The race will be finished on the 28th, and there will be a race on the 1st of January. This devilish schedule on Christmas and New Year's Day is really quite devilish.
Fortunately, there are still three days of rest in between.
December 30, Paris.
The city passed by the Seine River is immersed in the hustle and bustle of New Year's Eve. The lights on Eiffel Tower are shining, the plane trees are hung with colorful lights on both sides of Champs-Élysées, and the air is filled with the smell of champagne and roasted chestnuts.
The streets are full of couples and tourists taking photos with wine glasses. There are faint sounds of yelling, cheering, and fireworks in the distance. You can't find the specific location. It may be in a certain alley.
In addition to these, there are also some dark-skinned people who are busy walking through the crowd, using their extremely fast skills to complete the KPI for the last two days of the year. If they do not complete the KPI, some people may not live until January 1st, because the KPI in 2011 is another number.
But Zhang Kuang is not concerned about New Year's Eve fireworks at the moment.
In the evening, he booked a private room in a high-end restaurant near Champs-Élysées and invited a group of special guests: all the team members of Hong Kong Football Team and the relevant management staff of the Football Association (mainly He Qigang), as well as several naturalized players.
There were about forty people in total, and everyone was a little reserved at first, but under the atmosphere of Zhang Kuang, He Qigang, and Guo Jingjing, and with a few glasses of wine, everyone soon started chatting.
The heating in the private room was turned on at full speed, and a thin layer of water vapor condensed on the window. Outside the window, the lights of Champs-Élysées were bright, and the traffic was flowing like a weave.
"I brought you all to Paris for dinner on New Year's Eve. Didn't it delay your date?" Zhang Kuang raised his glass and said with a smile.
He Qigang waved his hand. "If you have family members like us, you are helping us date."
"Haha..."
After everyone has finished laughing, Zhang Kuang continues.
"I'm really sorry. Manchester United's schedule is too tight recently and I don't have time to get together with you all. So I can only work hard for everyone to travel thousands of miles to come to this foreign country.
In fact, I have no other idea, I just hope to get familiar with my teammates. Although I have never returned to the team for training and competition, it is not that I am arrogant or anything.
In fact, it is not cost-effective for me to rush back for some games, and it does not bring any benefit to our Hong Kong Football Team ball, so I have no choice but not to go back. I hope everyone can understand this."
"Understood, understood, Mr. Zhang no need to explain, in fact everyone can understand your situation." Captain Fan Chun-yip said with a smile and waved his hand.
Zhang Kuang: "Thank you very much, captain and teammates, for your understanding. Come, come, come, I respect you all!"
A few people had a drink. After the meal, several naturalized players left separately. Some hurried back to the hotel, and some invited friends to play something else. Zhang Kuang gave them tickets for West Brom to play Manchester United on January 1 and invited them to watch the game.
Zhang Kuang went back to the villa and is going to have an early New Year's Eve event with the girls tonight.
But before that, he had to go back to his agency to record a New Year's Eve video. This was a promotional activity he requested, aiming to attract a wave of fans and establish a good image on New Year's Day.
When we arrived at the brokerage company, Jonathan and others were already waiting.
It's rare that at France, you can actually find people who can work overtime. Isn't it true that even if you pay a lot of money at Europe, people are unwilling to work overtime?
Without thinking about these ridiculous problems, under the arrangement of the company, he ran to the studio and started to prepare for recording in front of the already set up cameras.
He adjusted his body posture, cleared his throat, and spoke to the camera in Mandarin: "Hello everyone, I am Zhang Kuang. The New Year's bell of 2011 is about to ring. I wish all the fans and friends who support me a happy New Year, good health, and all the best. Thank you for your company this year.
At the same time, I also hope that everyone will continue to support me in the new year. I will repay the support of the fans with more goals, assists and wonderful on-field performances.
At the same time, in order to thank the fans for their support over the past year, I organized a lottery for signed jerseys, signed sneakers, and signed photos.
The specific lottery activities are as follows. I will draw fans who support me under my personal certified account on the four platforms Twitter, Facebook, Weibo, and INS, and then send relevant prizes to everyone.
For the specific method, you can see the detailed introduction on my lottery page. Therefore, all fans and friends, you are welcome to actively participate in the lottery.
In addition, in the new year of 2011, 50 winning fans will be selected from my account every month, and they will be given two tickets for key games in that month, and the cost of round-trip air tickets and two-day accommodation will be included.
Fans are requested to participate in this event in time every month. Generally, tickets for the next month will be drawn in the same month. They are limited to league and UEFA Champions League events. National team events are limited to China fans from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Finally, I once again wish all the fans who follow me a Happy New Year and all the best in 2011!"
After recording the Mandarin version, he switched to Cantonese and said it again, and then switched to English, French, Spain, Italy, and German.
After the video recording is completed, the rest will be handed over to the agency. Can't they just handle this little thing? Then he has to change his agency.
Facts have proved that not only did they do a good job, they also did an outstanding job.
After Zhang Kuang left the company, he drove to Paris's villa, where there were many girls waiting to spend New Year's Day with him in advance.
Zhang Kuang After seeing his masterpiece with satisfaction, he drove to the airport. He could buy a first-class seat for 500 euros and arrived Manchester in an hour and a half.
In fact, in the early morning of that day, another message quietly detonated the United Kingdom media.
"Daily Mirror" was the first to break the exclusive news. "Manchester United will sell Nani in the winter window, and Mexico forward Javier·Hernández has become the number one signing target."
This message was quickly reprinted by "Manchester Evening News", "The Sun" and "The Guardian".
There was no immediate response from Manchester United, but information sources showed that the relationship between Nani and Ferguson had completely broken down. Especially after Zhang Kuang joined, Nani's playing time was further compressed, and the conflict between the two parties became public.
There is even news that Nani has made it clear in the locker room that he "does not want to be teammates with Zhang Kuang anymore."
Zhang Kuang saw the relevant newspaper reports on the plane. He was shocked. He really didn't know that such a thing existed.
However, many transfers are hidden underwater at first and are basically completed by the time they surface.
When Zhang Kuang arrived at Carrington Training Ground, he found that the atmosphere was a little subtle.
The players were whispering to each other in twos and threes in the locker room. Rooney was sitting in the corner, brushing his cell phone with his head down, his brows furrowed.
Berbatov was leaning in front of the locker and looking through the reports of "Daily Mirror". When he saw Zhang Kuang coming in, he raised his eyelids. "Did you see it?"
Zhang Kuang took the newspaper and glanced at it. "See, Nani wants to leave?"
Berba lowered his voice. "The club wants to sell him for Hernández. Everyone is guessing whether it's because of you."
Zhang Kuang was stunned. "Because of me?"
Rooney put down the phone. "Don't you know? Since you came, Nani's playing time has been reduced by more than half. The previous conflicts have been reported by the media.
Now that the club wants to sell him, everyone's first reaction must be that you squeezed him away. Nani didn't even come to training today, how do you explain this?"
Zhang Kuang frowned. "I'm here to play football, not to engage in office politics. He can't play because he's not in good condition. What does that have to do with me? I didn't tell Sir Alex, 'It's me but not him'."
Berba shrugged. "Of course we know it has nothing to do with you, but Nani doesn't necessarily think so. His personality is inherently sensitive, and with last year's decline in form and Ferguson criticizing him all the time, he must be simmering with anger. You are now the team's number one star, so he will naturally point the finger at you."
Rooney sighed, "Forget it, leave him alone. The club has the final say regarding the winter window. We can just play football with peace of mind."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ferguson opened the door and walked into the locker room, holding a tactical board in his hand, followed by the coaching staff.
The old man glanced around, his eyes stopped on Zhang Kuang for a second, and then said, "Let's take a look at the roster for tomorrow's game, and then everyone who has made it to the roster will prepare. We will leave for West Brom in an hour."
The starting lineup for the game against West Brom was posted on the tactical board. Zhang Kuang noticed that Nani's name was not among them.
"I don't care about the gossip before the game," Ferguson's voice was not loud, but every word was very weighty, "I only care about the performance on the court.
The away game against West Brom was difficult. Although they lost three games in a row, the Hawthorns has never been an easy place to score points. We need to concentrate and play every game as a final."
He paused and looked at Zhang Kuang: "The lottery you sent out this morning is good and has a strong sense of marketing. But if we don't score a goal in today's game, the fans will probably ask you to refund their tickets."
The locker room burst into laughter and the atmosphere became a little more relaxed.
Zhang Kuang smiled and shook his head, "If we can't score, I will pay for them to make up a game myself."
Ferguson turned to Rooney: "Wayne, has your calf injury healed?"
Rooney stamped his feet. "Okay, no problem."
"Okay, Gary, I will send you to the starting lineup tomorrow. Tomorrow is your 400th game Premier League, don't screw it up for me."
Gary·Neville nodded with a serious expression. The 35-year-old old captain sat in the corner with a firm gaze, but everyone could see that his physical condition was not as good as before.
On the other hand, early in the morning, several major platforms of Zhang Kuang sent out New Year blessing videos, which also introduced lottery benefits. As soon as the message was sent out, the comment area exploded.
"What the hell? 400 signed jerseys + 400 pairs of signed sneakers + 1,200 signed photos? Zhang Kuang, I love you to death. As your old fan for 19 years, I finally waited for you to receive benefits."
"Giving away 100 game tickets every month and including flights and hotels??? This marketing is too ruthless!"
"Stop talking, I have already participated in the lottery, and I have already sent people over to participate. Zhang Kuang If you dare to operate in a black box, I will never end it with you."
"This is the real fan! Other stars should learn from it!"
"After watching football for so many years, this is the first time I see a star paying for tickets and hotels for his fans. Zhang Kuang Are you here to play football or for charity?"
"Wow, there are so many language versions? I didn't expect that Zhang Kuang can speak so many languages?"
"..."
Even many sports media have noticed this development.
The football column of "The Guardian" immediately posted. "Zhang Kuang's fan marketing has shocked the entire football world. 100 football tickets per month plus air tickets and hotel expenses will cost at least 100,000 pounds in a year."
This kind of work, not to mention young players, even many top superstars in the past have not done this. Zhang Kuang is redefining the relationship between stars and fans."
"Daily Mail" joked, "Zhang Kuang is a scoring machine on the court and a marketing genius off the court. Other stars are still negotiating contracts with sponsors, but he has already spent his own money to buy fans.
If this move continues, his social media attention is expected to increase again, and other star players' agents are probably already meeting overnight to discuss countermeasures."
Sure enough, in just one hour, the total number of fans on his four platforms soared by millions.
The comment areas on his three international platforms, Twitter, Facebook, and INS, are flooded with fans from all over the world begging to win the prize.
This wave of operations even amazed He Qigang and other members of Hong Kong Team.
He Qigang: "This superstar in our team is really good at marketing. He plays football very well. I didn't expect that he is also very good at marketing."
Guo Jingjing: "I didn't expect that there are so many business talents among our athletes."
"Haha..."
This game is a New Year's Eve game on Boxing Day, and all the tickets for the Hawthorns 25,499 are sold out. Before the game between West Brom and Manchester United started, the coaches of both sides showed a strong desire to win in the pre-match interviews.
The intensive schedule during Christmas and New Year has led to widespread physical exhaustion of players. Ferguson clearly buffers physical fitness by rotating the main players.
Ferguson: "We have been on a winning streak recently and are leading the standings, but that was in 2010.
We must score three points in this New Year's Day game to consolidate our lead at the top of the league. It is also a good start for 2011 and proves that we can not only play well in 2010, but also play well in 2011.
The Christmas schedule is intensive, and some players are rotated to protect the main force. Today's starting lineup is still competitive enough. Van der Sar takes a flu break, and Kuszczak gets the starting spot against his old club. This is a suitable arrangement.
Gary (Neville) ushered in the 400th game Premier League. I trust his experience and we will do a good job in wing defense to deal with the impact of West Brom.
West Brom should not be underestimated. They pose a great threat from long shots in the midfield. We must compress the space in front of the penalty area and not give our opponents a chance to easily kick the ball. The defense cannot make clearance errors.
We remain undefeated in the season, but we cannot be satisfied with a draw. The Hawthorns has always been difficult to play. The whole team must concentrate and avoid slacking off and making mistakes."
West Brom coach Roberto Di Matteo: "Manchester United is the top team in this league, with world-class stars and a frontcourt trident with the strongest offensive firepower, but we will not back down just because our opponents are strong.
The recent consecutive losses have really damaged the team's morale. New Year's Day home game is our best chance to turn the situation around. The fans will become our twelfth player.
We are well aware of Gary·Neville's age shortcomings. His turning speed is slow. We will continue to attack Manchester United's right wing and use Thomas and Dorrans's breakthroughs to create threats. We will not just retreat to defend. We will take the initiative to create shooting opportunities.
Brunt's return from the ban is crucial for us. His crosses and long-range shots are the team's scoring tools; Odemwingie is in excellent form. He will continue to contain the two central defenders Vidić and Ferdinand in the frontcourt. Even if the opponent is at the top of the list, we still have a chance to score three points.
In the first game of the new year, the whole team is eager to win. Our ball control style at home can disrupt Manchester United's backcourt rhythm. As long as we seize the opportunity to switch offense, we are fully capable of tying or beating their performance."
The reporter also asked Ferguson about Nani, whether he really wanted to transfer.
Ferguson: "I have nothing to answer this question. As the head coach, I think Nani has been with Manchester United for many years. Although his performance has had ups and downs, he has always been an important presence in the Manchester United team.
Whether he wants to transfer or not depends on him personally, not on the club. The club's management and I both hope he stays."
Reporter: "Then why is he not in the squad today?"
Ferguson: "He took time off to spend New Year's Eve with his family. I can understand the pain of not being able to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with his family for many years in Premier League, so I understand."
Reporter: "It is said that the conflict between him and Zhang Kuang is irresolvable. It was Zhang Kuang who squeezed him away. Is that true?"
Ferguson: "There is no such thing. Zhang is a very easy-going person. He has neither had any serious conflicts with Nani nor even cursed with him. All of Manchester United's teammates and staff can testify.
Zhang has never even expressed to me or the club any thoughts of squeezing Nani away. After all, Zhang Kuang has always been the main player, and Nani has never threatened his position. There is no conflict of interest, so he has no reason to squeeze out Nani."
Reporter: "That means Nani was jealous of Zhang Kuang, so that's why he left?"
Ferguson: "Don't make random guesses. You don't know Nani at all. He is not that kind of person."
Reporter: "Jazz, what do you think of Zhang's lottery behavior on social platforms this morning? Is this the behavior of their agency, or is it his own initiative?"
Ferguson: "You have to ask Zhang and his agency about this."
Reporter: "Aren't you worried that his behavior will force other players to pay benefits to fans, which will in turn create an expense burden for other players?"
Ferguson: "There is no need for moral kidnapping in this kind of thing. I don't think Zhang Kuang said that if he wants to kidnap all the stars, he must provide benefits to the fans. It cannot be said that if he does such a thing that benefits the fans, it will offend people. I think this is not his original intention."
"..."
The home field of the Hawthorns, West Bromwich.
On New Year's Day, West Midlands was raining coldly, the turf was slippery, and the air was filled with the smell of soil and grass.
25,499 fans packed this small-capacity stadium to capacity. Many fans in the stands wore colorful scarves with Christmas and New Year's themes. The audience sang New Year's songs before the game. The atmosphere was warm and noisy.
West Brom fans wore blue and white striped home jerseys and waved flags in the stands that read "Hawthorn Fortress will never be relegated".
In the visiting team's stands, nearly three thousand Manchester United expeditionary troops wore red jerseys. Although they were at a numerical disadvantage, their singing was still loud.
He Qigang, Guo Jingjing, and dozens of Hong Kong Team players were at the scene to feel the atmosphere of Premier League, which was a little exciting.