Tang Zheng signed a five-year contract with Liverpool until July 1, 2024, but Tang Zheng has performed quite well, leading Liverpool to two league titles and the Champions League in his first three seasons at Liverpool, and his physical condition remains very good, even at the age of 33.

Jurgen Klopp is very secure at Liverpool, so he offered Tang Zheng, the most satisfied disciple of his coaching career, a two-year contract extension.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement that Tang Zheng's contract with Liverpool will be extended until July 1, 2026, which means that Tang Zheng, who has completed the contract, has reached the age of 36, which is equivalent to a lifetime contract.

But Tang Zheng, who is preparing for the Qatar World Cup, shook his head in an interview with the media and said: "No, I will not hang up my boots after fulfilling the contract with Liverpool, but continue my career." ”

No one knows his physical condition better than Tang Zheng.

Although getting older will bring a decline in form and certain injuries, Tang Zheng, who has been in his career for 15 years, knows how to protect himself and how to play better.

Fifteen years of professional experience has taught him how to exploit his strengths and avoid weaknesses.

Thirty-three-year-old Tang Zheng has slipped in form, but fortunately, the Mesozoic and new generations of the Russian World Cup have grown up, and the Chinese team has stood out as the second in Group E without danger.

met Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 1/8 finals, but at this time Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer qualified to be the main force and could only play as a substitute in the national team.

The Chinese team led by Tang Zheng relied on Liu Ruofan's decisive decision to defeat Portugal 1:0 and advance to the quarterfinals.

It's a pity that the quarterfinals met the French team in full swing, Tang Zheng's goal failed to help the Chinese team turn the tide, and finally the French team defeated the Chinese team 3:1 with goals from Pogba, Griezmann and Mbappe and advanced to the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, who turned 37, announced that he would hang up his boots at the same time as announcing his retirement from the national team.

This day is a big loss for direct football.

A year later, the 35-year-old Messi is no longer the main force in Barcelona, so Messi is considering a change of environment and pursuing a new career.

Before the start of the 2023-2024 Premier League season, Manchester City's official website announced that former Ballon d'Or and World Footballer of the Year winner Lionel Messi joined Manchester City on a free transfer to join forces with his mentor Pep Guardiola again.

Tang Zheng, who saw the news, was surprised, he once thought that the 36-year-old Messi would choose to retire, but the result was ...... But to the very competitive Premier League.

However, Tang Zheng is not worried, Messi, who is already 36 years old, has a serious decline in form.

Of course, if you underestimate Messi, there will definitely be no good fruit to eat.

Messi's declining form and physical condition are indisputable, but he has had a fairly successful career and unrivalled game experience.

A lot of players at the end of their careers rely on experience!

This is true of Cristiano Ronaldo, the same is true of Messi, and even more so is Tang Zheng.

……

One season later, in the summer of 2024, Messi announced his retirement, ending his nineteen-year career.

Tang Zheng, who is 34 years old, has maintained his form very well, leading Liverpool to the league title, FA Cup and Champions League title again.

The 2024-2025 season is a season in which Tang Zheng's form has declined more seriously, and with the increase in injuries, his playing time has become less and less, but manager Jurgen Klopp believes in his protégé very much.

And Tang Zheng also repaid Klopp and the fans who supported him with his performance, this season's Liverpool missed the domestic league championship, but had the last laugh in the Champions League and won the championship.

This Champions League title is Tang Zheng's third Champions League title in his career with the Reds, and it is also the ninth Champions League title of Tang Zheng's career.

The 2025-2026 season is Tang Zheng's last year at Liverpool, although Klopp intends to renew his contract with Tang Zheng, but Tang Zheng politely refuses.

Because Tang Zheng had a verbal agreement with Guangzhou Evergrande boss Xu Jiayin when his player agency signed Zhang Linpeng, he would play at least one season in Guangzhou Evergrande at the end of his career.

In fact, there is a big reason why he did not renew his contract with Liverpool because the Premier League is too intense, and it is difficult for Tang Zheng to continue playing in his current competitive state.

In other words, the illustrious career resume of the past does not allow him to accept the fate of being a substitute.

Instead of staying at Liverpool as a substitute, it's better to change the environment.

Six years have passed in the blink of an eye, and it is time to say goodbye.

Tang Zheng's attendance rate in the 2025-2026 season is at the lowest level of his career, but his appearances always bring something different to the team.

Liverpool once again won the 2025-2026 Premier League title thanks to Tang Zheng's super performances in the strong dialogue.

In the 2025-2026 Champions League season, Tang Zheng is different from the league in that he maintains full attendance.

Before the season, not many people believed that Tang Zheng, who is about to turn 36, would hand over eleven goals and eight assists in the 2025-2026 Champions League.

But...... Tang Zheng did it.

He told everyone, your uncle, or your uncle!

With Tang Zheng's super performance in the Champions League, Liverpool also won the ninth Champions League title in team history and the tenth Champions League title in Tang Zheng's career.

The end of the 2025-2026 Champions League final also means that Tang Zheng said goodbye to European football.

Yang 5 specially produced an album for Tang Zheng, called - Legend, Never Curtain Call.

In Buenos Aires, in Borussia Dortmund, in Madrid, and in Liverpool, Tang Zheng has left his mark on his club and city.

In addition to the Monumental Stadium, there is a bronze statue of Tang Zheng in the outer plazas of the Signal Park Stadium (Westphalia Stadium), the Bernabeu Stadium and the Anfield Stadium.

Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Liverpool expressed Tang Zheng's contribution to the club in this way.

※※※

Tang Zheng, who completed his contract with Liverpool, did not start his vacation, but took a private jet to Guangzhou as soon as possible to meet Guangzhou FC (note: the Chinese Super League no longer allows clubs to add sponsors to their names) to prepare for the remaining matches of the 2026 Chinese Super League season.

With Tang Zheng joining, Guangzhou FC won the league championship after a three-year absence from the league championship, beating Jiangsu FC, Beijing FC and Shanghai FC.

In the 2027 season of the Chinese Super League, the legend of the 38-year-old Tang Zheng continues, in addition to leading Guangzhou FC to defend the Chinese Super League championship, winning the final championship in the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League, becoming the first team in the Chinese Super League to win the Triple Crown.

Everyone thought that the 38-year-old Tang Zheng would announce the end of his 20-year career, but that was not the case.

On Christmas 2027, Tang Zheng, who is already a free agent, will return to the Europa League again, signing a one-and-a-half-year contract with French side Paris Saint-Germain.

Half a year later, Tang Zheng won the 2027-2028 Ligue 1 championship with Paris Saint-Germain.

Therefore, Tang Zheng also surpassed the German legend Klinsmann and became the first player in world football to win four of Europe's top five leagues.

……

"Don't rush the years, I won't push what should come; don't urge the years, you still have to chase if you go far. When you have to say goodbye, the moment of saying goodbye is like the time of flowing water, who can withstand it, who can sigh and helpless. ”

"20 years, how many 20 years are there in life, when your story becomes history, when we are no longer young, we will tell the future generation that you are the only existence, you are the legend in the football world!"

The 2028-2029 Ligue 1 championship is still the outstanding Paris Saint-Germain, when the broadcast camera showed Tang Zheng who was holding the championship trophy high, Yang 5 commentator He Wei said emotionally.

Because as early as the middle of the season, Tang Zheng has revealed that it is possible to end his career at the end of this season.

In the frenzied atmosphere of the Parc des Princes, Tang Zheng and his daughter Tang Qingqing and son Tang Guan sat alone and quietly.

To borrow a phrase from the original gift to Henry. He Wei's voice changed: "At that time, the train of light slowly drove past the Parc des Princes Stadium, and the 39-year-old Tang Zheng sat there, looking at the past with affectionate eyes, all of them were the shadows of his 23-year-old. In Buenos Aires, in Dortmund, in Madrid, in Liverpool, in Guangzhou, in Paris, at this time constantly guiding the people who followed all the way to pursue that period of time, when the years quietly turned around with tears, the 39-year-old Tang Zheng was there, looking at it affectionately, trying to return to the original point, the platform of departure, remembering when he carried his bags, the 17-year-old look, that ...... Where the dream begins. ”

"Fans sitting in front of the TV, please remember this man, in the next 100 years, in our country, there will not be a football player who can be compared, the world's No. 1 star, Tang Zheng!"

After the end of the 2028-2029 Ligue 1 season, Tang Zheng, whose contract with the club expired, neither accepted the renewal contract offered by Paris Saint-Germain, nor the 1+1 contract of Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan, but announced the end of his 21-year career.

But Tang Zheng did not say goodbye to football, and he announced on his personal social platforms Twitter and Weibo that he would switch to the coach's seat after a year off.

……

In the summer of 2030, Tang Zheng, who received the A-level coaching certificate issued by FIFA early, did not start as a coach in the youth team after retiring from the general professional players, but accepted Dortmund's invitation to serve as the head coach of the first team, and the two sides signed a four-year contract.

Career and coaching career are completely two different concepts, having a successful career does not mean having a successful coaching career, retired Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi are the best representatives, so many media questioned Dortmund's decision.

But Tang Zheng slapped those questioning media in the face after one season, and the final round of the 2030-2031 Bundesliga season ended, and Dortmund beat Bayern by one point to win the league championship after a four-year absence.

In the 2031-2032 season, Dortmund seems to have returned to the invincible time of twenty years ago, except that Tang Zheng, who wore the No. 10 jersey, was no longer on the field and moved to the coach's box, but it was the same that his team blew a yellow storm in Europe.

Under the leadership of Tang Zheng, Dortmund won the Bundesliga, the German Cup and the Champions League in the 2031-2032 season......

Tang Zheng, who naturally likes to slap his face, told everyone that his legend continues.

In his four seasons in charge of Dortmund, Tang Zheng's Dortmund won three league titles and two Champions League titles.

In the summer of 2034, Tang Zheng, whose contract with Dortmund expired, did not choose to renew his contract or sign with other big clubs, but unexpectedly accepted the invitation of the Brazilian Football Federation to become the head coach of the Brazilian national team.

In the 2038 Summer World Cup, the Brazilian national team coached by the 48-year-old Tang Zheng finally won the sixth star on his chest.

Tang Zheng, who led the Brazilian national team to win the World Cup, did not renew his contract, and he made an unexpected choice - to accept the invitation of the Chinese Football Association to be the head coach.

In the 2042 World Cup, the Chinese team has made qualitative progress under the leadership of Tang Zheng, although it did not advance to the finals, but it equaled the best results of Asian teams in the World Cup created by the Chinese team led by Tang Zheng himself 24 years ago.

Four years later, the World Cup held by the talented Chinese men's football team on home soil has finally come true.

World Cup champion dreams.

Although the Chinese men's football team has emerged a lot of football talents in the past decade, there is only one that has really led the Chinese men's football team to the top.

That's the legend of China, Tang Zheng.

Even if Tang Guan is the top scorer and best player in the local World Cup.

The 57-year-old Tang Zheng has few regrets in his coaching career, and he announced the end of his 18-year coaching career the next day.

For more than three decades, he has devoted almost all of his time to football.

Now, he leaves everything behind and gives all his time to his wife, sons, daughters, grandchildren, and grandchildren......

A generation of legends faded out of people's sight, but legends will always be legends, and they will not leave, but continue in another way.

Because after Tang Zheng, Tang Guan can already inherit his father's mantle and shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending Chinese football.

(Note: I haven't written a side story, so it should be okay?--!)

Goodbye is goodbye, see you in the next book.