Chapter 243: New Years'Eve
On the day after the match, major media outlets at home and abroad reported China's first-ever victory in the Asian Cup. Due to Wang Feng's presence, European media paid special attention to this result.
Italian media had the most coverage. Milan Sports Newspaper believed that Wang Feng's performance throughout the entire Asian Cup was outstanding. His goal tally was more than twice that of the second-place scorer on the leaderboard.
"The hero of China's championship is Wang Feng. He has proven that he can not only perform well in clubs but also contribute to the national team. This is a quality that a great player must possess."
Rome Sports Newspaper, on the other hand, believed that a month ago, Greece's Cinderella story culminated in winning the European Cup, which meant that European stars had failed to make a significant contribution to the tournament.
"Wang, on the other hand, made an indelible contribution at the Asian Cup. Although the difficulty of the two tournaments is completely different, it is still worth referencing. Coupled with Inter Milan's sextuple-winning performance, he is very likely to retain both awards at the end of the year."
Turin Sports Newspaper wrote, "Wang's performance remains stable as ever, indicating that he will also show dominance in the new season. How will other Serie A teams stop Inter Milan?"
"Will he really establish a legendary dynasty in Serie A? No, that is not allowed!"
During the Asian Cup, while European football was in a whirlwind of transfers, Wang Feng, even though in China, kept a close eye on the situation.
The most explosive news concerned Chelsea and AC Milan. Although Mourinho failed to lead Porto to the Champions League title, his excellent coaching experience caught the attention of Abramovich, who hired him at Chelsea for a hefty sum.
With ample funds, Chelsea did not stop their expansion. Mourinho's most desired target was Wang Feng, who defeated Porto. However, Inter Milan was not willing to sell. Coupled with Abramovich's interest in Shevchenko, they turned to AC Milan.
The Rossoneri had no intention of selling their star player at this time, but Shevchenko himself was somewhat disheartened by Wang Feng and Inter Milan's performance. Wanting to leave Serie A, combined with the club's poor performance in recent years, after lengthy negotiations, they finally reached a deal. Shevchenko joined Chelsea for �50 million!
Meanwhile, Chelsea also spent �18 million to buy Robben from Ajax. With Drogba, Lampard, Terry, and Cech still in their lineup, they were a star-studded team.
This "ruthless" capital operation caused a stir in the Premier League. Last season, they relied on their strong lineup to eliminate Arsenal in the Champions League, and many media believed they would be the third party to end the dominance of Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League.
After losing Shevchenko, AC Milan loaned back Crespo from Chelsea. The former Serie A top scorer seemed somewhat out of place in the Premier League, and AC Milan wanted him back to strengthen their lineup.
At the same time, they also brought in Stam, Dhorasoo, Brolin, and Coloccini. These signings were not very notable, causing dissatisfaction among the Rossoneri's fans, who even believed the club had already lost the championship before the season began.
Only the team manager Quandt and the club's top management understood that it was almost impossible for Inter Milan to dominate this season, and no one wanted to see this happen.
Juventus made big moves in this summer transfer window. They first hired Capello, the coach long coveted by both Italy and Juventus. Along with him came Roma star Emerson.
Then they bought Ibrahimovic from Ajax. The abilities of this Swedish forward were evident, and his conflicts with van der Vaart were almost public. Therefore, he had to leave Ajax.
Ibrahimovic initially didn't want to join Serie A because of his defeats against Wang Feng, which left a lasting impression on him. He hadn't encountered such powerlessness when facing other teams. Unfortunately, he didn't have the power to veto the transfer, Juventus offered a high price, Ajax was willing to sell, so he had to move.
At the same time, the Bianconeri also brought in Zebina, Chiellini, Blasi, Brighi, Kapo, and Volpatte, which could be described as recruiting talents, showing a grand posture.
Inter Milan, on the other hand, tried to retain their championship lineup as much as possible. However, Vieri still left. He transferred to Atletico Madrid for �10 million, and the main center-back Dalma also left for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
There was also Caron, familiar to Wang Feng, who promised to give him a starting position at Monaco in Ligue 1, so he decided to leave. Although he was only a substitute at the club level, it was a good friend for Wang Feng.
The two of them had a special conversation for a long time, and Wang Feng expressed his approval of his decision, while the Sierra Leonean thanked him: "You are the best team leader I have ever seen, Wang. I hope everything goes well for you and Inter Milan in the future."
With departures, there were also arrivals. Moratti seemed to be obsessed with building the defense line, believing that as long as Inter Milan's defense was stable, Wang Feng would surely lead the team to victory after victory.
He first brought in Maxi from Ajax, which was something that Balmond had promised years ago, successfully introducing the Brazilian to the Inter Milan president.
In addition, a group of central defenders including Favalli, Potenza, Lombardi, Budisso, and Mihajlovic were also brought to Inter by Moratti.
In La Liga, Real Madrid experienced dual losses in the Champions League and the league last season, with further divisions in the locker room. After failing to purchase Wang Feng again, President Florentino had to temporarily give up the strategy of acquiring superstars, instead bringing in Samuel and Woodgate to strengthen the defense.
Originally, they were interested in Michael Owen, but since he didn't win the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, and his position didn't match the superstar plan, plus the forward line of Real Madrid was already bloated, there was no follow-up.
Barcelona's situation was gradually improving. Their reconstruction efforts were very effective, led by Ronaldinho. Although they didn't win La Liga or the UEFA Cup, the competitiveness of the entire team was already evident.
Like Real Madrid, the pursuit of Wang Feng was an annual routine for Barcelona. After receiving the expected negative answer, they immediately proposed alternative plans, namely Eto'o, Deco, and Kluivert.
In the Premier League, to cope with the threat from Chelsea, traditional powerhouses made strenuous efforts to reinforce themselves. Liverpool brought in stars like Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia, etc.
Manchester United brought back Rooney, who made a name for himself at the European Cup, as well as Heinze, Alan Smith, and others.
For the 19-year-old Rooney's joining, Cristiano Ronaldo felt both nervous and excited. Last season, he only scored six goals in 29 league appearances, 5 goals in the Champions League, and 5 goals in the FA Cup. This dissatisfaction, coupled with the arrival of Rooney, would undoubtedly elevate Manchester United's attacking power, giving him more opportunities to score.
But would Rooney take away his already limited ball rights? And since Rooney was a local player from England, would he receive some special treatment within the team? These were the main concerns for Cristiano Ronaldo.
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