Chapter 259: World cup draw
As December approached, it was time for the annual selection of the highest awards in international football. The winner of the Ballon d'Or was revealed earlier, with "France Football" personnel appearing in England.
Shevchenko's win was expected, given his contribution to Chelsea's UEFA Champions League and league double. While British media celebrated, they also expressed excitement that Wang Feng's era had ended and that next year's awards were unlikely to go to him, as it was a World Cup year.
"Even if Wang Feng is formidable, he cannot lead the Chinese team to any breakthrough in the World Cup," assessed Sky Sports UK.
Italian media expressed regret that Wang Feng couldn't secure a third consecutive win, with some articles hinting that Serie A "stole" Wang Feng's honor.
The discourse domestically was even more intense, with many fans advocating, "Wang Feng, leave Serie A, leave Inter Milan, you've done enough."
Later, "France Football" magazine announced the rankings, with Wang Feng narrowly losing to Shevchenko by 15 votes, taking second place. His consecutive European Golden Boot performances still impressed the judges.
On December 7th, in the final round of the Champions League group stage, Inter Milan faced Glasgow Rangers away. Having already secured first place in the group, they settled for a 1-1 draw, advancing together to the round of 16. Atmedia ultimately failed to make history but participating in the Europa League was an achievement; Porto finished bottom and was eliminated.
Inter Milan's opponent in the Champions League Round of 16 would be Ajax from the Eredivisie. AC Milan and Juventus also progressed, while Udinese fell to Barcelona and Werder Bremen, "earning" a spot in the Europa League.
The 2006 FIFA World Cup draw took place on December 9th in Leipzig, Germany's eastern part. Prior to this, South Korea successfully completed their World Cup qualifiers, defeating Bahrain and Trinidad and Tobago consecutively, securing Asia's last precious spot.
This meant five Asian teams would participate in the World Cup, a rare occurrence historically, as the fifth-placed team from Asia usually had little advantage compared to teams from other continents. But China's strong rise displaced the formidable South Korea, giving them an edge in the playoffs. In this regard, Wang Feng indeed contributed to the development of Asian football.
Many Chinese fans nervously watched the draw on TV. In 2002, excitement overshadowed everything, and they hardly paid attention to the groups until they realized they were in the group of death with the champions and third-placed teams.
This time, with Wang Feng participating, they hoped for a favorable draw to achieve a historic breakthrough. Wang Feng watched the draw from his villa, with his sister and girlfriend by his side, silently praying hand in hand.
The result was revealed: China was drawn with Spain, Ukraine, and Tunisia in Group H, prompting fans' lamentations. Apart from traditional European powerhouses Spain, Ukraine and Tunisia were formidable opponents, ranked much higher than China in the FIFA rankings.
"A group of death!" Various comments appeared on major portals and forums, with fans sighing while rallying behind Wang Feng's magical performances.
When Wang Feng saw the draw, he felt a moment of frustration, but he quickly came to terms with it. After all, which opponent wouldn't be challenging for the Chinese team? His sister and girlfriend comforted him, saying, "It's okay if we can't beat Spain. As for Ukraine, it's a chance to get back at them and show those blind judges." His sister was still indignant about Wang Feng not winning the Ballon d'Or.
Wang Feng smiled and patted his sister's head, nodding, "Just watch your big brother's performance!"
Among other Asian teams, South Korea was drawn with England, Paraguay, and Sweden, facing a tough challenge to advance and settle debts from four years ago.
Iran was grouped with Mexico, Angola, and Portugal. Japan was with Brazil, Croatia, and Australia. Saudi Arabia faced France, Switzerland, and Togo.
In December, the FIFA Men's Player award announced its final three candidates: Barcelona's Ronaldinho, Chelsea's Shevchenko, and Lampard. Wang Feng was not among them.
This sparked further debate. Many questioned why Ronaldinho, with a second-place finish in La Liga and elimination from the Champions League, made it while Wang Feng, with a second-place finish in Serie A and reaching the Champions League semi-finals, did not? Moreover, Wang Feng was still the European Golden Boot winner, with far more goals than Ronaldinho last year! Many media outlets believed this was an invisible advantage of being born in a football powerhouse like Brazil.
The subsequent result proved this point once again, with Ronaldinho defeating the other two contenders and lifting the FIFA Men's Player award!
Regardless of the controversy, Ronaldinho was the final winner. He trembled as he received the trophy from FIFA President Blatter, feeling immensely excited and emotional.
Finally, in Serie A Matchday 15, Inter Milan hosted AC Milan at home. Now, the Blue-Black Legion's fans' momentum clearly surpassed that of the Red-Black Legion.
However, the match process was not smooth. In the 11th minute, Wang Feng's lob pass found Ribery to open the scoring. This was Ribery's first season with a total of more than ten goals in three years, and the excited Frenchman hugged Wang Feng in gratitude.
The home team's fans in the stands were also very accommodating, with many displaying slogans supporting Ribery. Obviously, his recent outstanding performances had won over more fans.
But soon, in a midfield tackle, Makélélé twisted his ankle and lay in pain. After a brief treatment and assessment, the team doctor signaled for a substitution.
Mancini had no choice but to replace Makélélé with the young Maxwell, leaving Inter Milan without control in midfield. Kaka and Inzaghi then scored two goals in quick succession to reverse the scoreline.
In the dying moments, Wang Feng secured a 2-2 draw with a long-range shot.
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