Chapter 582: Tugging and Compromise
Lu Yao handed Wang Feng a cup of freshly squeezed healthy fruit juice she made herself and said, "Feng Ge, taste my newly developed recipe."
Wang Feng chuckled speechlessly, "After all these years, your combinations could fill a book." With that, he took a sip. It had the fragrance of apples, along with lemon and other fruity flavors, quite refreshing.
Sitting beside her husband, Lu Yao's graceful figure and slender waist gave no hint that she was the mother of two children.
Seeing Wang Feng browsing news about Cristiano Ronaldo, Lu Yao curiously asked, "Feng Ge, I heard rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo might come to Real Madrid. Is it true?"
This was also the hottest rumor in the media, and it seemed very plausible. With the Chinese superstar playing in a withdrawn position and the Galaxy Battleship lacking a strong front line, they indeed needed a super striker.
"No, this is just a strategy by the Portuguese, similar to last year's publicity about joining Manchester City, to achieve his desired outcome."
If Cristiano Ronaldo had to leave, he should have confronted the club in August, not wait until after the transfer window officially closed.
The timing was just right, the club couldn't take a tough stance against him, and due to national team matches, when he flew back to Portugal, there was no crisis public relations.
If Manchester United mishandled this, they would be troubled by this matter for the next half of the season, likely affecting their performance in the league and Champions League once again.
Deep down, Cristiano Ronaldo yearned to join Real Madrid, but not now, because this team was already deeply associated with Wang Feng's image. No matter how well he performed, fans, the club, and even the media would only see the Chinese superstar.
The Portuguese star wanted to be the supreme figure in the team, otherwise, they wouldn't have driven out Rooney.
The incident continued to ferment, with some media claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo's statement hadn't gone through Mendes, so the agent was very surprised. However, Mendes later issued a statement on the company's website, fully supporting the Portuguese.
"I'm not surprised at all. He chose to speak out at this time because he has his own considerations. As everyone knows, I will always support all his decisions."
According to The Sun, Cristiano Ronaldo's agent team believed he should get the best contract in the world, at least not less than Drogba and Anelka.
Currently, the two of them respectively received ��10 million and ��9.5 million in the Chinese Super League, while the Portuguese's after-tax annual salary was only ��8.5 million.
"Continuing to give Ronaldo a raise will completely destroy the salary structure within Manchester United."
In fact, this wasn't Mendes' first "threat" to the club. As early as 2005, in his second season with the Red Devils, the Portuguese encouraged him to ask for a raise.
After being rejected by the club, he immediately spread rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo might be snatched away by Real Madrid, forcing Manchester United to sign a contract extension with a quadrupled weekly salary.
So "salary disputes" became a routine for the Portuguese star every season. Whenever the summer transfer window approached, rumors of his departure would emerge, ultimately ending with Manchester United compromising and Ronaldo expressing loyalty.
Therefore, even though the contract duration was five years, there were changes every year in reality. He also received more and more boos from Manchester United fans. Last year was the peak, everyone originally thought it would calm down for a while this year, but unexpectedly, it happened again.
Sir Ferguson, as the team leader, had never commented on the farce from start to finish, but those close to him revealed to reporters, "The Knight feels frustrated and disappointed. He never thought that his last season at Manchester United would be so difficult."
Although the insiders didn't mention Cristiano Ronaldo's name, it was obvious to everyone that what saddened Sir Ferguson the most was probably his beloved disciple.
Manchester United CEO David Gill said, "Go ask Cristiano Ronaldo what he really means. What else can we say?"
"He complained a bit, but that's it. What else can we do?"
The storm of controversy seemingly didn't affect the Portuguese's form in the national team. In the World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg, Moutinho made a second pass, and Cristiano Ronaldo broke into the penalty area and scored with a low shot.
After scoring, he made his iconic "siu~" celebration, and teammates came to congratulate him one after another. This was Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth goal for the national team this year.
With the national team matchdays shortening, both players and clubs had to talk to solve problems. The Times revealed that the Portuguese star quietly left the team and returned to England, and had detailed discussions with the management and Sir Ferguson. The two sides basically reached an agreement.
Manchester United compromised, agreeing to give Cristiano Ronaldo a 20% raise within the existing contract period, so his after-tax annual salary could reach ��10 million, surpassing Messi's �10.5 million.
As expected, when the national team gradually returned to their clubs, Cristiano Ronaldo posted a message on his personal page on social media: "I am very happy to help Portugal get 6 points. Now it's time for the club."
"With the support of fans and teammates, I will focus all my attention on winning games and trophies. This season, Manchester United will definitely not miss out on the league and Champions League!"
On September 16th, in the fourth round of La Liga at the Pizju��n Stadium, Real Madrid challenged Sevilla away.
The home team launched a fierce attack with the advantage of their home ground, maintaining a ball possession rate of 58.9% throughout the game, surpassing Real Madrid. This was rare in recent years, putting a lot of defensive pressure on the away team.
In the 13th minute, the home team launched an attack, Negredo dribbled the ball forward, but was blocked by Wang Feng, who continuously pushed him towards the sideline, finally intercepting him in the thirty-meter area of ??the opponent's half.
The Spanish forward tried to push the ball backward with force, but the Chinese superstar remained unmoved, stabilizing his lower body while reaching out his right foot to try to push the ball out of bounds.
Negredo cleverly tapped the ball with his heel, letting it pass between Wang Feng's legs, and then turned around to chase the ball.
This move by the Chinese superstar could be said to be skillful. Could he even make an eagle drop its eyes?
So he forcibly held the Spaniard to prevent him from starting, and at the same time, with a sweep of his left foot backward, he skillfully controlled the ball under his feet. Although Negredo wanted to fall to the ground to deceive for a foul, the main referee remained unmoved.
However, high-intensity offense and defense inevitably led to collisions. In the 29th minute, Sevilla quickly pushed forward with a break in the middle, and Del Moral and Navas faced Wang Feng in a two-on-one situation.
Seeing that they were about to break through, the Chinese superstar had no choice but to foul Del Moral and received a yellow card.
In his more than six years with the Galaxy Battleship, Wang Feng had rarely committed fouls, let alone received two yellow cards. Now, as a defensive midfielder, he was likely to receive more cards.
The only goal of the match occurred in the 78th minute of the second half. The Chinese superstar made a precise long pass from the back, tearing open the Sevilla defense, and Morata received the ball and scored with a chip shot in the penalty area.
The Galaxy Battleship won 1-0 against the home team!
In this match, Wang Feng's data exploded even more: 94% passing success rate, 9 interceptions, and 6 steals, topping the top 20 in La Liga, as well as 6 key passes and 1 assist.
Because Barcelona beat Getafe 4-1, achieving four consecutive victories, Real Madrid's victory in this match was crucial. Currently, they have 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 7 points, climbing to fifth place in the standings.
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