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

Chapter 875 Disciples are full, time to collect mounts
Another MVP trophy. Tang Ye held the trophy in one hand and walked towards Eskeriva: "Ferlan!"

"Shit, haha!"

With arms outstretched, Escriva suddenly pulled Tang Ye into a tight embrace, slapping the national team captain hard on the back: "That's it! Haha, phew... fuck!"

Ferran stammered a little, and only after Tang Ye left the coach's embrace did he realize that the Spanish coach had started crying at some point, with tears in his eyes so many that they could reflect the stadium lights.

"Oh, come on!"

Tang Ye shrugged: "Don't do that, Fei Lan."

"Easy! Very easy!"

Tang Ye shouted into Eskeriva's ear, "This is how it's planned. We're going to play in the knockout stage, as the group winners!"

"No, this isn't how it was planned!"

Eskreva roared back, startling Tang Ye into taking a step back: "Haha, okay, okay, you're right! Ferran, you're right, I won't argue with you anymore. Anyway, we've already advanced, that's the result!"

Amid cheers, Tang Ye and Eskeriva walked together toward the stands.

They had originally planned to share their joy with the fans in the stands, but the two were stopped by several teammates halfway there.

Without saying a word, Zhang Yuning knelt down in front of Tang Ye, which drew screams from the stands.

"Hey, what's up!"

Tang Ye stepped back, intending to help Zhang Yuning up, but Wei Shihao and Wang Dalei came over and immediately restrained Tang Ye.

"Holy crap, what are you doing?"

While Tang Ye was completely bewildered, Wang Shenchao and Zhang Xizhe lifted the right leg of the national football team captain and placed his foot on the thigh of Zhang Yuning, who was already kneeling down.

Zhang Yuning pretended to have a towel in her hand and started wiping Tang Ye's shoes.

"Damn it, stop this!"

Tang Ye tried to protest, but it was clearly impossible.

Master GG possesses strong physical strength, but he alone cannot be a match for so many Chinese national team players. When Wu Lei and Wei Shihao exerted their strength together, Tang Ye was completely unable to move.

"Tang Ye!"

"King of Football!"

"Tang Ye!"

"King of Football!"

"..."

Unable to resist, Tang Ye eventually lost himself amidst the cheers of his teammates and fans.

The captain of the Chinese national team has now become a tyrannical ruler!
Wow!!!

……

Dongqiudi Match Report: Tang Ye scored twice, and the Chinese national team secured a draw in the third round of the group stage, advancing to the knockout stage as the group winner. The team maintains an unbeaten record against Germany in their history. (923752 comments)

Hot Topic: Tang Ye's dramatic equalizer in the third round makes him the only player in this World Cup so far to win three consecutive MVP awards in the group stage.

Appendix: Group C Standings for the 2022 Qatar World Cup (All Group C matches have concluded):

1. China, 7 points. (Seedned team)

2. Argentina, 6 points. (Unseeded team)
3. Germany, 4 points.

4. Wales, 0 points.

Wales' zero score is certainly pitiful, but please don't focus too much attention on Wales.

Let's save our time and sing praises to the greatness of the Chinese team!
With 2 wins and 1 draw, the great Chinese team remains undefeated in the group stage, outperforming Argentina!
"Wow, nobody expected China to advance to the knockout stage as a seeded team..."

After the match ended, the camera panned to the CCTV commentary booth, where Zhan Jun, Huang Jianxiang, and others seemed to still be basking in the joy.

It felt like a dream, but reality repeatedly proved to them that what they saw with their own eyes was indeed real.

"First place in the group, yeah, haha, I think the first round match against Argentina was crucial."

"Yes, they came back to defeat Argentina. That game was so important; it really boosted the morale of the entire team."

"Many Argentinian and German fans are probably not convinced right now! But China did indeed finish first in the group."

Zhang Lu nodded and chuckled, "Hehe, being a seeded team in the knockout stage is so important for China. I remember back in Russia, China was an unseeded team and ended up facing Brazil in the first round of the knockout stage. Being a seeded team this year will help us avoid that. Hehe."

Zhang Lu did not make any predictions about the Chinese national football team's opponent in the first round of the knockout stage, because there was really no need to do so.

According to the rules, the opponent of the top team in Group C of this World Cup will be the runner-up in Group D.

The scope has been narrowed down, leaving only three possible opponents for the Chinese national football team in the round of 16: Japan, Spain, and Mexico.

……

Baidu's No.1 trending search: China's national football team advances to the knockout stage as group winner.

No. 2: China defeats Argentina in the "Group of Death".

No. 3: Germany failed to advance to the knockout stage again.

No. 4: China's best result in the World Cup group stage.

No. 5: China's national football team will finish first in Group C of the World Cup, and their opponent will be the runner-up in Group D.

Reprinted from CCTV1: Qatar World Cup group stage... China's men's national football team has 2 wins and 1 draw, and may be the biggest dark horse of this World Cup.

Hot Topic: Analysis of the knockout stage of the Qatar World Cup.

At this point in the tournament, only three groups have finished their matches; the other five groups are still waiting for their crucial matches.

However, the remaining five groups are no longer important to Chinese fans.

As fans of the first few teams to secure a spot in the knockout stage, Chinese fans displayed their arrogance without reservation.

The teams that haven't made it to the knockout stage yet are all too weak!

FIFA Official Twitter Account - List of Teams That Have Advanced to the Knockout Stage (Continuously Updated):

Seeded teams: Netherlands, England, China

[Unseeded teams: Senegal, USA, Argentina]

[Group standings not yet confirmed, but confirmed to advance to the knockout stage: Portugal, Morocco]

Nine of the 18 teams have already been determined, and many of them are familiar faces.

Of course, there are also some major changes. Currently, it seems that there will be at least two Asian teams in the knockout stage of this World Cup, because Japan is in good form and has more than an 80% chance of advancing to the knockout stage.

Germany is on a downward spiral, but Asian football is becoming increasingly great.

The greatness of the Chinese team needs no further explanation, but the path to greatness for Japan is more complex.

"The Asian Cup qualifiers showed us a lot of shortcomings."

After the second round of matches, Moriyasu Hajime answered reporters' questions: "Actually, I noticed Tang San back in 2016. He is an excellent player. At that time, I said that he should be a role model for Japanese football, and that we in Japan can also cultivate such players."

"However, the situation changed a little later."

Moriyasu smiled wryly: "I didn't expect his value to break 1 million euros so quickly, and it kept going up. It seems a bit unrealistic to think that we can develop a player like him in Japan, but I haven't given up. Tang San is a role model for countless Japanese players."

"Even if we can't become as outstanding as him no matter how hard we try, we will still strive to catch up and get as close to them as possible."

Hajime Moriyasu stated that the power of idols is immense, and that Japanese football's current success is inseparable from the pressure exerted on them by Tang Ye.

It is precisely because of this pressure that Japanese football has been able to make steady progress.

"Although we haven't secured our place in the knockout stage yet, we will follow in China's footsteps, and we also have a chance to become the group leader."

"Our goal is to reach the quarterfinals of this World Cup."

Moriyasu made a surprising statement: "The ultimate goal is to win the World Cup in 2030."

The interview video was released and Moriyasu was immediately criticized.

You said you want to finish first in your group and reach the quarterfinals in this World Cup, that's fine.

But what do you mean by setting a goal to win the World Cup in 2030?
[Even China isn't this arrogant. Has this Japanese coach really gone too far? Did they even consult our European teams? --IP Location: England]

[Japan is absolutely laughing. --IP address: South Korea]

[What are you laughing at? Did your Korean team even advance to the knockout stage? Why are you laughing so happily? Can't you reflect on yourselves? You can't possibly fail to even advance to the knockout stage, can you? We can reflect on our mistakes through TY, can you? Haven't you noticed how outdated your tactics are? --IP Location: Japan]

South Korean fans were really upset, and they quickly became the target of attacks.

Helpless, the attacked South Korean fans could only turn their attention to the South Korean coach.

Why are we being attacked online? Isn't it because your team's performance is poor?

Why don't we hurry up and learn from Japan, and reflect on ourselves through the lens of the great James Bond!
There are limited spots for apprentices; if you're late, the master will only accept mounts!

"I don't really like these comments that belittle South Korea. They are currently third in Group H, which I think is a good result, considering that their group includes teams like Portugal and Uruguay."

“Every team is unique, and how South Korea plays is their business. I think they have the potential to advance to the knockout stage.”

Click, click, click!

"Would you like to comment on the knockout stage? As a seeded team in Group C, your first-round opponent will be an unseeded team from Group D (i.e., the runner-up in Group D). Currently, the runner-up in Group D is Spain."

To make it easier for Tang Ye to answer questions, the reporter thoughtfully showed his phone screen, which displayed the current standings for Group D.

Group D (as of the end of the second round of the group stage):
1. Japan, 6 points.

2. Spain: 4 points.

3. Mexico, 3 points.

4. Canada, 1 point.

"The third round is Japan playing Spain, right?"

Tang Ye spoke first.

Since Group C's knockout stage opponents would definitely come from Group D, he started paying attention to the Group D matches after defeating Argentina: "The third round should be Japan playing Spain, right?"

"Yes, it is."

After receiving an affirmative answer from the reporter, Tang Ye stood there and pondered for a while.

The reporter waited a while, then, unable to wait any longer, took the initiative to ask: "Do you think there's a high chance you'll face Spain in the first round of the knockout stage?"

"..."

hiss……

Taking a deep breath, Tang Ye gave his answer.

"I think we're more likely to play Japan, and I'm ready."

……

Manchester Evening News – With 5 goals in 3 group stage matches, TY is poised to become the top scorer in this World Cup group stage.

"In addition, he has 3 assists, which means 5 goals and 3 assists in 3 games. This means that TY has a high probability of becoming the best player in the group stage of this World Cup," the comment was taken from the Manchester Evening News.

Li Laoba, a well-known football expert in China: The Koreans should hurry up and become Tang Ye's apprentices, just like the Japanese. Otherwise, when Tang Ye has enough apprentices, he can only collect mounts.

Today's Headlines - The Chinese national football team achieved its best result in team history and advanced to the knockout stage. Who will be China's opponent in the round of 16?

Regarding the question of who the Chinese national football team's opponent will be in the round of 16, Dongqiudi has launched an ongoing poll, and the current poll results are as follows.

Japan: 52%.

Mexico: 30%.

Spain: 18%.

By analyzing this poll, you can deduce what the fans are thinking.

Most fans believe that Spain will beat Japan and Mexico will beat Canada in the third round, making Spain the most likely group winner. Mexico and Japan will then compete for second place based on goal difference, and that second-place team will be China's opponent in the next match.

As for the 18% of fans who guessed Spain's chances, those guys are just playing with abstract concepts.

"No, why would anyone think Japan could beat Spain?"

At the hotel pool, the Chinese team players were having a celebration party to mark their advancement to the knockout stage. Tang Ye, wearing only a pair of pants, was pointing at news articles on his phone.

"what?"

Wu Lei gestured for Tang Ye to share the news he had seen.

"There was a poll on Dongqiudi (a Chinese sports betting platform) where 18% of people thought we would play Spain in the first knockout round. I'm speechless. They probably think Japan can beat Spain, but that's impossible. They don't understand football at all."

Tang Ye didn't know much about Japan, but he knew Spain all too well.

Rod's team!

Spain is different from the great Chinese team, which excels at fighting as a team.

Tang Ye said, "Spain likes to play with numbers, it's disgusting, how could Japan possibly beat them?"

"Haha, they might just be deliberately making it abstract. There are a lot of people like that."

Tang Ye is still too young and doesn't understand Chinese fans, but Wu Lei really does understand them very well.

Chinese fans often come up with some tricks. These 18% of fans seem to think that Japan can beat Spain, but in reality, they are just deliberately being abstract.

If you were to interview these fans randomly, you would find out why they voted this way.

"Morayuichi is Tang Ye's apprentice, so I support Moriyasuichi!"

This is outrageous!

Purely reckless!

Just because Hajime Moriyasu expressed his admiration for Tang Ye in an interview, these fans actually think Japan can beat Spain?
"But you know what, Japan really played well, two consecutive wins in the group stage, 4-1 against Mexico."

Feng Xiaoting added.

"Um……"

Tang Ye first took a breath, then shook his head: "Impossible, Japan can't possibly beat Spain. Even a 4-1 victory over Mexico doesn't matter, we beat Mexico 4-1 too, didn't we?"

"Then why are you sighing? No, why do you sound so insecure when you talk, haha!"

Wu Lei felt that Tang Ye's current situation was somewhat contradictory.

The captain of the Chinese national football team squatted by the pool without saying a word.

Under normal circumstances, the Chinese national football team's opponent in the round of 16 would be either Japan or Mexico.

but.

If Japan really beats Spain...

Logically, this shouldn't happen, but...

What if?
hiss!
Thinking of bad things, Tang Ye's body trembled involuntarily. Hesitantly, he dialed Rodri's number via WhatsApp.

"Fuck, why are you calling me now? We're going to play a game when we get off the bus."

"Yes, Rhodes."

"Ok?"

Tang Ye's tone carried a hint of tension and pressure, which made Rodri unconsciously tense up: "W-what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just... good luck, don't lose."

"Don't lose, never, you are the best Rhodes."

“...Oh, of course.”

Rodri laughed, then shook his head with a wry smile: "Is this the GOAT? What are you afraid of, Tom? Did you come here on purpose to make me laugh before the match?"

"I'm not scared, I'm just cheering you guys on before the match. Good luck, yeah, that's all. Rod, can't I even cheer for you?"

"Oh, my bad, Tom, I apologize!"

After the call ended, Olmo, who was sitting next to him, asked curiously, "Tom called you at this time? What happened?"

"It's nothing. He's worried that if we lose to Japan, they'll have to play against us in the knockout stage."

"Haha."

"Wow, keep it up, guys."

Rodri swung his arms upwards to cheer on his national team teammates.

Why are you suddenly so motivated?

Head coach Enrique noticed the change in Rodri's mood.

"It's nothing, it's just that there's a coward with a net worth of 3 million euros who doesn't want us to be second in the group. Don't let him down!"

……

(End of this chapter)