Chapter 286: The rising stars of the world cup
Emerging from the dense crowd of celebration, Wang Feng spotted Raúl waiting on the sidelines, and the Spaniard immediately approached him, saying, "Congratulations, you've once again created an incredible miracle."
"Strictly speaking, this should be the second time you've defeated me. I still remember a few years ago, your performance was like a god descending to earth, snatching the Champions League trophy from Real Madrid," Raúl said somewhat melancholically.
"Since then, I've believed that only in the national team could I have a chance to defeat you. I never expected that even this wish would become a pipe dream."
"Welcome to Real Madrid! You will become the best helmsman for the Galacticos," Raúl extended his arm. Any resentment and competitiveness in his heart vanished completely. This Spanish forward truly recognized Wang Feng as the core player of the Real Madrid club!
Wang Feng was momentarily stunned, then he grasped Raúl's hand and smiled, saying, "Let's together write the legend of Real Madrid."
The two exchanged jerseys and wished each other good performances in the knockout stage. This encounter should be the only one between the two teams in this tournament.
After the match, Wang Feng, performing outstandingly against Spain's strong forwards, was elected as the best player of the match. His contribution of one assist and one goal helped the team advance to the World Cup knockout stage.
After three rounds of group stage matches, Group H's Spain, with two wins and one draw, accumulated 7 points to rank first, while China, with one win and two draws, accumulated 5 points to rank second. Although Ukraine defeated Tunisia 2-0, they still ranked third with one win, one draw, and one loss, accumulating 4 points. Tunisia lost all three matches, ending up at the bottom with 0 points.
What's even more pleasing is that in Group G, Switzerland, with two wins and one draw, surpassed France, who had one win and two draws, to take first place. This means that China's next opponent will be the Central European small country, Switzerland.
Although Switzerland managed to take first place in the group, their overall strength is far from that of France's. Many traditional powerhouses tend to reserve their strength during the group stage, only revealing their terrifying abilities in the brutal knockout stage.
Compared to France, Alihan prefers dealing with Switzerland. Of course, their strength is also much higher than China's, making this upcoming match a tough one.
Early the next morning, the news of the Chinese team's first entry into the World Cup knockout stage quickly became the focus of attention nationwide and even worldwide, especially since all other four Asian teams were eliminated in the group stage.
FIFA promptly posted a congratulatory article on their official website, stating that this match would become an eternal classic, representing the dawn of a new era for Chinese football.
FIFA President Blatter also expressed his congratulations to Wang Feng and the Chinese team, saying, "Countless club matches have proven that Wang is one of the best forwards in the world. The national team's outstanding performance once again confirms this view."
The AFC also changed their official website homepage to feature Wang Feng and the Chinese team. Over the past few years, Wang Feng's news has always dominated the most prominent position on the AFC official website, making him the true number one in Asia.
So far, Wang Feng has scored 4 goals, surpassing Germany's Klose to top the World Cup scorer list. The media couldn't help but marvel, Wang Feng truly deserves to be called the "Golden Boot specialist."
As the biggest contributor to the national team's advancement, during interviews, Wang Feng didn't talk about his own contributions but rather praised his teammates. "Our defense was excellent. Despite facing the attacks of world-class teams, we were able to hold our ground, which is the key to victory."
"On the offensive end, Dong Fangzhuo's performance speaks for itself. He relieved a lot of pressure for me. Every player played a crucial role, and I don't think the team could have made it this far relying solely on my strength."
"In addition to the efforts of the players, the support of the fans is also indispensable. Many of them traveled thousands of miles from China to Germany, cheering us on throughout the match. They gave us a lot of strength."
As for the upcoming goals, Wang Feng smiled and said, "Of course, we want to continue making history, but Switzerland is also a very strong opponent. We can only say that everyone will do their best."
Wang Feng's interview excited domestic fans greatly. More and more people wanted to go to Germany to cheer for the national team in person, causing the prices of flights from China to Germany to soar.
Of course, many people couldn't buy tickets to the venue because they had sold out long ago. But just the thought of being in the same city as the national team was enough to satisfy these enthusiastic fans.
In contrast to the glamorous Wang Feng, Ronaldinho and Kaka seemed lackluster. After indulging in revelry following the Champions League final, Ronaldinho's body clearly wasn't in good condition, and he only contributed one assist in three group stage matches.
This performance disappointed both the Brazilian and Spanish media. Pictures of him partying in the nightclub before the World Cup were also exposed. "Losing the easily obtainable Champions League trophy seemed to have left the Brazilian superstar disinterested. Perhaps spending the night in the nightclub was the culprit for his poor form," commented the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo.
As for Kaka, he worked very hard. In the match against Croatia in the group stage, he broke the opponent's goal with a long shot, helping Brazil to victory.
But both Kaka and Ronaldinho are players who need the ball. They are incompatible on the field, and most of the time, Kaka played very awkwardly, unable to create much value.
The best-performing player in the Brazilian team turned out to be Ronaldo. Despite his weight gain, his offensive threat remained significant. His two goals in the last round of the group stage allowed him to tie Müller's record for the most goals scored in the World Cup finals.
With just one more goal, Ronaldo could become the top scorer in World Cup history!
The situation in Portugal was similar to that in Brazil. Although they successfully advanced to the knockout stage, the best-performing player was the veteran Figo, not the highly anticipated Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano not only failed to create opportunities but also made frequent mistakes. His only goal was a penalty given to him by Figo. This 21-year-old youngster, hailed as "Wang Feng's challenger" within Portugal, received widespread criticism.
"At the age of 21, Dong Fangzhuo can break through Spain's defense, while Cristiano Ronaldo can't even handle Angola," commented the British Daily Express. "Although Dong Fangzhuo has Wang Feng's help, C. Ronaldo also has players like Figo, Deco, Sim?o, and other strong attackers to share the pressure."
"Perhaps Manchester United coach Ferguson should seriously consider how to use Dong Fangzhuo instead of blindly relying on the Portuguese."
When Cristiano Ronaldo saw this article, he was so angry that he smashed his phone on the spot, saying that he couldn't match Wang Feng, that was one thing, but who was this Dong Fangzhuo daring to challenge him?
He was an absolute mainstay for Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. Last season, he scored 12 goals for Manchester United. What did Dong Fangzhuo have? 18 goals in the second division? The second division golden boot? He almost burst out laughing.
As an extremely proud and hardworking player, Cristiano Ronaldo secretly vowed to perform well in the upcoming matches and slap those who looked down on him in the face.
If we look at the data, Argentina's other young talent, Messi, performed better than Cristiano. The 19-year-old youngster came off the bench and contributed one assist and one goal in the matches against Serbia and Montenegro.
To achieve such a high offensive efficiency in a limited amount of time, the Argentine media couldn't help but be overjoyed. Ever since Riquelme declined, they had been looking for someone to once again hoist the national team's flag.
Watching Brazilian talents emerge one after another, from Ronaldo to Ronaldinho, Kaka, and other new generation players gradually entering their peak state, they were very envious. Now Argentina finally had hope for the future!
Barcelona was also very happy. They had just renewed Messi's contract until 2014, with a buyout clause of up to 150 million euros. This clearly rising star would continue to serve Barcelona until at least the age of 27!
In March, Messi was sidelined for the season due to a torn right quadriceps muscle, and the club was very worried about whether he had the attribute of being "fragile." Now it seems that the injury has healed, without affecting his form at all.
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