7pm, Zurich Opera House.
There was a long red carpet in front of the Opera House, and reporters and photographers from all over the world were crowded on both sides. The flashlights lit up the winter night sky like a connected Milky Way.
When Zhang Kuang got off the limousine, the volume of the shutter sound instantly increased by several orders of magnitude.
He stood on the red carpet and turned slightly sideways to let the photographers take a good shot.
Then he walked forward along the red carpet, stopping every few steps to take pictures. His left hand was in his pocket, his right hand was slightly raised, and the corners of his mouth were slightly curved.
This is not his favorite part, but he knows that this is the professional attitude a professional player should have when facing the global media.
The stars were shining brightly on the red carpet.
Messi came over, wearing a gray suit with a calm expression.
Cristiano Ronaldo wore a white suit and walked on the other end of the red carpet, showing his iconic smile to the reporter's camera.
Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas, Ramos, Vidić...
Almost all the first-tier football stars appeared on this red carpet.
There are also some old stars, such as Ronaldo, etc.
Zhang Kuang met Vidić at the entrance, and they walked side by side into the lobby of the opera house.
"Are you nervous?" Vidić asked.
"What is there to be nervous about?" Zhang Kuang is telling the truth.
Vidić gave him a thumbs up and smacked his lips.
He's really not nervous.
He has already stood on the stage of the UEFA Champions League finals, he has already won the FIFA Club World Cup trophy, and he has gone through the long journey of scoring 105 goals in a single season.
An award ceremony, no matter how big the scene is, will not make his heart beat faster.
But it would be false to say that I have no expectations at all.
After all, that's Ballon d'Or.
At eight o'clock in the evening, within Zurich Opera House.
The interior decoration of the theater is elegant and gorgeous, with dark red seats, golden domes, and huge crystal chandeliers. The large background screen on the stage displays the logo of FIFA and the words Ballon d'Or.
Zhang Kuang was arranged to sit next to Cristiano Ronaldo, and the two seats beyond were Messi.
Although the three of them were seated next to each other, there was a narrow passage between them, like an invisible dividing line.
The award ceremony was co-hosted by Netherlands celebrity Gullit and host Kay·Murray.
Gullit, wearing a dark purple suit, stood on the stage and said with a smile, "Welcome to the 2011 FIFA Awards Ceremony! Tonight, we are going to award more than ten awards, but the most important thing is... you all know which award I am talking about. Yes, Ballon d'Or. Let's get started.
In the past year, although there was no World Cup, there were also many football events, such as the single-season scoring record being rearranged to an unattainable level.
These major football events are all the result of the development of football. Here, I would like to invite Chairman FIFA Blatter to speak on the stage."
Kay: "Chairman Blatter please..."
Bang bang bang...
The audience burst into applause, and then Blatter came on stage and talked a lot, from top competitions to football in ghettos, from top stars to teenagers chasing their dreams, and women's football, etc.
Anyway, that's what he said. He talked for about half an hour, and then the ceremony continued.
Kay: "Next, let us present the best team of the 2010-11 season. Let us invite Mr. Pelé, the world champion, to come on stage to present the award..."
Brazil Legend wears a black suit, has white hair but is in high spirits.
He stood in the center of the stage and announced the names of the 2011 best team.
The names and photos of 11 players appeared on the big screen:
Goalkeeper: Casillas(Real Madrid/Spain)
Defender: Alves(Barcelona/Brazil), Piqué(Barcelona/Spain), Ramos(Real Madrid/Spain), Vidić(Manchester United/Serbia)
Midfielder: Xavi(Barcelona/Spain), Iniesta(Barcelona/Spain), Alonso(Real Madrid/Spain)
Forward: Messi(Barcelona/Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo(Real Madrid/Portugal), Zhang Kuang(Manchester United/China Hong Kong)
When the name "Zhang Kuang" was read out, the audience burst into applause.
Zhang Kuang stood up and bowed slightly to everyone around him.
This is his first personal honor, being selected to the All-NBA Team.
Next was the Special Honor Award.
FIFA Chairman Blatter walked onto the stage and awarded Presidential Special Award.
The winner is--Sir Ferguson.
A short review video of Ferguson coaching Manchester United for 25 years was played on the big screen: from 1986 to 2011, from Premier League From the initial championship to the Triple Crown in 1999, from UEFA Champions League in 2008 to the Five Crowns in 2011, the screen constantly flashes images of trophies, celebrations, speeches, and training grounds.
Ferguson stood up from his seat and walked to the stage.
A standing ovation from the audience, including all players, coaches and officials.
Zhang Kuang also stood up and drummed very hard.
Ferguson took the trophy, paused in front of the microphone, and then said, "Twenty-five years sounds like a long time. But when you do what you love every day, time flies by very quickly.
Thank you to the Manchester United players, coaching staff, management, and the fans all over the world who support us. There are very few Manchester United people here tonight, and very few Premier League people come here, but I hope that in the future, every important award will be won by our people."
Ferguson's speech was brief and powerful, but the last sentence caused quite a commotion in the venue.
Everyone understands: Ferguson is complaining that FIFA has given almost all the focus to the La Liga league. They have the most people shortlisted for the best team, they Ballon d'Or account for two of the top three, and they have the most nominations for awards.
Fortunately, Manchester United came out to share points with them. Otherwise, it would all be La Liga's. We might as well call it La Liga's annual award ceremony. What would we call FIFA's award ceremony?
Thinking of this, many non-La Liga people gave Ferguson warm applause and expressed their feelings.
Next is the presentation of the Best Coach Award, which was presented by Germany celebrity Matthäus.
The three finalists are Ferguson (Manchester United), Guardiola (Barcelona), and Mourinho (Real Madrid).
Look, if it weren't for Ferguson, it would be La Liga civil war again.
Matthäus opened the envelope and read out the name: "The winner is: Sir Alex Ferguson!"
The audience burst into applause again.
Ferguson takes to the stage for the second time tonight.
In the past season, he led Manchester United to win five trophies: Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Football Association Cup, Community Shield, and Europe Super Cup. There is no suspense about this honor.
Ferguson received the trophy and said, "I am very happy to receive this award. I am not happy because I have received this award, but I am happy because this award has been given to a candidate that both the fans and the industry believe is the right candidate. This shows that our selection is still within the scope of fairness."
Bang bang bang...
Yes, everyone understands what this means.
This means that the award is given to the person who deserves the award according to traditional knowledge, rather than to the person who some people want to give it to.
Next came the Social Contribution Award and the Wonderful Goal Award. First, Fair Play Award was awarded by France star Karembeu.
The winner, Japan Football Association, commends them for their sportsmanship and unity after Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
Representative Japan Football Association walked onto the stage wearing a black suit, bowed deeply, and then gave a bunch of acceptance speeches.
Subsequently, Mexico legend Ugo Sánchez awarded Puskás Award (Best Goal of the Year).
Three candidate goals were played on the big screen: Neymar's long-distance run, Rooney's overhead kick, and Messi's past five players.
The final winner is: Neymar.
While everyone applauded, they also looked at Zhang Kuang. You must know that many of Zhang Kuang's goals in the past season can be called classics among classics. However, among the three shortlisted goals, there is no one from him?
There's something wrong with this.
Zhang Kuang It doesn't matter, you can give me this kind of reward or not.
The scene on the big screen continued. In the match against Fluminense, the young genius Brazil dribbled the ball from the backcourt, passed five defensive players in a row, and then pushed and scored.
That was a genius goal full of South America style.
Neymar was not present. He gave an acceptance speech through the video link. "Thank you, thank you to the jury for voting for me. In terms of the excitement of the goals, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zhang Kuang, they all have wonderful goals, which are no less exciting than my goal."
Therefore, I am particularly grateful to the judges for their vote. This goal is dedicated to my family and Santos fans. I hope I can bring you more wonderful goals in the coming years, thank you!"
The camera cuts to Zhang Kuang, who is smiling and applauding.
Next, before the top award was awarded, United Kingdom singer James·Brown sang the song "Staythenight" live.
Warm melody flowed in the opera house, temporarily easing the tense atmosphere.
The awards continued, FIFA Chairman Blatter and Latin Queen Shakira jointly announced the Miss World Football. The three finalists were Homare Sawa (Japan), Marta (Brazil), and Lloyd (United States).
Shakira opened the envelope and read out in Spain: "The winner is--Homare Sawa!"
Homare Sawa, who was wearing Japan kimono, stood up from his seat and walked onto the stage.
She ended Marta's "five consecutive wins" in this award and became the first Asia player to win this award.
When Zhang Kuang was applauding in the audience, he thought to himself: Asia Two players are standing on the podium tonight, which is a good sign.
Homare Sawa gave an acceptance speech, then bowed and left.
Finally, it's the finale.
Amid the expectations of the audience, 'Alien' Ronaldo took the stage as the award guest.
Ronaldo was wearing a dark suit, and his slightly stout figure could no longer see the shadow of the lightning speed he once had on the court, but his smile was still bright and his eyes were still sharp.
A short video paying tribute to this three-time World Footballer was played on the big screen: from 1996 to 2002, those breathtaking goals, those incredible breakthroughs, and those games that he single-handedly changed.
After the short video ended, the audience stood up and applauded.
Ronaldo stood on the stage, smiling and waving to everyone.
Then, he picked up the golden envelope.
The whole place fell silent instantly.
Ronaldo opened the envelope and took a look at the name inside.
A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and then he turned his attention to the three candidates in the audience.
"The winner of the 2010-11 season Ballon d'Or is..."
He paused for a second. In the entire opera house, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
"Zhang Kuang!"
At that moment, the entire opera house was drowned in applause and cheers.
Zhang Kuang stood up from his seat.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who was next to him, reached out his hand first and held his palm firmly. "Congratulations, you are worth it."
Then Cristiano Ronaldo patted his back.
"Thank you. Come get it next time."
Zhang Kuang turned his head and looked at Messi on the other side. Argentina was sitting in his seat, smiling and applauding, although there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.
Their eyes met briefly, Zhang Kuang nodded slightly, and Messi also nodded.
Zhang Kuang then hugged Vidić, Ferguson, David·Gill and others, and then shook hands with the people next to him on the way to the stage.
His pace is not fast, but every step is steady. Lamp
The light hit him, and the black suit shimmered in the golden halo.
He walked up the steps and Ronaldo handed the Ballon d'Or cup into his hand.
Two generations of strikers stand in the center of the stage: Ronaldo, three-time World Footballer of the Year.
Zhang Kuang, winner of Xinke Ballon d'Or.
Ronaldo patted Zhang Kuang on the shoulder and said something in his ear, "Enjoy this moment. You deserve it. Thank you very much for continuing to use Pendulum Dribble's moves on the court. I thought no one would use it again."
"That won't work. It's such a great move. I'm going to use it better in the future. Don't be jealous."
"Haha, no, okay, you can talk."
Zhang Kuang smiled, then turned to face the audience.
He took a deep breath, held Ballon d'Or in both hands, and stood in front of the microphone.
"Wow," his voice echoed through the microphone throughout the opera house, "This feels wonderful. No wonder Cristiano has been working hard to chase this award.
Because at this moment when I stand on this stage, all my efforts are worth it. I feel like I have become the center of the world, which is wonderful."
There was laughter and applause from the audience.
Cristiano Ronaldo smiled and shook his head in his seat.
"I am very happy to be the first China player and Asia player to win this award, of course, I am talking about the men's football team.
Everyone knows that Asia will not produce football superstars, but that was in the past. Now that I am here, this history has changed."
Applause rang out again.
"To win this award, I first have to thank my boss, Sir Ferguson. Back then, he went to France to invite me to join Manchester United... As everyone knows, in fact, my first choice was not Manchester United.
But Sir Alex said that you have a chance to get Ballon d'Or when you come to Manchester United, because Cristiano was obtained at Manchester United. Hmm, what the boss said is indeed correct, you can get Ballon d'Or when you come to Manchester United."
The audience burst into laughter and even more enthusiastic applause.
Ferguson sat in the front row, smiling and applauding gently.
"So, I have to first thank Sir Alex Ferguson. Secondly, I also want to thank Auxerre. If Auxerre hadn't given me the opportunity to play, I wouldn't have been able to establish myself at Europe and join Manchester United so quickly.
I would also like to thank all my teammates at Manchester United. Without the support and help they gave me in the past season, I would not have scored so many goals, won so many honors and championships."
Vidić gave him a thumbs up.
"Finally," Zhang Kuang's voice deepened slightly, "What I should thank most is my motherland. I am honored to be a China person.
I am also honored that I have the blood inherited from five thousand years of civilization. It is this blood that allowed me to enter Europe alone and win this award. The genes and culture of China tell me a truth--"
He paused.
"When the great flood came, God built Noah's Ark in the west to save the world. In the east, the same great flood occurred. Yu the Great, the ancestor of the China people, led thousands of compatriots to dig mountains and dig canals to control the great flood.
In the end, he led our ancestors to victory and allowed Chinese civilization to last for thousands of years. They told our descendants a truth-"
His voice gradually became firmer.
"Westerners pray to God for help when they encounter disasters, but when we China people encounter difficulties, we rely on our own hands. We believe in one truth: Man can conquer nature! This is the culture and belief of the China people engraved in their blood."
"It is this belief that makes me believe that China people can also achieve a career in football. So at the beginning, even if I encountered some problems in China, I still believed that I would succeed. I had to make a name for myself, so I came to Europe, and until today, I won this award."
"This is why some fans say that my football is not beautiful enough, because my football carries the style of our Chinese civilization: strength, efficiency, going against the trend, and the spirit of not being inferior to others. Thank you!"
The whole place was quiet for about two seconds.
Then, thunderous applause broke out.
It's not polite applause, but the kind of warm applause that comes from the heart and is touched.
Cristiano Ronaldo stood up and applauded.
Vidić stood up and applauded.
More and more people are standing up.
In the distant China, CCTV-5 are broadcasting live.
Commentator He Wei choked up at one point during Zhang Kuang's speech, and it took him more than ten seconds to readjust his voice.
He cleared his throat and said with a slightly trembling voice, "Zhang Kuang's words... let us see that when a China player stands on top of the world, he represents not only football, but also the five thousand years of civilization behind him.
This moment belongs to Zhang Kuang, and also to all China people who believe that 'man can conquer nature'. At the same time, he used the best facts to explain the root of China people's spirit and belief.
Yes, in the past hundred years, many people have been asking what the China people believe in? What is the China people's spirit? People in the West believe in God, and what do China people believe in?
We couldn't answer this question for a while, but I didn't expect that I got the most perfect answer tonight. That is, China people believe: Man can conquer nature! When the West encounters difficulties, we pray to God, and we use our own hands to overcome difficulties.
This is our belief, this is the spirit engraved in our blood, this is Chinese civilization. It has been hundreds of years, and today, someone finally explained this clearly. I am so excited..."
Among the China fans standing in front of the TV, some had tears in their eyes, some clenched their fists, and some frantically posted the words "Zhang Kuang awesome" on social media.
In the early morning, BJ, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu... In countless cities, countless lights are still on. Countless eyes are staring at the screen, watching the young man from China, standing on the highest podium of world football, announcing his origin and belief to the world with these words.
At this moment, Ballon d'Or is no longer just a football award.
At this moment, it became a signal: a signal telling the world that Asia people can also stand at the top of football.
A message to all Chinese people: We should no longer feel inferior and think that we are a group of people without spirit and without faith.
Our faith is higher than that of the West, which is more slavish, while the China people's faith is more independent.
The West relies on its masters to save them; China people rely on themselves to change the world.
"Fuck, Zhang Kuang, damn it! You spit out all the humiliation we have been holding back for a hundred years, it's so damn cool."
"That's right, Zhang Kuang relies on himself. Man can conquer nature and create a world. This is the spirit and belief of China people. It's awesome."
"Yes, we have never been inferior to others. We are even superior to others. We are not servile. We do not rely on masters like 'Lord', 'God', or 'God' to save us. We rely on ourselves!"
"Zhang Kuang You idiot, is it useful to force a shot in the arm on those of us who have no faith? Are we nobler than Westerners? Can we be on an equal footing with them? What we have to do now is to humbly learn from others. Since religion can become a developed country, we must believe in religion. What's wrong with being religious?"
"Go away, you damn believers, China has no followers!"
"Fuck, you have all been led astray by Zhang Kuang. When China gets worse and worse, you will know who is good and who is bad."
"..."