Chapter 319: Reigning in football again !
On the evening of December 18th, in the 15th round of La Liga, Real Madrid played at home against Espanyol, but Wang Feng did not appear on the player roster. In the afternoon, he had already taken a plane to Zurich, Switzerland, to attend the 2006 FIFA Annual Awards Ceremony to be held the next day.
Espanyol's performance this season has not been outstanding, currently ranking only 12th in the league. Ramos's return to the lineup slightly eased the defensive pressure for the Galacticos.
In both halves, Ronaldo and Guti each scored a goal for Real Madrid, and in the end, they defeated their opponents 2-0 at home.
In Switzerland, as soon as Wang Feng got off the plane, he was the focus of reporters: "How do you feel about Platini's praise for you as the best player in the world?"
"Do you think you have a chance to win the FIFA World Player award, or does Zidane, a meritorious player in the championship team, have a greater chance?"
Wang Feng declined the interview and went straight to the five-star hotel prepared by FIFA. As the award ceremony approached, the media became increasingly frenzied, and every player who arrived at the scene was asked about their predictions for the awards.
In addition to Wang Feng, the top three finalists for the FIFA World Player award also included Zidane and Ronaldinho, but the most likely winners were Wang Feng and Zidane. Compared to the Ballon d'Or, the FIFA World Player award pays more attention to the player's influence on the world football stage. Although Zidane has retired, his influence has not diminished.
Seeing the two of them again, their states were completely different. Zidane looked radiant, and his body seemed to have gained some weight, indicating that he had been living a very comfortable life since retiring. He warmly embraced Wang Feng.
In contrast, Ronaldo's expression seemed somewhat tired, and even his smile appeared forced. Wang Feng still took the initiative to greet him. Since joining Real Madrid, due to various media hype, his relationship with Ronaldo seemed to have become more awkward.
This year, the list of thirty candidates for the FIFA World Player award included Ribery for the first time, which made the Frenchman very happy. Wang Feng immediately congratulated him.
In addition, players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney made it to the list for the second time and showed significant progress compared to the previous year, while long-established stars like Carlos, Beckham, and Owen were left out for the first time.
Football is about to usher in a new round of changes.
As this year marks the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, the theme of the awards ceremony is "When Football Meets Mozart", with classic excerpts from Mozart's operas interspersed between various segments of the ceremony.
The hosts of the ceremony are one of the Dutch "Three Musketeers," Cruyff, and the famous television presenter Amanda. After announcing several major awards such as Fair Play Award, President's Special Award, FIFA eWorld Player, and FIFA Women's World Player, the most exciting moment is about to come!
Blatter slowly walked onto the stage, looked at the cue card in his hand, and then scanned the audience. Everyone held their breath, and Wang Feng and Zidane waited anxiously.
"The winner of the 2006 FIFA World Player is... Wang Feng!"
The ecstatic Chinese could no longer contain his excitement and jumped up from his seat. Finally, he regained the throne of the world's number one player! Next to him, Zidane and Ronaldinho also stood up. Wang Feng hugged them separately. Ronaldinho was fine, knowing he had no chance this year. Zidane, on the other hand, was very disappointed, his expression looking very desolate.
The French superstar was destined not to win his third FIFA World Player award. In 2003, he lost to Wang Feng, and now, unexpectedly, he lost to him again this year.
As the three of them approached the stage, the specific scores of each candidate were also displayed on the big screen. Wang Feng scored 490 points, while Zidane scored 462 points, a difference of less than 30 points. Wang Feng's victory could be said to be narrow.
Third-placed Ronaldinho scored 380 points, followed by Henry with 317 points, Eto'o with 300 points, and Drogba with 150 points.
Receiving the heavy trophy from presenter Davies, Wang Feng became the second professional player to win the FIFA World Player award three times after Ronaldo.
Approaching the microphone, Wang Feng began his acceptance speech. He thanked the judges for their recognition, thanked both Inter Milan and Real Madrid, thanked his teammates for their support, and thanked his family and friends for their encouragement.
"There are more challenges waiting for me in the future. Fortunately, I still have plenty of time. I will work harder than ever, train harder, play harder, and win more honors with my teammates!"
Finally, the Chinese superstar said in a domineering tone, "This is by no means the end, but a new beginning!"
The applause thundered in the audience. Many people suddenly realized that Wang Feng had tied all the legends of football in annual double awards, and he was only 23 years old. What legendary records will he create in the years to come? This is probably only known to God.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked admiringly at the shining figure on stage. How good would it be if he could stand on the stage one day and receive the congratulations and applause of everyone! Can Manchester United really help him achieve this wish? The conflicts with Rooney, the successive setbacks in the league and European competitions made him somewhat impatient. Fortunately, Chelsea finally started to decline this season, otherwise, he would have wanted to leave.
After attending the FIFA Annual Awards Ceremony, Wang Feng rushed to the province of Vélez, Spain. Two days later, Real Madrid will play their last round of matches before the winter break here, facing Vélez away in the 16th round of La Liga.
Currently, Real Madrid leads the standings with 11 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, totaling 35 points, leading second-placed Barcelona by 2 points. If they can win this game, they can secure the championship of the first half of the season.
Vélez is not a traditional strong team. They were established a long time ago but have always struggled in the lower leagues. They have only been promoted to La Liga three times. The first two times in 1978 and 2002, they were relegated in the same season. Last year, they won the Segunda División championship. Determined to stay in the top league, they gathered a large number of powerful players in the summer, including Poli, the starting left-back for Alavés, Arso, the central defender for Villarreal, and Cazorla, a midfielder.
With a powerful promotion lineup and reinforcements, they have shown a strong side. They once climbed to fifth place in the league standings. Although they have now dropped to eighth place, they are still better than many original top-tier teams.
As he had just returned to the team, head coach Schuster placed Wang Feng on the bench. During the match, the home team caused some trouble for Real Madrid. In the 27th minute, Romanian forward Rosu broke the deadlock with a counterattack, but fortunately, just before halftime, Diarra assisted Guti in equalizing the score.
In the second half, in the 60th minute, Wang Feng finally took the field. Five minutes later, he dribbled past Moa, the opponent's defender, on the wing, cut inside into the penalty area, and then sent a cross to the far post. Raul followed up and broke the deadlock, putting Real Madrid ahead.
Then, in the 77th minute, Wang Feng personally created another goal. From outside the penalty area, he took a long shot straight into the corner of the goal, and the home team's goalkeeper Barrejo failed to save it.
3-1! Real Madrid won the last round of the first half of the league with a victory. This is the first time in nearly three years that they have won the championship of the first half of the season.
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