Chapter 546: Heartwarming
During the midweek UEFA Champions League group stage matches, as Real Madrid had secured the top spot with four consecutive wins in the previous rounds, they decided to rest their main squad for the home game against Dinamo Zagreb.
Naturally, Wang Feng was no exception. He chose to spend more time with his family, especially since Lu Yao was about to give birth and needed his company. When his young daughter came back from school in the afternoon and saw her father still at home, she was very happy.
She bounced into Wang Feng's arms and said with a smile, "Daddy, I miss you so much. Every time you disappear with a swoosh, I feel sad."
Feeling a bit guilty, Wang Feng hugged her tightly. His schedule was packed with games, and even when he came home, it was just a brief visit. The next morning, he had to return to the club before Lu Sijiao woke up. "Then Daddy will spend more time with you these days, okay?"
The little girl nodded vigorously and pulled Wang Feng to play games. It was just some pretend play, but Wang Feng patiently followed her lead. He was amazed to see how organized his daughter was when she set things up, clearly inheriting her mother's cleverness.
"Are you still happy at school? Have you made any friends?" he asked while playing games and chatting with his daughter. "Yes, I have! Many classmates are curious about me being Wang Feng's daughter. No, they're happy? Anyway, they all gather around me and ask this and that."
"Leonore said she wants to come to my house to play. She's the big sister at school, always giving me delicious treats. And Sofia, they're sisters, they get to play together at home. I'm so jealous!"
"But I'm going to have a little brother soon, right? Hmm, I hope he grows up quickly so we can play together."
Wang Feng rubbed his chin. The sisters she mentioned should be the daughters of the Spanish heir apparent, Prince Felipe, right? It was said that King Carlos I's health hadn't been great in recent years, so his succession was only a matter of time.
Listening to his daughter talk about the interesting things at school, Wang Feng felt warm inside. He teased her from time to time, and time passed unnoticed.
"It's time for dinner." Lu Yao smiled and walked over to them, holding her belly. Their daughter ran over and hugged her mother's legs, pleading, "Mommy, let me listen to the baby's voice again, please? Did he kick today?"
It seemed she was really obsessed with having playmates. Wang Feng smiled, picked up his daughter, and brought her close to Lu Yao's belly, listening to the rhythm of life.
Luka Modric had been feeling quite troubled lately. Joining the Galacticos, this globally renowned powerhouse, was initially very exciting, but he soon found out that being constantly in the spotlight wasn't all that great.
At first, there was an online poll for the worst signing of the season in La Liga, and Modric narrowly beat Neymar to win the top spot.
What started as entertainment and post-dinner talk escalated under the instigation of Catalan media. Some irrational Real Madrid fans even attacked him on his social media.
This severely affected Modric's mood and performance on the field. At times, he felt lost on the pitch. Wang Feng silently observed this and planned to offer him some guidance.
Taking advantage of the rest period, the Chinese superstar invited Modric and his family to their villa again and brought him to his own football field for practice.
"Your skills are totally fine," Wang Feng said to Modric after passing him the ball. "The main reason why your performance hasn't shown up in matches is because you're putting too much pressure on yourself."
"I still remember our showdown at Tottenham last season. Your confident and decisive presence left a deep impression on me. You were absolutely radiant."
Modric smiled bitterly. "Playing for Real Madrid is a completely different experience from playing for Tottenham."
"In essence, it's no different. No matter where you are, you're playing to help the team win. Understanding this might make things easier for you."
"You can also communicate more with Coach Ancelotti. In my opinion, he already sees you as an indispensable key player. Under his guidance, you can grow faster." Modric nodded, and the two of them continued to discuss their on-field coordination as they practiced.
Before they finished, Wang Feng deliberately took a selfie with Modric and posted it on Instagram with the caption, "Can't slack off even on vacation, training with good buddies."
Although the Chinese superstar rarely posted personal updates, he was still one of the most watched individuals in the world. Soon, millions of people liked his post, and major news websites and social media accounts reposted it immediately.
He just wanted to tell the world that Modric was a player he supported. This way, Modric could endure less public pressure, and many fans would support him instead.
The Real Madrid management also faced an awkward question: should they repurchase Soldado? This former Real Madrid academy player had recently gained a lot of attention, especially after almost ending their winning streak with two goals at the Bernabeu.
In his first season with Valencia, the Spaniard contributed 24 goals to become the top-scoring Spanish player, and this season he had already scored 8 goals, second only to Wang Feng and Messi.
More importantly, Soldado had also performed well in the Champions League, just like when Real Madrid defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 with a rotated squad, Valencia also celebrated a victory, winning 7-0 against Genk, with the Spanish forward scoring a hat-trick.
Such outstanding performances earned him a well-deserved call-up to the national team. Torres and Villa, who were competing with him, had mediocre performances this season, forcing Coach Bosque to consider other options.
"The main rotations in the forward line now include Morata, Callejon, and Jose," analyzed Ancelotti. "Their form is good, but they don't get many opportunities to play. Jose is already thinking about leaving. At this point, repurchasing Soldado won't guarantee him a starting position."
Florentino nodded slightly. "We've never worried about our attack, even players like Higuain, who aren't in top form, are sufficient. It seems unnecessary to focus too much on this aspect at the moment."
"Let's focus on reinforcing the midfield and defense. As for Soldado, I believe when the club needs him, he'll be willing to come back."
On November 27th, in the 13th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Atletico Madrid away at the Calderon Stadium, where their winning streak was unfortunately ended.
Falcao opened the scoring for the home team, and then Wang Feng broke through on the wing and crossed for Pepe to head in the equalizer.
In the 69th minute of the second half, Wang Feng accelerated from 35 meters out, dribbled past two defenders, and sent a chip shot with the tip of his toe. The ball grazed the intersection of the post and the crossbar, finding the net at a completely dead angle!
Unfortunately, the lead couldn't be maintained until the end of the match. Adrian equalized for the opposition in the last moments of the game, ending it with a 2-2 draw!
Just when everyone thought Barcelona would catch up with their rivals, they unexpectedly lost 0-1 to Getafe, further widening the gap between them on the league table.
The Catalan media felt like the sky was falling. The unexpected draw was one thing, but now even their unbeaten record was broken. Would they completely withdraw from the title race next? Coach Villanova, facing questions from the media, still insisted that the derby of the century hadn't happened yet, and the team still had a chance to turn things around. But these words sounded all too familiar.
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