Team Spirit

Chapter 215 The Last Dance of the Money-Eating Beast: The English Grassroots Legend Sets Sail Once Again

In the 61st minute, Crouch was brought down by Lucio outside the penalty area.

The referee showed Lucio a yellow card.

Because the latter kicked Crouch's ankle.

Crouch collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

The team doctor came on the field.

England quickly confirmed Crouch's injury, but fortunately it wasn't serious, otherwise Liverpool would have been devastated.

However, the substitute was surprisingly Shane Wright, a small, fast winger.

This leaves England without a tall target man in their attacking third.

This also means that their tactics will change somewhat, with more emphasis on ground passing or utilizing individual player abilities.

In the 63rd minute, England did indeed execute a successful attacking move.

Beckham passes the ball to Rooney, who has dropped back.

Lu Kai moved forward to the center forward position.

Rooney passed the ball to Lu Kai, who, with his back to Gilbert, passed it to Cole, who was making a run down the right flank.

Cole then made another cross pass.

Rooney receives the ball under Lucio's pressure, engages in a contest, dribbles, and shoots from a tight angle.

A single combo still unleashed a burst of power.

The football eventually hit the side netting.

In the 67th minute, Brazil took a free kick from midfield.

Adriano headed the ball across the goal.

Lucio volleyed the ball from the right side of the penalty area, sending it into the stands.

The Brazilians are also starting to exert their strength.

In the 69th minute, Gerrard made a forward run, Wright dropped back, and the two switched positions and pulled each other apart.

Cole then passed the ball to Wright.

Kaka immediately pounced on the small player who hadn't made much of an impact since coming on.

As a result, Wright made a feint by dropping his shoulder, and with a quick movement, he got past Kaká and dribbled forward.

The folded-in Maicon immediately launched an attack.

Wright passes the ball to Lu Kai outside the arc, then accelerates down the outside to the byline.

Lu Kai drove over the wall and made a through pass.

The Brazilian defenders raised their hands because Gerrard was in an offside position.

But Gerrard immediately stopped with his hands behind his back, indicating that he was not participating in the attack and had not hindered anyone.

Wright-Phillips caught up with the ball on the left side of the penalty area and swept it across with his left foot.

He then rolled and fell to the ground.

The next moment, Rooney, who was poised to score in the penalty area, found a good position and slotted the ball home.

"GOAL! Three to two!"

"Wright-Jackson, who has been in superb form in the Premier League this season, is living up to his father's reputation!"

"With the help of Lu Kai and Rooney, he delivered a brilliant performance! He showcased his personal characteristics to the fullest."

"He is an excellent player with outstanding speed, skill, and agility, and Chelsea is reportedly very interested in him."

In the 74th minute, Ze Roberts sent a long pass deep into the left flank.

Robinho received the ball and began to perform a series of stepovers to keep Ashley Young away, before turning and passing it back to Ronaldinho.

England's defenders gradually concentrated on this side.

Ronaldinho made a wide pass to the right side.

After receiving the ball, Maicon saw someone in the penalty area and sent a high ball into the penalty area at a 45-degree angle.

Adriano tried to get to the ball, but Ferdinand kept a close run into him, with Davies following up in time, making it a two-man affair.

Adriano failed to complete the jump.

The football bounced in front of the goal and went out of bounds.

They almost broke down the door.

On the sidelines, England's substitutes began warming up, indicating they were considering making substitutions.

In the 76th minute, Ashley Young made a wide pass to find Lu Kai on the left.

Lu Kai received the ball and sent a through pass.

Little Reiter made a run down the wing, caught up with the ball just before the byline, and with a quick stop and dribble, easily got past Lucio.

Emerson, who was on the defensive, then knocked Wright down.

The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot!
"Oh! That's a penalty kick!"

"Wright has done a great job!"

"He is so agile, his explosiveness is outstanding, and he maintains control of the ball."

"Emerson's move was a last resort, and he also received a yellow card."

"The Brazilian players are complaining that they suspect Wright-Phillips of diving, but in reality, the penalty was not wrong."

"Adriano was somewhat agitated, seemingly believing that the referee's decision would ruin the game."

"Oh, Adriano also got a yellow card."

"He believed that he was entitled to a penalty because he was sandwiched between two center-backs in the penalty area."

The referee took control of the situation.

Lu Kai positioned the penalty kick and waited for the referee's whistle.

Dida was completely focused.

With a whistle, Lu Kai rushed towards the football, pressing it firmly with his right foot.

The football arced through the air, heading straight for the center of the goal.

"This is... a spoon penalty!"

Dida, who had been sent flying, watched the ball fly towards his feet. Because the ball was landing too high, even if he stretched out his foot, he couldn't stop it.

"GOAL! Four to two!"

"Lu Kai scores with a Panenka penalty, completing his hat-trick!"

"Even the Brazilian Dream Team has fallen behind!"

"Lu Kai's form is absolutely terrifying! This is his fourth consecutive hat-trick in a final!"

"He previously scored a hat-trick in the Champions League final, an assist hat-trick in the EFL Cup final, and a five-goal haul in the UEFA Super Cup!"

"He's simply the king of the finals!"

A white wave surged from the England team.

The Brazilians' yellow jerseys fell silent.

Lu Kai charged towards the corner flag area and unleashed the "Farmer's Three Punches," gaining a buff.

England then made a substitution.

Hargreaves replaced Rooney.

Some fans were puzzled by this substitution. With a two-goal lead, why replace a striker with a defensive midfielder?

This means it's time to call a retreat.

But fans who got carried away with the game thought they should change the striker, or at least replace him with an attacking midfielder like Lampard.

Since we have a two-goal margin, it doesn't matter if we get hit on the counter-attack.

The camera panned to Lampard, then to Lu Kai.

It seems they're trying to interpret this personnel change from a conspiracy theory perspective.

But a few minutes later, these fans' mentality completely reversed.

In the 81st minute, the Brazilian team attacked across the halfway line.

Ze Roberts passed the ball across to Ronaldinho.

Ronaldinho passed the ball to Cicinho on the wing.

Cicinho received the ball on the left side of the penalty area, feigned taking two steps downhill, but suddenly dribbled in the opposite direction.

He is a right-footed player, and he can definitely shoot from this position.

boom!
as predicted!

Cicinho took two steps backward, then on his third step he moved the ball sideways before unleashing a powerful shot.

The football headed straight for the far corner of the goal.

when!
It hit the crossbar and bounced back into the penalty area, quite a scare.

But that wasn't the end of it. Ronaldinho made a diagonal run towards the ball, controlled it with his chest, and then lobbed it into the net from the right side of the six-yard box.

The ball flew past Ferdinand's sliding tackle and Robinson's onrushing run, heading towards the back of the goal.

It looked like they were about to slide out the door.

Robinho made a flying tackle at the far post, and both he and the ball went into the goal.

"GOAL! Three to four! Brazil hasn't given up!"

"Their relentless, storm-like attacks could score at any moment, just like this time!"

"Ronaldinho's lobbed pass, which was both a pass and a shot, was the ultimate expression of imagination. This is the Brazilian Dream Quartet! You should never underestimate their attacking power!"

"Right now, England fans only regret that there aren't enough defensive players on the field, they would never complain about having too many, right?"

that's the truth.

England substituted Gary Neville for Ashley Young.

The former has a more solid defense and more stamina.

In the 84th minute, Maicon and Kaká combined well on the right flank.

Two players managed to get through four defenders to deliver a cross from the byline.

Ze Roberts dives to score.

Robinson had given up on making the save.

The ball went over the crossbar, saving his life.

In the 86th minute, after Ferdinand cleared the ball with a header, England launched a counter-attack.

Gerrard was fouled by the Brazilian team while dribbling forward and was tackled to the ground.

The maltose was thus stained yellow.

Lu Kai then went over and told Gerrard not to dribble the ball, but to make a long pass if there was an opportunity.

In the 87th minute, Ronaldinho received a pass from Kaká, faked a shot past Carrick, and then his subsequent long-range shot was slightly off target.

He hit the target too squarely and was caught by Robinson.

Robinson was subsequently shown a yellow card for delaying the kickoff.

In the first minute of stoppage time, Brazil won a corner kick.

Goalkeeper Dida also came forward to join the attack.

This is their last chance.

Cicinho then took the corner kick.

Lu Kai leaped high into the air amidst the crowd, overpowering Lucio to head the ball away.

Hargreaves cleared the ball as it came down and launched a long ball forward.

Wright Jr. is incredibly agile.

Cicinho, Ze Roberto, and Kaká were all chasing back, but Wright-Phillips was too energetic. He controlled the ball without any pressure, took a couple of steps, and then unleashed a long-range shot at the goal.

The instep lift of the football gives it a forward spin.

This way, the football can roll further after landing.

Make sure the force is sufficient.

The Brazilian players immediately stopped and watched the ball roll into the goal.

"GOAL! Shaun Wright scores with a long-range shot! Coming on as a substitute, one goal and one assist, Wright is worth any pursuit from Chelsea!"

"Five to three! England have killed the game!"

"The Brazilians lost in the end."

"They have fallen to England in two consecutive Confederations Cups!"

"If the second team lost last time, then this time they can't find any excuses!"

Soon, the referee blew the final whistle to end the match.

The four Brazilian superstars each had a different expression.

Kaka has lost two championships to Lu Kai in 40 days and is already a bit stunned.

This was Adriano's first time going all out against Lu Kai, and although he lost, he believed it was just bad luck.

When Robinho faced Lu Kai for the first time, he felt that Lu Kai was not particularly special, except that he inexplicably scored three goals.

Lu Kai won't be so lucky next time they face off.

Xiao Luo and Lu Kai faced off the most times, and Xiao Luo lost every time.

He has experienced all three of these mindsets.

He could only tell the three younger generation members that they were thinking too simply.

Every time you think Lu is only slightly stronger than you, Lu Kai gets a little stronger as you get stronger. So much so that even Xiao Luo can't tell whether Lu Kai was originally far stronger than him but only showed his superior ability, or whether he improved faster than him.

Whatever the outcome, it's hard to accept.

……

Sky Sports: "Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, EFL Cup, Champions League, Confederations Cup! Lu Kai wins five titles again!"

The Echo: "England successfully defends Confederations Cup title, Lu Kai scores five goals and provides three assists to retain his title as the league's best player for the second consecutive year!"

Gazzetta dello Sport: "Adriano and Lu Kai shared the Golden Boot with five goals each."

Mundo Deportivo: "Ronaldinho's three assists to win the assist title are not enough to carry this Brazilian team in the CBA!"

Marca: "Lu Kai, Kaká, and Ronaldinho are tied for the top assist provider!"

BBC: "The Confederations Cup All-Star Team features more Brazilian players than English players, with Lu Kai leading the team single-handedly and showcasing its true value!"

However, Lu Kai explicitly denied the claim of a single star player in a post-match interview: "Single star player? No, no, no, that's not true and it doesn't respect the players who actually contribute on the court."

"The honor of victory belongs to everyone. Whether you were on the field or on the bench, you all contributed to the team."

"I think the England team is a team with a complete core, and every player is crucial and irreplaceable. I am just the final link in the chain, seemingly making a great contribution, but in reality, I am standing on the shoulders of giants."

"I hope everyone will give the praise to the other players on the team; they deserve it all."

Lu Kai's statement won people's favor.

Of course, Ronaldinho didn't take credit for himself, but he couldn't stop Mundo Deportivo and Mundo Deportivo from making him an enemy of the whole world.

Dongqiudi: "Incredible! Since entering the Premier League, Lu Kai's efficiency has not decreased but increased. He has scored a total of 55 goals and provided 33 assists this season!"

Transfermarkt: "Lu Kai's Champions League efficiency is phenomenal, but his league performance is definitely lackluster! He has been involved in 28 goals in 38 Premier League games and 25 goals in 13 Champions League games!"

The Mirror: "With a total of 88 goal contributions in a single season, Lu Kai has achieved his best individual record in four years, second only to the season with 100 goals!"

Lu Kai's goal contributions in the first three seasons were 80, 84, and 87 respectively.

Last year, World Sports Daily said that Lu Kai's stats should have declined significantly this year.

result……

Lu Kai was slapped in the face.

This makes the situation a bit awkward.

Whether it's club honors, national team honors, or individual statistics, Lu Kai has no rivals this year.

Even if he announces his retirement now and doesn't play a single game in the second half of the year, he will most likely still win the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards at the end of the year.

France Football: "Never before has the outcome of a football championship been so predictable as this year!"

Bild: "Perhaps we should seriously discuss the question of who is the world's number one!"

AS: "No player in world football has ever won both major awards for two consecutive years. Can Lu Kai become the first to create such a miracle?"

Time Magazine: "Welcome to this issue's cover story... Invincible on land, still triumphant—Lu Kai!"

Football News: "Datford's China tour has been officially announced. They will hold an open training camp in mainland China in August and will also participate in several commercial activities to give back to the fans!"

"The Voice of Green Guns: Dartford's Asia tour is scheduled for next year. This year, we hope to focus on the Chinese fans!"

For a time, fans in other parts of Asia were starting to get a little upset.

South Korean fans have expressed that the Celtics suffered a significant loss of star players this summer, which is why they are too embarrassed to come to South Korea and can only go to China to exploit their fans.

Japanese fans have declared they will boycott Green Gunners' Asian tour next year, and won't go to the military parade... no, I mean, they won't go to the football games!

But in reality, they are all actively contacting Green Gun, hoping that Green Gun can stay with them for a few more days next year.

Lu Kai's title as the world's number one player hasn't even made its mark in Europe yet; instead, it's being hailed as such by fans in Asia first.

Such business activities are conducive to the rapid enhancement of influence and brand awareness.

However, it also needs some influence.

Green Gun can no longer organize events in regions like Africa, South America, and the United States.

But in Asia, their status is comparable to that of Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Prior to the Asian tour, Green Gunners continued to be plagued by rumors of player departures.

The player closest to a deal is veteran Fabio Cannavaro.

Cannavaro is very mature. After his explosive performance this season, many teams want him to be the defensive commander.

He has the ability to single-handedly change the entire defensive line.

Juventus offered 10 million euros.

This price is really high for a 32-year-old veteran.

However, Real Madrid also competed with them.

The two sides bid up to 25 million euros.

This price is incomprehensible to teams that aren't aiming for the Champions League title.

Seeing the two teams vying fiercely, Dartford recommended Davies to Juventus.

Liverpool happens to be scouting this young center-back as well.

And so another round of bidding began.

Davis is one of the starting center-backs for Green Rangers this season, and he also had a brilliant performance in the Confederations Cup. Plus, he's only nineteen years old.

This price is beyond what Cannavaro can match.

This is definitely the next Ferdinand!
Lescott: ? ? ?
Juventus asked for 30 million euros in one go.

Liverpool were determined to get the team back into the Champions League, so they matched the price.

But for the same price, Liverpool would certainly be more attractive to English players than Juventus.

At this critical moment, Real Madrid actually put up a bid for Davies, 33 million euros!

Ultimately, Juventus reluctantly agreed to pay 35 million euros to acquire Davies, thus finally bringing together the perfect squad.

Real Madrid, on the other hand, "settled for second best" and acquired their desired Cannavaro for only 20 million euros.

It's five million euros lower than the initial highest offer.

Florentino didn't care about money, but he didn't expect Ten Hag to actually save him money.

Five million euros is not bad, it's Real Madrid's second-highest salary.

When has Real Madrid ever gotten such an advantage?
They all charge premiums without hesitation.

For a time, Real Madrid's management called Ten Hag a "transfer master," and the club's previous magical moves in the transfer market may well have been due to his efforts.

Ten Hag's two transfers both earned him high marks with Florentino Pérez.

But soon, the real blockbuster deal of the summer was made.

Sky Sports: "Record transfer changes hands! Arshavin moves to Chelsea from Dartford for €60 million!"

BBC: "Tsar's market value surpasses Ronaldinho, soaring to second in the world, second only to Lu Kai!"

The Chelsea Echo: "Chelsea are spending like water, they're going all out for the shopping experience! The Green Gunners are rolling in money, selling off last season's biggest contributor!"

Dongqiudi: "Wenger slams Abramovich for disrupting the Premier League player market, laments that the Red Gunners are only missing Arshavin to be the world's strongest squad!"

The whole world is astonished by Abramovich's extravagant spending!
Chelsea have spent €60 million to buy players from Greenfield for two consecutive years, they are truly loyal customers.

This deal directly led to an increase in the overall market value of Russian players.

Many teams looking to make money have started observing Russian and Russian Premier League players.

Many illegal clubs have also started recruiting Russian youth players.

Real Madrid's youth academy has a young Russian player named Cheryshev, who is 15 years old and was originally going to be released by the team.

As a result of this momentum, he was retained by Real Madrid and received preferential treatment in terms of resources, and was given a lot of development opportunities.

As a result, Diego Forlán is basically the only player on the Green Gunners who is receiving attention.

Atletico Madrid initially contacted him, but Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were also in talks with him, so smaller teams like Atletico Madrid were naturally out of the running.

The European football scene has been turbulent in recent years, with various strong teams emerging. Green Gunners is the most extreme example, but not the only one.

This feeling of "a hundred schools of thought contending" gave some bold businessmen courage.

The bold get rich, the timid starve.

Ultimately, Villarreal, nicknamed the "Yellow Submarine," splashed out a record La Liga signing of Diego Forlán for a staggering €45 million.

This led to him and Riquelme forming the "Merlin-Riquelme duo"!
It is understood that this deal was driven by an Argentine consortium and Adidas.

They want to make Villarreal a top team in La Liga.

Currently, the La Liga teams with this potential are Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, and Villarreal.

Adidas successfully snatched Fran from Nike with this move.

Forlán's comeback this season is simply the most classic inspirational story in the Americas, and his popularity in South America has soared, no less than that of the four Brazilian superstars.

At this point, Green Gun's total revenue from player acquisitions through this window reached a staggering 397 million euros!
Almost 400 million euros!
This sight made all sorts of shady businesses grit their teeth in disgust.

They might not even make this much profit in ten years.

Green Gun has been incredibly lucky these past two years, practically rolling in money!
In the summer of 2003, he made a whopping 80 million euros, which everyone thought was incredible.

In the summer of 2004, the figure of 290 million euros shocked the world.

But who could have imagined that this year would be the real peak?

That's an extra 100 million compared to last year!

This is a real case of tearing the house apart.

According to Transfermarkt, Greenfield has sold almost all of its players who could be sold in the past three years.

And they were incredibly lucky to sell at the highest point of the day.

Such a situation is a once-in-a-century occurrence.

The current flourishing state of football is also related to the three waves of top players that Green Gunners has signed.

They didn't belong to the football world, at least not in recent years, yet their emergence ushered in an era of unparalleled prosperity for the football market.

This also saved European football to some extent.

Because the football market had been declining in recent years.

Without Green Gun, no one dares to imagine how terrible the industry's valuation would be.

……

In mid-July, Dartford's China tour was still in preparation.

Green Gun also took on local social responsibility and participated in some public welfare activities.

Today, Lu Kai led Southgate, Kelow, Guardiola, and others to participate in the "Summit Match" at the Kent Football School.

Both teams have the best youth academy players in the entire Kent Football League.

Given that Kent County itself is not a very strong football team, these players' parent clubs are basically semi-professional teams.

It's unlikely that players like this will ever make it to professional leagues; you could say they're one in a hundred.

These young players were overjoyed to be watched and awarded by the "world's number one player" and members of the legendary Celtics team.

The so-called "pre-emptive world number one" refers to Lu Kai's fans' belief that he will win this year's Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards without any doubt, and that winning both awards in a row is enough to make him the world's number one player at this stage.

However, most Barcelona fans believe that this is just a pre-emptive expectation from Lu Kai's fans. Lu Kai cannot be considered the number one until he wins an award.

Ninety minutes later, the match in Kent was decided.

The winners' midfielder number 10, forward number 11, and center-back number 4 have qualified for trials at the Green Guns youth academy.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

This is also the purpose of Lu Kai's visit: to issue Green Gun Youth Training Camp qualifications.

But of these three, it's estimated that at most only one will be able to stay.

The Green Guns youth academy has already made a name for itself in England, and talented players in that region all prefer to join the Green Guns youth academy, even if it means leaving their home country.

“Also, there are some excellent players in the losers’ bracket.” Lu Kai looked at a tall young man in the losers’ bracket. “Chris Smalling, would you be willing to join Dartford?”

Southgate and the others applauded, but suddenly stopped halfway through.

Guardiola looked at Lu Kai in surprise: "Datford? This is... the first team?"

Lu Kai explained, "Yes, a professional contract. Of course, you can't get many opportunities in the first team right away; you still have to play in the youth team."

"But your training and everything else is with the first team."

"I have a very bright future for you. I think you have the potential to be an England international if you are serious and dedicated enough to football!"

Everyone at the scene was stunned.

The program's success far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Joyce nodded repeatedly.

Lu really knows how to handle things. This event is one of Joyce's achievements, and Lu is really giving him face!
Finding a first-team player from the youth academies of a group of semi-professional teams would have shocked Europe.

It's widely acknowledged that the Celtics' fighting power has greatly diminished at this stage, but every player in the Celtics' first team has already been targeted by fans from all walks of life. Everyone knows that in a few years, these players might just produce a few more Drogba and Arshavin!
Smalling will soon be one of them!
"Oh, he's not from a semi-professional team's youth academy; he's a school team player, an amateur player!"

Someone who knew Smalling's identity shouted it out.

The atmosphere at the scene became even more exciting.

Amateur player!

This guy is "born with a green gun"!

You should know that Green Gun fought his way up from amateur level (level 9)!
For a moment, everyone looked at Smalling.

The latter, of course, nodded without hesitation.

Looking at the young and inexperienced Smallin, Kylo felt as if he were seeing himself five years ago.

He, Kelow, is now considered a big name in English football.

Although he didn't play many matches, he won quite a few honors.

Smalling, England's new grassroots legend, has begun his journey.

(End of this chapter)