Chapter 600: Nine!
At 9:00 AM on January 3, 2013, Spanish time, Real Madrid held their first training session of the new year at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium and opened it to the media and the public.
The stadium, completed in 2006, serves as the home ground for Real Madrid Castilla. On that day, approximately 9,000 fans flocked to watch the training, nearly filling the entire stadium, a testament to the popularity of the Galacticos.
The players' physical condition was generally good, although some of them had gained a bit of weight during the break, which needed to be addressed through training. Fortunately, Alonso maintained his training regimen during the winter break and was almost ready to return to the pitch.
In addition to regular physical and technical training, in order to reward the fans who came to watch, Ancelotti arranged a scrimmage session, with the first-team regulars facing off against the youth players divided into two teams for a 60-minute match.
The result saw Wang Feng scoring three goals, eliciting cheers and excitement from the fans in the stands, making it feel like they were watching an intense match.
After the training session, the club organized a meet-and-greet event with the fans, leaving everyone feeling very satisfied and expressing their love for Real Madrid even more.
Three days later, in the 18th round of La Liga, the Galacticos faced Real Sociedad away.
Just 87 seconds into the game, Real Madrid took the lead when Wang Feng delivered a through ball to Morata, who was unmarked and slotted home from 10 meters out.
In the 17th minute, Real Madrid won a corner kick, and although the ball was cleared by the home team after being delivered into the box, Khedira pounced on the loose ball and volleyed it into the net off of Escudero's shin.
Real Sociedad pulled one back in the 31st minute when Bella was brought down in the box by Ramos, resulting in a penalty which he converted past Casillas.
After the break, Wang Feng extended Real Madrid's lead with a long-range shot from outside the box, followed by goals from Prieto and Griezmann for their respective teams. The final score was 4-2, with the Galacticos starting the new year with a win.
After the match, Wang Feng and others immediately headed to the airport to fly to Zurich, Switzerland, to attend the FIFA annual awards ceremony.
As usual, the ceremony began with interviews and interactions with the nominees, followed by the red carpet, and then the awards ceremony. Interestingly, whether it was the Chinese superstar or Messi and Iniesta, they all seemed a bit tired, apparently not fully recovered from the previous night's match.
Gullit served as the master of ceremonies. The first announcement was for the FIFA FIFPro World XI, presented by Shevchenko and UEFA President Platini. The formation was 4-3-3, with Casillas in goal.
The back four consisted of Alves, Piqué, Ramos, and Marcelo.
The midfield trio included Alonso, Xavi, and Iniesta.
The front three were Wang Feng, Messi, and Falcao.
All 11 positions were filled by players from La Liga, with Ronaldo surprisingly left out, highlighting his dominant position in European football.
The Best Women's Coach award went to Pia Sundhage, coach of the Olympic champion US team. Scolari, as the presenter, seemed a bit nervous or lost in thought. He was too focused on congratulating the recipient and forgot to hand over the trophy, drawing laughter from the audience.
The Best Men's Coach award, unsurprisingly, went to Spain's coach Del Bosque, whose achievements in defending the European Championship were enough to earn him worldwide acclaim.
The FIFA Fair Play Award was given to the Uzbekistan Football Association, while the Puskás Award was won by Fenerbah?e star Sow, whose bicycle kick goal from the edge of the penalty area even impressed Wang Feng.
The nominees for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, the most exciting award, were about to be announced. This should be the most suspenseful moment in recent years. According to tradition, FIFA would first showcase the outstanding performances of the three candidates.
But surprisingly, the video of Messi was played first, starting from his childhood. The tender photos surprised the Argentine, who then couldn't help but smile.
Iniesta was similarly moved. The memories of him playing in the Brunete tournament at the age of 12 were vivid. He had grown into a world-class midfielder, standing on the stage as a Ballon d'Or nominee, and tears welled up in his eyes without him realizing.
Finally, it was Wang Feng's turn. He never expected FIFA to be so serious, even digging out blurry photos of him playing on dirt roads in his hometown at the age of eleven or twelve, representing his school team in junior high. He felt a bit shy and embarrassed for a moment.
It had been almost twenty years, and looking back now felt like a lifetime ago. He finally understood why his mother had been rummaging through boxes at home and insisted on returning to China for a visit, claiming it was for some relative's wedding, when in reality, she was looking for these precious memories.
After the video ended, Zidane, the presenter, took to the stage, causing many people's hearts to skip a beat. Could it be?
Sure enough, the former French superstar didn't keep everyone in suspense. After clearing his throat, he announced the winner of the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or—Wang Feng! It was his 9th Ballon d'Or, and he was elected for the 7th consecutive year! The Chinese superstar celebrated with raised arms, while Iniesta couldn't hide his disappointment. Messi's expression was complex, clapping his hands in congratulations. There was envy, resentment, and even a sense of relief in his eyes.
After the three of them embraced and exchanged greetings, Wang Feng stepped forward to accept the award. Taking the trophy from Zidane, the Frenchman offered sincere praise: "You are not only the pride of Real Madrid but also the pride of football!"
"To be honest, I am very excited at this moment, and it's hard to believe that I can lift my 9th Ballon d'Or. It feels a bit too heavy."
"Iniesta and Messi are both outstanding players who have achieved remarkable results. The reason I can stand here this year is entirely because of the strong support from my teammates at Real Madrid."
"I want to thank them, the coaching staff, and the staff for their contributions, as well as my family and friends."
Wang Feng's records for the most Ballon d'Or awards held and the most consecutive awards won have been pushed forward once again! Media and fans around the world went crazy with excitement, while some "Europe-first" supporters lamented. They checked the voting results and found that the Chinese superstar's rare winning advantage was not outstanding.
He received 31.60% of the votes, while the second-ranked Iniesta received 27.68%, with a difference of only 3.92% between them.
The main reason for this was Messi, who ranked third with a vote share of 20.91%. His pool of votes heavily overlapped with Iniesta's, with many South American judges voting for him.
The Brazilian newspaper Lance admitted, "When Leo is outstanding, Iniesta is farther away from the Ballon d'Or." Their biggest problem is being in the same club. Barcelona had a poor year last summer, watching Real Madrid win the quintuple, and seeing them achieve six consecutive titles.
"Even if they had won the Copa del Rey, they might have been more competitive."
The Argentine newspaper Olé believed that it was all due to Barcelona's poor decisions. They should have promoted the Argentine to compete for the Ballon d'Or instead of Iniesta.
"Leo's outstanding performance is obvious to all. Last year, he scored 91 goals, making him the closest player to Wang Feng."
"Moreover, in the second half of the year, the Chinese superstar voluntarily withdrew from the spotlight, while Messi scored multiple braces and hat-tricks in a row, helping Barcelona beat Real Madrid to win the first-half championship, which could have changed the dynamics of the award selection."
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