Chapter 659: Perfect Ten
After the most influential figure in the world of football exchanged pleasantries, the awards ceremony officially began.
The first announcement was, as always, the annual best lineup, with Manuel Neuer unsurprisingly named the best goalkeeper.
In defense, the lineup consisted of Ramos, Marcelo, Lahm, and Thiago Silva.
In midfield were Iniesta, Modric, and Dong Fangzhuo.
Upfront, it was Cristiano Ronaldo, Wang Feng, and Messi.
Compared to last year when La Liga dominated all 11 best lineup spots, this year's representation was slightly weaker, but Real Madrid still had four players selected due to their seven consecutive Champions League titles.
Bayern Munich, the runners-up in the Champions League, had three players in the lineup. Although Wang Feng didn't make it into the top three for the Ballon d'Or, being in the best lineup was a consolation.
One by one, the players went up on stage, received their trophies from the presenter, Blatter, and then lined up in three rows for a group photo.
"It's finally worth it." Dong Fangzhuo said to Wang Feng, "I almost didn't want to come, but luckily Balmond reminded me that I might be selected for the best lineup. This is also a recognition of my year, right?"
"Of course." Wang Feng shrugged, "I think it's quite difficult for future Chinese players to achieve your level of success."
The next award announced was the FIFA Fair Play Award, which was given to the Afghanistan Football Association.
The Puskas Award was won by Wang Feng for his goal scored in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund last year, a stunning zero-angle bicycle kick.
Not only was this goal extremely difficult and spectacular to watch, but it also completed the "Perfect Ten" for the Chinese superstar, the final piece of the puzzle in the comeback.
Next, FIFA introduced a new honorary award, the Golden Ball Award, specially designed for the football king Pelé, who had received countless honors in his lifetime but had never had the chance to win the European Ballon d'Or. Now, he finally got his wish.
As the ceremony continued, it was time for the eagerly awaited FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Wang Feng and his wife sat side by side in the front row center. While Wang Feng always wore a calm smile on his face, only Lu Yao knew that her husband was starting to feel nervous, as he tightened his grip on her hand.
She gently rubbed Wang Feng's palm to comfort him, and as the presenters appeared, everything fell into place.
Slowly stepping onto the stage was the Real Madrid legend, the five-time consecutive champion, the super Ballon d'Or winner, Di Stéfano!
At this moment, everyone showed their utmost respect. Di Stéfano had always had poor health, frequent hospitalizations were commonplace for him, but no one expected him to come all the way to Zurich now.
Accompanying him were the newly awarded Pelé, the UEFA President Platini, and the FIFA President Blatter.
With such a luxurious lineup of presenters, apart from Wang Feng, who was about to receive his tenth Ballon d'Or, who else could handle it?
Pelé opened the envelope, took out the piece of paper with the winner's name written on it, looked around the venue, and loudly announced, "The winner of the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or is, Wang Feng!"
The attendees showed expressions of confirmation and immediately applauded to congratulate the Chinese superstar on achieving another unimaginable feat, winning the Ballon d'Or for the tenth time!
Wang Feng stood up and embraced his wife deeply, then Messi and Ronaldo also congratulated him. Although the two of them had regrets in their hearts, this result was within their expectations.
Walking briskly to the stage, with Blatter's assistance, Di Stéfano lifted the Ballon d'Or trophy and slowly handed it to Wang Feng.
"Vamos!" The old man looked at the younger generation with satisfaction and said, "This is your tenth Ballon d'Or, surpassing me long ago to become the greatest player in Real Madrid's history."
He felt very relieved. This was an incomparable inheritance.
Platini added on the side, "Alfredo insisted on coming here personally to present you with this Ballon d'Or trophy, to witness your glory."
Feeling the weight of the heavy blessing and affirmation, the Chinese superstar thanked all the presenters one by one, and then delivered his acceptance speech.
"This trophy is very heavy, especially since Mr. Di Stéfano handed it to me in person. I thank him for his presence!"
Then, as usual, he thanked the club, the coaching staff, and his teammates for their support, as well as his family for their silent dedication behind the scenes.
"The tenth Ballon d'Or is a milestone for me. In my country, there is a phrase called 'Perfect Ten.' I think it is very appropriate to describe my past season with it."
"But please rest assured, the club and all the fans, I will not just lie on the laurels of this honor. Although I am no longer young, I am still full of fighting spirit!"
"This is not the end, but a new beginning!"
His impassioned words prompted thunderous applause from the audience. Many older players, such as Ibrahimovic, Van Persie, Pepe, and Lahm, showed pensive expressions.
Perhaps their form had noticeably declined from their peak years, but they could still slow down this trend through hard training.
But once they chose to coast along, they would probably never maintain their current competitive state again. Wang Feng's words touched them deeply. Even the Chinese superstar always maintained a hunger for victory. What reason did they have to indulge themselves?
Younger players wore troubled expressions. Wang Feng was undoubtedly the deserved king of football, and many of them had grown up watching his games.
Now, in the new season, the Chinese superstar still maintained an extremely high level of performance without any signs of decline. He had scored 26 goals in the league so far and 7 goals in the Champions League, leading the scoring charts.
So, could any player step forward to defeat him? Even with the erosive power of time, this feat would probably be extremely difficult to achieve.
Coupled with the terrifying power of the Galacticos, many people still couldn't understand why this team, which had achieved countless victories, wouldn't become arrogant after winning. Could it be Wang Feng's influence?
According to the announced voting results, Wang Feng's victory was quite obvious. His vote share was 36.53%.
The unexpected second place went to Ronaldo, with a vote share of 22.88%, while Messi came in third with 20.03%.
Regardless of the media, national team coaches, or captains' votes, the Chinese superstar received the highest scores.
It's worth mentioning that Ronaldo's media votes were far less than Messi's, and he even performed worse than the fourth-placed.
However, the national team votes gave strong support to the Portuguese star, allowing him to rise to second place.
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