"Ferguson: Zhang Kuang is a football superstar"
"Zhang Kuang: There are only a few championship honors between me and the superstar, I will win them next summer"
"Emery: There is only one difference between Valencia and Manchester United, Zhang Kuang"
"..."
The day after the UEFA Champions League competition ended, "Tuttosport" announced the 10 candidate list for the 2010 Golden Boy Award.
Golden Boy Award is an award founded by Italy "Tuttosport" in 2003. It is specially awarded to the players under the age of 21 with the best performance in the Europe league. The judges include Europe reporters from many media, and they are very authoritative.
Previous winners: 2003 Van der Vaart, 2004 Rooney, 2005 Messi, 2006 Fàbregas, 2007 Agüero, 2008 Anderson, 2009 Pato.
The shortlist for 2010 is as follows:
1.Zhang Kuang(China/Manchester United)--19 years old
2.Balotelli(Italy/Manchester City)--20 years old
3.Götze(Germany/Borussia Dortmund)--18 years old
4.Wilshere(England/Arsenal)--18 years old
5.Thiago(Spain/Barcelona)--19 years old
6.Bojan(Spain/Barcelona)--20 years old
7.Mata(Spain/Valencia)--21 years old
8. Miralem·Pjanić(Bosnia and Herzegovina/Lyon)--20 years old
9.De Gea(Spain/Atlético Madrid)--19 years old
10.Ramsey(Wales/Arsenal)--19 years old
As soon as the list was announced, the entire football world became excited.
United Kingdom's "The Guardian" said, "Zhang Kuang is the biggest favorite of Golden Boy Award this year. His information is crushing: 5 games Premier League has 11 goals and 6 assists, and UEFA Champions League has 5 goals and 2 assists in 2 games. This data, not to mention players under the age of 21, is the only one among all Europe players."
Spain's "Marca" said, "Zhang Kuang's performance is indeed amazing, but Golden Boy Award doesn't just look at the data. We also look at the players' skills, talent, and influence on the game. From this perspective, Balotelli, Götze, and Wilshere are all strong competitors."
Italy's "Milan Sports Newspaper" said, "Zhang Kuang's information is indeed beautiful, but he has unlimited firing rights in Manchester United's tactical system.
Balotelli does not have this kind of treatment at Manchester City. If Balotelli is given the same opportunity, he can produce such information."
As soon as this comment came out, it immediately triggered a war of words.
"Balotelli? The one with brain problems? Can he compare with Zhang Kuang?"
"Balotelli Besides setting off fireworks in your own kitchen, what else do you do?"
"At the beginning of this year, in order to prove that he was better than Zhang Kuang, Balotelli summoned eight girls and showed them to the media, but he fell to the third one.
With such a brain, you want to give him Golden Boy Award? That is an insult to Golden Boy Award. After awarding the trophy to a fool, who would dare to ask for such a trophy?"
"Zhang Kuang scored eleven goals in five games. How many goals did Balotelli score in five games? Three. What's the comparison?"
"Balotelli's talent is not inferior to that of Zhang Kuang, but his brain is not very good."
"Is not having a good brain part of your talent?"
"..."
The social media of China is even more lively.
"Zhang Kuang Golden Boy Award! Stable!"
"Don't be shy, it hasn't been announced yet."
"Why should Balotelli compare with Zhang Kuang? What kind of thing is he playing?"
"Götze is also very strong, the core of Borussia Dortmund, and the hope of Germany's future."
"Wilshere is also very strong, Arsenal is a youth training treasure."
"Stop arguing, Zhang Kuang's information crushes everyone."
"What's the use of data crushing? It's journalists who vote. Reporters may vote for Europe people, but not necessarily China people."
"You're right, Europe people can be xenophobic."
"But Zhang Kuang's performance was so explosive that it would be unreasonable not to choose him."
"I hope so."
The fans of Hong Kong were even more excited.
Since Zhang Kuang transferred to Hong Kong, Hong Kong fans watched Manchester United's two consecutive games with great enthusiasm.
In bars, tea restaurants, at home, on mobile phones, wherever there is a screen, there are people watching Zhang Kuang's game.
"Zhang Kuang scored again!"
"Wow, a goal from a distance of 45 meters! I can't even kick this ball in FIFA!"
"Golden Boy Award must be Zhang Kuang!"
"It must be tied!"
"If not, I burned "Tuttosport"!"
"Upstairs, please calm down."
"I can't calm down!"
"And my wife wants to hug me tightly all the time because I have to learn Zhang Kuang radio waves all the time."
"..."
At the same time, two young people, Madrid and Barcelona, who are far away from Spain, are also paying attention to this list.
One is Cristiano·Ronaldo.
One is Rio·Messi.
They are not candidates for Golden Boy Award, they are overage.
But they are all paying attention to Zhang Kuang.
Because Zhang Kuang's information has threatened their position in Europe football.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 4 goals and 1 assist in 4 La Liga games at Real Madrid, and 1 goal and 1 assist in 2 Champions League games. In previous years, this data was already top-notch. But compared with arrogance, it seems a bit pale.
Messi In Barcelona, La Liga scored 4 goals and 2 assists in 4 games, UEFA Champions League scored 2 goals in 2 games, and was also crushed by Zhang Kuang.
Kaká is still recovering from Real Madrid, and the data is even more incomparable.
"This China guy is really strong." Cristiano Ronaldo said to his teammate Marcelo after watching the match between Valencia and Manchester United.
"Are you afraid of him?" Marcelo asked.
"Afraid?" Cristiano Ronaldo smiled, "I'm not afraid of anyone. I just think it's interesting to have a strong opponent."
So he was mobbed by reporters when he went to training in the morning.
Reporter: "Cristiano, Manchester United's new striker Zhang Kuang has performed very well recently. He said that he is just shy of the championship honors compared with the superstars. What do you think? How do you think his skills compare to yours?"
Cristiano Ronaldo sighed and shrugged, "He is right, he is indeed on the road to becoming a superstar, and his skills are really great. Whether it is headers, long shots, wing breakthroughs, grabbing points in the penalty area, etc., they are almost perfect, and he also has a great ability, that is, he is very powerful in physical confrontation.
But the road for a superstar is not that easy. The first thing is to maintain. Whether he can maintain his ability for a long time is the biggest problem. Also, winning the championship is an accidental event involving many factors, which requires luck.
I hope he can take this path well. I like his playing style very much, but it's a pity that I don't have the physical strength like him, which makes me very envious."
Reporter: "His information has surpassed yours, what do you think?"
Cristiano Ronaldo: "It means my performance during this period is not good enough, I will work hard."
Messi was asked about Zhang Kuang in an interview. He said, "Zhang Kuang is a very talented player. His body, technique, and awareness are all excellent. I am looking forward to meeting him on the UEFA Champions League field."
The reporter asked, "Do you think he will become the best in the world?"
Messi thought for a while, "He has this potential. But becoming the best in the world is not just talent. It also requires time, hard work, and opportunities."
Reporter: "What do you think he lacks?"
Messi said, "He needs time."
Reporter: "His recent goals and assists data exceeds yours. What do you think?"
Messi: "The final statistics are for one season, not for one or two games. I will work hard."
time.
This word in Zhang Kuang's dictionary has never been used for waiting.
It's for robbing.
The bus was swaying in the night, and the on-board TV was playing Sky Sports's post-match analysis.
Gary·Neville's bitter and resentful face was about to hit the camera. "Valencia had 65% of the ball in the game, 14 shots, 8 corner kicks, and three goals. This is football, friends, this is football."
Ferdinand yawned in the back row. "Gary is becoming more verbose as he gets older."
"He is jealous." Giggs didn't even raise his head, "He has never played against such a beautiful UEFA Champions League away game in his life."
Zhang Kuang was leaning against the car window, and the screen of his mobile phone was bright and dim, dimmed and bright again. Lama posted a selfie with the text "London It's raining". He replied "Manchester It's raining too". After sending it, he stared at it for a long time. He always felt that the conversation was like that of an old couple who have been married for thirty years.
--
October 1, Manchester, rain.
Outside the iron gate of Carrington Training Ground, a white Bentley Continental GT parked crookedly on the side of the road, its body covered with mud spots, like a tractor that had just been driven out of the field.
The car owner stood in the middle of the iron gate, with a shaved mohawk, wearing a bright pink T-shirt, a Armani leather jacket, sweatpants and slippers underneath.
If this outfit was placed in a fashion magazine, it would be called "deconstruction", but if placed on the street, it would be called "just escaped from a mental hospital."
He was making faces at the security guard inside the iron gate.
At this time, Zhang Kuang's big white G drove over, and he saw Balotelli standing in front of his car, waving to him
"Zhang!"
His voice was so powerful and penetrating that even the windows on the second floor of Carrington's main building shook.
Zhang Kuang Park the car and lower the windows.
"Hey, Mario, hello."
"You're finally here!" Balotelli strode over, his mohawk standing stubbornly in the rain, "I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
Zhang Kuang looked at him and said, "Wait for me? Why are you waiting for me? Your clothes are wet."
"It's not important!" Balotelli waved his hand and got straight to the point, "I want to compete with you."
"A competition? Why?" Zhang Kuang was puzzled.
Balotelli: "They all say that you are better than me, and Golden Boy Award is ranked above you, and I don't accept it. Manchester City If you give me the same support as you in Manchester United, I will not score fewer goals than you."
Zhang Kuang smiled instantly, "Oh, so that's it. Then how do you want to compete? So you want me to play a game with you? Now? Here?"
"It's not football." Balotelli shook his head, "You have teammates when you play football, and teammates will interfere with the result. What we compare is: pure, personal, and indisputable hard power."
"For example?"
Balotelli puffed up his chest and poked his chest muscles with his thumb. "Bump. You bump me, I bump you. Whoever falls first loses. Simple, direct and fair."
Zhang Kuang looked at him.
Balotelli also looked at him.
Rain fell on the shoulders of two people.
"Are you sure?" Zhang Kuang asked.
"I'm sure."
"Don't regret it?"
"Mario·Balotelli never regrets!"
Zhang Kuang sighed. He wanted to say, "Is there something wrong with your brain?", but on second thought, it was too impolite to ask. After all, the whole world knew that someone had a brain problem, and he didn't need to confirm it.
"Let's do this," Zhang Kuang got out of the car and stood in front of the car and said, "I'm standing there and I'll let you hit me. If you can knock me back a step, you win."
Balotelli's eyes widened. "You look down on me?!"
"It's not that I look down on you," Zhang Kuang said, "It's that I'm afraid of hurting you, so Manchester City wants to ask me to compensate."
Balotelli was so angry that he turned around in a circle, then nodded sharply. "Okay! You let me hit you! Don't blame me if you get hurt!"
He stepped back about ten meters and assumed the sprinting posture of a rugby player. His body leaned forward slightly and his muscles were tense, like a bull ready to go.
Not far away, behind some bushes, there was a crackling sound of long guns and short cannons.
The reporters lurking outside Carrington originally just wanted to share the regular material of "Zhang Kuang Today's Training", but they never expected that they would get the best lace of the year.
"Oh my god..." A "The Sun" reporter's hands were shaking, "Isn't this Balotelli?"
"What is he doing? Is he going to hit Zhang Kuang?"
"Stop talking, shoot! Shoot! Shoot until the card is full!"
Balotelli took a deep breath and then rushed out like a cannonball.
His speed is very fast and his impact is very fierce. If this was a rugby match, this sprint would definitely be in the top ten.
He hit Zhang Kuang's shoulder hard.
"Bang--"
The sound seemed particularly dull in the rain.
Zhang Kuang's upper body bent back like a rubber, but then, his body moved forward slightly.
Discharging force and counter-shock.
This is the principle in Tai Chi.
Balotelli At first, it felt like he was hitting a hard steel wall that wouldn't exert any force, but then the wall surged toward him with more than twice the force he had hit.
His body bounced back involuntarily, and he staggered back five or six steps. His feet slipped and he sat down on the wet grass.
He sat there, looking up at Zhang Kuang, his mohawk head tilted, his eyes full of disbelief.
"..."
The sound of shutters behind the bushes reached its peak.
"He sat down!! Zhang Kuang just deformed like a spring and bounced back, and then he sat down!!"
"I got it! I got the full face!"
"Look at his expression! He is doubting life!"
Zhang Kuang reached out his hand.
Balotelli looked at that hand and was stunned for a while, then he got up and patted the muddy water on his butt.
"Are you satisfied? If not, you can try again."
Balotelli was silent for a long time. He looked down at his shoulders, then looked up at Zhang Kuang's face, and then:
"I lost."
When he said these three words, his tone was very calm, as if he had finally solved a math problem that had been bothering him for a long time.
"Golden Boy Award I won't argue with you anymore." Balotelli said, "You are indeed tougher than me, and your information was not brushed by others for you."
"You are also very strong."
"That's for sure." Balotelli nodded, "One more question, how did you get four women at once? I only got three and I couldn't hold it anymore. I've tried it several times. Do you have any tips?"
"..." Zhang Kuang was extremely speechless, "That is a personal talent. Some people are born to be very strong in this area."
"This talent is so enviable. Let's go."
He opened the door, got in, started the engine, and then reversed the car suddenly, hitting a fire hydrant on the side of the road while reversing.
Water columns rose into the sky, forming a white fountain in the rain curtain.
Balotelli stuck his head out of the car window, glanced at the fire hydrant spraying water, then looked at Zhang Kuang, and shrugged. "This is the fire hydrant's problem, not my problem."
Then he stepped on the accelerator, and Bentley drove out of Carrington Road crookedly, leaving behind a splash of water and a stunned China striker.
The reporters behind the bushes were going crazy.
"I have been working in the industry for fifteen years and have never seen this kind of news material..."
"One lens is enough. This one lens can last for a month!"
"Hurry up! Hurry up! I've thought of the title - "Balotelli failed to challenge Zhang Kuang, angrily backed up and crashed into a fire hydrant"!"
"No, it should be called "Manchester City Shen Feng was defeated in the rain, China Kung Fu shows off its power again"!"
"You are all trash, let me say: "Mario: I lost, but the fire hydrant is fully responsible"!"
Zhang Kuang nodded to the guard.
"Old Andy, as you saw, I didn't break the fire hydrant."
Old Andy nodded. "I saw it, but didn't he drive to train? Why did he drive away?"
"??? Huh? Yes, I don't know either."
That night, the entire Manchester United team got on the bus bound for Sunderland.
Premier League's schedule is so unreasonable - UEFA Champions League has just finished playing in Spain on September 29th, will return to Manchester on September 30th, will rush to the away game on October 1st, and will play the Premier League game on October 2nd.
On the bus, except for Zhang Kuang who was still browsing the information of naturalized players on his mobile phone, everyone else was basically dozing off.
Rafael fell asleep by the window, drooling all over his shoulder.
Carrick is wearing headphones, and his head is shaking bit by bit.
Berbatov closed his eyes, crossed his hands on his abdomen, and his posture was as elegant as Egypt Pharaoh.
This rhythm is nothing to Zhang Kuang, but to the average age of Manchester United, it is indeed a torture.
Do you want to ask why Rooney didn't come?
That's right, Rooney is having a conflict with Manchester United because they can't agree on salary over contract renewal. Rooney wants too much and Manchester United is unwilling.
In order to shock Rooney, Manchester United excluded him from the roster in this match against Sunderland.
So when the bus arrived at Sunderland's hotel at 6 o'clock in the evening, Ferguson announced, "Free time tomorrow morning, gather at three o'clock in the afternoon, hit the field at five o'clock, and compete at seven forty-five."
Phelan added in a low voice beside him, "Bruce said, he invited us to dinner."
Ferguson nodded. "Okay, let him arrange everything."
The Bruce mentioned by Phelan is Steve Bruce, Sunderland head coach and Manchester United legendary central defender, the disciple of Ferguson. Back then, when Manchester United and "Class of '92" had not yet taken off, Bruce was already the anchor of the defense.
One of the most glorious moments of his career was the key championship match between Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday in 1993. He scored twice, both in stoppage time, to send Manchester United to the championship.
Later Ferguson wrote in his autobiography, "Bruce's performance that day proved that he has the heart of a champion."
Now, this "champion's heart" is sitting in Sunderland's head coach's office, staring at the tactical board in a daze.
The assistant coach walked in. "Boss, Team Manchester United is here."
"Okay."
Maybe he never imagined what kind of disgusting things Manchester United would experience in Sunderland's locker room the next day.