Chapter 337: Metamorphosis
Cristiano Ronaldo's interview in European football caused a heated discussion. Many people thought he was a bit arrogant. "Marca" commented, "Wang Feng currently has 16 goals in the Champions League, ranking first on the top scorer list."
"While Cristiano Ronaldo only has 3, where does he get the courage to say he will score more goals than Wang Feng?"
Other media outlets echoed similar sentiments, mostly agreeing that Manchester United would defeat Real Madrid because the Galacticos' defense was weak, but they didn't believe Ronaldo would outscore Wang Feng.
"At the age of 22, Wang Feng has already won two European Golden Balls and two FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Cristiano Ronaldo is empty-handed. The Portuguese should learn to respect his predecessors."
Manchester United coach Ferguson also felt Cristiano Ronaldo's remarks were inappropriate: "You shouldn't say that. You should show more humility." He gave this beloved player a lot of care and guidance.
Cristiano Ronaldo respects Ferguson very much, but he has his own ideas and career plans, as well as his own pride. He believes surpassing Wang Feng is only a matter of time and a prerequisite for joining Real Madrid.
Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's challenge, Wang Feng expressed his thoughts in an interview: "I believe the team's smooth advancement is my top priority, and scoring goals is to help achieve this goal."
"Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney are both very talented and capable young players. I am looking forward to competing with them and Manchester United."
This broad and assertive statement received unanimous praise from the public. Although the Chinese superstar is young, his numerous honors make him quite dignified.
On April 15th, in the 30th round of La Liga, Real Madrid challenged Racing Santander away.
While many key players, including Wang Feng, sat on the bench, the home team seized an opportunity in the 39th minute. Spanish forward Juanjo dribbled into the penalty area and was tripped by Real Madrid defender Bravo.
The referee decisively awarded a penalty, which Juanjo personally took, deceiving goalkeeper Diego López to score and opening the scoring for Racing Santander.
In the second half, Coach Schuster made consecutive substitutions, bringing on Guti and Diarra to strengthen the attack organization. Although the Galacticos firmly controlled possession, they failed to convert it into goals.
In the 75th minute, Schuster used his last substitution to bring on Wang Feng. His impact was immediate. Just six minutes later, the Chinese superstar received a through ball from Guti inside the penalty area.
At that moment, with his back to the goal and defender Oriol tight on him, Wang Feng deftly flicked the ball to his right with the tip of his right foot, simultaneously turning his body. Oriol was caught off guard and quickly tried to stop him.
But Wang Feng forcefully pushed him aside, the ball seemingly glued to his foot, then turned and unleashed a powerful shot that pierced through Racing Santander's defense, equalizing the score.
Three minutes later, Real Madrid's midfield regained possession and launched another attack. Gago passed to Wang Feng on the right, who then dribbled forcefully towards the baseline before chipping the ball into the penalty area, where Iguaín finished with a shot from the edge of the small box.
2-1! In the end, Real Madrid reversed Racing Santander with Wang Feng's assist and goal, claiming all three points.
At the same time, Barcelona hosted Mallorca at the Camp Nou. With a goal from substitute Ronaldinho in the final moments, they won 1-0.
After scoring, Ronaldinho ran around the field, but there was no joy in his heart, only a sense of resignation and frustration. Perhaps leaving Barcelona is the best choice for him.
After this round of matches, Real Madrid maintained a 7-point lead over Barcelona, with 8 rounds remaining in the league. The situation was very unfavorable for Barcelona, and their hopes of a comeback were fading.
After watching the match between Real Madrid and Racing Santander, Dong Fangzhuo sighed with relief. His inner restlessness had been quelled. When would he be able to dominate a match like Wang Feng, turning the tide in just 25 minutes?
Since the match against Ajax, his performances had been improving. In the next 16 league matches, he scored 12 goals, helping the team climb to 3rd place in the standings, behind Ajax and PSV.
It could be said that Dong Fangzhuo had undergone a transformation, becoming a key figure in the team's comeback. So far, he had scored 17 goals in the league, becoming the team's top scorer. He also ranked 5th on the league's top scorer list.
The internal criticism and exclusion within the team had almost disappeared. Coach Van Gaal paid more and more attention to him, even personally arranging core tactics for him. His only weakness might be his physical fitness; currently, Dong Fangzhuo could only sustain high-intensity matches for up to 70 minutes.
His consistently excellent performances attracted the attention of many clubs from the top five leagues. Bournemouth received several offers, but after discussing with Wang Feng and carefully considering it, Dong Fangzhuo decided to stay in the Eredivisie for another year.
At the age of 22, his data so far couldn't support him becoming an absolute mainstay in a new team due to his early-season slump. However, Alkmaar could guarantee it. Even next season, they would formulate tactics around him as the focal point of attack, and he would surely perform even better by then.
The next morning, Dong Fangzhuo arrived at the Alkmaar training base as usual. The team would conduct the final tactical rehearsal today to prepare for tomorrow's crucial match against PSV.
After completing a set of warm-up exercises, other teammates also arrived one after another. They greeted Dong Fangzhuo very friendly, not as arrogant as they were at the beginning of the season.
As for Van Sel, who had humiliated him before, he could only sneak away in embarrassment now, no longer daring to provoke him. Strength is everything!
Van Gaal came in front of everyone with a serious look on his face. "If we can defeat PSV tomorrow, we will climb to 2nd place in the standings."
"With only 4 rounds left in the league, we still have hope to compete for the final championship. Come on, guys!"
With that, he began to arrange the tactical rehearsal for the next day, dividing the team into main and substitute teams. Dong Fangzhuo was undoubtedly a mainstay, and according to the coach's arrangement, he needed to provide the main attacking firepower.
Outside the training ground's wire fence, there were also some media and players stopping by. Thanks to Dong Fangzhuo's recent outstanding performances, many fans had started making signs to support him.
Seeing all this, domestic sports channel reporter Wang Lei couldn't help but feel emotional. There was a time when this Chinese youngster was disliked by everyone, and even many domestic fans were dissatisfied because they felt that Dong Fangzhuo's performance was embarrassing compared to Wang Feng's brilliance.
Only she, who followed Alkmaar's coverage, knew how hard Dong Fangzhuo worked. Fortunately, this effort was not in vain. Now he had grown into the most famous attacking player in China after Wang Feng, winning the love of many people.
"Nice goal!" Suddenly, a photographer exclaimed. It turned out that shortly after the training match began, Dong Fangzhuo successfully created space and scored with a powerful long shot.
"His form is simply outstanding. If it weren't for the initial adjustment period at the beginning of the season, he might have competed for the league's top scorer this year!" The photographer lamented regretfully, and everyone believed that Dong Fangzhuo's early-season slump was due to his lack of adaptation to the new environment.
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