Zhang Zheng was immersed in probing the depths of the four female reporters. What he didn't know was that in the few hours after he came out of the stadium, discussions about him were sweeping the world at a speed he could not imagine.
Go back a few hours first.
Less than half an hour after the game ended, the website "L'Équipe" published a long article with only four words in the title: "Goal of the Century"
"We have seen Maradona beat five consecutive goals of the century in 1986 World Cup, and we have seen Messi overtake Maradona in 2007 Copa del Rey.
But today, in the 23rd round of Ligue 1's match between Grenoble and Auxerre, a China player scored a goal that will go down in the history of football - starting from the edge of his own penalty area, he ran eighty meters, passed five people, and sent the ball into the opponent's goal.
This is not Maradona, not Messi, not Ronaldo. This is Zhang Kuang, an eighteen-year-old China boy."
Attached below the article is an animated picture, which is the complete process of Zhang Kuang's dragon scoring a goal. The animated picture is compressed very small, but every action is clearly visible - knocking Daisuke Matsui away, Batlles passed through the crotch, Flachez passed by the outside line, Stepovers passed two David, and finally the ball scored with a blast.
In the first hour after the animated image was released, the number of clicks exceeded 500,000.
The second hour, one million.
In the third hour, five million...
The digital department director of "L'Équipe" posted a status on Twitter afterwards. "We have experienced France National Team winning the championship, experiencing Zidane retiring, and experiencing Henry's handball. But we have never seen a single goal video of a player played five million times in three hours. Never seen that."
Germany's "Bild" responded the fastest, and their title was more exaggerated than "L'Équipe":
"Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldo, Messi - and now Zhang Kuang: One of the greatest long-distance runs in football history"
The article wrote, "We did a test in the "Bild" editorial department - compare this goal of Zhang Kuang with Maradona's goal of the century in 1986, Messi 20 The copied goals from 2007 were put together and shown to fifty readers, asking them which one was the most exciting. The result was - thirty-two people chose Zhang Kuang, twelve people chose Maradona, and six people chose Messi.
It's not because Maradona and Messi's goals are not exciting enough, but because Zhang Kuang's goal has an element they don't have - speed.
The sprint speed of Zhang Kuang reached an astonishing nearly 30 kilometers. This is not only a victory of technology, but also a victory of strength."
The title of the United Kingdom "The Times" is more calm, but the content is equally explosive. "Ferguson is interested in Zhang Kuang, will Zhang Kuang's next stop be Premier League?"
"This newspaper learned from Manchester United insiders that Manchester United head coach Ferguson watched the video of the match between Auxerre and Grenoble.
It is said that after watching Zhang Kuang's third goal, Ferguson said something to the assistant coach next to him - 'We need such a player.'"
This sentence was enlarged in font size by "The Times" and separated into a separate paragraph. No one knows whether this sentence is true or false, because no one went to Ferguson to confirm whether it was true or false.
Spain's "Marca" and "AS" are equally good.
The headline of "Marca" is. "Real Madrid Scouting Report: Zhang Kuang's dribbling and breakthrough ability far exceeds our previous evaluation. He is not Drogba, he is the younger and more comprehensive Ronaldo."
The headline of "AS" is more direct. "Pellegrini: Zhang Kuang is more comprehensive than Drogba. He is a phenomenal wing center and his potential will not be lower than Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi."
This sentence caused huge controversy in Spain.
Italy's "Milan Sports Newspaper" focuses on the transfer market:
"Zhang Kuang destroyed Grenoble by one person: three goals and two assists, one person made five goals. Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan shot at the same time"
"According to our reporter's understanding, Juventus has taken the leading position in the battle for Zhang Kuang. Their sports director Secco went to Paris last week, has had in-depth contact with the player's agency. Inter Milan and Milan are also following up, but their attitudes are not as positive as Juventus."
The title of "Tuttosport" is even more provocative. "Zhang Kuang: The last piece of the puzzle for the revival of Juventus"
"Juventus fans should remember this day. On February 6, 2010, a China boy scored a century goal in France Grenoble. And this boy is likely to wear a black and white sword shirt this summer. He is not the next Del Piero, he is the first Zhang Kuang."
China's media was even more excited.
The headline of "Titan Sports" is red, bold, and the font size is so large that it takes up one-third of the entire page. "Goal of the century! Zhang Kuang ran 80 meters and passed 5 people, Ligue 1 defenders are in collective despair"
The article read, "This is not China football's victory, this is Zhang Kuang's personal victory. China football is still struggling in the quagmire, but Zhang Kuang has flown to the clouds. He does not need China football, China football needs him."
The title of "Football Weekly" is more direct. "Zhang Kuang: I am alone, that's enough"
"In the desperate situation of Auxerre being behind 2-0, Zhang Kuang stood up alone. A 40-meter long shot, a long-distance run past five people, a diving dive, two assists - three goals and two assists, all from him. This is not a football game, this is the ultimate performance of personal Hero ism."
On the Internet, the discussion has reached a fever pitch.
"I've watched that goal twenty times, and it's incredible every time I watch it. How did he do it? How did he hit Daisuke Matsui? How did he overtake from the outside? How did he wait for the ball in the air? This doesn't conform to physics!"
"The scariest thing about this goal is not the technique, but the stability. He ran 80 meters, passed five people in the middle, and finally managed to shoot. This is not something humans can do. Is Zhang Kuang a robot? Is it an alien?"
"Have you noticed? When he dives to the top, his body is almost parallel to the ground. I have never seen this kind of waist and abdominal strength on the football field. Cristiano Ronaldo's header is powerful, but Cristiano Ronaldo's diving to the top is not so extreme."
"Now I wonder if Zhang Kuang has been hiding his strength before. His dribbling skills have never been used before, but today he suddenly took them out and passed five people directly. How many things does he have that he hasn't shown yet?"
"If I were the chairman of Auxerre, I would go to a lawyer to look at the contract right now. The three million euros termination fee is not selling players, it is giving money."
"Auxerre Chairman should be hitting the wall now. The value of the players signed for free has increased more than ten times after five games. Why can't this kind of good thing happen to my home team?"
"Where will Zhang Kuang's next stop be? Manchester United? Chelsea? Manchester City? Real Madrid? Barcelona? Juventus? Where do you think it is most likely to go?"
"I think it's Manchester United and Ferguson. I've seen it myself, and Manchester United now lacks a forward who can solve the problem. Rooney is strong, but he is not a pure finisher. Zhang Kuang went to Manchester United, and Rooney can drop back and play at the tenth position. The two complement each other."
"Manchester City, Manchester City is rich, and Manchester City needs an idol. Zhang Kuang is handsome, plays well, and is topical off the court. If Manchester City signs him, the commercial value can be doubled."
"I think it's Juventus. Juventus is currently being rebuilt. He will be the absolute core. Among Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, he will have to compete for the main spot. Only Juventus can give him the absolute core status."
"No matter where he goes, Auxerre can't keep him anyway. All Europe can afford the three million termination fee. Auxerre fans should take advantage of the time he's still here to go see him in person more often. You can't watch this kind of player more than once."
"I am a Auxerre fan, and I cry to death. We finally produced a world-class player, but he will leave after half a season. Is this the fate of a small team?"
"This is football."
"..."
Among all the discussions, the comment with the most likes came from a netizen named China, who had only one sentence:
"In the past, we could only use the China player to play the world wave in the game. Now, we can watch a China player play the world wave in reality. This is enough."