Chapter 407: World Preliminaries and Summer Window
Just finished the whole season, Wang Feng couldn't rest. Although the Olympics in August are still more than two months away, he first needs to represent the national team in the World Cup qualifiers.
In the first two rounds, the team defeated Iraq and Australia respectively, temporarily ranking first in the group. On June 3rd, they will challenge Qatar away. Due to his recent return, the Chinese superstar did not make the starting lineup.
The game process was quite dramatic. As a small country in West Asia that doesn't attract much attention, Qatari football is not as famous as Iran or Saudi Arabia. Therefore, when the Chinese team dominated the field, they gradually became complacent.
At this time, the problem of the lack of firepower appeared again. With attacking powerhouses like Dong Fangzhuo and Wang Feng absent, other players clearly lacked the ability to play tough matches, leading to prolonged attacks without success.
Qatar, while maintaining a solid defense, seized the opportunity to counterattack. Finally, they scored quickly in the 40th minute with a fast break, and then added another goal while the Chinese team was in chaos. They trailed by two goals at halftime!
In the 60th minute of the second half, Wang Feng finally took the field. Just three minutes later, he scored a goal with a direct free kick from thirty meters out.
In the 76th minute, the Chinese superstar broke through two defenders on the side and then scored with a shot from a tight angle, making it 2-2! The two sides ended in a draw.
The Khalifa International Stadium erupted in applause after the game. Although the home team did not win, fans saw a splendid performance from both sides, especially with the appearance of the world superstar Wang Feng. Most people felt it was worth it.
One of the top executives of the Qatar Sports Investment Fund, Nasser Al-Halefi, also stood up and applauded. He said to his assistant Moumoud next to him, "Football is such an interesting sport, isn't it?"
"The Abu Dhabi consortium's acquisition plan for the English Premier League team Manchester City is in its final stages. It is expected to be completed this summer. By then, they will have the opportunity to influence Europe in various ways, which is a very profitable deal."
Moumoud nodded. "There are also voices within the royal family suggesting following the UAE's approach, acquiring a team in the Premier League or other top European leagues. But many are still concerned about the risks and want to observe Manchester City's development."
Nasser smiled meaningfully. "I know what they're worried about, but there's really no need. We currently have no conflicting interests with Europe."
"Moreover, there are plans to bid for the 2022 World Cup. Competitors include Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Australia, so we must demonstrate our strength."
After saying that, Nasser gazed at Wang Feng, who was surrounded by Qatari players on the field asking for autographs and photos, lost in thought for a moment before waking up and asking, "Do you think it's possible for the team we invest in to buy the Chinese superstar?"
Moumoud responded with a wry smile, "At present, it's almost impossible. According to my information, the Abu Dhabi consortium has actually approached Real Madrid, but they were directly rejected, and they didn't even accept the offer."
"Wang Feng is only 25 years old this year. He still has at least 5 to 10 years of his prime. The Galaxy Warship will definitely not allow such a cornerstone player to slip away."
"Perhaps, but everything has its value. Not being able to get Wang Feng just because the price offered isn't enough is just letting the Abu Dhabi consortium have a try for us."
Although Wang Feng did not know about everything happening in the stands, the Abu Dhabi consortium did contact his agent. Even Mansour personally called the Chinese superstar, hoping he would take over the rebuilding of the Citizens and become the team's soul figure.
The two have a good personal relationship, so Wang Feng bluntly said, "I have no intention of leaving Real Madrid now. Honestly, it's not a warm club, but it helps me the most at the moment."
Mansour was still not giving up. He offered a sky-high annual salary and said he would continue to negotiate with the top executives of the Galaxy Warship: "If Florentino personally promises this transfer, I believe you won't refuse then."
Wang Feng could only shrug helplessly. Mansour may be a bit overly confident, thinking that the UAE consortium couldn't offer a price matching his own value.
The Chinese team continued their journey in the World Cup qualifiers. On June 7th, in the fourth round, they faced Qatar at home. This time, Wang Feng started and didn't give the West Asian team a chance. He broke the deadlock first, then assisted Gao Lin and Chen Tao to each score a goal. Qatar only scored one goal in the 81st minute. 3-1! A clean victory!
On June 14th, in the fifth round, they faced Iraq at home. A draw was enough for the Chinese team to advance to the top ten. Wang Feng easily broke the curse, scoring twice to help the team win 2-0.
On June 22nd, in the final round, they challenged Australia away. Coach Alihan sent out a lineup mainly for training purposes. Wang Feng sat on the bench without pressure, and they showed a tenacious spirit without pressure. After conceding a goal, they equalized with Chen Tao, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.
In the end, the Chinese team topped the group with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 14 points, while the other qualifying team was Australia with 3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, and 11 points.
In Europe, the European Championship co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland is also in full swing. In the group stage, Croatia topped Germany, becoming a significant topic. Greece failed to replicate their miracle from four years ago and ended this tournament at the bottom of the group.
But the most surprising team was the world champions France, who drew one and lost two games, ranking last and were eliminated in embarrassment. There were even rumors of internal strife among teammates. It seems that after Zidane retired, there are no big-name superstars in the French team who can control the situation.
The team that laughed last was Spain. They successively defeated Italy, Russia, and Germany, standing at the top of Europe!
After the matches, the transfer market of various clubs started in full swing. Barcelona took the lead, spending �32 million to acquire Alves from Sevilla, �16.5 million to bring back Caceres from Villarreal, and �15 million to buy Hleb from Arsenal.
Not to mention the �14 million introduction of Keita from Sevilla and the �5 million introduction of Pique. The Catalan club turned into a big player in the transfer market, vowing to strengthen their lineup to erase the shame of last season.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, was more rational. With the team's good performance and cohesion last season, the top management only wanted to strengthen appropriately. They brought in Argentine defender Garey for �10 million. He had won the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the golden generation of Argentina in 2005 and left a deep impression during his time at Atletico Santander.
At the same time, the Galaxy Warship also brought back Dutch winger Van der Vaart from Hamburg for �13 million. He was the earliest winner of the European Golden Boy award and could serve as an offensive supplement as Raul gradually faded out of the starting lineup.
Other La Liga clubs didn't make as big moves as the two giants, but Atletico Madrid, after experiencing ups and downs in recent seasons, also decided to increase their investment. They spent �22 million to buy two strong players, Heitinga and Pongolle.
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