Chapter 438: Predictable results
La Liga's 18th round saw Real Madrid facing the challenge of Mallorca, a team that had given Barcelona a hard time but completely lost their way under Wang Feng's devastating attacks.
In this match, the Chinese superstar achieved an impressive feat by scoring four goals, along with a goal from Raúl, leading the Galacticos to a 5-0 victory over their opponents.
After two consecutive disappointing rounds, Barcelona finally had a breakthrough with Messi's return. They defeated Osasuna 3-0, preventing Real Madrid from further widening their lead in points.
After the game, Wang Feng, Ramos, Casillas, and others formed a team and traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, to attend the 2008 FIFA Awards Ceremony.
Earlier, FIFA announced the top five candidates for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, namely Wang Feng, Cristiano Ronaldo, Torres, Messi, and Xavi. The Chinese superstar was naturally the hot favorite to win the award, having already received the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and France Football's European Golden Ball.
The legendary Pelé, who was a guest at last year's awards, said in an interview, "I told Wang that I would give him the award next year. It's obvious."
Marca stated that Wang Feng's dominance in football was unshakable. "When he repeatedly scores goals, leads Real Madrid to victory, and outperforms Barcelona's front trio, this viewpoint has deeply penetrated into everyone's hearts."
Other media outlets also agreed that the FIFA World Player of the Year award had long lost its suspense. Even Catalonia's Mundo Deportivo and Sport newspapers concurred, stating, "The award became clear after the end of the European Championship, as Cristiano led Portugal to a disastrous performance."
Another thing that made the Chinese people extremely proud at this event was that, following Dong Fangzhuo's nomination for the Ballon d'Or top thirty. He also successfully made it to the top thirty for the FIFA World Player of the Year. He was invited to attend the awards ceremony, with two Chinese faces appearing on the global live broadcast red carpet stage!
Dong Fangzhuo attended the event with his family, wearing a Prada custom-made suit. Backed by the domestic market, he had gradually become a favorite of sponsors, but unfortunately, his exposure in the Bundesliga was somewhat insufficient.
Wang Feng, on the other hand, remained the center of attention throughout the event. Lu Yao was worried about their little one at home and didn't enjoy such high-exposure scenes, so the Chinese superstar had to bear it alone.
After entering the theater, Wang Feng met up with Dong Fangzhuo and greeted other stars like Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Messi. From Ronaldo guiding him to now guiding Ribéry, and now guiding Dong Fangzhuo, the legacy continued.
"Keep up the good work and strive to stand on the final award stage one day!" Wang Feng patted Dong Fangzhuo on the back encouragingly before entering the main hall, where he sat in the middle of the first row, next to Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.
The ceremony began with the presentation of special awards by FIFA. The Palestinian Football Association received this honor, while Turkey and Armenia were awarded the Fair Play prize.
The Chairman's Special Award went to the US Women's National Team, and Brazilian forward Marta was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year for the third consecutive year. If Wang Feng dominated men's football, then she ruled women's football.
When the final award was announced, the cameras focused on the top three candidates in the front row, all of whom remained unusually calm because the answer was self-evident, and there was no need for nervousness or anxiety.
FIFA President Blatter took the stage and straightforwardly announced that the award belonged to the Chinese superstar - Wang Feng! This was his fifth time standing on the highest podium. Although he remained composed on the surface, he was very excited inside. This meant that the distance between him and other players had further widened, and his future status in history would be even higher.
"Thank you to every judge, thank you to FIFA. Your affirmation is the best recognition of my performance last year!" After receiving the trophy from Blatter, Wang Feng said slowly.
"I can receive this trophy today, thanks to the help of all Real Madrid players, the efforts of the club staff, and the support of the management. Esto es para ti, Madrid! (This is for you, Madrid!)"
Warm applause erupted in the audience, and Ramos, Casillas, and others responded excitedly to the Chinese superstar.
"I also want to thank the national team's coaches and teammates. I am delighted to see the booming development of domestic football in recent years, and to see my compatriot Dong Fangzhuo appearing at the highest level of world football's awards ceremony."
"I hope he can continue to work hard and stand on this award stage one day. At that time, I can proudly say that China is no longer a small football country but a football powerhouse that matches its size!"
"Of course, various talented players continue to emerge in the world of football. I want to say to them, keep going, I will be here waiting for you to challenge! May football prosper!"
Thunderous applause once again echoed throughout the theater, and everyone felt emotional. When Wang Feng emerged like a superhero, football's influence worldwide continued to grow.
Whether a fan or not, no one could resist Wang Feng's charm. They involuntarily wanted to follow related news because their hearts were filled with curiosity: how far could the Chinese superstar go, and who could ultimately defeat him?
According to the announced votes, Wang Feng received 935 points, while Cristiano Ronaldo came second with 678 points. Messi was third with 203 points, followed by Torres with 183 points, and Kaká with 155 points.
The FIFA World Player of the Year is voted on by the national team coaches and captains of FIFA member countries. Each person has three choices, with the first, second, and third choices receiving 5, 3, and 1 point(s) respectively.
The Chinese superstar received 136 first-place votes, 77 second-place votes, and 24 third-place votes. Cristiano Ronaldo received 76 first-place votes, 83 second-place votes, and 49 third-place votes.
FIFA rules stipulate that national team coaches and captains cannot vote for players from their own country. Argentina's coach Maradona said in an interview that he gave his three votes to Wang Feng, Ibrahimovi?, and Adebayor.
Although the Chinese superstar was Messi's biggest competitor, the former Argentine football king displayed infinite magnanimity, stating, "Wang Feng was the best player last year, so I could only vote for him. There was no other choice."
Regarding the competition between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the new generation, he showed a rather optimistic attitude, "There's no doubt Messi has greater potential. He will be the number one in the football world after the Wang Feng era."
Portugal's coach Queiroz, on the other hand, was more "cunning." They couldn't directly vote for Cristiano Ronaldo but didn't choose Wang Feng or Messi either. Instead, they voted for Kaká, Xavi, and Ibrahimovi?. Nevertheless, Wang Feng's votes remained high.
China's coach Ali Han and captain Li Weifeng voted for Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, and Torres, being very sincere and confident. "In our opinion, apart from Wang Feng, these are the best players in the world of football. If we exclude Wang Feng, there's no other choice."
"Too confident? No, no, no. I believe that most coaches and team captains around the world are professionals. They all understand that Wang Feng is the undisputed number one, and he will definitely be elected by a huge margin."
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