Team Spirit

Chapter 230 World Footballer of the Year, the Lu Era of Football

Chapter 230 World Footballer of the Year, the Lu Era of Football
On November 30th, the League Cup Round of 16 kicked off.

Newcastle United, having just defeated them in the league, fielded their youth squad for this EFL Cup match, as is their usual practice.

As a result, Green Gun showed no martial ethics.

Led by the reigning Golden Globe champion, the main lineup is going all out.

Newcastle United, who had just lost 1-0, suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat in the EFL Cup.

Newcastle United issued an official statement condemning Lu Kai: "Our players are just kids, and Dartford's brutal treatment has robbed at least five children of their football dreams!"

In response to Newcastle United's questions, the Greens stated: "Our respect for the EFL Cup remains unchanged."

“Originally, a superstar like Lu Kai would no longer need to play in the EFL Cup, but he is grateful and will always remember this competition that serves ordinary teams and players.”

"The Green Gunners' first major trophy was the League Cup, and they will never give up on that trophy in the future!"

Green Gun's words were resounding and powerful.

The EFL Cup organizing committee was so grateful they almost cried.

Green Gun still stays true to its original aspirations.

If smaller teams would choose the FA Cup over the EFL Cup without hesitation, how much more so would they choose the Premier League and the Champions League?

Dartford, however, have always given face to the EFL Cup, aiming for the title every year.

It's hard to say within the UK, but in Asia, many fans already believe that the EFL Cup is more prestigious than the FA Cup.

After all, Green Gunners got tired of winning three FA Cups, but they still haven't forgotten their original ambitions after winning five EFL Cups.

Which one is more tempting? Is there even a need to say?
December 3rd, the 15th round of the English Premier League.

Dartford defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-0 away from home after their Championship campaign ended.

Lu Kai completed an assist.

December 7th, the final round of the Champions League group stage.

This was a meaningless match for Green Gun.

The green gun was naturally used for training.

Modric will be the midfield maestro for this match, with all other key players opting out.

Even players like Marcelo, Smalling, JR Smith, Aubameyang, and Ramsey got playing time.

Villarreal were overjoyed to face the Green Gunners.

Their best deal this summer was acquiring Fran from Green Guns at a high price.

This not only greatly enhanced the team's fighting power, but also helped the team build a positive relationship.

Otherwise, how could Green Gun be handled so lightly?

Even in this final round, where there's no battle for qualification, there are still many examples of teams fielding their full strength.

Green Gun really gave us face this time.

Ultimately, thanks to Forlán's stunning long-range goal, Villarreal defeated Green Gunners 1-0, finishing with eight points!

In the crucial match between Benfica and Manchester United, United's key defender Lescott was suspended due to a red card, and Benfica regained their confidence after the game against Manchester United.

In the end, the Portuguese giants defeated Manchester United 2-1 in a last-minute victory.

Benfica finished third with six points and were relegated to the UEFA Cup knockout stage.

Manchester United finished with five points, thus failing to qualify for any European competitions and returning home in disgrace.

All of Europe was stunned.

It was expected that a Premier League team would finish at the bottom and be eliminated, but everyone thought it would be Green Gunner.

Who would have thought that Manchester United would suffer such a humiliating defeat in the end?

Manchester United's problems, both at the top and bottom, all surfaced during this failed Champions League campaign, and the dressing room instantly erupted.

The Champions League Round of 16 is now set.

Of the five Premier League teams, four – Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool – made it to the knockout stage, while only Manchester United faltered.

Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan, the three powerhouses of Serie A, have all advanced to the knockout stage.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Villarreal from La Liga have advanced to the knockout stage.

The Dutch Eredivisie and the Bundesliga each have two teams on the list: PSV Eindhoven and Ajax from the Eredivisie, and Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen from the Bundesliga.

The remaining teams are Lyon from Ligue 1 and Rangers from the Scottish Premiership.

During this period, there were very strict rules against teams from the same league, so the round of 16 matchups were basically limited to a few possible scenarios.

And the lottery results were indeed not unexpected.

Arsenal were lucky to acquire Rangers as a valuable asset.

Juventus faced Werder Bremen.

Inter Milan drew Ajax.

Real Madrid drew PSV Eindhoven.

All four groups show a clear hierarchy, with the strongest group being stronger at the beginning and weaker at the end.

But the other four groups are evenly matched, like a clash of titans.

Villarreal and Liverpool are both second-tier teams with similar strength.

Bayern Munich and AC Milan, both are championship-caliber teams.

Chelsea and Barcelona are not only top teams, but they also had a rivalry last season, and this season they are expected to continue their epic battle in the football world.

Neither Green Gun nor Leon is particularly strong, but they are evenly matched.

However, the two teams' situations in the league are vastly different.

Green Gunners are currently only 15th in the Premier League.

Lyon are currently top of Ligue 1, far ahead of the leaders.

Lyon also boasts two of the "Four Little Swans" of France – Ben Arfa and Benzema.

The team has a perfect blend of veterans, middle-aged players, and young talents. While it may not be considered a top-tier powerhouse, it has already reached the peak of its roster's strength.

Compared to the Green Guns, they still have a slight advantage.

……

December 11th, Premier League Round 16.

Dartford will face Manchester United away from home.

This is the fourth time the two teams have faced off this season.

Apart from winning their first league match, the Red Devils lost both Champions League matches, losing everything in the process.

This is the second time the two teams have met in the league.

Compared to the previous three times, people are more optimistic about Green Gun this time.

Green Expo Museum Cafe.

"I don't care about other matches, but if anyone lets our Green Guns down in this match, I, Ashley Young, will be the first to object!"

Ashley Young threw the rag he was holding onto the table with a triumphant air.

Modric, who has always been at odds with him, surprisingly supported him this time: "We have three reasons why we are certain to win this battle!"

"Firstly, Manchester United's elimination from European competition has shattered their morale, so they are no longer a concern!"

"Secondly, we will field our first-team lineup against Manchester United's reserve team, employing a strategy similar to the ancient Chinese proverb 'Tian Ji's horse racing'!"

"Thirdly... this is the last match before the FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony. We must fight for Lu, and help him win his fourth world number one trophy in his career in a glorious and indisputable manner!"

"This is the only thing we can do for Lu, the number one person in the world!"

The players on site were extremely excited, raising their arms and shouting, "Number one in the world!"

"Number one in the world!"

Liu Shishi and Liu Yifei could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Liu Yifei said, "I've never seen a Chinese player so popular at a foreign event. I don't understand football, is Lu really that good?"

Liu Shishi nodded. She had been with Green Gunners for half a year and had gained a deep understanding of the European football environment and level: "In the current football world, anyone who has won the Ballon d'Or or FIFA World Player of the Year can be confirmed to be in the world's top tier."

“Some players who did not win awards but continued to shine and were extremely popular, such as Henry and Ronaldinho, can also be considered to have made it into this category.”

"Players who win both awards can basically be considered to have been the world's number one player for a period of time. For example, Figo and Rivaldo."

"Only three players have done it more than twice: Zidane with four times and Ronaldo with five times."

“Lu Kai has won three times so far. If he wins again in a couple of days, he will be on par with Zidane.”

"But... he won both major awards for two consecutive years, a dominance that even Ronaldo never possessed."

"Looking back, fans will realize that Lu Kai was undoubtedly the world's number one player between 2003 and 2005."

"So this award, while seemingly tying for second place in the world, actually surpasses the world's number one! It is of great significance!"

FIFA will also make a big fuss about it.

At this point, Liu Shishi expressed some regret.

Because this awards ceremony was so grand, she couldn't walk the red carpet with Lu Kai despite her status. It took a lot of effort from various parties in China to finally confirm Liu Yifei as the other candidate.

Of course, with her exposure in the European entertainment scene, Liu Shishi could easily catch up with Liu Yifei's status and become a top star in China after returning to China next year and filming just one or two big-budget productions.

Perhaps next time Lu Kai receives an award, Liu Shishi should accompany him on the red carpet again.

Soon, the Green Gun, full of momentum, headed to Manchester.

The result was astonishing. Manchester United's morale was incredibly low at their home ground, resembling that of stray dogs.

Coupled with their impressive roster rotations, they ultimately suffered a crushing 1-6 defeat at the hands of Green Gunners.

Lu Kai completed a hat-trick in the first half, displaying incredible skill.

This is like sacrificing Manchester United, a super club, for his chance to retain the FIFA World Player of the Year title!
Manchester Evening News: "Manchester United suffer a humiliating third defeat, Ferguson's third stint ends in failure! The Red Devils desperately need a superhero to save them!"

BBC: "With 18 goals and 4 assists in 16 Premier League appearances, Lu Kai's efficiency is unmatched, and he may be a contender for the European Golden Boot this season!"

Sky Sports: "Lu Kai's hat-trick in his last match before winning the FIFA World Player of the Year award is unstoppable."

Kicker: "No suspense for the FIFA World Player of the Year; Lampard and Shevchenko face off against the most dominant player in history!"

Mundo Deportivo: "Although Lu Kai is likely to win an award this year, judging from the overall strength of the Green Gunners, he will no longer be able to win the two major awards in the future!"

Daily Sports: "Lu Kai has ushered in his final glory! After this award ceremony, football will enter the Barcelona era and the Ronaldinho era!"

……

On December 14th, the FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony was held at the Zurich Opera House in Switzerland.

The ceremony was attended by more than a thousand guests.

One hundred and fifty media outlets reported on the scene.

It was broadcast to television stations in more than 180 countries and regions around the world.

The awards ceremony was hosted by Arsenal legend and England's famous striker Ian Wright and former Miss Switzerland and Lothar Matthäus' ex-wife Morena.

The theme is "When Football Meets Him".

The organizers also invited the Zurich Ballet and the Zhongguo Guojia Flying Dance Troupe to perform at the awards ceremony.

The latter performance, inspired by the "flying apsaras" image in the Dunhuang murals, has amazed the world.

From this single element of Chinese culture, it's easy to see who the biggest beneficiary of today's awards ceremony is.

More than fifty football stars walked the red carpet this time.

Among them, the "Green Gun Gang" was particularly dazzling.

Chelsea's Arshavin, Madeira, and Drogba; Real Madrid's Essien and Cannavaro; AC Milan's Gilardino; Villarreal's Forlan; Barcelona's Toure; and Juventus' Amorim were all selected.

They're almost ready to form an all-around best lineup.

Unfortunately, these are all former Green Gunners players.

Currently, Lu Kai is the only active green-armored player.

This year's red carpet event caused a sensation in the country.

After all, Lu Kai and Liu Yifei are both extremely popular stars, and their pairing on the red carpet this time gives them a rather golden couple feel.

Foreign fans, having seen so many white female celebrities, were quite curious about the Chinese beauties this time, and it was a refreshing change for them.

After the awards ceremony officially began, the first award presented was the "Fair Play Award".

The award winner is Iquitos, Peru, which hosted the U17 World Championships this year.

The Peruvian Minister of Sports personally went on stage to accept the award.

The second award is the "Esports World Footballer of the Year" award.

This is the second edition of the award.

The first winner was Ashley Young, the vice GOAT for the Green Guns.

He overtook a host of England stars by taking a shortcut and caught up with Lu Kai.

Unfortunately, he only achieved fourth place in the football game this year.

"Now, let's welcome Mr. Esports to the stage, his name is... Luka Modric!"

There was constant applause at the scene.

Modric, who was next to Ashley Young, stood up.

The former stared in disbelief, shaking his head repeatedly: "No, this is impossible, this..."

Modric smiled slightly and gave Ashley Young a warm hug: "Sorry, senior!"

Ashley Young's teeth were practically grinding to powder.

Fans from all walks of life also started discussing it:
"Is the esports atmosphere at Green Gun really that good?"

"I heard that Lu Kai himself also plays World of Warcraft and Fantasy Westward Journey."

"It is said that Dartford has also formed professional teams for CS and StarCraft, preparing to make some moves in the e-sports field."

"Whether it makes money or not doesn't matter, the main thing is that Lu Kai likes these things."

Ashley Young, watching Modric give his acceptance speech, sarcastically remarked, "No wonder his football skills haven't improved much; he's been spending all his time playing video games."

"I'm different. I corrected my mistakes in time and devoted all my energy to the team."

Alfred, standing to the side, shook his head and said, "You can't say that. Modric plays football games to study tactics and understand his opponents."

"This has been registered with Lu Kai."

Ashley Young gave a pitiful "oh".

I never expected Modric to be so meticulous in his work.

What a dog!
The next award sparked controversy, with many players booing from the crowd.

The award is the "FIFA Zhu Xi Special Award," and the recipient is former Swedish referee Frisk.

He officiated the highly controversial Champions League match between Chelsea and Barcelona last season.

After the match, Mourinho accused Rijkaard of "illegally touching" Frisk during halftime.

The English media subsequently launched a fierce attack.

Frisk then angrily announced that he was "hanging up."

It seems that FIFA is backing him up now.

In his acceptance speech, Frisk said, "Over the years, I have protected the game and the players in football. I hope that players, referees, and fans in football will keep asking themselves, what can they do for football!"

The implication is that Mourinho and Chelsea have only brought controversy, injuries, doubts, and violence to football.

He himself brought fairness to football.

The Chelsea players on the sidelines booed.

Unfortunately, Chelsea has brought in a lot of players this year.

The scene became quite awkward.

Then came the FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award, which German player Prinz won for three consecutive years, setting a record.

Ghana won the "Most Improved Team" award.

The "Best Team" award went to England.

This marks the third consecutive year that England has won the award under Lu Kai's leadership, setting a new record.

Then there's the FIFA World XI:
Henry, Lu Kai, Shevchenko

Ronaldinho, Lampard, Gerrard, Kaka

Maldini, Nesta, Cannavaro