June 22, 2005.
Tilburg, Netherlands.
Youth World Cup, Round of 16.
Germany U20 versus China U20.
Although the match was being held thousands of miles away, it still drew around 6,000 Chinese fans who came to cheer for the Chinese team.
The not-so-large stands of Willem II Stadium were completely awash in red. The Chinese fans who had traveled so far had turned the place into their home ground.
"Chinese team!"
"Go!"
"Chinese team!"
"Go!"
The neat, unified chants rang out from the stands, leaving the European fans who had come to watch staring at one another, wondering whether they had come to the wrong place.
Was this the Netherlands or China?
For fans from football powerhouses like them, it was probably difficult to understand the mindset of supporters from a footballing weak nation.
With the National Football Team once again falling short in the World Cup Qualifiers, followed by its bitter defeat in last year's Asian Cup Final on home soil, Chinese football was rapidly sliding into the abyss.
At this moment, news that the China Youth Team had won all three group-stage matches, scoring an average of three goals per game and advancing forcefully into the knockout stage as group leaders, was like a shot of adrenaline. It ignited the fans' hopes and drew unprecedented attention back home.
Clearly, after missing out on the 2006 Germany World Cup, many fans had been utterly disappointed in the current National Football Team and had begun placing their hopes for its future on this China Youth Team, which the media had dubbed the Platinum Generation.
Perhaps to Europeans, this was merely an ordinary match that hardly anyone cared about.
But to Chinese fans, this was a crucial match that concerned the future of Chinese football.
This China Youth Team, known as the Platinum Generation, was naturally quite formidable.
Just three minutes into the match, China Youth Team got off to a dream start.
Chen Tao, hailed by countless domestic fans as a genius and burdened with immense expectations, struck an exquisitely angled free kick from in front of the penalty area, sending it straight into the top corner.
Germany's goalkeeper Reina did not react at all. China Youth Team struck first and opened the scoring.
"Holy shit, what a free kick! That was insane!"
"Well done, Chen Tao!"
"As expected of the Platinum Generation. They're so much better than the National Football Team!"
The National Football Team had always been known for folding in major tournaments, but this China Youth Team had the fearless momentum of newborn calves.
Against the powerful German team, they were actually playing this aggressively—and this well!
But the German team was no pushover either. They seized upon China Youth Team's lapse in concentration after scoring and equalized just a minute later through a swift counterattack.
After conceding at light speed, the fans who had just been praising China Youth Team immediately turned on them and began cursing.
"Damn it, you really can't trust these guys too much. The moment they get an advantage, they get carried away!"
"Is our midfield sleepwalking? Why didn't they stop them?"
"Fuck, Zhao Ming is slower than my pet turtle!"
"As expected of a traditional European powerhouse, Germany really is strong!"
According to the familiar script for National Football Team fans, once the Chinese team was equalized against, its morale would usually collapse. The opponent would then seize complete control, and China would ultimately lose.
But this China Youth Team under Klopp dared to fight and dared to attack. They were not the least bit timid because of that conceded goal.
After steadying themselves and weathering a wave of counterattacks from their opponents, China Youth Team launched another attack on Germany.
These young China Youth Team players had solid technique, excellent mutual understanding, and flowing attacking combinations that were a joy to watch.
The powerful German team was instead being suppressed by China Youth Team in terms of momentum.
Among them, the standout performer was China Youth Team's core, Chen Tao.
His sharp breakthroughs and dazzling dribbling drew fervent cheers and applause from the fans.
"Chen Tao is so strong. He feels a whole level above everyone else on the pitch. Is he really a player from our country?"
"Honestly, when I first saw him play, I could hardly believe it either. He's just too good!"
"A promising talent like Chen Tao must be nurtured properly. He absolutely cannot be polluted by the domestic Dye Vat!"
"That's right. Staying in a place like the Chinese Super League, where fixed matches, gambling, and black whistles run rampant, would be completely wasting him. He should be sent abroad as soon as possible. Players his age are in a crucial growth period and desperately need high-level matches to develop themselves!"
"I heard some European clubs have already taken an interest in him. I wonder if they sent scouts this time!"
"Don't worry. A major tournament like the Youth World Cup, especially one held in Europe, will definitely have scouts from Europe's major clubs in attendance. Besides, Argentina has a little monster in this Youth World Cup who's attracting a lot of attention!"
The Argentine prodigy the fans were talking about was naturally the gifted 18-year-old Rio Messi, who had come through La Masia Youth Academy.
But aside from Messi, this Youth World Cup also featured many players who would become famous throughout the Football World in the future.
Fàbregas, David Silva, Falcao, Agüero, and others had all received widespread attention from the outside world.
As a result, the match between the Chinese team and the German team had also attracted several scouts to the stadium.
After seeing Chen Tao's outstanding performance, they were naturally drawn to him as well.
"This kid is pretty good!"
"Mm. He has great instinct on the ball, solid technique, and plenty of creativity. He has the potential to become a star!"
In this era, it was not uncommon for National Football Team players to play abroad.
There had been Yang Chen in the Bundesliga before them, and Sun Jihai, Li Tie, and others in the Premier League after him.
Therefore, whether Chinese players could establish themselves in the Big Five Leagues was not really something worth questioning.
Naturally, European club scouts would not deliberately overlook players from China because of their nationality.
And when one considered the enormous market of over a billion people behind them, Chinese players became even more appealing.
The Big Five Leagues had always coveted the huge slice of cake that was the Chinese market.
But there was one condition: the player had to be good enough. Otherwise, buying someone who could not get onto the pitch would achieve nothing.
The match was fiercely contested. In the nineteenth minute of the first half, China Youth Team took the lead again through a Penalty Kick.
But Germany stubbornly equalized again before the end of the first half.
After the second half began, China Youth Team squandered several excellent opportunities. Instead, their opponents seized a chance to change the score just before the match ended.
In the seventy-eighth minute, Germany launched a rapid counterattack. Number 7 Dulla raced to the byline and crossed, while China Youth Team's defense lost track of a man, allowing German defender Matip to head the ball in at the far post.
3–2. Germany had completed the comeback!
The Germans were wildly excited after scoring, running to the sidelines to celebrate extravagantly.
When China Youth Team had trained in Germany, the two sides had faced each other before, and Germany had not gained any advantage that time.
The Germans clearly recognized and even feared the strength of this China Youth Team.
The difficulty of this match made the victory all the more precious.
That goal had essentially secured their place in the quarterfinals!
As for China Youth Team, half of one foot had already slipped into the Abyss of Eternal Damnation because of that goal.
The small number of German fans in the stands gave their team's performance thunderous applause and cast disdainful looks at the Chinese fans beside them.
German football had no shortage of talent. Among these players representing the youth team, there might not even be a single future German international.
So they could not understand why the Chinese were so crazed over a youth team match, acting as though this were the World Cup.
China Youth Team was shrouded in gloom, while in the stands, the fans who had been thrilled for most of the match now felt their hearts plunge into an icy abyss.
"It's over, it's over! Another Black Three Minutes! This familiar script!"
"Sigh, China Youth Team is probably going to lose this match!"
"They really are hopeless!"
"Looking at China Youth Team like this, the future National Football Team probably won't be worth hoping for either!"
"Disband already, you bunch of useless bastards. Stop wasting money!"
Seeing that China Youth Team was about to be killed off, fans wailed across the internet, while some hotheads began swearing outright.
Ever since that battle at Shenyang Wulihe in 2001, Chinese football seemed to have used up all its luck. Nothing had gone right over the past few years, and it had fallen step by step into the abyss.
Now, perhaps only a miracle could save China Youth Team!
After Germany scored, China Youth Team's Head Coach Klopp immediately prepared to make substitutions.
"Lin, Dong, you two get ready to come on."
"Once you're on the pitch, you need to..."
Hearing the Head Coach call his name, Dong Fangzhuo abruptly rose to his feet, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart. He could not wait even a moment and only wanted to get on the pitch immediately. The other young player seated beside him, however, appeared much calmer.
He carefully checked his equipment while attentively listening to the Head Coach's tactical instructions. Only after hearing the Head Coach's reminders did he unhurriedly walk to the sidelines, ready to enter the match.
Substitutions at such a crucial moment naturally drew particular attention. When the fans at the stadium and in front of their televisions saw who was being substituted off, they were collectively stunned.
The board raised by the fourth official showed that number 10, the absolute core of the team, was being taken off.
And within China Youth Team, the player wearing the number 10 shirt was none other than Chen Tao, the best performer of the entire match.
For a moment, the fans were completely dumbfounded.
Who was going to replace Chen Tao?
Could it be that number 23 standing beside Dong Fangzhuo?
PS: I'm deeply sorry. After my last book ended in May, I had planned to start this one immediately, but Doudou unexpectedly broke an arm in a fall, which delayed things by over a month. Along with my own procrastination, I kept putting it off until now. I'm truly sorry!
The new book is up. Please show it your support.
Before you continue