Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 177: Champions League Group Stage Opponent is PSG! Holf's Appreciation! Europa League Player of the Year!
He looked up and saw a few more people ahead of him, whose faces he recognized.

The players and coaches from Roma, Lyon, and Sevilla were all Wolfsburg's Europa League opponents last season.

Qin Ming noticed that Wenger's gaze lingered on Szczesny for a moment.

He then remembered that Szczesny had previously played for Arsenal, but was fined £20,000 by Wenger and stripped of his starting position for smoking in the dressing room.

The key point is that Ospina was in incredibly hot form during that period.

With Cech's arrival this season, Szczesny was loaned to Roma, making their current encounter rather awkward.

Salah and Rüdiger seem to be in Rome as well.

Qin Ming recalled the transfer news he had read and felt a pang of nostalgia for that incredibly satisfying kick.

I wonder if I'll have another chance to step on it a few more times in the future.

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of the venue. Under the guidance of the staff, Wenger went to the coaching area, while Qin Ming went to the players' area.

"This time the position is quite close to the front."

Qin Ming thought he was going to be assigned to the last row, which was a huge disrespect to him by UEFA.

"Kevin, look here."

Qin Ming saw a familiar face and patted De Bruyne on the right shoulder.

To everyone's surprise, Ding Ding turned her head to the left and said with a helpless expression, "Qin, I told you long ago, this trick doesn't work on me."

"Okay, how's it going in Manchester lately? Are you getting used to it without me?"

Qin Ming was very familiar with him.

"It's pretty good, except for Rahim."

De Bruyne initially wanted to complain, but then felt it wasn't appropriate, so he changed the subject, asking, "Are you at Arsenal?"

"Didn't you see I'm number one on the top scorers list?"

Qin Ming was very proud.

“I’m also number one on the assist list,” De Bruyne said, raising an eyebrow.

While the Wolfsburg stars were chatting, a commotion arose at the entrance of the venue, where Messi, Ronaldo, and others were seen entering.

The former is the Champions League winner last season, and the latter is the Ballon d'Or winner last year.

They all have a very grand presence.

The two of them went straight to the front, and oh yes, there was also Suarez, who likes to bite.

The three of them will compete for last season's UEFA Player of the Year award.

However, anyone with eyes can tell whose it is.

Qin Ming whispered to De Bruyne, "What tier were you guys assigned to again?"

"Second tier."

De Bruyne replied.

Since the start of this season, the seeding rules for the 32 teams in the Champions League have changed. The defending champion and the league champions ranked in the top seven by UEFA coefficient are directly placed in the first tier, while the other clubs are divided into three tiers according to their UEFA coefficient.

The implementation of the new rules has moved many high-ranking teams, such as Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Porto, Arsenal, Valencia, and Bayern Munich, into the second tier.

This also increases the likelihood of a "group of death" being formed.

The teams in the top tier are Barcelona, ​​Chelsea, Wolfsburg, Juventus, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, and Zenit St. Petersburg.

"Then it seems we don't need to worry about the group stage. Oh right, and the principle of avoiding teams from the same league, anyway, we won't meet them in the group stage."

Qin Ming didn't want to encounter Manchester City so soon either.

While the two were chatting, many people in the audience, including players, coaches, and reporters, turned their attention to them.

As the best-performing young player last season, his joining a powerhouse team this season naturally attracts attention.

It remains to be seen whether they can pose a threat to Messi and Ronaldo.

They thought so to themselves.

Soon it was 17:45 PM local time in Monaco, and the draw and awards ceremony for the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League season began.

Former Miss Switzerland Melanie Winnig and former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel served as the hosts of the ceremony.

Looking at the now-chubby face of the legendary goalkeeper, Qin Ming thought of Kasper Schmeichel at Leicester City.

This year's league competition is fierce.

Before long, the bald Infantino started rambling, and Qin Ming couldn't close his eyes to rest, so he could only empty his mind to relax.

He's been playing league matches continuously lately, especially the high-intensity Premier League, and he's quite exhausted.

The injury monitoring and treatment module can only address physical injuries and has no effect on mental fatigue.

This is why he also needs to take turns resting.

Infantino rambled on for about twenty minutes before finally getting to the part that everyone was most interested in.

Draw lots!

The European Championship final will be held on May 28, 2016, at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

Therefore, the final ambassadors Maldini and Zanetti, the legendary players of Rossoneri and Nerazzurri respectively, were invited to speak on stage.

Then there's a highlight reel of last season's Champions League.

Messi's goal, which saw him dribble past Boateng, won the Best Goal award with an overwhelming majority of votes.

Messi, who hadn't grown a beard yet, went on stage to accept the award.

Qin Ming and De Bruyne watched from below, both feeling a strong urge.

That means we should see ourselves on screen next season.

Five minutes later, Zubizarreta, the legendary goalkeeper who won the Champions League with Barcelona in the 1991-92 season, along with Maldini and Zanetti, first determined the group to which the teams in the first pot belonged.

Following that, former Barcelona players Belletti, Maldini, and Zanetti jointly decided the fate of the second-tier teams.

The teams in the third tier were drawn by Puyol and others.

Abidal was the last to step onto the stage to select the fourth-tier teams.

There was very little nonsense during the whole process; everyone was quite straightforward.

When Qin Ming saw that Arsenal had been drawn into Group A, alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, Paris Saint-Germain, and Malmö, he thought the Gunners were having pretty good luck this year.

After all, according to his memory, Arsenal would have been in the same group as Bayern Munich if he hadn't been there.

However, their Bundesliga title win last season removed Bayern from the top tier of teams, effectively preventing the two sides from meeting.

As for Group A, regardless of PSG's actual strength, they should have no problem advancing.

After all, the other two teams are quite limited in strength.

Looking at the other teams' groups, Wolfsburg was placed in Group F, alongside Real Madrid.

Defending champions Barcelona are in Group E, which, along with Roma, Bayern Munich, and Bospori, is undoubtedly a group of death.

Manchester City also had bad luck, drawing Borussia Mönchengladbach, Juventus, and Sevilla, all of whom are quite strong teams.

The rest is not worth noting.

Coaches' area.

Guardiola didn't look too good, probably because of the draw results.

Enrique, on the other hand, put on an expression that said "it doesn't matter who they draw," believing that Barcelona would reach the top under his brilliant leadership.

Wenger chatted with Dieter Hecking while smiling, and the two old men seemed to have become friends.

Mourinho is thinking about the internal conflicts within the team. Based on his previous experience of being sacked, Chelsea is on the verge of exploding and just needs a trigger.

He was thinking about how to regain control of the team.

Paris Saint-Germain head coach Laurent Blanc looked toward the players' area.

Arsenal will be a tough opponent this year.

Following the draw ceremony was the awards ceremony, where German international Šašić, who plays for Eintracht Frankfurt FFC and won the Women's Champions League title with the team last season and also won the Golden Boot with 14 goals, was awarded the Best Female Player in Europe for last season.

When it came to the European Best Male Player award, highlights of the three nominees were released.

However, the final result still requires a new round of voting. (Live voting.)

Why is this?

It's very simple. Some players thought they had no chance of winning, so they simply chose not to attend the ceremony.

Can UEFA tolerate this?

Qin Ming, standing in the players' area, peered towards the reporters' area, where they were all holding mobile phones and voting for three candidate players.

He then turned to look at Messi, Ronaldo, and Suarez, all of whom appeared quite relaxed.

I just don't know if it's true or not.

The thirty seconds for voting passed in the blink of an eye.

Melanie Winnig invited the three to the stage, where Schmeichel interviewed them for several minutes.

Qin Ming yawned out of boredom.

"Kevin, Cristiano's double-breasted suit is nice. I'm planning to order a similar one later. Do you want one?"

Qin Ming asked casually.

"I'm not really suited to wearing suits."

De Bruyne touched his baby face.

"coming!"

When Qin Ming saw Holf, the editor-in-chief of the German sports media giant Kicker, take the field, he knew the final answer was about to be revealed.

"Qin, does Holf often praise you? I saw some statistics that showed you were on the cover of Kicker magazine 23 times last season."

De Bruyne remembers it very clearly.

“I even had an exclusive interview with him before.”

Qin Ming recalled that the day after the crucial match against Bayern Munich, he received a message from Kicker magazine wanting to interview him.

The two got along quite well.

He was also on the cover of that issue of Kicker magazine, and the theme of the interview was: Can a humble, goal-oriented young player with a passion for football change the future landscape of football?

"Lionel Messi!"

Holf took out the card from the envelope and showed it to everyone.

"It really is Messi." Qin Ming was not surprised by this.

He scored 10 goals and provided 5 assists in 13 Champions League matches, winning both the top scorer and top assist provider titles.

It can be said that Messi was at his peak last season, reaching new heights in terms of playmaking, and his ball handling became extremely rational and comfortable, taking the viewing experience to a new level.

"The era of Real Madrid's dominance is about to begin."

Qin Ming muttered to himself, then looked up at Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, I am no longer a butterfly flapping its wings; I have become someone qualified to participate.

Can Real Madrid still dominate the Champions League?
After the awards ceremony, Qin Ming approached Maldini and asked him for an autograph.

Well, his father, Qin Zhihong, is a veteran football fan, and his favorite sport is the Italian Serie A mini-World Cup.

It was truly a gathering of stars.

Those were players from that era; most of them have now retired.

It's not easy to run into Maldini, so of course I have to get my dad's autograph as a souvenir.

“I watched your performance in Wolfsburg, and to be honest, you reminded me of Ricardo. Although your playing styles are different, you are both young, handsome, and blessed with talent.”

Maldini said with a smile.

"Thank you for the compliment. I grew up watching you play football, and I also really like the AC Milan number 3 jersey."

Qin Ming's words made Maldini's smile even wider.

No one doesn't like to be praised.

"Haha! If you ever join Milan, I'll advise them to take off the number 3 jersey."

Maldini was joking.

In reality, after the number 3 jersey was retired, only the Maldini family, that is, his descendants, could take it over.

Because that has become a red-and-black faith.

After saying goodbye to Maldini, Qin Ming was approached by Holf.

The editor-in-chief of Kicker magazine really likes this young player.

He has a unique talent for playing football, and he also speaks very pleasantly.

As they chatted, they became close friends despite their age difference and got along very well.

"People say that the high intensity of the Premier League will make you, like most players, experience some initial discomfort, but it seems that you haven't been affected at all."

Holf had been keeping a close eye on Qin Ming's movements.

"Their officiating is quite lenient, and the competition is indeed intense, but it's often easier for players like that to get past them."

Qin Ming recalled the players he had nutmegged and toyed with.

"Indeed, you contributed more wonderful moments there, it's just that I can't often go to watch your matches live."

Holf also expressed his regret.

If Qin Ming can stay in the Bundesliga, it will be of great benefit to the Bundesliga and even German football.

But it must be admitted that the Bundesliga is not as good as the Premier League now.

Money, status, resources, traffic, and so on.

"This is Mr. Wenger."

After Qin Ming met up with Wenger, he introduced him to Holf.

"We know each other better than you do."

Holf smiled, raised an eyebrow, and shook hands with his old friend Wenger.

"How did you know each other?"

Qin Ming was very curious.

"At that time, I was a student, but I was fascinated by Hungary's golden generation and Puskás. This national team first defeated England 6-3 at Wembley, then beat England 7-1 in Budapest, and even made it all the way to the 1954 World Cup final."

Wenger's eyes were filled with reminiscence. "I was thinking about how so many excellent players emerged at the same time, and I also wanted to know what happened during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution that caused the Hungarian Golden Generation to collapse so quickly."

"Others might go to the library to find the answer, but we packed our bags and went straight to Hungary to find the answer to this question."

Holf added.

Qin Ming seemed to see two young people with a strong thirst for knowledge.

"I'm going back to London to prepare for the competition. You can come back tomorrow after you receive your award. Remember not to go out unnecessarily at night, and call me if you have any problems."

After saying goodbye to Holf, Wenger went on and on, giving a long list of instructions.

"Ok."

Qin Ming nodded in agreement, thinking to himself that he should grow up quickly, otherwise he would always be treated like a child.

The Europa League draw and awards ceremony took place on time on the second day.

This time, Qin Ming became the most dazzling star of the entire event; no one could overshadow his brilliance.

He scored 19 goals in a single Europa League season, breaking the historical record.

When Qin Ming received the trophy from Dragutinovic.

The player who helped Sevilla win the UEFA Cup in 2006 and 2007 wore an extremely complex expression.

"When I started my football career, I never thought I could achieve such results. At that time, my dream was just to become a professional player and continue to move forward while making a living on this path."

"There are many people I want to thank here: teammates, family, coaches, fans, and so on. I am very fortunate to have their support."

"But I think this is just the beginning."

(End of this chapter)