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

Chapter 901 The Possibility of the World Cup Golden Boot and Golden Ball
Can China's national football team defeat Portugal in their first match against Cristiano Ronaldo?

"Tang Ye has a history of defeating Cristiano Ronaldo in head-to-head matches during his time at Villarreal and Manchester United, which will greatly help the Chinese team in the third-place match. It should be noted that Ronaldo did not go unbeaten against Tang Ye during his time at Real Madrid and Juventus, and the Portuguese captain's form is considered key to the team's victory over the Chinese national team."

[It seems Ronaldo is going to be punished again. Felix is ​​out of form, so targeting Felix is ​​definitely the right move.]

Forget Felix, I'd do a handstand if he even starts next game!

[This Portuguese coach is a complete idiot, not even as good as my Esheng. Brothers, I think we have a pretty good chance of winning.]

[Don't give them any buffs! Jiang Guangtai and Wang Shenchao aren't in good form either, and are you sure my Tang Qiuwang (King of Balls) can recover his form?]

[Always believe in me, King Tang, always with tears in my eyes!]

【66666】

Forwarding FIFA announcement: The third-place match of the Qatar World Cup will be held at Lusail Stadium, with China (home) and Portugal (away) as the participating teams. The winner will be the third-place team in this World Cup.

The cumulative suspensions due to yellow cards and red cards for both sides are: None.

……

"Leo, coming up from the left wing, heading towards the baseline!"

"Oh, what a pity, he couldn't control the ball!"

"..."

After confirming that the opponent was Portugal, Tang Ye spent all his time watching videos of Portugal's matches.

Despite saying that the third-place match wasn't important, Tang Ye still didn't want to give up the opportunity to win a World Cup medal.

"Leo is really fast..."

Zhang Linpeng, standing nearby, remarked with emotion.

As the team's right-back, Zhang Linpeng was breathless just watching the video.

It's hard to imagine what it would be like if they actually faced off on the field.

If the other side unleashes a burst attack without saying a word, wouldn't you be completely wiped out?

"It's okay, his dribbling is actually quite unreliable."

Tang Ye pointed to Leo on the projected screen, indicating to Wei Shihao to press pause.

"Look, he hadn't even reached the penalty area before he started shifting his weight, his body was already unsteady. And now, it's... 80 minutes?"

“81 minutes,” Wei Shihao added.

"That's right. He's only been playing for less than 30 minutes since he came on as a substitute, and he's already conceded the ball more than once."

Tang Ye stated that there is still a significant gap between Leo and Dembele/Mbappe.

He's very fast, but Leo's ball control during high-speed sprints isn't as stable as Dembele's or Mbappe's, which could be the key to China breaking through in the match the day after tomorrow.

"Indeed, he doesn't seem to go into the restricted area very often."

"Yes, it's no use him going into the penalty area. If you stick close to him, he won't be able to shoot."

"Damn, Tang Ye, you're making it sound like defending against Leo is so easy."

Feng Xiaoting realized he was about to be hypnotized and quickly spoke up.

"Haha! That's true, trust me. Keep some distance from him outside the penalty area, and when he enters the penalty area, just stick close to him. It's very reliable. Besides, Leo doesn't have much long-range shooting ability, so don't panic."

Tang Ye patted Feng Xiaoting.

After his teammates talked to him like that, Feng Xiaoting really felt like he believed them.

"I don't know if I'll be able to start the day after tomorrow, but I feel like I can stop Leo now."

"Ha ha!"

"come on! Come on."

……

"You came out much faster than I expected, Tom..." (in Spanish)

Outside the conference room, Tang Ye and Mati walked side by side, the national football team's assistant coach and captain talking about many things.

"What can I do? I can't afford to lose again."

"...It's great that you were able to adjust so quickly, but I feel like you're putting on a brave face."

"Well, what I mean is... you know."

Marty looked at Tang Ye.

After spending the last two days together, Marty's feeling was that Tang Ye hadn't fully recovered from the semi-final defeat, and that his current emotional state was all an act: "You're pretending to be like this because you want Wu and Zhang to get back into form, right?"

"...I won't hide it. If I'm really upset, I'll tell you. Trust me."

“No, if it were before, I believe you wouldn’t have hidden it, and what you said would be true. But things are different now, and neither you nor I are in Villarreal anymore. We’re in the Chinese national team now, and you’re already 23 years old and have won four Ballon d’Or awards.”

"..."

Tang Ye sighed: "What can we do? A loss is a loss. Don't you feel it? We're far behind, and there's no way we can catch up."

"Why are you saying that when you only lost this time?"

As it turned out, Marty's guess was correct. Tang Ye had not really recovered from the defeat. His emotions changed from anger to helplessness, or you could say a compromise.

“We can start over in four years. Yes, four years from now. Ferran and I will stay here. I’m sure Ferran will do that. Hmm… or do you think we can’t stay?”

Marty added, "You know Ferran, if something isn't done, he won't leave even if he takes a pay cut. And you can't find many better coaches than Ferran right now, can you?"

"This is not the coach's problem, nor is it your problem."

Tang Ye gently nudged Mati: "It's not a matter of time."

"What's the problem?"

"We are far behind. We can beat the Netherlands and Spain, but we can't beat France. The gap between us and some European and American teams is too big."

"This is not a problem that I and you can solve. Even if we wait for four years, it won't make a difference!"

"..."

Marty was stunned.

Realizing he had gotten a little too excited, Tang Ye quickly apologized: "Oops, sorry, Marty, it was my fault."

"...It's nothing, it's nothing."

Marty put his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder: "I think I understand what you mean. But no matter what, we will stick to it."

"From the moment I met you, there was nothing you couldn't accomplish."

"But this time it's different."

"No, no, no, it must be the same. Ferran and I will keep waiting. I promise you on his behalf."

"..."

Tang Ye didn't give an immediate answer, but simply bumped fists with Marty: "Good luck."

……

Forwarding the headline from "Today's News"—All 10 stadiums for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in China are ready, including: Beijing Workers' Stadium, Tianjin Teda Football Stadium, Kunshan Football Stadium, etc. The opening ceremony will be held in June, with the specific date to be determined.

Chinese Football Association Announcement: In response to fans' questions, Ferran Eskreva's team will be confirmed to lead the team in the Asian Cup.

Sources say that the Chinese national football team will share a bonus of 1000 million RMB for advancing to the semi-finals. If they win third place, the bonus may increase to 1800-2500 million RMB. This bonus will be provided by sponsors such as Wanda and Yibao.

The prize money for the top four teams is 1000 million RMB, which is actually quite a lot. Each person can get about 50 RMB, but it is indeed much less than the heyday of Chinese football with its big money a few years ago.

Perhaps if Evergrande were still in charge, the bonus would be much more than this?

But it's all the same now. At this point in the tournament, the reward of several hundred thousand RMB is no longer important. What's important is the World Cup bronze medal that we need to compete for next.

There's another point of reflection. Compared to being constantly outplayed, having a winning streak broken often prompts more thought from fans.

Although the team has secured at least a top-four finish, which is the best result ever achieved by an Asian team in the World Cup, the match against France exposed a series of major problems that urgently need to be addressed, such as the lack of depth and experience in the national team.

Three players from the top five European leagues are not enough.

Far from enough!

……

Mbappe: The Chinese team is excellent. If TY were French, I think the World Cup champion would be a foregone conclusion for the next 20 years. This may be an exaggeration, but I really think so.

France coach Didier Deschamps: China beat Argentina, we beat China, so we will beat Argentina as well; I'm not interested in the World Cup defending title curse, France can win the championship.

Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the Portuguese national team: I don't know why we lost the semi-final. We should have the ability to compete for the title.

Time quickly came to the day of the third-place match, and the Portuguese and Chinese fans, who had been sticking together throughout the group stage and knockout stage, finally had to face off.

It's true that the Portuguese and Chinese teams have a lot in common, and they are quite similar.

Portugal only began to rise to prominence around 2000 and can be considered one of the "emerging football powerhouses".

China is even more so. China's rise can be traced back to the match in the 2018 Russia World Cup where it defeated Germany. It can be said to be a "baby-level football powerhouse".

Both sides are emerging forces and have many shortcomings. If you were to list all the weaknesses of both teams, it would be enough to write a 1-word article.

Portugal's problem is undoubtedly their forward line. Felix is ​​in poor form, Leão is very immature, and although Gonzalo Ramos scored a hat-trick during the knockout stage, he is ultimately not up to the task and cannot carry the banner of the Portuguese national team like Ronaldo.

Portugal faces the challenge of re-emerging after the retirement of its golden generation.

On the other hand, it's the opposite in China.

The new forces are too strong, but the old guys are no longer up to par.

"I don't know what to say, but the semi-final really made us realize a lot of problems, and I'm sorry about that. The only thing we can do now is to play well in today's game, although I know Portugal is a tough opponent."

"The best result for an Asian team in the World Cup so far is the semi-finals achieved by South Korea and you, but South Korea lost to Turkey in the third-place match in 2002, while you still have a chance to go one step further."

An Italian journalist asked, "Does this mean you have a chance to break the record for the best performance by an Asian team in history?"

"Yes, of course, but Portugal won't let us win so easily. Ronaldo (Cristiano Ronaldo) is excellent; he can get the team back on track when they're behind."

Tang Ye shrugged and joked, "So if we have a chance to take the lead, we have to play very carefully."

"Ha ha!"

"Wish ya'll good luck."

"Furthermore, you are considered the player with the best chance of winning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball in this World Cup. What are your thoughts on this?"

"..."

The reporter's question left Tang Ye speechless.

"Hmm... If possible, I'd be willing to trade these two potential trophies for a chance to advance to the finals."

This……

……

The Sun – Has the World Cup Golden Boot and Golden Ball already secured? TY leads the World Cup top scorers list ahead of the third-place match.

Appendix: Top scorers of the 2022 Qatar World Cup:

1. Tang Ye (China), 9 goals.

2. Kylian Mbappé (France), 6 goals.

2. Messi (Argentina), 6 goals.

4. Gonzalo Ramos (Portugal), 4 goals.

4. Giroud (France), 4 goals.

If he's number one on the top scorers list, then there's no need to look at the assists list.

Wait!

All the fans naturally assumed that Tang Ye was the top assist provider, but after looking at the results, they found out that Dembele is actually the top assist provider now!

Dembele has 5 assists, ranking first, followed by Tang Ye with 4 assists, then Messi, Griezmann, Bruno Fernandes, and others.

Dengzi, you're a bit too amazing!

With only a few matches in the World Cup, the top scorers and assists lists truly test a player's form in a short period of time.

There's also the Ballon d'Or, and unless Mbappe or Messi scores a hat-trick in the World Cup final, it seems like Tang Ye is a shoo-in for it.

From Tang Ye's perspective, there's really nothing to worry about; just keep going.

But if you look at it from Ronaldo's perspective, you'll discover something truly terrifying.

If Ronaldo beats China, wouldn't that be helping Argentina get revenge?

If Portugal had a better goal difference, Messi might have won the Golden Ball award at this World Cup!

Considering this situation, the perfect result for Portugal would be this: Portugal must defeat China to secure third place, and Tang Ye's goal tally must be substantial.

Unfortunately, facing a dark horse like China, Portugal simply didn't have the energy to carry out these operations, so they could only leave it to fate.

……

"China Media Group! This is a live broadcast from China Media Group..."

"As you can see, both teams' players are already ready in the player tunnel!"

Tang Ye and Cristiano Ronaldo shook hands and hugged at the front of the team, immediately eliciting cheers from the fans in the stadium.

It's worth noting that even some Argentine fans have temporarily sided with the Chinese team.

Although China defeated Argentina in the group stage, inflicting great humiliation on the South American team.

but!

If you can beat Portugal too, then our group stage grudges will be wiped clean!

"come on."

"Well, come on."

Cristiano Ronaldo patted Tang Ye on the back.

……

"Beep!!!"

"The match has begun. Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both sides!"

"First up is the home team, China! Wearing red jerseys..."

"Then comes the away team, Portugal, wearing white jerseys, attacking from right to left on the screen!"

Portugal (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Diogo Costa

Defenders: Guerreiro, Ruben Diaz, Pepe, Dalot
Midfielders: Otavio, Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva

Forwards: Felix, Cristiano Ronaldo (C), Bruno Fernandes

Head Coach: Fernando Santos

"Portugal's starting lineup..."

"Santos still chose to trust Felix. In that case, I think the pressure on the Chinese team's flank defense should be reduced a lot."

……

(End of this chapter)