Chapter 805: Capital Madness
After participating in the celebration of Manchester City's championship, Wang Feng returned to China with his family. This summer, he planned to take his children to appreciate the beautiful scenery of their homeland.
In June, there was still a match in the Twelve Strong, with China facing Syria away in the eighth round. However, since they had already secured qualification in advance, Wang Feng was not called up for this match.
"The hard work in the previous period was very worthwhile. Now, I can enjoy traveling with you guys to the fullest," Wang Feng proudly said to his wife, Lu Yao.
Last season, he not only fought on four fronts at the club level but also had to balance World Cup qualifiers, which left him very exhausted. His wife advised him to make appropriate choices and not to return for some national team matches.
But the Chinese superstar persisted. He always adhered to the philosophy of "bitter first, sweet later." Without the past hard work, how could he enjoy the happy life he had today?
"I know, your arrangements are the best!" Lu Yao smiled and playfully punched him with her fist. "Then let's not think about anything else and focus on enlightening Sihao and the others. The scenery in our country is no worse than Europe's."
So, they disappeared from the public eye for the entire summer. Many media outlets couldn't find them for interviews or reports. Moreover, Wang Feng wasn't fond of sharing his private life, so people knew even less about his current activities.
However, occasionally, fans would excitedly post messages on the internet, claiming to have met the Chinese superstar at Mount Huangshan or sharing signed photos taken with him.
Some said they met him at Dongting Lake, while others claimed it was in Yunnan.
"Wang Feng seems to be in high spirits. While European football is in turmoil, he's touring famous mountains and rivers."
"This is called being detached from worldly affairs. What else in the football world can shake the Football God now? He just needs to enjoy the game and life."
As the netizens said, European football indeed experienced one super earthquake after another, but Wang Feng wasn't shaken; he was extremely surprised, even contacting many old acquaintances to gossip.
Apart from the widespread attention on Manchester City's massive clear-out and ��200 million spending spree, the most shocking event of this summer transfer window was Paris Saint-Germain's poaching of Neymar.
It was like opening Pandora's Box. No club had ever thought about using such a method of paying a star player's astronomical release clause to sign him.
But Paris did just that, paying �222 million! They forcibly bought out Neymar's contract like this.
Barcelona was devastated. When they set the release clause, they never imagined someone could afford it. Who could have foreseen that the nouveau riche wouldn't play by the rules?
The club had never intended to sell Neymar, as they saw him as the future. So, despite several approaches from the oil tycoons, they were rebuffed every time.
So, they changed tactics and approached the player directly. Unexpectedly, Neymar was very amenable. On the one hand, it was because of the high salary offered, and on the other hand, he felt there was no future for him at Barcelona.
Even though the team won the La Liga title again after eleven years, even though he scored a hat-trick in crucial matches, in the eyes of the media and fans, it was always about Messi. He always stood in the spotlight, receiving all the praise.
Earlier, when Barcelona was suppressed by Real Madrid year after year, Neymar faced a lot of unreasonable criticism��being called a flop, frivolous, and unreliable, among other things.
There was no praise in victory, only slander in defeat. Neymar didn't want to continue living like this, so both parties quickly reached an agreement, leading to the earth-shattering transfer.
In addition to this, Paris Saint-Germain also secured the services of the French sensation Mbappe from Monaco in a deal worth �180 million, using a loan-to-buy arrangement.
"Crazy capital!" This was how the German publication Kicker described it. They believed that Manchester City's tremendous success seemed to have spurred Paris Saint-Germain, making them think that throwing money around recklessly could bring results.
"Football is not that simple. Relying solely on star players and massive investment is not enough!"
Although mainstream media outlets issued rational voices, the impact of these two transfers still reverberated throughout the entire summer window. Player valuations soared, and clubs, fueled by funds, competed fiercely like never before.
The Premier League, as the league with the strongest financial strength, naturally refused to be outdone. Chelsea, after losing the title, regrouped and spent ��58.5 million to buy Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid.
The Spanish striker had performed well at Juventus after being bought back by the Galacticos last season, and he continued to impress during this year.
However, he found it difficult to dislodge Ronaldo, Benzema, and Bale from their starting positions, so he sought new opportunities elsewhere.
Next, Chelsea spent ��31.5 million to acquire Rudiger from Roma and ��36 million to bring in Bakayoko from Monaco.
In total, they invested ��151 million in the summer window.
Manchester United bid farewell to veteran Rooney and paid a hefty fee of ��75 million to Everton for their top scorer Lukaku.
They also spent ��40 million to bring in Matic from Chelsea and ��31.5 million to buy back Lindelof from Benfica.
In total, the Red Devils invested ��146 million.
Liverpool showed great determination in this transfer window. They firmly rejected Barcelona's attempts to poach Coutinho and broke their transfer record by spending ��37.8 million to acquire Egyptian forward Salah.
They also spent ��34.2 million on Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal and ��8.1 million on Robertson from Hull City, totaling over ��80 million in investments.
Arsenal, among the top clubs, was the most stingy in their spending. They only spent ��47 million to bring in Lacazette from Lyon, but retaining their core player Sanchez could be considered a success.
In La Liga, Real Madrid's main lineup was still in the process of integration. They spent �30 million to acquire Hernandez from Atletico Madrid and �10 million to bring back Ceballos from Real Betis as minor reinforcements.
Barcelona, on the other hand, was extremely active. Apart from the summer Figo left, this year should be the most miserable transfer window in the club's history.
They not only failed to land their desired Verratti but also lost Neymar. Panicked, they entered the market with a high release clause and were subjected to extortionate demands from other clubs.
But they couldn't afford not to! After barely suppressing Real Madrid, no one could accept returning to those dark days.
They paid �105 million to Dortmund for Dembele, �30.5 million to Benfica for Semedo, and �12 million to AC Milan for Deulofeu.
What's more ridiculous was that they were swindled by Guangzhou Evergrande. They paid �40 million in release clause fees to sign Paulinho, but just a year later, they had to loan him back.
Once again, the reality proved that the gap between the Chinese Super League and European leagues was like heaven and earth. Even if they were thriving domestically, they couldn't find a foothold in Europe.
In Serie A, Inter Milan welcomed their new coach Spalletti this summer and made targeted reinforcements to their squad, with players like Vecino, Skriniar, and D'Ambrosio joining.
Juventus lost their defensive stalwart Bonucci but didn't replace him. Instead, they brought in attacking talents like Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa, making their squad configuration somewhat irrational.
AC Milan made the most moves in Serie A. The players they brought in could form a complete starting lineup. They were ambitious and wanted to make a big splash next year.
In the Bundesliga, although Bayern Munich always adhered to the principle of buying right and not buying expensive, they still broke their transfer record with a �41.5 million fee for Tolisso, along with other reinforcements, steadily improving the team's strength.
Although Borussia Dortmund lost Dembele, they received a large sum of money and managed to keep Aubameyang. This prevented fans from feeling too disappointed.
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