Chapter 141: Chasing Wang Feng
On October 6th, Inter Milan welcomed Lyon from Ligue 1 for the third round of the Champions League group stage. Lyon had just won the French Ligue 1 championship for the 2001-2002 season and was a force to be reckoned with.
Speaking of Ligue 1, one cannot ignore their tumultuous journey in the Champions League. Although Ligue 1 consistently ranks fifth in UEFA rankings, occasionally being surpassed by the Portuguese Primeira Liga or the Dutch Eredivisie, due to France's footballing stature, it has always been considered one of Europe's top five leagues.
However, embarrassingly, they have only lifted the Champions League trophy once, in 1993, when Marseille won it. Moreover, Marseille was soon embroiled in a match-fixing scandal, tarnishing the prestige of their victory.
Therefore, for Lyon, the newly crowned champions of Ligue 1, creating a legend in French professional football was their urgent pursuit.
Lyon's squad boasted stars like French goalkeeper Coupe, Brazilian defender Edmilson, "King of the Falling Leaves" Juninho, and the "Gentle Killer" Sonny Anderson up front.
Due to several consecutive matches, Inter Milan coach Cooper made rotations to the lineup, and Wang Feng and several key players did not start.
The game started with a dream start for Lyon. Just after conceding a goal from Conzikao in midfield, Juninho pierced through Inter Milan's defense.
Trailing, Inter Milan appeared even more chaotic. Strikers Calon and Martins failed to shoulder the burden, while the inexperienced Pasquali and Vivas in defense allowed Lyon to create numerous threats at the goal.
In the 60th minute, Wang Feng finally appeared amidst great anticipation. Cooper substituted the underperforming Martins with number ten Wang Feng.
As he came on, Wang Feng hugged Martins and whispered words of comfort in his ear. As a product of Inter Milan's youth academy, if he could grow into a pillar of the club, it would be gratifying, but he still needed time to mature.
After Wang Feng came on, Lyon's defense became cautious, even on the offensive end, which showed how much of a threat he posed.
Five minutes later, Wang Feng orchestrated an attack on the right flank. His cross found Calon at the far post, but Calon's shot was blocked by Edmilson on the goal line.
Facing Lyon's dense defense, Wang Feng could only keep moving, creating space for other players and patiently waiting for opportunities. As soon as Lyon showed the slightest opening, he seized it.
He didn't have to wait long. In the 71st minute, Zanetti initiated a counterattack. Emre carried the ball forward from the backline and suddenly played a through pass after crossing the halfway line.
At the edge of the penalty area, Wang Feng received the ball with his back to goal, turned around, and engaged in a physical duel with defender Casapa. The 1.78-meter-tall Brazilian couldn't stop the towering Wang Feng and was pushed back several steps. Wang Feng then passed by him and entered the penalty area.
Another defender, Bresshe, hurriedly stepped forward to defend, but Wang Feng deftly flicked the ball to his right after taking two steps sideways, evading Bresshe.
With two more steps, Wang Feng chipped the ball into the penalty area. Calon at the far post lightly tapped the ball, and it slipped past Coupe's hands into the net.
With Wang Feng's goal and assist, Inter Milan reversed Lyon 2-1!
In three Champions League group stage matches, Wang Feng delivered a dominating performance with 5 goals and 3 assists. The German newspaper "Sport Bild" praised Wang Feng, saying, "The two-time Europa League top scorer has shown no less prowess on the Champions League stage."
As a traditional powerhouse in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich's performance had been declining since winning the Champions League in 2001. Not only did they lose the league title in the 2001-2002 season, but in the just-concluded three Champions League group stage matches, they lost 2-3 to Deportivo La Coruna, drew 1-1 with Lens, and were defeated 1-2 by AC Milan, making their situation very bleak.
"Sport Bild" wrote, "Bayern should not stick to their old lineup but actively seek new recruits and reforms, and Wang Feng is a great target."
Bayern chairman Ottmar Hitzfeld said in an interview that they had always been the first club to pursue Wang Feng, starting from the days of Felix Magath.
"Wang Feng's abilities are undeniable. We have missed out on him several times. If possible, we will do our best to bring him back to Munich."
However, this statement was scoffed at by the Catalan media in Spain. They believed that Wang Feng, who currently played for a Serie A powerhouse, would not turn back to the Bundesliga, which was ranked fourth in UEFA coefficients.
"He should shine on the stage of La Liga, one of Europe's top leagues. Barcelona needs to seriously consider the feasibility of signing him. We need a superstar who can rival Real Madrid," wrote the local media "Ara."
In fact, the current Barcelona president, Gaspart, was also seriously considering this possibility. Next year, he would face a major club election, and to defeat the formidable Laporta, he needed to present a convincing plan.
Back then, Gaspart's decision not to sign Wang Feng was because he didn't want to cultivate external players but focused on developing their own youth academy players, represented by Messi. However, the situation had changed. Wang Feng no longer needed nurturing and waiting but could be directly utilized.
"How much is his value?" Gaspart asked the club's technical director, Besu-Ram.
"I believe Inter Milan will definitely not agree to sell him next summer, after all, he is still very young," Ram shook his head helplessly. "If he successfully helps Inter Milan win the Champions League, his value will surely exceed 70 million euros."
"Money is not a problem. Let's see where Wang Feng can lead Inter Milan. If they eventually win the championship, immediately offer them 80 million, and we must bring Wang Feng back to Barcelona!"
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