Chapter 676: Massive Fan Base
The situation of the Champions League quarterfinals was already very clear. Real Madrid would face their old friends, Bayern Munich, while Atletico Madrid would meet Manchester City in a narrow path.
Since Wang Feng joined the Galacticos, they have met five times in the knockout stages of the Champions League in nearly eight years, including once in the Round of 16, twice in the semifinals, and once in the final. This time, they meet again in the semifinals.
So, not only are the two sides very familiar with each other, but they also have deep grudges to resolve, especially since the current head coach of the Bundesliga powerhouse is Guardiola, whose complex relationship with Real Madrid adds to the intrigue.
He brought advanced football concepts to Barcelona, ??turning the team into a powerhouse that surpassed almost all other giants, but unfortunately encountered the even more monstrous Galacticos, not only being suppressed but also failing to win a single league or Champions League title.
Guardiola was once tortured and vilified, but since his departure, people have realized that the Catalan team still needs to continue his system. The reform has been getting worse, and being the runner-up in La Liga was their peak.
It's not that they didn't work hard, but the enemy was too strong!
Therefore, Spanish coaches are also praised by many professionals, but they still cannot enter the ranks of the world's top coaches without championships. Everything is like floating duckweed.
"It's time to return the pain of the past to the other side. We can defeat the opponent and climb to the top of Europe!" The Spanish coach said confidently in an interview.
All Bayern players and fans were equally eager. They had been away from this European pinnacle for too long, so long that they almost forgot they were still a powerhouse with a rich heritage.
To cheer for their supported team, Bayern fans specially made supporting jerseys as their battle armor for the expedition to the Bernabeu. The overall color was Bayern's traditional red, with the Bayern emblem and slogans printed on them.
This time, the team heading to Spain probably had around five thousand people. This was already the most away tickets they could get. According to UEFA regulations, the away team must be allocated at least 5% of the stadium capacity, and Real Madrid just met this number.
Compared to the showdown between the Galacticos and the Purple Forbidden Peak of the Southern King, both the Bed Sheet Army and the Blue Moon can be considered dark horses. One has reached the semifinals for the first time in forty years, and the other has reached the semifinals for the first time in club history.
Regardless of the outcome, the legend of the dark horses will be continued, and there is even a possibility of a dark horse triumph. Therefore, this showdown is equally full of excitement.
UEFA was ecstatic. The Champions League's influence and attention were increasing day by day, completely different from the gradual decline caused by monopolizing the championship in the past.
In the end, it's because of the massive fan base. As long as the Chinese superstar is galloping on the field, there are nearly a billion guaranteed viewers, not to mention many spectators who are just curious.
With Wang Feng's increasing appeal in the cross-border field, more and more people who didn't pay much attention to football started to take notice. They couldn't just watch Chinese superstar matches all the time. Even if they just glanced at other matches, they would become a fresh audience.
So UEFA was in no hurry to suppress Real Madrid and Wang Feng fiercely. In the end, their biggest pursuit was profit. Now, not only did they not suffer any losses, but their influence and revenue were increasing day by day. Why bother to exhaust themselves and incur losses without gaining anything? They might even end up with the fate of "scandals" and prison.
To be honest, Wang Feng's background has given him a stage to fully display his talents, allowing him to achieve countless achievements and stand firm as a strong backing. Many Europeans hate him teeth-gnashingly, but they have to vote for him when it comes to selecting the best.
If he were a player from a small country like Norway or Senegal, or even traditional powerhouses like Brazil, Argentina, Spain, or Germany, he would not be able to achieve such dazzling results.
It's easy to deal with players from small countries—discard them after one use, and only allow them to shine momentarily. Their supporters can't stir up any waves at all. As for players from powerhouse countries, it doesn't matter either. They can set up other typical sparring partners. With fewer supporters in their own country's base, they will also be diverted by other stars. In this way, monopolization is impossible.
But Wang Feng is different. He almost gathers all the capital and support from his country, and if you want to make money from us, you must respect our hero. Coupled with his explosive strength and data, all the seemingly incredible achievements can be explained.
On April 12th, in the 33rd round of La Liga, Real Madrid welcomed Almeria at home.
Due to the upcoming Spanish King's Cup final a few days later, head coach Ancelotti made partial rotations to the main lineup. Normally, at this time, Wang Feng would lead the charge, but this time the Italian put him on the bench.
"Resting adequately is one aspect. The other aspect is that I want to test the strength of this lineup. The opponent is relatively weak, and we can remedy any situation that arises." Ancelotti explained frankly to the Chinese superstar.
Wang Feng nodded understandingly. He agreed that from the coaching perspective, it is necessary to hone the young players more. After all, they are the backbone of Real Madrid's future.
If he were leading the team, the opposing team would probably collapse directly under one wave of attack, and victory could be easily achieved without much effort.
But the Chinese superstar also expressed his hope to have some time on the field to warm up and regain his competitive state. "Of course, no matter what, I will send you on in the 60th minute of the second half."
Once the game started, the home team players were eager to show their strength. If they couldn't beat Borussia Dortmund, they couldn't even beat Almeria?
In the 17th minute, Nacho sent a long pass from the back, Casemiro controlled the ball and directly passed it to Di Maria in the penalty area on the right side, who then shot into the far corner to open the scoring for the Galacticos.
Just 6 minutes later, Casemiro and Morata played a one-two pass to break through the defense again, then passed it to the rapidly advancing Bale, who fiercely shot and scored another goal.
In the 54th minute of the second half, Isco took a corner kick, and Varane headed the ball powerfully against the defenders, once again piercing through Almeria's defense, making it 3-0!
A crushing victory!
Both Ancelotti and Zidane watched very attentively. At present, this lineup still surpasses most teams in La Liga. Only Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, and other few strong opponents pose a threat. Even in the European football world, they are among the best.
However, relying solely on this lineup is not enough to win crucial matches or obtain seven consecutive league and Champions League titles. Overall, the Galacticos have always been a competitive team, but the one who makes them unparalleled in the world is Wang Feng!
That's the true power of the Football God!
Everyone knows that he is irreplaceable. Once he leaves Real Madrid, they will inevitably fall from the altar, and the efforts of Florentino and others are just trying to make the fall more dignified.
"Zinedine, this may be your job. Find a new core and let the team land smoothly." Ancelotti said with a heavy heart, and Zidane rubbed his bald head with a frown, feeling the difficulty.
As agreed before the match, Wang Feng came on in the second half to find his form. He actively moved around and created several good opportunities effortlessly.
In the 74th minute, after receiving a pass from Morata, the Chinese superstar dribbled past the defense into the penalty area and then took a shot directly, helping the home team penetrate Almeria's goal for the fourth time.
This goal was Wang Feng's 45th goal of the season in La Liga, firmly wrapping the La Liga and European Golden Boot in his arms.
The final result of the match was 4-0, maintained until the end of the game.
Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience