Chapter 71: Awards
In the final round against Bruges, Genk almost rotated the entire starting lineup, allowing substitute players and second-string players to play, in order to conserve energy for the upcoming Europa League final.
Meanwhile, their opponents were still competing with Standard Liege for a spot in next season's Europa League, so they fielded their strongest lineup. The gap between the two teams was very obvious, and Genk decisively lost 0-3.
The Constant Vanden Stock Stadium was filled with home fans, but they were not dissatisfied with Genk's performance. Most of the people present were there to witness the team lifting the league trophy, so they were very forgiving of these substitute players. They cheered when they threatened the opponent and applauded to encourage them when they made mistakes.
After the end of the game, the workers invited by Genk's management quickly set up a makeshift award podium in the middle of the field, and the trophy had been delivered to the venue earlier.
The trophy of the Belgian Pro League is very unique in shape. The base is square-shaped, with the name of the championship club and the season engraved on the front. Above the base is an irregular platform shape with some decorations, and standing on the platform is a bull, with half of a hollow football on its head.
Before presenting the league trophy, the Golden Boot award was presented to Wang Feng. When Wang Feng stepped onto the stage, the entire stadium erupted in cheers, with everyone shouting his name and applauding vigorously.
Frederic Van Ocken, the president of the Belgian Football Association, handed the trophy to Wang Feng. When they embraced, he whispered in Wang Feng's ear, 'Perhaps you are about to embark on a bigger stage, but don't forget that you will always be one of the legends of the Belgian league. Wishing you fair winds.'
Wang Feng nodded and smiled in gratitude.
The highlight of the ceremony was naturally the presentation of the championship trophy. Wang Feng intentionally walked at the back. He had already received enough honors, so he let other players go up first and enjoy the cheers of the fans.
A gilded medal was hung around Wang Feng's neck by Nate Bail, vice president of the Belgian Football Association, while Van Ocken handed the league trophy to captain Aaron Abigail. Abigail took the trophy, glanced at his teammates on both sides, then raised the trophy high above his head and shouted, 'Genk champions!'
Amidst the noisy cheers from the stands, the players gathered together, taking turns to touch the championship trophy. Then Abigail handed the trophy to the teammates beside him, letting them pass it on.
Wang Feng also received the heavy trophy, feeling somewhat sentimental. Last season, he won the Belgian Cup for Genk, and this season, he won the league trophy as well. It was quite a harvest.
Wang Feng went to the interview area, where a bunch of reporters surrounded him. Most of them were focused on him being the youngest Golden Boot winner. 'I think this is the team's credit. Everyone passed me a lot of balls, so I could achieve this result. This trophy belongs to all the players of Henk.'
Wang Feng's modest attitude also earned the admiration of the reporters. It's not easy to achieve such glory at such a young age and remain composed in both good and bad times. Some reporters also asked about his future plans, but Wang Feng dodged the question, citing his full focus on preparing for the Europa League final.
In fact, even he himself was not sure where he would go next. Genk has already achieved its performance targets this year, so Wang Feng will definitely leave the team in the summer. Bill Albert, the team manager, promised Wang Feng that the club would not sell him to the highest bidder, but would let Wang Feng make his own choice, and the club would give him the utmost respect.
After receiving the awards, everyone went to a bar to celebrate. Wang Feng, as always, abstained from alcohol, but he still enjoyed himself. Everyone temporarily forgot about the Europa League final in a few days and the impending end of the season, reveling in the moment.
It wasn't until late at night that Wang Feng returned to the dormitory, turned on his computer, and found some messages from his sister on QQ. First was a family photo, with his mother and sister sitting on the sofa, and a banner hanging on the wall behind them, which read, 'Congratulations to Ah Feng for winning the Golden Boot and the championship.'
Wang Feng smiled and said to himself, 'This must be my little sister's doing, this mischievous little girl.' There was also a big cake on the coffee table in the photo, with his sister holding a piece in front of the camera, as if offering it to Wang Feng who was far away in Belgium.
His sister wrote in the message, 'Brother, we saw you receiving the awards and doing interviews. Suddenly, we feel like you've become more handsome. Also, we're celebrating for you at home. We hope you keep up the good work and win the Europa League. I've even ordered two banners and a cake. Don't let me down.'
Wang Feng replied below, 'Okay, I won't let your things go to waste.'
At this time, it was approaching dawn in China. The family members who watched Wang Feng's entire game should still be asleep, so they did not reply to him.
Another blinking message came from Wang Feng's only two friends, Lu Yao, who used a cute rabbit avatar. When Wang Feng opened it, he found that she had sent congratulations during the awards ceremony, indicating that she had been watching the entire event on TV.
Wang Feng thanked her, and unexpectedly, she was still online and immediately replied to his message. 'How come you woke up so early?' Wang Feng asked.
'I was so excited to see you holding the trophy, so I woke up early.' Lu Yao sent a cute emoticon sticking out its tongue. In fact, she hadn't slept much all night, worried about missing Wang Feng's message.
Several times, she was half asleep, suddenly feeling a message, and then waking up suddenly to check, only to find that it was just her own illusion. This time, too, it was the sound of the message that woke her up from her light sleep, so she was able to reply instantly.
Of course, Wang Feng didn't know the thoughts of the young girl. He just thought Lu Yao had just woken up, so he chatted with her one sentence at a time, sharing with her his joy and anticipation for the future.
Lu Yao talked about her plans, saying that she planned to study management abroad after graduating from high school. She joked half seriously, 'Feng, where are you going next? If you decide, let me know, so we can have each other's backs.'
Wang Feng replied, 'I haven't decided yet, but I also persuaded my sister to study abroad. How about you two go together?'
'Okay okay, you have to tell me when you decide.'
After wishing each other good night, Wang Feng quickly washed up and went to bed, while Lu Yao, on the other side of the world, soon fell asleep, her mind finally at ease, able to enjoy a good night's sleep.
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