Chapter 209: Celebration
When Wang Feng lifted the Golden Ball Award high, the whole stadium erupted into warm applause. Everyone was extremely excited. Every award presentation was a legendary testimony.
The applause only stopped when Wang Feng took his seat, and then the organizers began to play highlights of Wang Feng's splendid performances and goals over the past year. The sheer number and brilliance of his goals left the video editors in awe. It seemed that editing Wang Feng's impressive performances this year was the easiest task they had encountered in years.
After the highlights, it quickly transitioned to his career introduction. Wang Feng was surprised to find that many acquaintances, including coaches Mette and Antonis, had been interviewed. They spoke about their experiences with Wang Feng in front of the camera, witnessing his transformation from an unknown young player to a superstar.
This must have been a little surprise prepared by the organizers. Scenes from the past flashed through his mind: Virton, Genk... it had already been four years.
After the video, Wang Feng first accepted an interview from French television. Their questions were mostly similar to those asked by "France Football" magazine.
During the subsequent free interview session, impatient Chinese journalists were the first to ask questions: "Hello, Wang Feng, congratulations on winning the European Golden Ball Award. This is one of the highest honors in world football, and you are the pride of our nation!"
It was a young female journalist, her voice trembling with excitement. Wang Feng smiled and gestured to her to ask slowly, not to rush.
She took a breath before asking, "As the first Chinese person to win the Golden Ball Award, we are all very curious about the secrets of your success."
Wang Feng smiled and said, "I think it's luck and hard work. Luck gave me the stage to play football, and diligent practice continuously improved my skills."
She then asked several questions about his feelings about winning the award, and Wang Feng answered them one by one. Finally, she asked, "Next summer, you will represent the national team for the first time at the Asian Cup. Do you think we have a chance to win the championship on home soil?"
Wang Feng replied, "We have many overseas players in our team, so we definitely have a chance. I can only say that I will do my best." The female journalist nodded.
After she finished, eager reporters asked all sorts of strange and bizarre questions, even inquiring about Wang Feng's sexual orientation because, at 20 years old, he hadn't been involved in any scandals yet.
Wang Feng could only laugh awkwardly and say that he already had a girlfriend. This was sure to be reported by "France Football" magazine later, causing a stir among the journalists, who whispered to each other, speculating about who she might be.
After dealing with the reporters, there was a banquet and a fan meeting. When everything was over, Wang Feng collapsed in the back seat of the car. He felt like he was falling apart.
But the excitement of winning the Golden Ball Award had not yet subsided. Next up was the FIFA World Player of the Year! Although this honor was almost certainly his, he couldn't afford to be careless.
The next day, the latest issue of "France Football" magazine appeared on newsstands, convenience stores, bookstores, and online platforms. The image of Wang Feng kissing the trophy on the cover looked exceptionally eye-catching.
"Wang Feng unquestionably wins the European Golden Ball Award, almost favored by all the judges," wrote Editor-in-Chief Pufnastier in the commentary article. "In the annual selection since 1956, Wang Feng is one of the few award winners who has almost no controversy."
"According to the final voting data, his performance is enough to rank among the top three in history!"
"But it hasn't been easy. Until 1994, the Golden Ball Award was only limited to European players. We missed Maradona and Romario."
"Fortunately, we changed the selection rules in time to expand the scope to all players playing in Europe, which allowed us not to miss rising stars like Wang Feng."
"In the future, the Golden Ball Award will continue to seek reforms, striving for further authority and globalization!"
Wang Feng quietly returned to Milan. He walked out of the airport through a special passage and took Inter Milan's special car to Pinetina. Because there were too many fans gathered at the airport, appearing at this time could easily cause a huge commotion.
Looking at the bustling crowds on the streets, everyone wearing Wang Feng's number 10 jersey, Felix Ruohlsen, Inter Milan's Executive Vice President, couldn't help but sigh, "Your jerseys have been sold out these past few days. The suppliers are rushing to make more, but the demand still outstrips supply."
"We'll hold a small celebration ceremony before tomorrow's game to show the fans your Golden Ball trophy. It'll be as lively as a festival."
Inter Milan drew 0-0 against Perugia in the 12th round of Serie A, their defense impeccable, but their attack seemed somewhat weak without Wang Feng.
Ribéry seemed inexperienced, and Vieri struggled alone. However, there was some good news: Recoba, who had been absent due to injury for a long time, could finally play!
He would temporarily serve as Ribéry's substitute. After fully recovering his form, the coach would rearrange the lineup and tactics. Regardless, almost all of Inter Milan's main players had overcome their injury problems.
On the day of the match, the San Siro Stadium was packed. Inter Milan had already advanced to the Champions League knockout stage, so this game was not important. Everyone came just to witness Wang Feng's Golden Ball.
Two hours before the match, a simple platform was set up in the center of the stadium. Wang Feng took the stage with the trophy, hugged the coaching staff and teammates, and thanked them for their support.
When he finally lifted the trophy over his head, the cheers of eighty thousand people in the stadium were earth-shattering. Inter Milan's third Golden Ball, won by Wang Feng, who led the team to regain the Champions League, everything seemed so beautiful.
After the celebration ceremony, the stadium was quickly prepared for the official match. Coach Mancini also arranged for a full substitute lineup to play. Celta Vigo, struggling in the relegation zone in the league, unleashed all their power, determined to give it their all.
The only goal of the match was contributed by Celta Vigo forward Claudio. Although Wang Feng looked at the coach on the bench several times, Mancini still showed no intention of sending him onto the field. Perhaps he felt that there was no need to push too hard in such a match.
After all group stage matches were completed, Inter Milan topped the group with 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 13 points. Celta Vigo snatched the second spot, while Club Brugge and Ajax were both eliminated, causing a minor upset.
So, one should never underestimate teams from the top five leagues. Even if they are struggling in the relegation zone, they can still unleash unparalleled power.
As for the other Serie A teams, Juventus, although experiencing turmoil with the resignation of their head coach, temporarily replaced by Berti, performed well in the group stage and also advanced as group winners. AC Milan narrowly defeated Lokomotiv Moscow in the final round and finished second in the group after Arsenal. Meanwhile, Lazio finished bottom of the group and was eliminated, unable to even qualify for the Europa League.
Inter Milan's opponent in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 will be Sparta Prague from the Czech Republic.
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