Chapter 501: The new generation
In the early morning, the warm sunlight filtered through the curtains into the bedroom, warm but not scorching. Wang Feng lazily stretched his body and then closed his eyes, holding the beautiful Lu Yao next to him.
He enjoyed the tranquility of this moment, breaking the habit of getting up early for exercise. Although he already had new and greater goals in mind, his increasing age made him cherish the time spent with his family more and more. Balancing work and leisure was necessary.
After the first round of La Liga ended and September began, the players welcomed two weeks of international break, allowing Wang Feng to steal a few days of leisure.
Lu Yao, who seemed to sense something, opened her eyes and saw her beloved lying beside her. She then snuggled up to him, feeling filled with happiness.
After cuddling for a while, the two got up and went downstairs for breakfast. Except for their younger sister, the rest of the family had already finished getting ready. Their mother was playing games with little Si Yao.
Seeing Wang Feng and Lu Yao coming downstairs, Si Yao excitedly ran over, calling for Mom and Dad. Wang Feng quickly stepped forward to catch her and hugged her in his arms. He rubbed her smooth cheek, making his daughter burst into laughter.
"She runs so fast at such a young age. It seems that she has indeed inherited your football genes. What should we do? I'm a little hesitant about our precious daughter pursuing a career in football," Lu Yao shook her head helplessly.
"We can treat football as a hobby. I also hope our daughter can be more gentle," Wang Feng gently touched Si Yao's head. "We can also have another son in the future, and I'll teach him to play football."
After breakfast, the two played games with their children. For Wang Feng, providing a good upbringing for his daughter was necessary. Now, Si Yao had her own game room, filled with all kinds of toys, decorated like a fairy tale world.
When their daughter got tired of playing, they handed her over to the nanny, and Lu Yao went to the study to handle group affairs. She rarely went to the company nowadays, but she could manage everything efficiently through remote work.
The global economy was still declining, undoubtedly affecting the Feng Yao Group, but after years of development, it had grown into a giant company. Combined with reasonable management and investment, the company's revenue now approached that of its partner, Kerry Group, which was quite considerable.
Wang Feng then went to the gym for some light maintenance training. He could easily perceive how much exercise was needed to maintain his current physical condition and what kind of exercise was needed, all accumulated from years of experience.
Sometimes even his personal trainer couldn't help but marvel at the professionalism of the Chinese superstar. "You don't really need a dedicated trainer," Le Goff said.
After adjusting to the optimal state, Wang Feng stopped and then went to the swimming pool for some relaxing exercises. This way, his muscles wouldn't endure too much strain and become stiff.
In the afternoon, the Chinese superstar would relax even more, playing video games, surfing the internet for entertainment, and sometimes searching for news about himself. Whether praised or criticized, he would take a look, finding these articles quite interesting from his perspective.
The World Cup had just ended not long ago, so the Chinese team and Wang Feng were still the hottest topics. Articles discussing them could be found in abundance on Twitter, Facebook, and domestic forums.
Apart from the perennial issue of his status, surprisingly, the most attention-grabbing topic was who was qualified to succeed Wang Feng as the next football king. This made the Chinese superstar mutter to himself that he hadn't planned to retire yet but was already being arranged by netizens.
The top contenders were none other than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the two shining stars of the new generation. Although they often found themselves at a disadvantage against Wang Feng, they always rose to the challenge.
But some netizens believed that their age gap with Wang Feng was relatively small, and their peak periods would coincide. Therefore, they couldn't be considered the next generation's kings, and attention should be focused on younger players.
The Chinese superstar became interested and continued to read on. The answer given by netizens was Brazilian 18-year-old talent Neymar, currently playing for Santos in the S?o Paulo State Football League.
"Subtle technique, ultimate samba steps. Despite his young age, he has already won the state league championship and been named the league's best player, with the potential to land in Europe at any time!"
Wang Feng had heard a little about this young player. He heard that Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Juventus had all officially made offers to him, and Real Madrid was also preparing to scout him.
Opening the video link, Wang Feng saw a dry-looking teenager using fancy dribbling to evade defenders and scored with excellent technique. However, in Wang Feng's view, the flair was a bit excessive and not efficient enough.
Well, that's understandable. Who doesn't want to show off when they're young? Wasn't he also incapable of shooting when he was young, dribbling past the goalkeeper but failing to score?
His body was a bit thin, but he could train after coming to Europe. High-intensity match rhythms were the best places to cultivate talents, and Wang Feng was confident that Neymar would definitely move to a top-five league powerhouse in the next few years.
Unknowingly, the rare rest day passed like this. Next, Wang Feng and Real Madrid would embark on their new challenges.
On September 11th, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the second round of La Liga saw Real Madrid facing Osasuna.
This team was known for its ferocity, pragmatism, and toughness in La Liga. Their historical achievements were not outstanding, but in difficult times, the players always showed the most united performance together.
As the game started, amidst the cheers of the home fans, the Galacticos launched a fierce attack. The visiting team seemed like a small boat in the sea, teetering but not sinking.
It wasn't until the 41st minute when Wang Feng and Robben cooperated with a wall pass on the right side, breaking into the penalty area. Wang Feng then passed the ball across the goalmouth, and Iguaín poked it into the net before defender Solá.
This became the only goal of the match, as the Galacticos won 1-0 against Osasuna.
On the other hand, Barcelona also secured two consecutive victories. The forward line composed of Kaká, Villa, and Messi remained strong, but the Brazilian seemed to be declining. His position was gradually threatened by Pedro.
Three days later, in the midweek Champions League matches, the Galacticos continued to play at home against Dutch Eredivisie powerhouse Ajax.
Although the Ajax team was not as strong as it used to be, they always had excellent young players. In the summer, they narrowly lost to China and won the World Cup runner-up. Players like Van der Wiel and De Jong were playing for Ajax.
In the 16th minute, they took the lead and scored a goal. Sulemani lofted the ball into the penalty area from the front, and Hamdawi headed it in before Casillas could reach it, sliding past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Saint Iker's decision to come out wasn't quite reasonable this time, and he covered his face in embarrassment after conceding, expressing his apology to his defensive teammates.
But this goal did not deter Real Madrid; instead, it ignited the team's fighting spirit. Soon, the home team responded, and just six minutes later, Sneijder passed the ball to Di María on the wing. The latter feigned a cut inside, tricking the opposing defender, and then passed across the goalmouth. The Chinese superstar once again successfully tapped in at the near post to put Real Madrid ahead.
With two goals almost in the same spot, Ajax goalkeeper Stekelenburg was feeling extremely frustrated.
Relying on Wang Feng's brace, Real Madrid won 2-1 at home against Ajax, securing a victorious start to their Champions League campaign.
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