Chapter 658: Annual Gala
This winter transfer window was destined to be uneventful. Approaching the World Cup, big-name football stars were reluctant to switch teams with less than half a year left until the start of the tournament.
According to statistics from the German "Transfermarkt", there were only 7 transfers valued at over 10 million euros, which was half of the number from last year.
Real Madrid and Barcelona made no significant moves. Real Madrid didn't need to, while Barcelona couldn't find suitable personnel to address their issues.
Manchester United became the absolute protagonist. After losing Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo, the Red Devils plummeted to seventh place in the league standings this season. Moyes had to make changes, so they spent ￡37.1 million to bring back Mata to bolster their squad.
Chelsea sold Mata but then splurged ￡50 million to buy Matic, Terereao, Salah, and Zouma, four promising young players.
Looking at the top ten transfers of the winter window, apart from the Parisian tycoons, the majority of the spending came from Premier League teams.
In Spanish football, as the New Year arrived, a sad event occurred. The president of Deportivo La Coru?a, who had dropped into the Segunda Division, held a press conference. He announced that he would no longer serve as the team's manager.
This man, who single-handedly created the myth of "Super Depor," had completely stepped down from the stage of history. "Depor fans hope for change, but I am no longer capable of doing this work," he said.
In 1988, Rondi Iro officially took over Deportivo La Coru?a, and in his 25-year tenure, the team became one of the most influential clubs in Spanish history.
One La Liga championship, two Copa del Rey titles, and three Spanish Super Cup championships—the achievements of this humble team were not to be underestimated.
As the club's president, Rondi Iro had many unforgettable moments. The most regrettable was his near misses with Wang Feng. Countless times, he lamented his indecisiveness in front of the media.
The collapse of "Super Depor" stemmed from economic crises and globalization. Perhaps there would never be a team as magical as his in the future.
It's worth mentioning that the legend began with debt. Looking at the entire Spanish football scene, Deportivo La Coru?a was almost the epitome of grassroots teams.
With a population of 230,000, a scale of 5,000 players, and an external debt of up to 4 million euros, the fans constantly reminisced about the glory of the 1950s when they came close to winning the league title.
Rondi Iro changed everything when he arrived. In just two years, he tripled the size of the club's membership and significantly improved its financial situation.
After twelve years of hard work and accumulation, he helped Depor fans finally realize their dream of winning the championship. But what followed was a continuous decline into the abyss.
To maintain their winning streak, how could their financial strength compare to the likes of the Galacticos and Barcelona's cosmic team? Rondi Iro made a wrong decision, borrowing money and continuously increasing massive investments.
With a debt of 180 million euros over eight years, this small team couldn't bear it, leading to relegation and bankruptcy.
On January 6, 2014, the first official match after the winter break, the 18th round of La Liga, Real Madrid challenged Celta Vigo away.
The entire Galicia Autonomous Community was covered in heavy snow, so the match was played in the snow. In Wang Feng's nearly eight years in La Liga, he had experienced few snowy battles.
In the first half, both sides were adapting to the harsh field conditions, trying to regain their pre-winter break form, so the game was quite dull, and neither side managed to take the lead.
After the break, the Galacticos began to exert their force. In the 51st minute, Di Maria broke through on the wing and crossed. Wang Feng leaped ahead of the defenders, heading towards the edge of the penalty area. Luka Modric followed up and scored directly with a shot.
Six minutes later, the Chinese superstar received a through pass from Carvajal, accelerated past the defenders, and scored with a low shot inside the penalty area. Di Maria then assisted Ramos to score, sealing the victory.
With one assist and one goal from Wang Feng, Real Madrid defeated their opponents 3-0.
Midweek, in the fifth round of the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid traveled to face Osasuna away. Wang Feng and other main players sat on the bench to watch the match.
Isco and Hesse scored for the away team, and they ultimately won the game 2-1.
On January 12, the 19th round of La Liga, Real Madrid returned to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to face Espanyol.
The away team set up a stubborn defensive formation, and despite constant attacks, they couldn't make much headway.
In the 78th minute, Wang Feng dribbled past two defenders in the frontcourt but was reluctantly fouled by the opposing defender. The home team won a precious free kick.
The Chinese superstar took the initiative to stand at the free-kick spot, looking at the nervous defensive wall formed by the opponents. At this moment, he noticed Gareth Bale's gaze beside him. Seeing him curiously looking at himself, Wang Feng asked, "What's up, do you want to take the free kick?"
The Welsh star shook his head repeatedly, "No, no, no, I'm most afraid of taking free kicks. I just want to observe how the master of free kicks does it."
"Haha, then watch closely."
As the referee blew the whistle, Wang Feng held his breath and focused, accelerating his run-up. With the last step, his supporting foot stepped on the left side of the ball, completely parallel to its position, about one ball's width away.
At the same time, his right foot lifted and then landed, striking the lower part of the ball with the inside of his foot. He used the force of his calf to kick it out, adding a slight pulling motion as he struck, but there was no tendency for the ball to spin.
The ball rapidly rose above the jumping defensive wall, seemingly heading towards the spectators in the stands, but at the highest point, it suddenly dropped, skimming the crossbar and diving into the net, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance to react!
A direct goal from the elevator free kick! After scoring, Wang Feng slid all the way to the corner flag area, accepting the cheers and applause from the home fans, then smiled and asked Bale, who came to celebrate with him, "How was it, did you understand it?"
The Welshman remained confused, and the Chinese superstar rubbed his head, "Next, practice with me. There's nothing else, just familiarity."
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