On the evening of November 9, 2013, Tianhe Sports Center, Guangzhou.

With the referee's whistle, the second leg of the 2013 Asian Football Club Champions League final officially came to an end. Guangzhou Evergrande FC from China drew 3:3 on aggregate with South Korea's Seoul FC and won the Asian Football Club Champions League with a two-legged advantage in away goals. This is the first continental championship of Chinese professional football, and it is also the first time that poor and weak Chinese football has stepped under the feet of its neighbors Japan and South Korea, and has successfully reached the top.

That night, the whole of Guangzhou, and indeed the whole of China, fell into a sea of revelry. For thousands of Chinese fans who have been suppressed for too long, it is destined to be a sleepless night.

Shanghai, an ordinary residential community.

Wen Fangting stood up at the moment of the referee's whistle, frantically waving his fists, constantly shaking his thirteen-year-old son Wen Zhihao next to him, and shouting hysterically: "We won!" Son, we won! ”

His wife Tang Yuexin hurriedly stopped her husband's madness and reprimanded: "Be careful, if you scare the child again, don't you just watch a ball, as for it, it's not serious!" ”

Wen Fangting, who was on the rise, didn't listen to his wife's complaints, and slapped the sofa vigorously, venting the ecstasy in his heart.

It's no wonder that Father Wen is so excited, this scene has been waiting for too long. The last time Chinese football made him so crazy was more than a decade ago when the national team reached the World Cup in South Korea and Japan. That's when he, like most fans, thought it was the beginning of a take-off. However, after failing to score a single goal in the group stage, they were eliminated by nine bullets, and then there were even darker years of torment, and their generation of fans gradually grew old in the torment of repeated defeats.

However, Wen's father has never given up a trace of tenacious hope for Chinese football, so when his son Wen Zhihao was ten years old, he sent him to the famous Chongming Football Youth Training Base around Shanghai, following Xu Genbao, the famous godfather of China's youth training, he hoped that his unfinished dream of being a professional player could be realized in his son.

To his relief, his son was very competitive. From the first day he entered the base, he showed great talent and spirituality beyond ordinary people. Now his son is thirteen years old, but he has already trained with the echelon two years older, and his talent even makes the head coach Xu Genbao praise. said that in the future, Xiao Zhihao's ceiling can at least be comparable to the legendary striker Haidong. Although there is an exaggerated component, it still makes Father Wen excited. At least my son didn't go down the wrong path.

Father Wen pointed to the TV screen, turned his head to his son and said, "Son, do you see, if you want to stand on that platform in the future, you have to practice more hard and sweat more than others now, and it is possible to stand higher than others in the future, understand?" ”

Wen Zhihao stared at the screen blankly, as if he hadn't heard his father's words, Wen's father thought that his son hadn't listened, and was just about to speak again, when his son turned his head to look at him and said in a childish voice: "I want to play in the World Cup in the future." ”

"Huh?" Father Wen's movements paused for a moment, and then there was a bit of surprise in his expression, he looked at his son, and asked loudly, "Son, are you ...... What did you just say? Again, Dad didn't hear me. ”

Wen Zhihao looked at his father, who was suppressing his excitement, and suddenly became a little timid, and whispered: "I want to ...... in the future Playing the World Cup. ”

Although he is a little shy, his eyes are unusually determined.

Father Wen was slightly surprised, then laughed with satisfaction, patted his son's head, and couldn't hide the affirmation between his words: "Okay! Good! is worthy of being my old Wen's son, he has ambitions, and in the future, he can achieve great things! ”

Father Wen just said a casual word of encouragement at this time, but he never imagined that in the near future, when this scene came true, the son who was slapped on the head by him and was still a little shy would actually be the focus of the audience......

Xiao Zhihao's family is enjoying themselves, and in the duty room of Chongming Football Base, several middle-aged people in their forties and fifties frowned, and their eyes fell on the gray-haired, almost old-fashioned old man in the middle, the old man is the head coach of Chongming Football Base, Xu Genbao, the godfather of Chinese youth training, and he is holding a ticket just sent by the Chinese Football Association.

"Director Xu, what should I do, you have something to say." A bald middle-aged coach asked anxiously. He is the head coach of Wen Zhihao's echelon, Xu Kang.

Xu Genbao put down the ticket, showed a look of regret and unbearable, and slowly spoke: "The boss has made a formal decision, is it possible that you can overturn the case?" ”

Xu Kang didn't want to give up yet, and continued to argue: "Even if it's true, this punishment is too heavy, you know Zhihao's potential, this kid will not take detours in the future, at least he can reach the height of Haidong, what the hell is this, isn't this the hope of destroying Chinese football alive?" ”

The more Xu Kang spoke, the more excited he became, and even snatched the ticket, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it a few times.

"If you have the ability, you can go to those uncles and say it!" Xu Genbao suddenly shouted, picked up the ticket on the ground and walked out. He decided to go to Wen Zhihao's house in person.

……

"What! Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could my son take drugs and maliciously hurt people, all events under the Chinese Football Association will face an indefinite ban, an indefinite ban! You must be mistaken! Father Wen grabbed the ticket and shook his head vigorously, his face full of disbelief.

For a professional footballer, an indefinite ban almost means saying goodbye to professional football for the rest of his life.

Xu Genbao was also very unbearable in his heart, and persuaded ashamedly: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wen." It's the Football Association's decision, and I can't help it. Zhihao, this child, is the most gifted and spiritual child I have received since the establishment of this base, and I am very sorry for this result. I also hope that you, as parents, will make more plans for your children's future. ”

After Xu Genbao finished speaking, he turned around and was about to leave, and suddenly turned back to Father Wen and said: "If you want your child to continue on this path, I suggest sending your child to Europe, where is the real fertile ground for football, where the child should have a good future." ”

"I'm the pig association of Le Gobi!" Dad Wen couldn't help but scold the standard national scolding of the Football Association by Chinese fans.

……

Throughout the night, Father Wen couldn't sleep, and Coach Xu Genbao's words always lingered in his ears when he left.

As a veteran fan for more than two decades, Daddy Wen knew exactly what it meant to make that decision.

Europe, the center of world football, a paradise for footballers all over the world. That continent, thousands of miles away, has unparalleled opportunities, but also hides the most unpredictable challenges. The most important thing is that there are only a handful of Chinese who have carved out a world in Europe.

Looking at her son's room, Father Wen's eyes flashed with pain, she hoped that her son would complete his unfinished dream, but at a young age, did his son really have to bear these things that should not have been borne by him?

Father Wen is caught in a difficult choice.

At this moment, his son's shy longing came to his mind.

"I'm going to play in the World Cup."

And that resolute look that makes a father feel calm.

Father Wen's fists clenched suddenly, and he nodded strangely heavily, as if he had made a lot of determination. Walked to the computer, found the game video he took for his son at the beginning of the year, and the trophy that symbolized the top scorer of the National U13 Youth League, took a photo, opened a familiar website with great hesitation, leaned back on the recliner, and said to himself: "Son, I hope you don't blame Dad." ”

When Dad Wen was doing all this, he would never have thought that his helpless move today would bring a world-renowned superstar to Chinese football in the future.

Of course, that's an afterthought.

At this time, Father Wen, with extreme apprehension, gently pressed the send button.