Chapter 152: Annual award
In December 2002, the two most prestigious awards in the world of football, the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year, were announced one after another.
These two trophies, symbolizing the highest honor for players, attracted the attention of the media and fans worldwide. For a while, major newspapers gave their own predictions and insider information.
This year was a World Cup year, so it was highly likely that the awards would go to stars who shined in the World Cup, such as the Brazilian duo Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.
Indeed, it turned out to be the case. A journalist stationed in Madrid managed to capture a photo of Fran?ois Piffard, the chief editor of "France Football" magazine, but it was unclear which player would ultimately win the title.
Shortly after, the Ballon d'Or announced the top ten players, with Ronaldo receiving 169 votes, surpassing his teammate Carlos who received 145 votes, although the gap between them was not very significant.
Wang Feng, compared to last year, rose in the rankings, surpassing players like Henry, Raúl, and Rivaldo, ranking 6th with 57 votes. However, he still couldn't compete with Kahn, Zidane, and Ballack ahead of him. It was evident that the UEFA Cup's weight was still too small.
Although Wang Feng had known this result in advance through the club's "sources," he couldn't hide his disappointment. Nevertheless, he believed that he was not far from this highest honor!
Shortly after winning the award, Ronaldo called Wang Feng. Their relationship didn't end with Ronaldo's departure. Ronaldo would often call Wang Feng to complain about the complicated situation in the dressing room, and Wang Feng thus learned many secrets of Real Madrid.
Of course, all this was because Wang Feng was a qualified listener. He had always kept silent in front of the media and unrelated people. Since the conflict between Ronnie and Cooper, he had gained Ronnie's trust.
"Hey buddy, I won the Ballon d'Or again," Ronaldo boasted over the phone, as if displaying his exquisite work, "And Florentino said I'm also the FIFA World Player of the Year."
"Oh, congratulations," Wang Feng replied with a hint of sarcasm, "Haha, Wang, I knew with your character you wouldn't be content. You must be adding extra training sessions at the training ground now," Ronaldo chuckled.
"But it's okay. If you can help Inter Milan win the Champions League this year, next year's award is yours for sure. It's just a pity that Real Madrid won't let you have it so easily."
"Then let's settle it in the final," Wang Feng said fiercely. According to the format, if both teams were not eliminated, it was very likely that they would meet in the final.
"Oh, by the way, have you thought about joining the Galacticos? With your current status, you're completely worthy of being called a superstar every year."
"Weren't you saying Real Madrid's target for next summer's transfer is Manchester United's Beckham?"
"That was the original plan. Beckham's talent and commercial value are indeed very high, but you're not inferior. What's more important is that you're still young. So Florentino asked me to sound you out."
To be honest, Wang Feng was somewhat tempted. Since Florentino began building the Galacticos, Real Madrid's influence had rapidly expanded. Coupled with its rich heritage, it was undoubtedly the top football club in Europe.
But at the thought of the complex dressing room filled with big names, Wang Feng felt a chill. "Forget it, I don't want to join you old guys."
Ronaldo couldn't help but laugh and then said seriously, "By the way, I heard Barcelona is planning to buy you, and the offer will be very high. It's because of this that Florentino asked me to persuade you."
"You know, I don't have a good impression of Barcelona, so I think you should consider carefully. I don't think Bar?a is a good destination."
In the 13th round of Serie A, Inter Milan hosted Lazio at home. Inter Milan players, who had a week's rest, had recovered well physically.
Stimulated, Wang Feng showed great aggression. Just 2 minutes into the game, he attempted a long-range shot from outside the opponent's penalty area. The shot, from a distance of forty meters, narrowly missed the crossbar, sending chills down the spine of the Lazio defense.
However, Lazio was not a team to be underestimated. Seeing Inter Milan's aggressive attack, they actively contracted their defense and even planned a high-quality counterattack in the 17th minute, almost piercing through Inter Milan's defense.
Faced with the contracted defense, Wang Feng wanted to try the continuous dribbling he did against Brescia last time, but unfortunately, Lazio's defense was evidently stronger. In the end, Negr?o stole the ball from under Wang Feng's feet.
As Wang Feng quickly retreated to defend, he expressed his apologies to his teammates with his eyes. It seemed that he was not yet powerful enough to face all defenses alone. However, he did feel the progress in his abilities and even had a premonition that with continuous practice, such a feat was not impossible!
Neither side managed to score in the first half. In the second half, however, Inter Milan's defense made a fatal mistake. Lazio's Simeone lofted the ball into the penalty area, Lopez quickly reached it, Cordoba closely followed, but he managed to evade the defense with a feint.
At that moment, there was no one in that area to provide support. As a result, Lopez easily scored.
"Ah, Inter Milan shouldn't have conceded this goal. Cordoba was shaken off too easily, and there was no one around to provide support."
"Hey, what's going on? Cordoba and Cannavaro seem to be arguing on the field. There's some physical contact and pushing between them. Is there a rift within the team?"
Inter Milan players quickly intervened and separated the two. The cameras caught coach Cooper, whose face turned ashen. He quickly reacted by substituting Cordoba, who made the direct mistake, and bringing on Pasqualè.
Wang Feng was also surprised. He knew their relationship wasn't good, but he hadn't expected things to escalate on the field. Cordoba should have blamed Cannavaro for not covering in time for the previous goal.
It seemed like the front-page headlines of tomorrow's newspapers would be quite exciting. With injuries in the forward line and now internal discord in defense, Inter Milan was indeed facing a series of problems.
Dispirited, they couldn't create miracles, and in the end, Inter Milan lost 0-1 to Lazio, suffering their second defeat of the season.
Facing an invitation to the annual FIFA awards ceremony, Wang Feng didn't feel like attending. He asked Balmond to decline the invitation on the grounds that the team was at a critical moment and he couldn't afford to be absent.
He wouldn't be the focus of this event anyway. Ronaldo predictably won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, Kahn of Germany won the Silver award, and Zidane, thanks to the Champions League title, received the Bronze award.
Wang Feng's ranking improved further, rising from 11th place last year to 6th place this year. Obviously, his double victory last season and the European Golden Boot were highly recognized by many voters.
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