Awakening the Messi template, Florentino Pérez begs me to join Real Madrid

Chapter 88: The Golden Cup, A Young Legend!

The podium was set up in the center circle, with a red carpet laid out from the players' tunnel.

First, the runner-up received the award.

The Shanghai East Asia players walked onto the podium one by one with their heads down. Football Association officials pinned silver medals on them, patted them on the shoulder, and said things like, "The game was great, don't be discouraged."

Wu Lei was the last one to walk.

He took the silver medal, glanced at it, then took it off and held it in his hand.

He paused as he walked past Wu Shi.

"Congratulations."

Wu Shi looked at him.

Wu Lei smiled, but the smile was somewhat bitter.

"Stone, you've improved really fast. From the first time I met you until now, good luck in the AFC Champions League final. No domestic club has ever won the AFC Champions League, and I hope you can win it."

Bullet comments:

"Wu Lei has a good sense of perspective."

"Wu Lei, I heard Shi Tou is going to Europe next season. When are you going too?"

"The Dual Martial Arts Alliance has a promising future."

"A silver medal is nothing to be ashamed of; Wu Lei has been amazing this season."

Next up is the champion.

"Guangzhou Evergrande!!!!

The MC drew out his voice, and Tianhe Stadium instantly erupted in cheers.

Wu Shi stood in the middle of the team, following his teammates step by step onto the podium.

Zheng Zhi was the first to receive the gold medal, raising it towards the stands. Then came Gao Lin, Feng Xiaoting, Conca…

When it was Wu Shi's turn, he took a step forward.

The award was presented by a leader from the Football Association, who smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then hung the gold medal around his neck. He extended his left hand.

"Very good, very good. I have high hopes for you. You have set an example for all young players, no, for all Chinese players. I hope you will continue to work hard."

Wu Shi nodded modestly, said some polite words, and shook hands with the other party.

Then comes the trophy.

Zheng Zhi, as captain, received the FA Cup with both hands. The cup has a silver body and a gold base.

He held it high.

"We are the champions!!!!"

The entire stadium roared in unison, "We are the champions!"

Fireworks burst forth from all around the stadium, their golden and red hues illuminating the night sky.

Confetti rained down from the sky, landing on the players' heads and shoulders.

Wu Shi looked up and watched the colorful ribbons float down.

A ribbon landed on the tip of his nose, he blinked, and smiled.

Bullet comments:

"Champion! Champion! Champion!"

"Hengda Double Champions!"

"Wu Shi's first full season: two championships!"

"This kid is awesome!"

"Don't forget, Guangzhou Evergrande reached the AFC Champions League final! They could win the treble in their first season! My God!!"

Next up is the Best Player award ceremony.

"2011 Chinese Football Association Cup Tournament Best Player Award"

The MC deliberately dragged out his words, and the entire audience fell silent, waiting for that name to be called.

"Wu-shi-!!!!"

Fifty-five thousand people cheered at the same time.

Wu Shi was stunned for a moment.

This is the first time he has won the Player of the Year award in a full-fledged competition.

Although he was named the Golden Boy at the AFC U-19 Championship, he wasn't strictly speaking the best player.

Zheng Zhi gave him a push: "What are you standing there for? Go up there."

Wu Shi realized what was happening and walked to the center of the podium.

The football association leader handed him a crystal trophy, transparent with the words "Best Player" engraved on it. He took it; it was heavy, heavier than he had imagined.

Flashes of light came from all around, blinding Wu Shi.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked towards the fans' stands.

In the sea of red, some people held up his posters, some waved scarves, and some gave him a thumbs up.

He saw a group of children holding up light boards in the southeast corner of the stands, which read "Wu Shi is awesome!!!!!"

The light sign was hand-painted, crooked and uneven, but it was lit with great care.

Wu Shichong waved his hand.

He waved over there.

The children screamed and jumped up and down, calling his name.

Bullet comments:

"Wu Shi's wave was so heartwarming."

"I could watch this scene ten times."

"The Best Player award is well-deserved."

When they walked around the field to express their gratitude, Wu Shi walked at the very back of the group.

He had a gold medal around his neck, held the Best Player trophy in his left hand, and a huge scarf in his right, ready to throw it to the fans.

He paused when he reached the east grandstand.

There was a fan there, with gray hair, wearing a Evergrande jersey, holding up a sign.

The sign read: "Wu Shi, a boy from Shaanxi, the pride of Guangzhou. A future legend of China!!"

Wu Shi felt a lump in his throat.

He walked over and tossed the scarf he was holding to the old fan.

The fan caught it, so excited he almost fell over, and someone next to him caught him. He held up the scarf, and Takeshi waved vigorously.

Wu Shichong bowed.

The older fan paused for a moment, then bent down and returned the greeting.

Bullet comments:

"Holy crap, this scene is unbelievable!"

"Shaanxi's children, Guangzhou's pride, China's future legends! Who wrote this slogan? Next year, in the new FIFA game, I'll be playing the 'Become a Star' mode, and I'll use Wu Shi as my character. I hope the character models will be somewhat accurate."

"What are you thinking upstairs? FIFA's character modeling of Chinese players is... well, let's just say it's questionable."

"Don't panic, I've got you covered. I'll make a patch and upload it to GamerSky!"

"I cried when Takeshi bowed."

"Football is really more than just football."

After circling the field, his teammates were still fooling around. Someone lifted Lippi up and tossed him into the air, and the old man, unusually, smiled, grumbling as he told them to put him down.

Wu Shi did not join them.

He stood in the center circle, watching it all unfold.

The ribbons were still fluttering, the fireworks were still going off, and the teammates were still laughing.

He looked down at the trophy in his hand and then touched the gold medal around his neck.

Less than two years ago, he was still in the U19 team of the China League One and almost got scolded and sent home by Coach Chen.

He is now the Chinese Super League champion, the Chinese FA Cup champion, and the Chinese FA Cup Best Player.

He recalled Yin's disdainful expression when he first received the system:

"Your hexagon is so crooked, it looks like a pizza that got caught in a door."

He recalled his first professional match, where he was completely outplayed by players from the China League One, making him look like an idiot.

He recalled the trash talk Kim Min-jae made after nutmegging him during the AFC Champions League match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

He recalled the penalty shootout where he missed, and Li Shuai said, "Raise your head, we won."

He remembered Yin's last words before he disappeared: "Play well, don't embarrass yourself."

He looked up at the night sky.

The fireworks are still exploding.

"Gin, did you see that?"

no respond.

But he seemed to hear that familiar voice, tinged with the usual disdain:

"I saw it, I saw it. It's just a lousy award, nothing serious. Is it really worth crying over?"

Wu Shi smiled.

He lowered his head and continued walking forward.

As he walked to the entrance of the players' tunnel, he glanced back at the stadium.

Red seats, red scarves, red lights.

Fifty-five thousand people were still cheering.

He turned around and walked into the passageway.

The trophy felt heavy in my arms.

Back in the locker room, Wu Shi placed the trophy on the cabinet and sat down.

My phone kept vibrating.

The teammate group chat was flooded with 999+ messages, his mom sent over a dozen voice messages, Zhang Hao sent a bunch of "Holy crap, awesome!" messages, and there were also several congratulatory text messages from unknown numbers.

He opened Su Qianqian's chat window.

Su Qianqian: "Brother Shi Tou! I watched the live stream! You looked so handsome when you went on stage to accept the award!"

Su Qianqian: "That MVP trophy is so beautiful!"

Su Qianqian: "I almost cried when you bowed at the end..."

Su Qianqian: "Are you still there?"

Wu Shi smiled and typed:

"Yes. Just got back to the locker room."

The other party replied instantly:

"Are you tired?"

Wu Shi: "I'm physically tired, but I feel great."

Takeshi: "Yeah. What about you? Do you have class tomorrow?"

Su Qianqian: "Go. But I can't sleep, I'm too excited."