Chapter 510: Recognized worldwide
As the FIFA Annual Awards Ceremony came to a close, the news of Wang Feng once again winning the Ballon d'Or spread worldwide, sparking enthusiastic discussions among people.
Since the Chinese superstar first won the annual double awards in 2003, he has dominated the football world with seven out of eight wins in the past eight years.
The only miss occurred in 2005, and everyone knows what happened. It was the year of Serie A's biggest scandal, and Shevchenko and Ronaldinho respectively won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, but it was just a flash in the pan.
According to the voting announced by FIFA this year, Wang Feng, as the world champion, received an astonishing 62.3% of the votes, while Messi, ranked second, received only 8.67%, and Sneijder, ranked third, received 6.51%.
Whether it was world-renowned media or national team coaches and captains, the Chinese superstar undoubtedly ranked first, which means that even if the European Golden Ball and FIFA World Player of the Year were not merged, Wang Feng would still easily win both awards.
French newspaper "L'Equipe" commented that each of Wang Feng's awards has not caused any controversy, which is enough to show that his strength is recognized worldwide.
"Eight years is a very long period for a football player. Some players cannot even guarantee such a long career, let alone their peak."
"But Wang Feng did it. As one generation of stars rises and falls, he has always remained at the top, watching the clouds come and go."
German magazine "Kicker" wrote that according to previous selection criteria, the European Golden Ball focuses more on player performance, while the FIFA World Player of the Year tends to favor fame.
"The cooperation between the two was not favored by the outside world, but Wang Feng perfectly solved this problem, because no matter from which perspective, the vote had to go to him."
British sports channel "Sky Sports" titled their article "Wang Feng's Reign Continues!", mentioning that the Chinese superstar is the most dominant player in the world of football in the past decade, and it seems that he will continue to do so.
"So far, Real Madrid has maintained strong competitiveness in the league and the Champions League under his outstanding contributions!"
After the awards ceremony, Messi and Sneijder both accepted media interviews. Messi congratulated Wang Feng on his award and fully recognized the results of the selection.
"It's well deserved. My performance is far from as outstanding as Wang's, whether at the club or the national team."
However, Messi didn't feel ashamed, "Wang is my goal. He has been since the first day I entered my professional football career. Although I am still far from him now, I am already on the path of catching up."
Sneijder said, "We are good friends and teammates. Being around him, you can understand why he has achieved so much."
"The duel in the World Cup final is still fresh in my memory. To be honest, I would rather always be Wang's teammate and fight side by side with him, rather than being an opponent facing him."
Returning triumphantly, the Real Madrid team received a warm welcome from Madrid fans. On January 13th, in the first leg of the Spanish Copa del Rey quarter-finals held at the Bernabéu, before the match, Wang Feng showed the FIFA Ballon d'Or trophy to the fans.
This trophy is almost identical to the previous European Golden Ball trophy, with a huge football on top and the base made of irregularly stacked cubes.
The only difference is that the globe no longer reads "Ballon d'Or", but "FIFA Ballon d'Or", and the winner's name will still be engraved on the trophy.
The opponents of the Galacticos were their city rivals, Atletico Madrid, and coach Benitez did not deploy the main lineup but instead sent out a lineup of substitutes.
Atletico Madrid showed strong determination to win. When there was no hope in the league and European competition, the Copa del Rey was their only goal.
In the 35th minute, Fran received a through pass from Asensio near the edge of the penalty area, lifted his foot and shot vigorously, and the ball rolled and bounced on the lawn to avoid Casillas' save and entered the goal, giving Atletico the lead!
In the second half, Wang Feng came on as a substitute. In the 71st minute, Real Madrid launched a quick counterattack, and after a series of passes, Wang Feng received the ball and scored an equalizer with a quick shot, tying the score 1-1! The result remained until the end of the match.
On January 16th, in the 19th round of La Liga, Real Madrid challenged Almeria away. This relatively unknown Andalusian team has successfully avoided relegation for four consecutive seasons, surprising many people.
Their strategy is very simple and effective, which is to secure the points they should get, and everything else depends on fate. Therefore, they faced little pressure when facing the Galacticos in this round.
The match was very exciting. Just 6 minutes into the game, Real Madrid got a great opportunity. Sneijder sent a diagonal pass, Di Maria crossed to Wang Feng, who skillfully dribbled into the penalty area and scored with a left-footed shot, opening the scoring for Real Madrid!
"A beautiful series of steps to cut inside. We can see that Almeria's defense is in chaos, and the defenders are falling over themselves trying to block, but they are continuously fooled by the Chinese superstar."
"This rhythmic change of tight and loose is one of his best playing styles. If the defenders don't choose to block the shot, he will shoot directly, and if they close in, it means losing position and initiative, then he can change the shot to a dribble."
"The initiative has always been in Wang Feng's hands!"
After taking the lead, the Galacticos continued to create attacking firepower. In the 29th minute, Di Maria crossed from the right, and the ball deflected off a defender to the near post. Wang Feng quickly followed up and scored with a sweeping shot, making it 2-0!
Just before halftime, Wang Feng dribbled quickly on the left and crossed from a 45-degree angle, and Iguaín, who was quickly advancing into the penalty area, leaped to head the ball into the net, making it 3-0!
After the break, Benitez quickly substituted Wang Feng and other main players, and the score did not change. Real Madrid easily won the match.
On January 20th, Real Madrid played against Atletico Madrid away at the Calderon Stadium in the second leg of the Spanish Copa del Rey quarter-finals.
The coaching staff did not have too much expectation for this domestic cup competition. They hoped that the team could continue to shine in the league and the Champions League, so the lineup of players deployed was very limited.
In the end, the home team lost 1-2 to Atletico Madrid, with Wang Feng contributing the only goal. Aguero and Simao each scored for the home team, and with a total score of 2-3 over two legs, the Galacticos were eliminated.
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