Chapter 245: Consecutive footballer of the year
On November 30, 2004, as usual, Wang Feng arrived at the Pinetina training ground. In yesterday's Serie A match, Inter Milan faced Juventus at home in the 15th round. He contributed with an assist and a goal, but the team ended up drawing 2-2 with the opponent, failing to climb to the top of the standings.
The recent struggles of the team in the league left him frustrated and helpless. The club's top management constantly reassured him, hoping he could understand some of the "peculiarities" of Serie A, saying, "This is a society of favors, and Inter Milan's dominance has offended many people."
However, Wang Feng believed that football should be pure, with strength being strength and weakness being weakness. If balance had to be sought in everything, what difference would it have from match-fixing? He had grown tired of this seemingly oppressive atmosphere and even entertained thoughts of leaving.
At this moment, the club's technical director, Horacio Bomb, came to the training room and gently said, "Wang, the chairman asked me to take you to the boardroom. He and Mr. Puffinastiel are waiting for you there. Congratulations!"
Wang Feng was taken aback, only then realizing that Puffinastiel was the editor-in-chief of "France Football," meaning he had won the Ballon d'Or again?
As early as September, many media outlets believed that the Ballon d'Or belonged to Wang Feng, but some thought it might go to Deco because he helped Porto reach the UEFA Champions League final and had an impressive performance in the European Championship, helping Portugal finish as runners-up.
Moreover, Deco transferred to Barcelona this summer, and his new club spared no effort in promoting him, almost catching up with the calls for Wang Feng to win the award.
Fortunately, the jurors were not fools. Two-time Asian Player of the Year couldn't be compared to the six-time winner. Furthermore, Wang Feng also had the Asian Cup title and the Golden Boot of the tournament. In the end, they chose to let Wang Feng retain his title.
As Wang Feng entered the boardroom, Puffinastiel greeted him with a smile and gave him a big hug. He knew very well that a player who could retain the Ballon d'Or would undoubtedly become a big figure in the football world.
The accompanying photographers and staff were all familiar faces to Wang Feng, no different from last year's setup. Moratti said on the side, "Then let's begin. The administrative building, training ground, and dormitories are all open to you. Bomb will accompany everyone, but I believe you are all familiar with this place."
Puffinastiel winked and said with a smile, "Yes, we are quite familiar. Perhaps we'll be coming here more often in the future."
Hearing this, both Wang Feng and Moratti were pleased because each time Puffinastiel visited meant another Ballon d'Or for Inter Milan and Wang Feng. Wang Feng's frustration was temporarily set aside.
They completed the shooting and interviews in the training ground and conference room. The news of France Football's visit to Milan was disclosed by the Italian media, spreading worldwide in no time.
Domestic and Inter Milan fans naturally rejoiced, while Barcelona fans were slightly disappointed. However, upon closer inspection, they could accept it. They were even more eager to sign Wang Feng.
In Barcelona's training base, Deco seemed somewhat despondent. Although he knew he probably couldn't beat Wang Feng, he still had some small expectations because this would be his closest chance to the Ballon d'Or!
After seeing Deco's silence, Ronaldinho, utilizing his enthusiastic personality, approached him. Being both of Brazilian descent, they were comrades.
He walked up to Deco with a hearty smile, "Luís, losing to Wang Feng is nothing to be ashamed of. And you're just behind him, the European second!"
"We should celebrate properly. I'll cover the expenses at the nightclub tonight, everyone is welcome. Luís, I'll introduce you to a few Spanish girls, they can definitely help you forget your troubles."
On December 12, at the Yokohama International Stadium, the last edition of the Toyota Cup was held. UEFA Champions Inter Milan faced South American champions Caldas.
After lengthy discussions between FIFA and sponsors, this event would be transformed into the Club World Cup next year, with six champions from six continents participating, far surpassing the current Toyota Cup in scale.
The champion of the last edition of the Toyota Cup would permanently retain the original trophy, which was of great commemorative significance. Therefore, neither team was willing to give in, leading to a heated offensive from both sides from the start.
In the end, Wang Feng scored a hat-trick and assisted Adriano to score a goal, defeating the opponent 4-2. He also won the tournament's best player, ensuring that he received a Toyota car, just like the winners of each edition of the tournament.
On December 21, at the Zurich Opera House in Switzerland, the FIFA Annual Awards Ceremony was held, and Wang Feng attended this grand event with Lu Yao.
Their appearance still amazed the world. Armani tailored a light yellow long dress for Lu Yao, noble and elegant, stunningly beautiful, not inferior to any top female stars.
Since becoming famous on the red carpet last year, many talent agencies and production teams had invited Lu Yao. If she entered the entertainment industry, she would definitely have a bright future.
But she herself wasn't interested. "The entertainment industry is too complicated!" Lu Yao said so. It was predictable that after this year, there would be crowds of talent scouts coming to her door again.
After the long prelude and performances, the awards ceremony finally officially began. This year's theme was "the combination of football and opera," so FIFA specially invited Ian Wright and the daughter of Scottish former superstar Dalglish to host.
The first award announced was the Fair Play Award, which went to the president of the Brazilian Football Association because they held a friendly match in Haiti in August, bringing the charm of football to the people in the war-torn Haiti.
Two new awards were established this year, namely the "Indoor Football Player of the Year" and the "E-Sports Championship." FIFA was also keeping up with the times. The former was awarded to Brazil's Falcao, and the latter to Tiago, also from Brazil.
The Chairman's Special Award was given to the Haitian Football Association, and the World's Best Team Award went to Brazil. It is worth mentioning that the Most Improved Award went to China, who as Asian champions, had risen 33 places in the FIFA rankings.
When it was announced that the FIFA Women's World Player was Prinz, the atmosphere in the venue became somewhat tense. Everyone was paying close attention to the final award. The three candidates, Wang Feng, Ronaldinho, and Henry, looked serious, focusing on the stage.
Ronaldinho's performance last season was not outstanding. They finished as league runners-up, got knocked out in the fourth round of the League Cup by Celtic, and he even refused to participate in the 2004 Copa America citing it as "unimportant."
In theory, he didn't qualify to be one of the final three candidates. However, FIFA's selection was never just about achievements. Ronaldinho was the leader of Brazilian football after Rivaldo and Ronaldo, and his outstanding abilities were beginning to show. Therefore, FIFA elevated him to the top three.
Even though it was a stretch to put Ronaldinho in the top three, the grand prize naturally wouldn't go to him. Blatter announced the final answer: the 2004 FIFA World Player - Wang Feng!
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