Chapter Summaries

Zhang Kuang gave candid interviews to He Wei, Sky Sports, and BBC, discussing football, culture, his critics, and his future while entertaining the crews with his humor and cooking. His interviews generated a media sensation, and he left his Manchester United future unresolved beyond his agreement with Sir Alex Ferguson.

• Zhang Kuang told He Wei he had invented his kung fu moves, explained why he preferred Chinese food, and defended endorsing domestic brands.
• Zhang Kuang discussed the Ballon d'Or, Messi's fans, and cultural prejudice, saying he had no personal grudge against Messi.
• Zhang Kuang cooked a feast for He Wei's production team and joked with the crew and hotel chefs, who called him their master.
• Zhang Kuang told Gary Neville and Martin Tyler that he wanted to become too good for Ballon d'Or voters to overlook, joked about rumors concerning his sex life, and said he would wait until after the Champions League final to consider his future.
• Zhang Kuang said he had agreed not to leave Manchester United while Sir Alex Ferguson remained, then hinted that his eventual departure might remain an unsolved mystery.
• Zhang Kuang appeared on BBC's Premier League Weekly Highlights and joked with Alan Hansson and Alan Shearer about religion and eating with his hands.

Zhang Kuang managed the debate over his Ballon d'Or claims and weighed lucrative transfer offers while choosing to negotiate a new contract with Manchester United. After resting through most of the final league matches, he prepared for the Champions League final as transfer rumors and online arguments intensified.

• Zhang Kuang told Jonathan to keep praise and criticism balanced online, then explained how malicious comments could boost his profile and earn him sympathy.
• Jonathan told Zhang Kuang that Chelsea and Manchester City had made enormous offers, but Zhang Kuang asked him to negotiate a Manchester United contract matching his market value and limit endorsements.
• Zhang Kuang sat out Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Blackburn, then came off the bench in the season finale against Blackpool as Manchester United won 4-2.
• Zhang Kuang and Ferguson discussed the season with reporters, while Zhang Kuang's televised interview stirred arguments across Chinese social media and media outlets.
• European newspapers reported transfer interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester City, prompting anxious Manchester United fans to speculate about Zhang Kuang's future.
• Zhang Kuang ignored the rumors and posted a Wembley photograph with Manchester United and Champions League emojis, signaling his readiness for the final.

With pundits debating Barcelona’s possession game and United’s chances, Zhang Kuang proposed a direct-counterattacking plan that Ferguson agreed to test. The teams arrived at Wembley for the Champions League final amid fan unrest, and Zhang Kuang faced Messi and a hostile Piqué in the tunnel just before kickoff.

• Gary Neville, Carragher, Martin Tyler, Alan Shearer, Alan Hansson, Henry, and Spanish pundits debated the teams’ strengths and predicted how the final might go.
• Zhang Kuang told Ferguson that United could let Barcelona keep possession, mark their midfielders, and attack quickly for goals or set pieces, and Ferguson said he would test the idea in training.
• Zhang Kuang’s and Messi’s fans clashed outside Wembley, and London police separated them; Zhang Kuang and Jonalin agreed to stay out of the controversy.
• The final drew a capacity crowd and football legends, while commentators read out the expected starting lineups for United and Barcelona.
• In the tunnel, Zhang Kuang saw Messi up close, while Piqué secretly planned to injure him; Zhang Kuang sensed Piqué’s malice and smiled.

Manchester United used tight marking and lightning-fast counterattacks to disrupt Barcelona, and Zhang Kuang scored a spectacular header to put United ahead in the Champions League final. The chapter ended with Barcelona searching for a way to handle United’s speed and aerial threat.

• Manchester United marked Xavi, Busquets, and Iniesta closely, then launched a rapid counterattack that ended with Berbatov’s shot being tipped over by Valdés.
• Zhang Kuang was wrongly accused of slapping Piqué after Abidal accidentally struck him, and the referee dismissed Piqué’s complaint after checking the replay.
• Zhang Kuang rose above Barcelona’s defenders to head Giggs’s corner into the net, giving Manchester United a 1-0 lead.
• Manchester United continued to restrict Barcelona’s midfield until Xavi found Messi, whose shot forced Van der Sar to make a save.
• Zhang Kuang cleared Barcelona’s corner to Rooney, then joined a seventeen-second counterattack that ended when Alves blocked Rooney’s rebound on the goal line.
• Mourinho admired Manchester United’s counterattacks, while Guardiola worried about defending their speed and Zhang Kuang’s aerial power.

Manchester United faced controversial refereeing as Rooney’s goal was disallowed and Piqué injured Zhang Kuang during a dangerous tackle. Zhang Kuang returned to the pitch and scored a spectacular free kick to put United back in front, 2-1.

• Rooney headed the ball over the line, but Viktor Kassai disallowed the goal despite replays confirming it had crossed, and Barcelona later equalized through Pedro.
• Ferguson and Zhang Kuang rallied Manchester United after Pedro made it 1-1, and the team regained its focus.
• Scholes won possession and Evra sent the ball forward, where Zhang Kuang got past Mascherano before Piqué slid into him and broke his own leg.
• Viktor Kassai initially showed Piqué only a yellow card, then allowed Zhang Kuang back onto the pitch after medical staff treated his bleeding foot.
• Zhang Kuang curled an S-shaped free kick past Valdés to score his second goal and give Manchester United a 2-1 lead.

Manchester United led Barcelona 2-1 at halftime after stifling their midfield, while an accidental ball strike knocked referee Viktor Kassai unconscious and fueled controversy. The second half opened with Zhang Kuang launching a rapid attack that ended in Rooney scoring, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on Valdés.

• Barcelona struggled to advance the ball against Manchester United's tight midfield marking, and the first half ended with Manchester United ahead 2-1.
• Zhang Kuang's sliding challenge sent the ball into referee Viktor Kassai's face, knocking him unconscious; a fourth official took over after Kassai was carried off.
• During halftime, Guardiola kept Barcelona's tactics unchanged and considered bringing on Seydou Keita, while Ferguson urged Manchester United to tighten their marking.
• Fans and officials argued over claims of Zhang Kuang's witchcraft, referee bias, and whether Messi was inferior to Zhang Kuang.
• Manchester United began the second half without substitutions, and Zhang Kuang drove forward before combining with Berbatov to set up Rooney's header.
• Rooney headed the ball into the net, but the referee disallowed the goal for a foul on Valdés.

Manchester United protested a series of controversial refereeing decisions, and the officials were replaced after Ferguson threatened to abandon the final. Reduced to ten men, United conceded goals to Messi and Villa, but Zhang Kuang led a late counterattack that left Berbatov racing toward the ball.

• Rooney protested his disallowed goal and received a yellow card, while Carrick was sent off after Mascherano fell following a push.
• Ferguson threatened to take Manchester United off the pitch, but UEFA officials and the club's executives negotiated for the match to continue with a replacement refereeing team.
• Ferguson substituted Rooney for Park Ji-sung, and Manchester United resumed the match with ten players.
• Messi scored in the fifty-fourth minute to equalize for Barcelona, making the score 2-2.
• Villa scored in the sixty-ninth minute to give Barcelona a 3-2 lead.
• Scholes won the ball in the seventy-fifth minute, and Zhang Kuang beat Abidal, Mascherano, and Puyol before Berbatov ran onto the ball.

Zhang Kuang led Manchester United to a 4-3 victory over Barcelona in the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League final, scoring a hat trick and assisting Berbatov’s equalizer despite playing a man down. He then helped defend the lead through six minutes of added time, and the final whistle confirmed Manchester United as champions.

• Zhang Kuang drove forward after Scholes won the ball and assisted Berbatov’s equalizer, making the score 3-3.
• Guardiola brought on Keita, and Van der Sar saved Messi’s late chances while Manchester United defended under pressure.
• Van der Sar launched a long throw, and Zhang Kuang evaded Puyol, Alves, and Abidal before rounding Valdés and scoring the 89th-minute winner for his hat trick.
• Zhang Kuang cleared Messi’s final-minute shot off the goal line, then headed away Barcelona’s throw-in as the referee blew the final whistle.
• Manchester United defeated Barcelona 4-3 and won the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League title.

Manchester United defeated Barcelona 4–3 to win the 2010–2011 Champions League, with Zhang Kuang scoring a hat-trick and clearing a goal off the line. After celebrating in the dressing room, the team received their medals and Vidić and Zhang Kuang lifted the trophy together at Wembley.

• Manchester United celebrated their victory as commentators and broadcasters around the world praised Zhang Kuang’s performance and discussed the controversial refereeing.
• Vidić, Berbatov, Rooney, and the other Manchester United players drenched Zhang Kuang with champagne in the dressing room while Scholes and Ferdinand reflected on the team’s triumph.
• Ferguson thanked Zhang Kuang for helping save the match and admitted he had nearly led the team off the pitch; Glazer then congratulated Zhang and raised the prospect of a new contract.
• Barcelona received their runners-up medals from Platini, while Puyol and his teammates watched Manchester United prepare to collect the trophy.
• Vidić insisted that Zhang Kuang join him in lifting Big Ears, and the Manchester United players raised the trophy together as Wembley celebrated.

After Manchester United won the Champions League, Zhang Kuang mocked Barcelona captain Puyol’s accusations and publicly raised claims that Barcelona had paid referee officials, igniting a media storm. David Gill pulled Zhang away and warned him that the allegation could damage La Liga and make powerful enemies.

• He Wei celebrated Manchester United’s title and Zhang Kuang’s records as fans across China praised him and argued online.
• During the victory lap, Puyol accused Manchester United of playing barbarically and claimed Zhang Kuang had deliberately injured Piqué.
• Zhang Kuang mocked Barcelona as the “universe team,” called Manchester United God’s team, and rejected Puyol’s accusations in a post-match interview.
• Zhang Kuang showed reporters a private message alleging Barcelona had paid consultancy fees to Negreira and questioned whether similar payments influenced the Champions League final’s refereeing.
• Real Madrid executives reacted by calling for an investigation, while Barcelona’s CEO angrily demanded that Zhang never return to the club.
• David Gill ended the interview and led Zhang away, then warned him that his public allegation could harm La Liga and stir up serious trouble.

After Manchester United won the Champions League final, Zhang Kuang’s claims about Barcelona and the refereeing prompted UEFA to open an investigation. At the team’s victory celebration, Ferguson, Vidić, and Zhang Kuang praised the squad’s effort, while Zhang Kuang insisted he was an ordinary man rather than a hero.

• Ferguson credited Zhang Kuang with helping devise Manchester United’s tactics and condemned the referee’s decisions, while Guardiola congratulated the champions and declined to comment on whether he would leave Barcelona.
• Zhang Kuang agreed to provide his evidence about the user “Light of Justice” to UEFA, and Platini warned him that his accusations could have serious consequences.
• Manchester United held a victory celebration where Glazer praised Ferguson and the players, especially Zhang Kuang, for winning the Champions League.
• Ferguson credited the team’s resilience and thanked Zhang Kuang, and Vidić toasted Zhang Kuang for his goals and crucial clearance.
• Zhang Kuang told the celebration that he did not want to be a hero and was simply doing his job, then thanked the club, his teammates, and their supporters.

After Manchester United won the Champions League, Zhang Kuang celebrated with his teammates and met Cristiano Ronaldo and club legends, while Chelsea and Manchester City tried to recruit him. As UEFA investigated the refereeing scandal and Viktor Kassai agreed to stay silent, Zhang Kuang joined Manchester United’s victory parade through rain-soaked Manchester.

• At the banquet, Carrick thanked Zhang Kuang for helping Manchester United overcome his red card, and Zhang Kuang reassured him it had not been his fault.
• Zhang Kuang spoke with Cristiano Ronaldo about playing Barcelona, exchanged phone numbers and autographs with him, and met Manchester United legends Bryan Robson, Schmeichel, and Sir Bobby Charlton.
• Chelsea sporting director Michael Emenalo offered Zhang Kuang twice his Manchester United wages, and Manchester City sporting director Begiristain later offered him the world’s highest salary and full image rights; Zhang Kuang told Emenalo to speak to his agent first.
• Platini said UEFA would investigate the refereeing decisions and Zhang Kuang’s evidence against Barcelona, while Viktor Kassai agreed to keep quiet after learning Manchester United had won.
• On May 29, Zhang Kuang rode at the front of Manchester United’s open-top victory bus, waving to the packed crowds as the team paraded through rainy Manchester.

After Manchester United's parade, Zhang Kuang signed a four-year contract extension, celebrated his record-breaking season on holiday in the Maldives, and used his new rewards to advance his cultivation. He returned to Hong Kong ahead of national-team training, where reporters confronted him about his holiday with more than twenty women.

• Zhang Kuang celebrated Manchester United's trophies and the retirements of Van der Sar and Scholes with his teammates.
• Zhang Kuang signed a four-year Manchester United contract worth £250,000 a week before tax, then flew to a private island in the Maldives for his holiday.
• Manchester United announced Zhang Kuang's renewal, prompting fans to discuss his 105 goals across the season and rival clubs to pursue summer transfers.
• The system awarded Zhang Kuang 500 Qi and Blood Points for being named 2010-11 UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, and he spent 1,000 points and an Upgrade Card to reach Qi Refining First Layer Perfection.
• After ten days in the Maldives, Zhang Kuang returned to Hong Kong with four companions, joked with paparazzi about his holiday, and became the subject of widespread news coverage.

Zhang Kuang returned to Hong Kong, faced questions about his private life and the Hong Kong Team’s World Cup ambitions, then traveled to Shenzhen to explain Xionghua Football School’s costs, curriculum, and conditions to parents. After families signed enrollment contracts and his speech spread online, the school’s model drew widespread praise as well as angry criticism from the football industry.

• Zhang Kuang told reporters that his fitness and career were safe, declared the Hong Kong Team aimed to reach the World Cup, and said it would let its ability decide any match against China.
• Troussier welcomed Zhang Kuang back to training and ordered him to undergo a medical, while teammates joked with him about his holiday and he handed out sunscreen.
• At Xionghua Football School’s Shenzhen campus, Zhang Kuang told parents that tuition was free, students would receive academic and language instruction, and talented players might serve the Hong Kong Team and seek careers abroad.
• Zhang Kuang answered parents’ concerns and offered to put some assurances into enrollment contracts; more than a hundred families signed, with the opening ceremony planned for July 5.
• Zhang Kuang met parents at the Hong Kong branch, where forty-seven ethnic Chinese students from several regions had been selected.
• A video of Zhang Kuang’s Shenzhen speech spread online, winning praise while prompting criticism from schools and football-industry figures who accused him of undermining their livelihoods.

The China Hong Kong Team swept China Macau 12-0 on aggregate to advance in the Asian qualifiers, while Zhang Kuang left for Manchester United’s summer camp in Japan. There, he met new teammates David De Gea, Phil Jones, and Ashley Young, and learned that Van der Sar and Scholes had retired.

• Zhang Kuang led the China Hong Kong Team to a 7-0 home victory over China Macau, scoring four goals and assisting twice.
• Troussier limited Zhang Kuang to one half in the second leg, where he scored twice and assisted once as the Hong Kong Team won 5-0 and advanced 12-0 on aggregate.
• The Hong Kong Team learned Malaysia would be its opponent in the next qualifying round, while Zhang Kuang left for Manchester United’s training camp in Japan.
• Zhang Kuang arrived in Osaka to a warm welcome from Japanese fans and reunited with Rooney, who told him to ask Park Ji-sung about the team’s earlier visit.
• At the J-GREEN Training Base, Zhang Kuang met new teammates David De Gea, Phil Jones, and Ashley Young, and offered to help them win titles and improve their skills.
• Zhang Kuang learned that Van der Sar and Scholes had retired, and recalled that Ferguson had later brought Scholes back out of retirement.

Zhang Kuang helped Manchester United address the midfield gap left by Scholes, then scored heavily during the club’s Japan tour. In Seoul, he drew a huge female fan crowd and accepted a private meeting with a group of wealthy admirers, leaving after their encounter at dawn.

• During training, Zhang Kuang advised Ferguson to recall Scholes, promote Pogba, or pursue Modrić, and Ferguson later confirmed Scholes would not return before deciding to bring Pogba into first-team training.
• Rooney took Zhang Kuang and other Manchester United players to a specialty massage parlor in Osaka.
• Zhang Kuang scored twice as Manchester United beat FC Tokyo 5-1, then scored four goals in a 6-2 victory over Gamba Osaka.
• On the flight to South Korea, Park Ji-sung explained Zhang Kuang’s popularity among Korean women, and thousands of female fans welcomed Zhang Kuang at Incheon International Airport.
• Park Ji-sung arranged a private meeting for Zhang Kuang with a group of women offering him two million US dollars, and Zhang Kuang went with them to a villa in Seoul.
• Zhang Kuang left the villa at dawn after spending the night with the women.

Zhang Kuang scored three goals and assisted another in Manchester United’s friendly win over Seoul FC, then bluntly criticized Pogba’s weaknesses and urged him to improve. After Pogba decided to stay and train under Zhang Kuang’s advice, Zhang Kuang returned to Hong Kong, led the Hong Kong Team to a 5-0 win over Malaysia, and declared that their goal was World Cup qualification.

• Zhang Kuang completed Ferguson’s punishing training, then scored a hat trick and assisted Berbatov in Manchester United’s 4-1 friendly win over Seoul FC.
• Zhang Kuang listed Pogba’s weaknesses and told him to improve or leave, and Pogba agreed to consider the criticism.
• Mino Raiola advised Pogba to stay at Manchester United for another season, follow Zhang Kuang’s advice, and work on his weaknesses.
• Zhang Kuang turned down Nike, Adidas, and Real Madrid’s offers before flying from Seoul to Hong Kong for the World Cup qualifier against Malaysia.
• Zhang Kuang scored three goals and assisted Cris Kong as the Hong Kong Team beat Malaysia 5-0, then said their goal was World Cup qualification.
• Zhang Kuang’s declaration that he rolled his eyes at settling for the final ten places trended online.

Zhang Kuang led the China Hong Kong Team into the final twenty with a 9-1 aggregate win over Malaysia, then renewed his endorsement deals before learning the team had been drawn in a group with China. He and He Qigang suspected the draw was meant to provoke conflict, but Zhang Kuang rejected the idea that the Hong Kong Team should throw a match.

• Zhang Kuang scored twice in Manchester United’s friendly against the Hong Kong Kitchee Team and praised Pogba for improving his defensive work and linkup play.
• Zhang Kuang scored twice for the Hong Kong Team in its 5-2 loss to Manchester United, then scored twice and assisted twice in a 4-1 win over Malaysia as the team advanced 9-1 on aggregate.
• At the post-match press conference, Zhang Kuang defended the Hong Kong Team’s strength and argued that long-term investment in football development mattered more than naturalized players.
• Zhang Kuang renewed his three-year endorsement contracts with Meizu and Anta, explaining that he prioritized domestic brands when they offered comparable value.
• He Qigang told Zhang Kuang that the China Hong Kong Team had been drawn into Group A with China, Jordan, and Iraq; Zhang Kuang condemned the draw as an attempt to drive a wedge between the Chinese teams and refused to throw a match.

After the final-twenty draw put the China National Team and China Hong Kong Team in the same group, Zhang Kuang warned online that hostile actors might exploit the rivalry and inflame conflict. His post brought a wave of smears and controversy, and the chapter left him confronting reporters who had come to provoke him as he prepared for the new season.

• Zhang Kuang watched the draw replay, saw the China National Team and China Hong Kong Team placed together in Group A, and found online arguments erupting over the result.
• After declining a media interview, Zhang Kuang posted a warning on Weibo about the risks of the two teams' match being exploited to provoke conflict.
• When attacks and one-sided smears flooded Weibo and Facebook, Zhang Kuang accused certain platforms and organizations of steering public opinion and threatened to expose their connections.
• Officials contacted Zhang Kuang about his claims, and he challenged them to prove they would act on the evidence; he later supplied some material sent to him by internet users.
• The Asian Football Confederation defended the draw as fair, tickets for the September 2 match sold out, and Zhang Kuang continued training at Carrington.
• Chinese reporters confronted Zhang Kuang outside Carrington, but he accused them of trying to smear him and showed them a pinhole camera he would use to record their exchanges.

Six Chinese reporters were robbed and assaulted in Manchester, while Manchester United struggled to sign a midfielder before opening the season against Chelsea in the Community Shield. Pogba set up Zhang Kuang for an attack, but Čech rushed out and reached the ball at the same time as Zhang Kuang, leaving the outcome unclear.

• Six Chinese reporters were robbed and assaulted by gangs in Longsight, and a Chinese immigrant's call to police and the embassy brought the incident to public attention.
• Ferguson learned that Levy still demanded £42 million for the transfer target and decided to keep searching while giving Pogba more training.
• Manchester United and Chelsea met at Wembley for the 2011-12 Community Shield, with Pogba starting in midfield.
• Mata stole the ball from Pogba early in the match, but Pogba adjusted his play and later won possession before sending a long diagonal pass to Zhang Kuang.
• Zhang Kuang broke through Mikel and Ashley Cole's double-team, then met Čech as the goalkeeper charged out and reached for the ball.