The Genius of the Youth World Cup

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 attracted approximately 6,000 Chinese fans to the stadium to cheer for the Chinese team.

The stands of Willem II Stadium, which were not particularly large, were completely filled with red, as the Chinese fans who had traveled from afar turned the venue into their own home turf.

"China!"

"Go!"

"China!"

"Go!"

The synchronized chants echoing through the stands left the local European fans who had come to watch the match looking at each other in confusion, some even wondering if they had come to the wrong place.

Was this really in the Netherlands, or was it in China?

For fans from football powerhouses like theirs, it was likely difficult to understand the mindset of fans from a footballing backwater.

With the national team having once again crashed out of the World Cup Qualifiers and suffered a bitter defeat in the Asian Cup Final held on home soil last year, Chinese football was accelerating its slide into the abyss.

Yet, the news that the Youth National Team had won all three of their group stage matches, averaging three goals per game, and had advanced to the knockout stage as group winners, acted like a shot of adrenaline, igniting the hopes of the fans and drawing unprecedented attention back home.

Clearly, after missing out on the 2006 Germany World Cup, many fans had become utterly disappointed with the current national team and began pinning their hopes on this youth squad, hailed by the media as the Platinum Generation.

Perhaps to the Europeans, this was just an ordinary match that no one cared about.

But for the Chinese fans, this was a crucial game that concerned the future of Chinese football.

This youth squad, hailed as the Platinum Generation, was undeniably talented.

Just three minutes into the match, the youth team enjoyed a dream start.

Chen Tao, a player on whom countless domestic fans pinned their hopes and who was dubbed a genius, curled a free kick from a tricky angle just outside the penalty area, sending it straight into the top corner of the net.

German goalkeeper Reina was left completely motionless, and the youth team drew first blood to take the lead.

"Holy crap, that free kick was insane!"

"Well done, Chen Tao!"

"They really are the Platinum Generation, way better than the national team!"

The national team had always been known as "soft-footed shrimp" in major tournaments, but this youth squad possessed the spirit of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger.

Facing the powerful German team, they were playing with such aggression and such quality!

However, the German team was no pushover. They exploited the youth team's lapse in concentration after the goal, and just one minute later, they utilized a quick counterattack to rapidly equalize the score.

After conceding at lightning speed, the fans who had just been praising the youth team immediately turned on them, beginning to curse loudly:

"Damn it, I really shouldn't trust these guys; they get carried away the moment they have an advantage!"

"Is our midfield sleepwalking? Why didn't anyone stop them!"

"Damn it, this Zhao Ming is slower than my pet turtle!"

"The German team truly lives up to their reputation as a traditional European powerhouse; they are strong indeed!"

According to the script familiar to fans of the Chinese national team, after being equalized, the team would usually lose their composure, allow the opponent to take full control, and eventually suffer defeat.

But this youth squad under Klopp was daring and fought hard, showing no signs of timidity despite the goal conceded.

After steadying their nerves and weathering a wave of counterattacks from the opponent, the youth team launched another offensive against the German side.

These young players possessed solid technical skills and excellent chemistry, playing a fluid and aesthetically pleasing brand of attacking football.

The powerful German team found themselves suppressed by the youth squad in terms of momentum.

Among them, the most outstanding performer was the core of the youth team, Chen Tao.

His sharp breakthroughs and beautiful dribbling drew enthusiastic cheers and applause from the fans.

"Chen Tao is so strong; it feels like he's a level above everyone else on the pitch. Is he really a player from our country?"

"To be honest, when I first saw him play, I couldn't believe it either. He's just too good!"

"A talent like Chen Tao must be nurtured properly; he must not be contaminated by the dye vat of the domestic league!"

"Exactly, keeping him in the Chinese Super League where fixed matches, gambling, and corrupt officiating are rampant is just wasting his potential. He needs to be sent abroad to study as soon as possible. A player of his age is in a growth phase and desperately needs high-level matches to hone himself!"

"I heard there are European clubs already eyeing him. I wonder if they sent scouts this time!"

"Don't worry, with a major tournament like the Youth World Cup being held in Europe, scouts from all the major European clubs will definitely be there. Besides, in this Youth World Cup, there's a little monster from Argentina who is receiving a lot of attention!"

The Argentine monster the fans were talking about was, naturally, the 18-year-old genius from the La Masia youth academy, Rio Messi.

But besides Messi, there were many other players in this Youth World Cup who would go on to become famous in the football world.

Players such as Fàbregas, David Silva, Falcao, and Agüero have all received widespread attention from the outside world.

Influenced by this, the match between the Chinese team and the German team also attracted several scouts to come to the scene for evaluation.

Upon seeing the brilliant performance of Chen Tao, they were naturally captivated.

"This young man is quite good!"

"Indeed, he has a lot of flair in his play, good footwork, and is very creative. He has the potential to become a star player!"

In this era, there are quite a few players from the national team studying abroad.

There was Yang Chen in the Bundesliga, followed by Sun Jihai and Li Tie in the Premier League.

Therefore, whether Chinese players can establish themselves in the Big Five Leagues is not a question worth doubting.

Scouts from European clubs naturally would not deliberately ignore players from China because of this.

If one also considers the massive market of over a billion people behind them, Chinese players become even more appealing.

For the Big Five Leagues, they have always been eyeing the huge cake that is the Chinese market.

But there is a prerequisite: the player's individual strength must be sufficient; otherwise, buying someone who cannot get playing time will not yield any results.

The situation in this match was extremely tense. In the 19th minute of the first half, the Youth National Team took the lead again by utilizing a penalty kick.

However, the German team tenaciously equalized the score before the end of the first half.

After the second half began, the Youth National Team missed several good opportunities in succession, and instead, the opponent seized a chance to change the score just before the match ended.

In the 78th minute, the German team launched a fast counterattack. Number 7 Dulla crossed the ball from the byline, and the Youth National Team's defense line missed their mark, allowing the opposing defender Matip to head the ball into the net at the far post.

3:2, the German team completed the comeback!

The Germans were ecstatic after the goal and ran to the sidelines to celebrate wildly.

When the Youth National Team was training in Germany, the two teams had played against each other, and the German team did not gain any advantage that time.

The Germans clearly recognized and were even wary of the strength of this Youth National Team.

The fact that this match was played so difficultly made this victory even more precious.

This goal basically confirmed that they would advance to the quarterfinals!

As for the Youth National Team, because of this conceded goal, they had one foot already in the Abyss of Eternal Damnation.

The few German fans in the stands applauded their team's performance enthusiastically and cast disdainful looks at the Chinese fans nearby.

German football is full of talent, and among these players representing the youth team, there might not even be one future German international.

So they could not understand why the Chinese were so crazy about a youth team match, acting as if it were the World Cup.

The mood on the Youth National Team side was gloomy, and in the stands, the fans who had been excited for most of the match now felt their hearts sink into an ice cellar.

"It's over, it's over, the Black Three Minutes again! This familiar script!"

"Sigh, I'm afraid the Youth National Team is going to lose this match!"

"They really are rotten mud that cannot be put on the wall!"

"Looking at the Youth National Team like this, I'm afraid there's no hope for the future of Chinese football!"

"Just disband! A bunch of bastard things, stop wasting money!"

Seeing that the Youth National Team was about to be defeated by a game winning goal, the fans wailed online, and some with hot tempers even started cursing directly.

Ever since the battle at Shenyang Wulihe in 2001, Chinese football seemed to have exhausted its luck; in recent years, everything has gone wrong, falling into the abyss step by step.

Now, perhaps only a miracle could save the Youth National Team!

The head coach of the Youth National Team, Klopp, immediately prepared to make substitutions after the German team scored:

"Lin, Dong, you two get ready to go on."

"After you two go on, you must..."

Hearing the head coach call their names, Dong Fangzhuo, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, stood up abruptly. He could not wait a moment longer and just wanted to get on the field immediately, while the other young player sitting beside him appeared much calmer.

He carefully checked his equipment while listening attentively to the head coach's tactical arrangement. Only after hearing the head coach's instructions did he walk to the sideline unhurriedly to prepare to enter the game.

This kind of substitution at a critical moment is always particularly eye-catching, and when the fans at the scene and in front of the television saw clearly who was being substituted off, they were collectively shocked.

On the board held up by the fourth official on the sideline, the number 10, representing the absolute core, was being substituted off.

And within the Youth National Team, the one wearing the number 10 jersey was none other than Chen Tao, who had the best performance of the entire match.

For a moment, the fans were collectively bewildered.

Who was going to replace Chen Tao?

Could it be that Number 23 standing next to Dong Fangzhuo?

PS: I am very sorry. After the last book finished in May, I intended to start a new book immediately, but I didn't expect Doudou to break his arm, which delayed things for more than a month. Coupled with my own procrastination, it has dragged on until now. I am truly very sorry!

The new book is uploaded, please take care of it, everyone.