head a little, I can't see the subtitles."

"Hey, I shouldn't be blocking you, right?"

Feeling a bit strange, Tang Ye still stepped back a little so that he wouldn't block his teammates.

"Do you really have to sit on the floor? There are so many chairs here."

Eskeriva complained, but it was just a complaint; he was already used to Tang Ye's strange behavior.

Li Tie, who was standing nearby, wanted to say something, but Eskriva stopped him: "A genius is a genius. If you want to be a genius, then you can't be a human being."

"..."

Okay, fine.

Li Tie had nothing to say about this.

Sky Sports

“FIFA World Cup Qatar…”

"The 2022 FIFA World Cup..."

"Next up is the host nation of this World Cup, the Qatar national team!!!! (in English)" It has to be the World Cup...

Tang Ye remarked that the host country's entrance was even more impressive than the Champions League final; it was truly a grand spectacle.

"Tang, which side do you favor?"

He heard his teammates' voices from behind. Tang Ye turned his head to look at Zhang Yuning, then returned his attention to the screen: "I'm optimistic about Ecuador, but I'll cheer for Qatar because their stadium has air conditioning."

"6, awesome."

"If Qatar knew your refueling standards, they would probably install twice as many air conditioners in the stadium and ask you to record a video of them refueling."

"Ha ha!"

"You know, Qatar actually still has a chance, it all depends on how they perform."

"..."

Dongqiudi Match Report: Qatar lost 0-2 to Ecuador in the opening match, a heartbreaking defeat for the host nation. (202284 comments)

Qatar lost 0-2 to Ecuador, becoming the first host nation in World Cup history to lose the opening match.

From the first World Cup in 1930 to Russia in 2018, every World Cup followed the rule that the host country would never lose their first match, but this rule was finally broken in Qatar.

This is why Qatar is considered the weakest host country in history.

"Actually, the difference isn't that much."

The tactical meeting began, and Tang Ye finally sat down in his seat, holding his phone and chatting with fans online.

Having said he would support Qatar, Tang Ye inevitably had to speak up for them. He started arguing with dozens of fans on Twitter using a secondary account, while team leader Li Tie was speaking at the front.

"Let me first explain the schedule for the match the day after tomorrow. We will arrive at the stadium about 5 hours in advance, which is the same place where we did our warm-up today."

"Huff, huff!"

Li Tie blew on his hair: "Many reporters have arranged pre-match interviews for the game the day after tomorrow, but I have already turned them all down for you. If any reporters want to interview you on short notice, you can refuse directly. Don't be polite with them. Okay, I will emphasize this again later... Then it's about what happens after the game."

"..."

Tang Ye listened to Li Tie speak while typing on his phone.

Suddenly, a news article popped up at the top of my phone screen, from Dongqiudi.

[Headline! Li Tie, the leader of the Chinese national football team and former interim head coach, is under investigation by the State General Administration of Sport's inspection team and the Hubei Provincial Supervisory Commission, and is preparing to enter the judicial system...]

What the hell?
The pop-up news didn't tell the whole story, so Tang Ye had to click in to see what was going on.

Preparing to enter the company...

Tang Ye really couldn't figure out what other character could be added after "司" to form a word.

[...and the supervisory commission is conducting an investigation, preparing to enter the judicial review stage.]

"..."

Tang Ye felt a black line appear on his forehead.

What? What is that?
He looked up to look at Li Tie, only to find that Wu Lei at the opposite table was also looking at him.

Judging from Wu Lei's expression, he must have seen the news as well.

"What's going on?"

Tang Ye whispered.

Wu Lei glanced at Li Tie first, then shook his head: "Holy crap, I...I don't know..."

"..."

"We must maintain extremely high discipline. Regardless of the outcome of the first group match, discipline should be our top priority..."

"Hey, Brother Tie!"

Tang Ye spoke up, interrupting Li Tie who was speaking.

Li Tie blows his hair.

Feeling a little upset at being interrupted, but not daring to be angry with Tang Ye, she could only shake her head and ask, "What's wrong?"

"Actually, let me tell you, regardless of winning or losing, discipline should be the top priority..."

"Brother Tie, a lot of people are talking about you online, do you want to take a look?"

"Hmm? What's going on?"

Li Tie frowned, went back to his seat to get his phone, and the Chinese team players in the room, upon hearing Tang Ye's words, all took out their phones.

What news are you looking at?

Zhang Yuning pressed for an answer.

"Weibo and Baidu should also have it, but you can just open Dongqiudi directly. That's where I watch it."

"Okay. Did Tie Ge get scolded? I don't think it makes sense. The competition hasn't even started yet, we should have a get-out-of-jail-free card."

"Um...you could say I got scolded."

Tang Ye stroked his chin and gave his answer after thinking: "We haven't been scolded yet, but we should start being scolded in a while."

"what?"

Zhang Yuning looked up at Tang Ye, somewhat puzzled, but at this moment the Dongqiudi APP on his phone was still in the advertising phase.

A little boy is sitting on a black and white soccer ball.

Do you still remember your childhood dreams?

【5】

【4】

【3】

【…】

"Actually, you don't need to worry about me too much, because they (referring to the fans) don't really have anything to criticize me for."

Li Tie said, "The most important thing during the game is discipline. As long as we do this well, the fans can't really say much."

After the commercial break, the Chinese team players finally saw the news Tang Ye had mentioned.

[Pinned and bolded: Li Tie, the leader of the Chinese national team and former interim head coach, will be investigated by the State General Administration of Sport's supervisory team for suspected serious disciplinary violations, and the investigation is planned to proceed to the judicial review stage.]

[Chinese Football Association Emergency Announcement: Men's National Team Leader Li Tie Dismissed]

[Forwarded: Former Chinese Football Association Secretary General Liu Yi and Deputy Secretary General Chen Yongliang under investigation]

"..."

"Fuck."

……

Holy crap, they're going berserk!

[The waves are huge! I just watched the game, guys, what's going on? Is this normal?]

[This is outrageous! Playing the sacrifice strategy, huh? Fine, I'm on China's side this time. Argentina is doomed.]

【6666】

[Li Tie? Oh my god, I knew Li Tie had a problem, I told you so!]

Disciplinary supervision is indeed quite important, but the timing... well, it was just right.

Argentina and Germany are amazing, and Wales is incredible too!

Seeing no hope of advancing, the Chinese men's football team had no choice but to resort to a desperate measure: sacrificing their team leader and secretary, hoping their spirits would boost the team's fighting power.

"Tie, Brother Tie..."

Tang Ye whispered, looking at Li Tie, whose face was filled with terror.

"It seems like something's happened to you..."

……

(End of this chapter)