Chapter 617: Exactly One Thousand Goals
Real Madrid's entire team was immersed in the joy of overturning and advancing in the Champions League, but they couldn't stop because there was still the crucial battle for the league title.
On May 4, 2013, in the 34th round of La Liga, the Galaxy Battleship challenged Real Valladolid away.
Before the match, the media and fans found that including all the data of this season, Wang Feng's official goals in competitive matches had reached 999, just one step away from a thousand goals! Competitive matches here only include club leagues, domestic cup matches, European competitions, super cups, and intercontinental matches.
It does not include national team qualifiers, continental championships, and World Cups, excluding friendly matches, commercial matches, and similar tournaments such as the Audi Cup and the UbiSio Cup.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) affirmed the news, "This is indisputably standard data that can be easily queried and archived. Wang Feng is about to welcome his historic moment, which is also a historic moment in modern football."
With these words, the football world boiled. What was originally just an ordinary La Liga match instantly attracted the attention of the whole world. A large crowd gathered in Valladolid, a small city northwest of Madrid, to witness the legend.
In an interview before the match, Wang Feng said that although this record was tempting, he cared more about winning the league title and would not deliberately pursue it at the expense of the team's performance.
Valladolid midfielder Rubio said enthusiastically, "It's hard to imagine that we could attract so much attention, but everyone is destined to be disappointed because we will do our best to stop Wang Feng!"
When the game started, all spectators found that the statements of the two were basically in line with reality. The Chinese superstar spent most of the time stabilizing the defense in the back, intercepting the home team's fast counterattacks.
On the attacking end, Real Madrid players would seize limited opportunities to deliver the ball to him, but at this time, Valladolid's interceptions were exceptionally fierce. They really didn't want to be mere background characters.
In the 17th minute, Modric passed the ball to Wang Feng on the right flank. He used his acceleration to shake off Victor and immediately attracted the attention of two defending players.
So, without hesitation, the Chinese superstar slotted the ball into the penalty area, finding Morata in a better position. The latter calmly adjusted and shot from 12 meters out. The ball was deflected by Ruéda's leg but still bounced into the net.
"The Galaxy Battleship takes the lead! Wang Feng is indeed very visionary. In the face of a historic achievement, he remains calm and makes the most reasonable choice. No wonder he can help the team win one championship after another and earn the respect of all his teammates!"
He could receive such praise without exaggeration. Ten minutes later, the Chinese superstar intercepted the ball in midfield and quickly launched an attack. In a three-on-four situation in the frontcourt, in order to form a threat more quickly and efficiently, he decisively passed the ball directly to Carvajal ahead.
Carvajal seized the opportunity to pass to Iguaín, and the three of them cooperated perfectly to tear apart Valladolid's defense, quickly passing the ball to the forefront of the attack.
The Argentine then dribbled into the penalty area and calmly pushed the ball into the far corner, further expanding the lead.
After the break, in the 64th minute, Omar crossed from the left side of the penalty area. Valverde failed to intercept at the near post, and Grella stabbed in from a distance to pull one back.
But they didn't have much joy because just four minutes later, Alonso's long pass into the penalty area was swept in by Modric before Rukavina, making it 3-1! Real Madrid basically secured the victory!
Every time at this point, coach Ancelotti would substitute Wang Feng off to rest, but today he didn't do so. The Italian also hoped that the Chinese superstar would make a breakthrough.
Seeing that the team's victory was certain, Wang Feng also tried to score more goals, but the home team adopted a strict defensive posture against him, so there were no good opportunities.
As the saying goes, fortune favors the prepared mind. As the game neared its end, the Galaxy Battleship won a set-piece opportunity on the wing. Originally, Alonso called Wang Feng to the penalty area to compete for a header, but he thought it was unlikely and decided to take the free kick himself.
After the ball was floated into the penalty area, chaos ensued. Ramos's header was blocked by Barrenziaga, and nearby, Grella hurriedly cleared the ball, but it went slightly off target, falling right in front of the Chinese superstar who was supporting from the outside.
Wang Feng hesitated for a moment and then made a decision. He held his breath, focused his mind, and kicked the ball fiercely as it came, shooting like an arrow!
"Bang!" It was as if a white light pierced through Valladolid's penalty area, piercing straight into the top right corner of the goal. Although goalkeeper Jíménez made a flying save, it was still a few inches off.
"Goooooooooooooooooal! Beautiful! The goal is in! Wang Feng's 1000th goal has finally arrived!"
"On the night of May 4, 2013, at 9:52 p.m., this is a moment that all football people deserve to remember forever. The Chinese superstar scored his 1000th goal in official matches!"
"A great record, a legendary number. He achieved such data in less than 14 years, and I believe that when he retires, Wang Feng will leave even more astonishing achievements!"
"At this moment, let us cheer and applaud for him together. All the fans who are paying attention to this match have become witnesses to history, how lucky and honored!"
The away team's fans, who had been patient throughout the match, couldn't wait to display the banner with the number 1000 and waved it frantically, while the home team's fans generously stood up and applauded Wang Feng.
The goal celebration lasted for almost 5 minutes, and the Valladolid players did not interfere. Although they allowed the opponents to set the record, it was achieved through their own efforts.
The referee also received a greeting from La Liga before the match, and everyone agreed to press the pause button for the game. The Chinese superstar deserved this respect.
When the game restarted, both sides no longer had clear goals. A few minutes later, the final whistle blew, and the Galaxy Battleship defeated their opponents 4-1.
The IFFHS, which had prepared the manuscript early, immediately provided detailed data on Wang Feng's career 1000 goals: Half a season at Virton in Belgium, playing 3 games and contributing 5 goals for the team.
A season and a half at Genk in the Belgian Pro League, playing 59 games and contributing 91 goals.
Five seasons at Inter Milan in Serie A, playing 304 games and contributing 327 goals for the team.
Seven seasons at Real Madrid in La Liga, playing 409 games and contributing 498 goals for the team.
Representing the Chinese national team, he played 49 games and contributed 79 goals.
"In 14 years, Wang Feng played 824 official matches and scored 1000 goals. Whether it's the number of goals, goal efficiency, or match attendance rate, he is unparalleled in the football world."
To compare, they also specifically provided Pelé's official data. During his 18 years at Santos, he scored 643 goals, during his 3 years at New York Cosmos, he scored 64 goals, and for the Brazilian national team, he scored 77 goals, totaling 784 goals.
The goal data typically reported for Pelé is "1281 goals in 1363 matches," but it includes a large number of friendly match data, especially various commercial activities. Scoring seven or eight goals in one match was common, so it had no statistical significance at all.
"Wang Feng achieved an unreachable height in just 14 years. The more you analyze this number from a data perspective, the more terrifying it becomes. It almost lacks any possibility of being surpassed."
To commemorate this historic achievement, the IFFHS decided to award the Chinese superstar with a Gold Cast Trophy, a resolution passed unanimously by the association's management.
After nearly a month of manufacturing, Wang Feng received his exclusive trophy. The golden base was engraved with the Arabic numeral "1000," with 100 shining gems embedded on it. The bottom recorded the detailed information of the goals.
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