Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 338 Friendly Match Against Croatia, Another Victory Against Syria in the World Cup Qualifiers (China National Football Team)
Upon arriving at the airport, Qin Ming was still unable to return to China. Instead, he went to Wolfsburg instead.

August is the anniversary of Mr. Scott's death, but he will most likely not be able to go to Germany this year, so he can only pay his respects in the meantime.

Standing in front of that familiar Irish pub, with the rain pattering around him, Qin Ming recalled the time he spent there, and the bitter taste of those beers seemed to well up in his heart.

Qin Ming didn't go in for another drink; instead, he turned and went to the VFL training base.

He came today for another matter.

Burnhardt, a young player who caught Arsenal's attention last season due to his outstanding performance in a youth match between Arsenal and Wolfsburg, was also one of their former ball boys.

Do you know what a dragon is?

Qin Ming couldn't help but smile as he thought of the joke he had once made with Burnham Hard.

Burnhardt will be transferring to Arsenal's youth academy this year, but his parents are not entirely at ease about starting a new journey in a foreign country.

He then took the opportunity to act as a persuader.

"Qin, it's been a long time. No need to register, just go in!"

The gatekeeper was as enthusiastic as ever.

To all Wolfsburg fans and staff, Qin Ming is more like their child than a player.

Although Qin Ming came from Bayern Munich's youth academy.

During his year at Wolfsburg, he led the team to win the Europa League and the Bundesliga title, and also left behind a considerable transfer fee.

It should be noted that Arsenal could have easily triggered the release clause to forcibly take Qin Ming away.

Qin Ming would also receive a large signing bonus instead of leaving the money to the club.

But not everyone in this world is obsessed with money.

Then they should remember this kindness and repay it with enthusiasm and respect.

"Ok."

Qin Ming smiled and nodded.

For him, his short season at Wolfsburg left him with many wonderful memories.

The Bundesliga season ended long ago, with Wolfsburg finishing third, which is neither good nor bad, but at least they can continue to play in the Champions League.

Most players have already started their vacation.

Arnold was still with the team. The two hugged when they met, and Qin Ming patted his left arm. "Maximilian, you're the captain now. Any thoughts?"

He occasionally watches Wolfsburg games, although the current squad has changed a lot compared to two seasons ago.

But Arnold never left.

"Leading a team is very difficult. I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to reach the Champions League semi-finals or win two more Bundesliga titles in my lifetime."

Arnold rubbed his hair as he spoke.

Previously, with players like De Bruyne, Qin Ming, and Olic on the team, he only needed to focus on defense.

Now there are many more things to consider.

"come on."

Qin Ming deeply understands this sentiment, saying, "I hope we can meet again next season."

"We absolutely can't run into that!"

Arnold immediately waved his hand.

Arsenal have now reached the pinnacle of European football, winning their first-ever Champions League title and becoming quadruple winners.

Wolfsburg is definitely no match for them.

If they had faced Arsenal earlier, they would most likely have been eliminated.

"Okay, I have to go now. Let's have dinner together sometime."

Qin Ming was just joking.

After parting ways with Arnold, I walked through the training base and arrived at the youth training area.

Bernhardt and his parents, along with Wolfsburg and Arsenal youth academy staff, are already waiting.

"Qin!"

Bernhardt waved excitedly.

He had been following in Qin Ming's footsteps, and starting from that match against Schalke 04, he discovered that football could be played in such a way.

It was like seeing a new world.

Therefore, he made fighting alongside Qin Ming his ultimate goal.

And we have been working towards this goal.

Bernhard's mother looked at Bernhard with affection, but couldn't help thinking about that interesting match.

"Mom, do you think dragons exist? Is Qin lying to me?"

Bernhardt felt a little wronged.

"It might be lying deep inside the earth."

Hader's mother gently patted his head. "But more important than whether or not there's a dragon, don't forget to ask Qin for his autograph after the match. That's the real reason you came, isn't it?"

As a mother, she naturally hoped that Burnham Harder would have a bright future.

Arsenal's youth academy is far superior to Wolfsburg's.

"Long time no see, here's a gift for you."

Qin Ming received an Arsenal number 10 jersey, although it wasn't the one worn in the Champions League final, it was the one worn in the semi-final.

Bernhard took it and laid it flat on his lap as if it were a precious treasure.

Burnhardt's transfer was not hindered.

Qin Ming also returned to China that day, stayed at home for two days, and then rushed to the training center.

"It is reported that Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and other top clubs are fiercely competing for the transfer of Monaco's 18-year-old superstar Kylian Mbappé!"

"Due to injuries and inconsistent form, rumors have been rampant that Gareth Bale may leave Real Madrid in the summer, with Manchester United being the most popular potential destination."

"Arsenal full-back Bellerin was photographed by reporters meeting with Pique and others after returning to his home country."

"And the most noteworthy player in this summer transfer window is Qin Ming. Will he remain the record holder for most goals in the Europa League, the Champions League since its rebranding, the Premier League, and for many other individual records?"

"It is foreseeable that the competition he sparked during the summer transfer window will no longer be an ordinary transfer battle, but a major battle that could reshape the landscape of world football, involving national capital and top clubs."

"It is understood that Paris Saint-Germain had already initiated the project before vying for Mbappe, and was willing to offer an unprecedented contract, with a weekly wage expected to far exceed that of Messi and Ronaldo, and had prepared a transfer fee of nearly 200 million euros."

"And they are preparing to build an invincible fleet with Qin Ming as the core, with their sights set on Paris Saint-Germain's first Champions League title."

"After all, Arsenal's experience is enough to make the consortium behind PSG make a big bet."

"Barcelona has softened its stance on Neymar's transfer. According to a report in Mundo Deportivo yesterday, Qin Ming can play the most beautiful football at Barcelona and is ready to take the scepter from the greatest player in history."

"He will become the sole owner of Camp Nou in the future."

"Real Madrid also took action, contacting Barnett through Bale. Florentino was photographed discussing the matter with Barnett, and judging from their expressions, the conversation went very smoothly."

"But Arsenal also claimed they would do anything to keep Qin Ming, saying that selling him would be pointless because there is no substitute in the world, and they might offer him an astronomical weekly wage that would break the salary structure and an extremely high share of his image rights."

"."

Sky Sports reported it this way.

Qin Ming did not get involved in those matters, but left them to Barnett to handle. After several seasons together, the two trusted each other quite a bit.

Moreover, the two are essentially a community of shared interests.

At this moment, the Chinese team is conducting pre-match training at the Kunming Sports Training Base.

At an altitude of 1888 meters and with an average annual temperature of 15.5℃, the high-altitude environment with low oxygen and high ultraviolet radiation is conducive to enhancing athletes' cardiopulmonary function and physical reserves.

That's why the Chinese team came here for training.

"I'm a little nervous about playing Croatia the day after tomorrow!"

Wu Lei's shot was saved by Zeng Cheng, and he grinned and said to Qin Ming.

"Don't put pressure on the friendly match. The most important thing is to find our shortcomings. Although the World Cup is not until next year, a season goes by very quickly and we don't have many opportunities to train together."

Perrin paused training nearby and glanced at the current Chinese team.

There are five players playing abroad: Wu Lei at Augsburg, Zhang Xizhe at Mainz, Zhang Linpeng at PSV Eindhoven, Qin Ming at Arsenal, and Zhang Yuning at Werder Bremen.

Since the 2015 Asian Cup, the trend of Chinese players playing abroad has become increasingly prominent.

Moreover, Qin Ming's success has greatly boosted European clubs' confidence in Chinese players.

It is foreseeable that in the future, the Chinese team will no longer be fighting alone, but rather it will be a golden age for a group of people.

"Alright, let's continue training. Remember, we can't relax at all when playing Croatia." Perrin clapped his hands. "What we need to do is treat this match like a World Cup final."

Although Croatia failed to qualify for the last World Cup, their performance has been improving in recent years, and they have defeated Türkiye and Spain in this qualifying campaign.

Although they lost to Portugal, they only lost by one goal.

"I don't understand why they approached us to arrange a friendly match. Shouldn't they have approached European teams instead?"

"After training, Zhang Yuning asked curiously."

"Modric belongs to Real Madrid, Rakitic to Barcelona, ​​Mandzukic to Juventus, and Lovren to Liverpool. What do you think?"

Gao Lin rolled his eyes at Zhang Yuning.

"Haha, yeah!"

His teammates all laughed.

Qin Ming's Champions League journey this season not only saw him defeat the three giants of La Liga and the champions of Serie A, but also the European players.

Naturally, they wanted revenge.

"It's us who have suffered!"

Wu Lei pursed his lips.

"You've been playing well this season, why would you be afraid of Croatia?"

Qin Ming raised his eyebrows.

Augsburg's style in the Bundesliga is pragmatic, focusing on defense, discipline, and emphasizing fast counter-attacks and efficient set-piece attacks.

It suits Wu Lei's technical characteristics quite well.

It's a mix of opportunities and challenges. Wu Lei has made 28 appearances this season, most of which were as a substitute.

Because the team needs him to provide impact when the opponent is exhausted.

So the stats are pretty good: 6 goals and 5 assists, just over 10.

Kicker magazine labeled Wu Lei as a "speedy sniper," and Wu Lei has proven that, apart from Qin Ming, Chinese players can still gain a foothold in European football.

Zhang Xizhe was unremarkable in Mainz, but things were different when he returned to the national team.

Especially the rhythm.

There is still a visible gap between the Chinese Super League and the top five European leagues.

"You're not afraid, but I'm really scared."

Wu Lei actually nodded.

2017 6 Month 7 Day.

Tuodong Stadium.

Crowds of people.

Even though it was just a friendly match, the audience still came to watch.

The game has just too many interesting aspects.

The revenge of players like Modric and Kovacic from Real Madrid, Rakitic from Barcelona, ​​and Mandzukic from Juventus is already quite eye-catching.

"Goal! Croatia takes the lead in the 20th minute!"

"Their midfield control was still too strong. The attacks from Mandzukic and Perisic also put enormous pressure on the Chinese defense. Modric seized the opportunity and made a through pass to assist Mandzukic to score!"

"Croatia 1-0 China!"

He Wei's tone did not show any surprise.

The Chinese team's football journey is still long, and he cares more about the team's spirit than the final outcome of the match.

The Chinese team did not panic after conceding a goal.

They continued to fight back against Croatia's attacks and did their best to find attacking opportunities.

He Wei was very pleased.

However, Croatia was serious today, with all their key players starting, and head coach Dalic was also very cautious.

Unrestricted targeting of Qin Ming.

"It's difficult."

As soon as Qin Ming gets the ball, he is immediately marked closely by Rakitic and Modric, while Brozovic provides support from the sidelines.

Moreover, Croatia never hesitates to commit fouls.

This was much more difficult than playing Real Madrid in the Champions League final. It wasn't until the 67th minute that Croatia scored their second goal from a corner kick.

This thrilled Mandzukic.

He was devastated when Juventus lost to Arsenal in the Champions League semi-final.

Things will be a little better today.

Croatia, leading by two goals, relaxed slightly, after all, it was just a friendly match.

The Chinese team also found an opportunity during this period.

"Hao Junmin receives the ball and passes it across to Qin Ming, who pulls the ball past Brozovic!"

"Lovren's crotch was pierced!"

"Shot! Goal! Goal!"

He Wei shouted excitedly.

Loud cheers erupted from Tuodong Stadium.

Croatian head coach Dalic rubbed his temples. Sure enough, Qin Ming was the kind of player who could break the balance at any moment and suddenly decide the course of the game through his individual ability.

So he substituted Kovacic back in.

Let him experience firsthand the pressure from Qin Ming.

Croatia, now serious again, demonstrated world-class midfield control and continued to put pressure on the Chinese defense.

The 83th minute of the game.

Perisic made a strong run past Zhang Linpeng, cut inside, and scored.

China ultimately lost 1-3 to Croatia.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The Chinese men's football team still needs to work hard under Perrin's leadership."

"Therefore, we should treat every game as the best opportunity to train, face up to the gap between ourselves and our opponents, make up for our own shortcomings, and repay the fans who have never abandoned us with every bit of progress."

"Go China!"

"The eleven red dots on the green field will always be something we look forward to and follow."

He Wei expressed his true feelings.

China Youth Daily: Face the gap squarely and keep catching up!
Croatia is quite strong; I feel they should do very well in this World Cup.
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I wonder if we can advance from the group stage?
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[First place in the group is probably out of reach; let's aim for second.]
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Modric and his teammates have gotten their revenge.
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[Qin Ming: Just you wait next season, I'll beat you in the Champions League again. And that Levi Strauss, he still hasn't changed his old habits.]
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I wish time could fast forward.
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Globally, you can call our national football team whatever you want, but in Asia, what do you call us?
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That's a question for Syria.

So, seven days later, in the 8th round of the third stage of the 2018 World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Group A.

Hamjah Pad Stadium, Malacca, Malaysia.

Dominance in possession, passing, and shooting – dominance in every aspect!

In the 10th minute of the game, the Chinese team capitalized on a passing error by the Syrian midfielder, with Qin Ming breaking into the penalty area and being brought down by Midani.

The penalty kick was converted.

The Chinese team members seemed to be unleashing a fierce attack.

Even if they have already qualified, deliberately losing to Syria could set a trap for the South Korean team.

But it is not necessary.

"In the second half, the Chinese team's attacks down the left flank accounted for 7% more of the game compared to the first half, and the number of crosses also increased significantly. They were playing very well!"

"coming!"

"Zhang Xizhe takes the corner kick, looking for Qin Ming at the far post!"

"Goal!"

"2-0! In the 51st minute, the Chinese team scored again!"

"."

"Match ends! China defeats Syria 4-1. Qin Ming scores twice, and Wu Lei and Wu Xi also score, securing the victory!"

(End of this chapter)