Chapter Summaries

Zhang Kuang celebrated his eighteenth birthday with Manchester United teammates and a crowd of twenty-three women, then impressed Ferguson with exceptional fitness results the next morning. Against Fulham, Zhang scored in consecutive Premier League games, but Dempsey equalized before halftime, leaving the match level at 1-1.

• Zhang Kuang welcomed twenty-three women to his birthday party, where Manchester United players and club staff celebrated with him and ate Chinese food.
• Zhang Kuang cultivated through the night, and the next morning Steve McNally gave Ferguson fitness-test results that astonished him.
• Ferguson warned Zhang Kuang not to be late for training, then instructed him to play on the left against Fulham and exploit Baird's lack of pace.
• Zhang Kuang beat Baird, drove into the penalty area, and forced Schwarzer to turn his shot behind for a corner.
• In the 28th minute, Zhang Kuang scored from Rooney's saved shot to give Manchester United a 1-0 lead and net in consecutive games.
• Dempsey scored from a rebound after Murphy's shot hit the crossbar, and the first half ended with Fulham and Manchester United level at 1-1.

Zhang Kuang helped Manchester United recover from a 2-1 deficit against Fulham with a headed assist and a late solo goal. Manchester United won 3-2, and Zhang Kuang received the match MVP award before giving a brief interview.

• At halftime, Mark Hughes urged Fulham to attack Manchester United's high defensive line, while Ferguson criticized his players and instructed Zhang Kuang to drop deeper and draw defenders out.
• Hangeland headed Murphy's free kick into the net in the fiftieth minute, putting Fulham ahead 2-1.
• After Hangeland fouled Zhang Kuang, Zhang headed Carrick's free kick toward Rooney, who scored to equalize; Hangeland was injured in their aerial collision and Philippe Senderos replaced him.
• In the seventy-fifth minute, Zhang Kuang powered past Baird and Aaron Hughes before scoring to give Manchester United a 3-2 lead.
• Ferguson substituted Zhang Kuang for Park Ji-sung to strengthen the defense, and Manchester United held on to win as Zhang earned the match MVP award and prepared for an interview.

Zhang Kuang set ambitious goals after Manchester United beat Fulham, then learned United had drawn Valencia, Glasgow Rangers, and Bursaspor in the Champions League group stage. Against West Ham United, he scored within three minutes, while manager Avram Grant’s angry reaction ended with him spraying water at a cameraman and outraging viewers.

• Zhang Kuang said he regretted Hangeland’s injury, set a target of 40 league goals, and declared that he wanted Manchester United to win the treble.
• Ferguson criticized Manchester United’s performance against Fulham, praised Zhang Kuang, joked that rival clubs should buy defenders to stop him, and canceled the team’s rest day for extra training.
• At the Champions League draw, Manchester United were placed in Group C with Valencia, Glasgow Rangers, and Bursaspor, and Zhang Kuang told Pogba not to underestimate their opponents.
• Before the West Ham United match, Ferguson warned his players to improve their defending, and Manchester United started with the same lineup as their previous game.
• Zhang Kuang beat Kováč and Upson before scoring in the third minute, giving Manchester United a 1-0 lead.
• Avram Grant threw his water bottle and sprayed water at a cameraman who filmed him, prompting disgusted reactions from viewers worldwide.

Zhang Kuang helped Manchester United defeat West Ham United 4-0, scoring twice and providing two assists as the team extended its winning start to three matches. Afterward, he flirted with reporter Jessica Hatchett on live television, while Ferguson rejected rumors of a falling-out over Zhang Kuang’s substitution.

• After a replay showed Avram Grant squirting water at a live camera, the referee sent West Ham United’s manager off, and Željko Petrović took over on the touchline.
• Rooney hit the crossbar from Zhang Kuang’s pass, and Berbatov scored the rebound to give Manchester United a 2-0 lead.
• Zhang Kuang assisted Rooney in the fortieth minute, making it 3-0 at halftime.
• Zhang Kuang scored a solo goal in the fifty-eighth minute, then Ferguson substituted him two minutes later as Manchester United won 4-0.
• Zhang Kuang told Sky Sports reporter Jessica Hatchett he would take her out for a meal, then gave her his champagne during their live interview.
• At the press conference, Ferguson praised Zhang Kuang’s ability and explained that he had substituted him to avoid overworking the nineteen-year-old.

During the international break, Zhang Kuang returned to China, visited his former coach Wu Guohua, and proposed a free football school that would pay its young players, but Wu warned him that it would threaten powerful interests. Zhang Kuang bought a villa in Shenzhen and, after meeting Guo Jingjing and He Qigang in Hong Kong, flew back to Manchester with his youth-football plan still unresolved.

• Avram Grant apologized at a press conference for squirting water at a camera and left without discussing the match.
• With no national-team duties during the break, Zhang Kuang returned to China and reunited with Wu Guohua at his struggling football school.
• Zhang Kuang proposed funding a tuition-free school that would provide children with equipment, wages, and opportunities to play abroad, but Wu warned that the plan could endanger the players' futures by challenging entrenched interests.
• Zhang Kuang signed autographs, donated five million yuan to the school, and gave Wu Guohua an expensive watch.
• Zhang Kuang bought a villa in Shenzhen, then met Guo Jingjing and He Qigang in Hong Kong and explained his football-school idea; He Qigang offered to ask his family’s contacts about possible solutions.
• Zhang Kuang flew back to Manchester and resumed the cultivation he had missed.

Ferguson unleashed Zhang Kuang in Manchester United’s match against Everton, and Zhang scored an early header after overpowering multiple defenders. Everton equalized through Tim Cahill, leaving the match level as Ferguson angrily focused on his team’s defensive problems.

• Ferguson told Zhang Kuang he wanted him playing at full strength and gave him freedom to score in an intrasquad match.
• Ferguson named Zhang Kuang in Manchester United’s starting lineup against Everton and urged him to attack without restraint.
• Zhang Kuang dribbled past Everton defenders and forced Tim Howard to push his shot wide before scoring from Giggs’s corner in the third minute.
• Tim Cahill’s deflected long-range shot beat Van der Sar and equalized for Everton in the fifteenth minute.
• Zhang Kuang and Rooney discussed Everton’s resilience, while Ferguson grew angry about Manchester United conceding again.

Manchester United and Everton traded goals in a chaotic match as Zhang Kuang scored a brace, assisted Berbatov, and completed his first Premier League hat trick. Manchester United led 4-3 after his 65th-minute goal, but Ferguson remained wary that Everton could equalize again.

• Zhang Kuang scored his second goal in the 20th minute after Heitinga slipped, putting Manchester United ahead 2-1.
• Cahill scored his second goal in the 35th minute to equalize for Everton, and Ferguson ordered Anderson to warm up.
• Zhang Kuang assisted Berbatov's goal in the 43rd minute, giving Manchester United a 3-2 halftime lead.
• Ferguson criticized Manchester United's defense at halftime and sent Anderson on for Scholes in the second half.
• Arteta scored in the 55th minute after Scholes deflected his shot, bringing Everton level at 3-3.
• Zhang Kuang dribbled past Everton's defenders and scored his first Premier League hat trick in the 65th minute, making it 4-3; Ferguson warned that Manchester United still needed another goal.

Manchester United beat Everton 5-3, with Zhang Kuang scoring a hat trick and assisting another goal, and he later faced Jessica Hatchett about his teasing and intentions. Jessica visited Zhang Kuang at his hotel, where he admitted he was a playboy and kissed her as she hesitated to leave.

• In the seventy-fifth minute, Howard saved Zhang Kuang's header, but Rooney scored from the rebound to put Manchester United ahead 5-3.
• Manchester United held the lead to beat Everton away, earning a fourth straight win as Zhang Kuang finished with three goals, one assist, and man of the match.
• After the match, Zhang Kuang teased Jessica Hatchett during a live interview, while Moyes praised his physical strength and Ferguson discussed his performance.
• Jessica went to Zhang Kuang's hotel and confronted him about teasing her without following through.
• Zhang Kuang told Jessica he liked her but was a playboy who did not want a committed relationship, then kissed her when she hesitated to leave.

Jessica denied reporters’ rumors about her two days with Zhang Kuang, who joked with them and returned to Manchester United training as the Champions League approached. In his Champions League debut against Glasgow Rangers, Zhang Kuang scored the opening goal and became the first Chinese player to score in the competition.

• Jessica told reporters she had practiced Chinese kung fu with Zhang Kuang, while Zhang Kuang gave them both a version of the truth and a contradictory lie before driving away.
• Zhang Kuang returned to Manchester United, where Rooney and his teammates teased him, and Ferguson ordered him to run ten laps before the team trained for its Champions League opener.
• Ferguson named a rotated Manchester United lineup against Glasgow Rangers, keeping Zhang Kuang as the striker and urging him to score ahead of the match against Liverpool.
• Zhang Kuang stood up to Glasgow Rangers’ physical marking, while Nani repeatedly ignored passing opportunities and wasted attacks.
• In the fifteenth minute, Zhang Kuang powered through defenders and scored from outside the penalty area, making Champions League history as the first Chinese player to score in the competition.

Zhang Kuang scored twice in the first half against Glasgow Rangers, then used newly upgraded dribbling skills to beat five defenders and complete a hat trick early in the second. Manchester United led 3-0 as Ferguson and Zhang’s teammates marveled at his unexpected technique.

• Nani repeatedly shot instead of creating chances, and Ferguson warned him at halftime to change his approach.
• Zhang Kuang scored his second goal with a powerful header that knocked Weir and Broadfoot aside, giving Manchester United a 2-0 lead.
• During halftime, Zhang Kuang spent 402 Qi and Blood Points to improve his dribbling and learn four advanced techniques.
• In the forty-ninth minute, Zhang Kuang dribbled past five Glasgow Rangers defenders and chipped the ball over McGregor to complete his hat trick.
• Ferguson, the commentators, and Zhang Kuang’s teammates reacted with astonishment to his dribbling and goal.

Zhang Kuang scored three goals and assisted Rooney in Manchester United’s 4-0 Champions League win over Rangers, while two leg injuries left the match surrounded by strange rumors about his supposed immunity to harm. After winning man of the match, he defended his actions in interviews as the media and Chinese fans debated his performance and his value to Chinese football.

• Whittaker was sent off for a vicious tackle on Zhang Kuang, but Zhang returned to the pitch seemingly unharmed while Whittaker was carried away with a broken leg.
• Zhang Kuang dribbled through Rangers’ defense and assisted Rooney’s thunderous goal, making the score 4-0 before Ferguson substituted him in the fifty-fifth minute.
• Three minutes after Zhang Kuang left, Valencia suffered a severe ankle fracture in a non-malicious challenge by Kirk Broadfoot, and play continued after the referee ruled there had been no foul.
• Zhang Kuang received the man-of-the-match award and told reporters that Whittaker had harmed himself, while claiming his reaction to tackles was a subconscious habit.
• Walter Smith and Ferguson discussed Rangers’ defeat and the injuries at the press conference, and Ferguson praised Zhang Kuang’s three goals and assist.
• Media reports and Chinese social media celebrated Zhang Kuang’s Champions League debut, speculated about his uncanny luck, and argued over whether he should help Chinese football.

After Zhang Kuang’s Champions League hat-trick went viral, He Qigang proposed building a Hong Kong-based youth program and team that could compete internationally. Zhang Kuang reached an agreement in principle with the Hong Kong Football Association, then arrived at Old Trafford for the highly anticipated North West Derby against Liverpool.

• Zhang Kuang’s five-player dribble, his recovery from Whittaker’s tackle, and Valencia’s injury became viral clips, drawing worldwide media attention.
• He Qigang told Zhang Kuang that mainland youth development faced entrenched opposition and proposed establishing the program in Hong Kong and sending its players to Europe.
• He Qigang suggested that the players could represent a China Hong Kong Team, and Zhang Kuang agreed to explore the idea with the Hong Kong Football Association.
• President He agreed that Zhang Kuang could select players through open trials, prioritizing Hong Kong locals when candidates were equally capable, and Zhang Kuang promised to transfer his registration to Hong Kong.
• Zhang Kuang arrived at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s Premier League North West Derby against Liverpool, a fixture followed around the world.

Manchester United faced Liverpool in the North West Derby, where Zhang Kuang traded insults with Maxi Rodríguez and overwhelmed Liverpool’s defenders. He scored in the sixth minute to put Manchester United ahead 1-0, then kept provoking Maxi as the match continued.

• Zhang Kuang entered the North West Derby excited, while Rooney warned him that Carragher was a dangerous tackler.
• Maxi Rodríguez taunted Zhang Kuang, who answered with crude insults that angered Maxi and amused Konchesky.
• Zhang Kuang powered between Konchesky and Maxi, then shot from Scholes’s pass, but Reina tipped the ball over the bar.
• Zhang Kuang combined with Evra, cut inside past Konchesky and Maxi, feinted past Carragher, and scored with a left-footed shot to give Manchester United a 1-0 lead.
• Zhang Kuang covered his eyes after a fan exposed herself during his celebration, drawing jokes from the commentators.
• Maxi returned to provoke Zhang Kuang, who taunted him about his girlfriend until Konchesky pulled the furious Argentine away.

Zhang Kuang assisted Berbatov’s bicycle kick to put Manchester United 2-0 ahead, but Gerrard’s penalty brought Liverpool back into the match. After halftime, Liverpool changed tactics to block passes to Zhang Kuang, who quickly worked out their plan and tricked Maxi into confirming it.

• Zhang Kuang slipped past Maxi and delivered an outside-of-the-foot pass that Berbatov volleyed into the net for a 2-0 lead.
• O’Shea handled Torres’s shot in the penalty area, and Gerrard converted the resulting penalty to make it 2-1.
• Zhang Kuang created more danger before halftime, while Rooney and Zhang Kuang discussed how they would pursue another goal.
• During the break, Hodgson adopted Carragher’s plan to block Manchester United’s passing lanes to Zhang Kuang, while Wang Jianguo secretly filmed a private encounter in a stadium toilet.
• Zhang Kuang noticed his teammates could no longer pass to him freely, deduced Liverpool’s new strategy, and baited Maxi into revealing it.

Zhang Kuang scored twice and assisted Rooney as Manchester United defeated Liverpool 4-2 in the North West Derby. After earning man of the match, Zhang Kuang discussed the victory, while a Chinese fan posted a strange account of an encounter at Old Trafford.

• Zhang Kuang stole the ball from Poulsen, combined with Berbatov, and scored to put Manchester United 3-1 ahead.
• Gerrard scored a free kick to make it 3-2, and Rooney asked Zhang Kuang to help him prove himself.
• In the eighty-sixth minute, Zhang Kuang intercepted Carragher and assisted Rooney, who scored to restore Manchester United's two-goal lead.
• Manchester United won 4-2, and Zhang Kuang told reporters he still had room to improve after scoring twice and providing two assists.
• Wang Jianguo posted an account of a strange encounter in an Old Trafford toilet, and the post drew startled reactions from readers.

Zhang Kuang traveled to Hong Kong, finalized an agreement to join the China Hong Kong Team, and publicly announced his decision at a press conference. He defended the move as a way to keep representing China and said he had joined Hong Kong because he saw no chance of change in mainland football.

• Zhang Kuang received Ferguson’s permission to take several days off and flew to Hong Kong to handle personal business.
• He Qigang brought Zhang Kuang to meet Chairman He, who explained the resistance within the Hong Kong Football Association and the obstacles to reforming Chinese football.
• Zhang Kuang and the Hong Kong Football Association agreed that he would join the team, advise on selection and tactics, and attend official competitions.
• The Hong Kong Football Association announced at a press conference that Zhang Kuang had acquired Hong Kong status and joined the China Hong Kong Team.
• Zhang Kuang told reporters he was still Chinese and would continue representing Chinese football, then argued that joining Hong Kong was not a betrayal.
• When a Titan Sports reporter challenged his decision, Zhang Kuang said he had joined Hong Kong because he saw no possibility of change in mainland football and still wanted to fight for his country.

Zhang Kuang defended joining the Hong Kong Team and argued that Hong Kong football needed reforms and stronger players to pursue World Cup qualification. After he submitted coaching, player-switching, and naturalization proposals to the Hong Kong Football Association, the lists leaked to the media and sparked fresh controversy.

• Zhang Kuang told reporters he had joined the Hong Kong Team to pursue a place in the next final-ten round and a chance to qualify for the World Cup, and said he would not throw a match against the China national football team.
• News of the press conference spread widely, prompting divided reactions in Hong Kong and on the mainland, including sharp attacks from Titan Sports and Football Weekly and a measured response from Huang Jianxiang.
• Zhang Kuang viewed and bought a house in Repulse Bay, then gave the Hong Kong Football Association a shortlist of preferred coaches and domestic players who might switch affiliation.
• Zhang Kuang also proposed naturalizing five Chinese-descent players, including Shane Lowry, Jack Xu, and Cris Kong, and planned to build a team around them, switch-eligible mainland players, and local Hong Kong players.
• After Zhang Kuang flew back to Manchester on September 24, his affiliation-switch and naturalization lists leaked, angering Chairman He and prompting Hong Kong newspapers to question his influence and the prospects for local players.

The Hong Kong Football Association defended Zhang Kuang’s plan to recruit eligible Chinese-ancestry players, while Zhang objected to the leaked list and told the association to stop actively persuading mainland players. After joining Manchester United against Bolton, Zhang assisted Berbatov and scored a header as United took a 2-1 lead.

• The Hong Kong FA spokesman said the association would prioritize results and consider ethnic Chinese players from Hong Kong, the mainland, and abroad, prompting debate online.
• Zhang Kuang told the Hong Kong FA that the leaked list made him unhappy and that it should suspend active efforts to recruit mainland players while welcoming qualified players who transferred voluntarily.
• Zhang’s Manchester United teammates congratulated him on joining the Hong Kong Team, and Rooney teased him about playing during international breaks.
• Before the Bolton match, Owen Coyle claimed his team had a way to contain Zhang, while Ferguson said superstars could not be stopped.
• Bolton pressed and tackled Zhang aggressively, but Zhang passed through their defense to set up Berbatov’s opening goal in the thirteenth minute.
• Zhang headed in Rooney’s cross to make it 2-0, but Kevin Davies scored from a corner in the thirty-ninth minute, leaving United ahead 2-1.

Manchester United beat Bolton 4-2 in a grueling match after Zhang Kuang scored twice and assisted twice. Afterward, Ferguson praised Bolton and Zhang Kuang, while the team prepared for its upcoming Champions League match against Valencia.

• Ferguson warned Zhang Kuang to avoid getting distracted by Bolton's physical challenges, but Bolton equalized through Kevin Davies shortly after halftime.
• Zhang Kuang nearly scored twice before setting up Ferdinand with a headed flick-on to put Manchester United ahead 3-2.
• Zhang Kuang scored again in the 88th minute, and Manchester United held on to win 4-2.
• Zhang Kuang exchanged shirts with Kevin Davies and received the man-of-the-match award, then praised Bolton in an interview.
• Ferguson and Coyle praised Bolton's performance and Zhang Kuang's decisive play as Manchester United planned to recover before facing Valencia.
• Zhang Kuang restored his strength after returning, while Jessica and Lama, Arya, and Liam watched.

Ferguson explained to Zhang Kuang that Manchester United would promote him as a superstar to help him win the Golden Boy Award and eventually the Ballon d'Or. In Manchester United's Champions League match against Valencia, Zhang Kuang assisted Berbatov for the opening goal after Valencia had controlled possession for much of the game.

• Ferguson told reporters that Zhang Kuang had the abilities of a superstar and explained to Zhang Kuang that the club would build his public profile to support his award ambitions.
• Zhang Kuang asked Jonathan to promote his image worldwide, and Ferguson's praise began shifting some fans' view of him from a promising newcomer to a superstar.
• Manchester United and Valencia began their Group C match at Mestalla, where Valencia dominated possession and restricted Zhang Kuang's chances to receive the ball.
• In the 32nd minute, Zhang Kuang held off defenders, combined with Park Ji-sung, and crossed for Berbatov to score Manchester United's opening goal.
• Emery watched Valencia fall behind after Manchester United scored within fifteen seconds of ending their long spell of control.