We are the champions of the fifth part of the seventh chapter

Although Dalian lost to Fiorentina, the courage and technical and tactical level they showed in the final left a deep impression on the audience, and the president of FIFA praised Chen Wei after the game: "You have a brave team and a brave coach"

In China, the voice of saying that they "insulted the prestige of the world champion" can no longer be heard, and is replaced by a piece of praise", the Dalian team returned to China with honor.

And the domestic media even put Luo Shengmao in advance to the position of the Chinese national men's head coach.

Chen Wei did meet with Luo Shengmao in Beijing on the day the Dalian team returned to China, hoping that he would be the head coach of the national team, and the conversation was very sincere, just like when he was looking for Qiu Suhui.

However, because he often discusses some domestic football matters with Qiu Suhui, Luo Shengmao does not have much affection for the chairman of the Football Association. He told Chen Wei that he couldn't make a rash decision on such an important matter now, and he needed to go back and think carefully before he could give an answer to the Football Association.

Chen Wei was quite satisfied with Luo Shengmao's answer, this was a very important thing, and he knew it. If anyone rashly agrees to come down, he Chen Wei will not be at ease first. Therefore, he agreed that Luo Shengmao would go back and think carefully before giving him a conversation, which also showed that he was very confident in his calling. Luo Shengmao is currently the most high-level and energetic head coach in China, how could he not give him such a good position as the head coach of the national team? How many people in China are vying to be in this position, but they don't have this qualification. How could Luo Shengmao refuse?

He promised to wait for Luo Shengmao's good news in Beijing.

And Luo Shengmao, who returned to Dalian, was finally able to calm down and call Qiu Suhui after coping with the local entertainment.

"Lao Qiu, there is one thing, I have to be your staff officer."

"What's the matter?"

"Well, when I was in transit in Beijing, Chen Wei came to me, and he planned to make me the head coach of the national team."

The other end of the line chuckled: "I guess he's going to look for you." Now he is busy trying to find the most suitable head coach. ”

"What do you say I'll do?"

"Don't say yes." Qiu Suhui replied in the affirmative.

"Ah, why? When you recommended me to be the head coach of the Dalian team, wasn't it just for the future head coach of the national team? ”

"That's right. It was because of this. But then for the future head coach of the national team, not now. You've only been in Dalian for one season. In terms of experience, you are still very lacking, now is not the best time for you to be a national team, if you rush to the stage and something goes wrong, I am afraid that you will not have the opportunity to coach the national team in the future. Now endure it, watch other people toss, continue to coach your Dalian team, and then wait a few years, when you have enough experience, prestige, and connections, and then apply to coach the national team head coach. I think it was a natural thing at that time. ”

"However, China's golden generation may only have a few years of active time left...... "Thinking that he can't coach talented players like Zhang Jun, Xiang Tao, Yang Pan, and Li Yongle, Luo Shengmao is somewhat unwilling.

Qiu Suhui sighed: "This is also something that can't be helped!" After the glory, there must be a trough, I think Zhang Jun and they are probably also very aware of this natural law, right? It's not that I'm pessimistic, Chinese football is destined to take a detour, or even turn back, and is destined to fall into a trough and fall into a low ebb. A world champion is not a panacea, it can't solve any problems in fact, but some of us think that if we win the world championship, Chinese football will really be world-class, and the terrible thing is that these people are leaders with only power in their hands...... What are the consequences of their thoughts? I don't even think about it. We've talked about this before, right? I remember you agree with me. ”

"That's right......"

"Then it is obviously unwise to push you to the forefront knowing that the situation is irreparable. This is the doomed catastrophe of Chinese football, none of us can do anything, all you have to do is to take your club with peace of mind, constantly improve your experience and popularity, and lay a solid foundation for coaching the national team in the future. ”

"Shall we just watch it all go bad and do nothing?" Luo Shengmao was a little emotional. After all, he is also a passionate young man who loves Chinese football and is willing to sacrifice everything for it......

"Well, it's not like you're doing nothing, aren't you accumulating experience in a new position? I'm definitely going to be out and active after taking a break for a while. Now our patience is only for a better job in the future, as the saying goes, there must be ** after the low tide. Ten years ago, Chinese football was even worse, how bad could the situation be? It's just a decade backwards. Lao Luo, if you can't bear it, you will make a big plan, now what we have to do is to endure, you don't care how the Football Association tosses, and don't care how many injustices you see in the future, you have to endure it. When the time comes, there will be an opportunity to change all that. ”

Luo Shengmao must admit that Qiu Suhui is right in everything, this is obviously his words after careful consideration, just like when he retired bravely and stepped down from the position of head coach of the national team, it was definitely not a simple impulsive decision because he hated Chen Xuan. Perhaps since his resignation, he has been brewing to save Chinese football again, and his Luo Shengmao's coaching of Dalian should also be a step in the rescue plan.

"Well, I see...... I know what to do. ”

The reporters with a keen sense of smell soon learned that Chen Wei had found Luo Shengmao alone, so they were ecstatic and announced: The National Association has circled the final candidate for the national football coach - Luo Shengmao!

The decision was well received, and the Football Association's decision was supported by almost all fans and the media, with people waiting for Luo Shengmao to take office.

The Football Association has not said anything to refute the reports and speculation, perhaps they think that with the allure of the national team that is now in the limelight, no good manager will give up the opportunity to coach.

Just when the whole country was waiting for Luo Shengmao to come out with confidence, what they were waiting for was the press conference of Luo Shengmao's club, Dalian Team.

"For the recent rumors about coach Luo Shengmao coaching the national team. We have to make it clear that Luo Shengmao has not promised anyone that he will coach the national team, and he himself wants to continue to stay in the Dalian team to continue his work. We are very honored that the Football Association can look at Coach Luo Shengmao, but we respect Luo Shengmao's own awareness. He wants to stay in Dalian and won't go anywhere. ”

The whole country was in an uproar.

In fact, before this, Luo Shengmao called Chen Wei and clearly refused the call of the Football Association. The reason is also very high-sounding - he is inexperienced, he is not famous, and he is afraid that he will not be able to control the stars of the national team. At the same time, he is also afraid that his low coaching level will harm the national team and sweep the reputation of the national team. After all, there is only half a year left before the Asian Cup. The goal of the Chinese people must be the Asian Cup champion, and Luo Shengmao admitted that his ability may not be able to do this. "I can make the team play a good game, but I can't make the team win the championship." Therefore, he refused to be the head coach of the national team, and said that there are many better managers in the world than him, and the Football Association will definitely find a candidate who is really suitable for the national team.

Chen Wei almost couldn't believe his ears, he later did a lot of Luo Shengmao's work, but Luo Shengmao was "Wang Ba eats scales - iron heart", saying that he didn't agree to come out to coach the national team, but repeatedly emphasized that he lacked coaching experience and had a lot of deficiencies in his work ability. You still need to learn and improve, and now you are in a hurry to coach the national team.

Originally, Chen Wei wanted to continue to work hard, but he didn't expect the Dalian club to poke out the news in advance, making him lose all the room for maneuver all at once. Moreover, Dalian is understandable to do so, and rumors about the head coach have been flying all over the world recently. It has seriously affected the work of their club, and if they don't come out to refute the rumors, I'm afraid things will be out of control.

In a sense of regret and sporadic swearing, Luo Shengmao and the Chinese national team missed it like this, and Chen Wei finally decided to set the scope of the coach selection abroad. He has lost faith in the head coach in China.

"Luo Shengmao actually turned down the position of head coach of the national team?" Zhang Jun was a little surprised by the news he had just heard, Li Yan was a guest at his home in Florence, and this news was what he said.

Li Yan nodded, "Almost no one would have thought that he would refuse, and he refused so simply." He joined forces with Dalian, leaving no room for Chen Wei at all. I even suspect they were premeditated. ”

"It's a pity, I think he is the most suitable person to be the head coach of the national team, and I was looking forward to what the Chinese team under him will look like." Zhang Jun's voice was a little low, and he admired the brave head coach since the first battle in Tokyo. He always felt that if he wanted to control the unruly players of the national team, he must be a bold and courageous manager. And many of the rumors in the outside world are not suitable for him, but Luo Shengmao, who has debuted for a year, is very interested in him.

In fact, although Luo Shengmao's refusal was unexpected by many people, it is reasonable for us to think about it carefully. Most of the previous speculations about him were that we were too excited, and instead ignored some of the main problems. His experience and fame are indeed a big problem, as he himself said, now he can lead the team to play beautifully and win the unanimous favor of the audience, but he can't win the championship. Compared with Qiu Suhui, he still has a big gap. Li Yan said this, and Zhang Jun and Sophie also nodded in agreement.

"Such a head coach leads the Chinese team and asks him to win the Asian Cup, I think it is difficult for some strong people."

Sophie suddenly looked at Zhang Jun: "Speaking of the Asian Cup, Zhang Jun will definitely participate in it when the time comes, right?" ”

Zhang Jun nodded: "Unless I'm injured at that time." ”

"But I've heard that Ren Yudi is planning to send Fiorentina to China and Japan this summer."

"Isn't that better? I'll be waiting for them in China then. ”

"No, I mean you've barely had any time off since then."

Zhang Jun smiled: "Leading the team back to China is not only Yudi's idea, but also my wish. ”

Li Yan smiled on the side: "Are you returning home?" ”

Zhang Jun disturbed his head: "You can also understand it like this. After playing against Dalian, I was very interested in the level of other teams in the country, and I was too lacking in the attention of the domestic league. I think it's a great opportunity to get up close and personal with the teams in the domestic league and see how far our professional reform has been achieved over the years. ”

Li Yan suddenly thought of Chen Wei, the only good thing that the arrogant and conceited chairman has now is that he is still sticking to the reform plan he specified at the beginning. On second thought, that's also very reasonable, right? That plan was formulated by himself, if he didn't insist, wouldn't it be tantamount to a slap in the face? Regardless of this person's character, the plan he advocated was really made with the efforts of countless Chinese football people, and it did have an impact and role on Chinese football that cannot be underestimated.

"I'm more concerned about the head coach of the national team right now." Sophie said from the side.

"This, I should know soon......" Li Yan sighed.

What Li Yan said is good. Two days later, the Chinese Football Association announced that the head coach of the Chinese national men's football team has been determined, the famous Dutch head coach - Adwin Carter.

Adward Carter is said to have been named to the Football Association's final selection list before, but he is not a big favourite. Why was the manager problem, which had been elusively resolved, solved in just two days? According to Li Yan's analysis, Chen Wei is obviously doing it for Luo Shengmao and Dalian, so as not to make outsiders think that he Chen Wei is beautiful and Luo Shengmao is not good.

In this selection of coaches, Chen Wei's criteria are very clear: famous coaches, world-class famous coaches. He doesn't look down on the average manager.

For example, people like Troussier, Chen Wei can't look down on them.

Adward Carter, on the other hand, is a two-time head coach of the Dutch team and Michels' apprentice, and his nickname "Little General" comes from the nickname of his teacher Michels. He also coached the Korean team. I also have a good understanding of East Asian football, and these conditions are very in line with Chen Wei's requirements for selecting a coach.

And Edward Carter, who is at home, is happy to re-prove himself by coaching a new world champion – he has led teams to unsatisfactory results at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006, especially the latter, and talk of his age has suddenly become popular.

The Chinese Football Association has signed a four-year peace contract with the 64-year-old Adward Carter, whose main goal is the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the Asian Cup. It's just a preliminary assessment, after all, the Chinese Football Association also knows that it is a bit far-fetched to ask a foreign old man to be familiar with the team for half a year.

At the same time, considering that Adward Carter will be 68 years old in four years, both parties have agreed that the Football Association will not renew Adward Carter's contract regardless of the World Cup results by then.

Chen Wei's 2014 Brazil World Cup strategy is: the place to defend the title may be very small, so the Football Association will not be a laughing stock, as long as everyone is psychologically clear. But at the very least, you have to be able to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup. The quarterfinals, that's the bare and the bare to be. As the defending champion, it was indeed a bit chilling.

"The Dutch manager? Fortunately, maybe we will have a common language. Zhang Jun gave his opinion on trusting the head coach, which he said to the news media. This is also seen as a positive attitude by the media.

And Edward Carter after taking office. The first thing to do is to show his attitude to the players in the national team, and he naturally has to give a lot of praise to the main players. He also responded positively to Zhang Jun's evaluation: "Zhang is a great player, he is in good shape now, and I think the Chinese team will continue to create brilliance under the leadership of him and Yang Pan and others." I'm confident that I'll lead this team well and maybe I'll bring the good tradition of Dutch football to them. I would also like to assure the passionate fans of China that you will see a Chinese team that is even better than before! ”

Privately, Zhang Jun has been in contact with many of his teammates who play in Italy, and most of them don't have much opinion, but Yang Pan is not satisfied with Adward Carter's arrival. Zhang Jun knew that Yang Pan must have a lot of slander for this old Dutch man, but as long as he didn't show it, he would go with him, and Zhang Jun had no interest in changing the minds of others.

These days, the Chinese media is full of news about Adward Carter's appointment, as well as his introduction. And Luo Shengmao and Qiu Suhui have gradually been forgotten. Qiu Suhui wants this effect, being stared at all day long, and it is inconvenient for him to do many things. I believe that Luo Shengmao is also like this, the Dalian team has returned from Tokyo, they are going to prepare for a vacation, the Chinese domestic league has ended, and the Dalian team has won the league championship again and participated in the Asian Champions League next season.

In his first year of coaching, he brought the Dalian team to the top of Asia. In his second year in charge, he led Dalian to become the world's No. 2 team and won the league championship from Shandong. Luo Shengmao is making steady progress, accumulating his experience little by little, and working hard for the lofty goals in the future.

Just after the dust finally settled on the selection of the coach of the Chinese team. Zhang Jun and all the fans who supported him ushered in a festival of their own.

On December 18, Zhang Jun received the trophy of the European Football Award - a glittering football ball at the headquarters of France Football in Paris, which is the second time in a row that he has won this honor.

The European Football Awards are a list of 50 finalists provided by the organiser, France Football. Then there are senior journalists from the sports media of UEFA's 52 member states. There were a number of Chinese players on the list, as well as a number of other players who had excelled in the Europa League, but in the end, Zhang Jun won the title by a dominant margin, earning a high score of 190 points, while Kaka in second place received 120 points, and in third place went to Zhang Jun's teammate Crewe, who scored 115 points.

Zhang Jun won the European Golden Globe Award for a second time, there was no suspense, and almost after the list of finalists was announced, Ren Ren awarded him the Golden Globe Award in advance. Because in the past year, there is no one whose achievements can match him. He led Fiorentina to defend the Serie A title, and won the European Champions Cup for the first time in history, and then won the Italian Football Cup to become the unparalleled treble, and a few days ago, won the highest honor of the world club - the World Club Cup. At the same time, he has been the top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons, scoring more than 30 goals in three consecutive seasons in the defensive-minded league, making him the most feared striker on the planet for defenders and goalkeepers.

When the reporters' cameras focused on Zhang Jun, who was smiling with the trophy, they knew very well that it was not over yet.

The last period of the year is the time when the various FIFA awards are released, and the past year should be summarized at this time, and it is also a season for players to harvest.

A day later, the "World's Best Player" award from the famous football magazine World Football was also announced. The up-and-coming Zhang Jun was once again voted the best in the world after winning the European Ballon d'Or, receiving 34.8% of the votes in the readers' poll of "World Footballer of the Year", while the second-place midfielder Messi, who plays for Barcelona, received 20% of the vote, and the third place is still Fiorentina's Crewe. He mesmerized the fans with his amazing footwork and imagination, and also received 19.2% of the vote.

In the Coach of the Year selection, although Sabato led Fiorentina to win the first treble in history, because this year is a World Cup year, many selections have to look at the World Cup results, and Sabato, who has no World Cup record, has to be the runner-up. The best coach went to Qiu Suhui, who led the Chinese team to a historic breakthrough and won the world championship.

The team of the year honor was undisputed by the Chinese team. "From a weak team in football to a new world champion, the Chinese team has accomplished what cannot be done in the history of Chinese football for half a century, and they have created many firsts in the history of their own national football, which is enough for future generations to worship. They are one of the most amazing teams of the year. "That's what World Football has to say. Fiorentina, who won the treble, was in second place.

It is not for nothing that December has been rated by many media as "the month that belongs to China" and "the month of China". In the year-end summary and awards, Chinese football has become the biggest winner. A world champion who has brought them numerous accolades.

Two days before Christmas, the biggest awards were announced.

At the award ceremony held at the Zurich Theatre, Zhang Jun was once again the winner, winning the World Footballer of the Year 2010 by a landslide, followed by Kaka from Brazil and AC Milan, and third-place by Zhang's team-mate Crewe. This ranking is the same as the European Golden Globe Awards, which somewhat shows that the election of the three people is well deserved. You must know that FIFA originally created the World Footballer of the Year selection to compete against the Ballon d'Or of "French Football", so almost every time their final winner is against "French Football", but once they coincide, then the best selected is definitely well-deserved and undisputed. For example, Baggio in 1993, Ronaldo in 1997 and 2002, Ronald Deinho in 2005, and Zhang Jun this time.

When the results were finally revealed, Zhang Jun first smiled and hugged Kaka and Kru next to him, both of whom were his good friends. In fact, whoever wins the first place among them, the other two will not have any opinion. Congratulations heartily to have the knowledge.

Then Crewe won the Bronze Ball Award from the FIFA president, Kaka took the silver hill, and when Zhang Jun held the Golden Ball in his hand, the audience stood up and applauded him at the same time, in their opinion, this is no suspense, and it is also a natural result. With his wonderful performance this year, Zhang Jun not only brought countless glory to the two teams he played for, but also put on a huge halo for himself.

This is the peak of Zhang Jun's career, and he may not be able to surpass this peak in the future. Because he won almost all the awards he could get, Zhang Jun was the king of international football for a while, and no one could match him.

At the FIFA awards ceremony, the president of FIFA said to Zhang Jun in front of the camera of the television broadcast to the world: "You are the miracle of modern football since the 21st century, and fans all over the world are proud to be able to see you play with their own eyes." "This is a great compliment, and it is truly remarkable that Zhang Jun can make the president of FIFA say such explicit praise.

In the news reports after the game, the three major agencies all gave Zhang Jun a very high evaluation. There are even more deep critics who believe that Zhang Jun no longer needs to prove anything to the world, because there is nothing to prove.

At the same time, both the Team of the Year and the Most Improved Team were awarded to the Chinese team. But compared with Zhang Jun's annual awards grand slam, this honor is a bit pediatric.

Earlier, Zhang Jun had already won the Chinese Footballer of the Year and Asian Footballer of the Year. There is also a small episode about this Asian footballer of the year.

Originally, in order to reflect its poor "authority", the Asian Football Confederation had a not very puzzling rule in the selection of Asian Footballer of the Year: any player who could not attend the award ceremony and presented the award in person would first lose the qualification for the second selection, and naturally there would be no possibility of winning the final award. After this regulation was introduced. It has caused a lot of controversy, because the Asian Footballer of the Year is often unconvincing and has become the laughing stock of other continental football federations. However, in order to maintain their authority, the AFC insisted on not changing this rule.

Until this year, because Zhang Jun was so strong, even his competitors said in public that if they had the right to vote, they would definitely vote for him - of course, his competitors were mostly Chinese, and Chinese players accounted for five of the ten candidates on the list. The award ceremony was held during the Zhang Jun League, and if it was according to the previous regulations, then Zhang Jun would definitely have no Asian Footballer of the Year, which would be a joke. In this case, the Asian media have made very merciless criticism and sarcasm on the AFC regulations, and at the same time, even FIFA has intervened. In the end, the AFC had to announce the cancellation of the idiotic rule that "players who cannot attend the award ceremony are not entitled to be elected Asian Footballer of the Year", and Zhang Jun was able to become the Asian Footballer of the Year.

In this festive and glorious December, Fiorentina ended their first half of the league season, unbeaten in 19 league games made it to the top half of the championship, the Champions League entered the knockout stage, the Coppa Italia reached the quarterfinals, and everything was moving in their favor.

After Christmas, the calendar flipped over the year 2010 full of fond memories and entered the new year 2011, with a bigger future waiting for Zhang Jun and Florence to create.

It was in the first month of the new year that the Serie A Oscars were announced. Zhang Jun was once again voted the best foreign player and best player in Serie A. Fiorentina was voted the best team and Sabato became the best coach.

Following this, the International Football History and Statistics Association announced that Zhang Jun was named Striker of the Year with 16 goals scored in China and the Intercontinental Club Cup. All the honors that can be won are in hand, and Zhang Jun finally becomes a grand slam.

In other selections made by the same institution, Anco, who plays for Bayern Munich, was elected Goalkeeper of the Year, and the Defender of the Year belonged to John Terry, the captain of the Premier League champion Chelsea. Qiu Suhui was once again named Head Coach of the Year, firmly holding Sabato under the table.

After two months of awards. Zhang Jun's popularity in world football, and even in other fields, has reached an unprecedented height. In his hometown, Luoyang, Henan, even the people specially erected a bronze statue of his height outside the stadium, replacing the previous sculpture. And in the whole of China, he has been regarded as a national hero. All the media unanimously believe that since the beginning of the People's Republic of China, none of the figures in sports and even in all fields have reached the height that Zhang Jun has now: he has a huge fan base around the world and enjoys great prestige in all fields, and even the German president declared himself a die-hard fan of Zhang Jun when he visited China. In addition, in view of Zhang Jun's great contribution to Italy in sports and his role in sports and cultural exchanges between China and Italy, the President of Italy awarded Zhang Jun the "Knight of the Order of the Star of Benevolence" in Rome on December 5 last year. For Zhang Jun personally, this is a great honor.

Even some foreign media are cheering - this is a new generation of football kings. Some people even put a photo of Zhang Jun lifting the World Footballer of the Year trophy with a text caption: Coronation. Although there are still many controversies about this title in world football, it does not prevent Zhang Jun's supporters from cheering and celebrating.

His influence extends beyond football itself. Together with his beautiful wife, Sophie, Jang Jun accepted the invitation of the United Nations to become UNICEF's ambassadors, an icon and target for countless teenagers around the world. The simple love story between him and Sufi has made countless people envious, and it is said that there are already famous Hollywood directors who plan to make a romance film based on their love story. Not to mention, there are already directors in China who plan to make a documentary for Zhang Jun.

And those commercial contracts that are pouring in, Zhang Jun has become the world's most earning sports person. Some people joke that he will make enough money for his children and grandchildren to spend a hundred years.

For two whole months, China was full of reports about Zhang Jun's claim to the king, and it was tireless. Around the world, the craze for Zhang Jun is far from subsiding, and it can even be said that it has just begun!

So it seems. Hua Fang is busy again. Although she has now established an agent company, many things no longer need her to run personally, but Zhang Jun's affairs, no matter how big or small, she has to be personally responsible, after all, it is the first player she signed, and it is also the most successful one, which is the golden sign of her company.

"It's been crazy for the past two months, I feel like I've barely played a lot, just going to all kinds of awards ceremonies like I'm going to the stadium."

"Are you tired, Zhang Jun?"

"Sort of, sort of...... But I was so excited, I never imagined that I would one day stand on the highest place in the world and be adored by everyone...... It's all out of reach like a dream. ”

"Are you still excited, Jun Zhang?"

"It's a little, it's just a little...... I haven't burned my head yet. I know what is going on and I know what I need to do next. It's just a few trophies, and they'll fall into dust after a long time. For me, trophies are like the embellishments of life, it's nice to have them, but it's not a big deal if they don't. ”

"It's great that you're able to stay awake in this situation."

…… There may be a lot of comments and opinions about what happened in football this year. But there is no doubt that Zhang Jun is an existence that cannot be ignored. He was like the sun, shining with a blinding light, looking down on all living beings, and I am not exaggerating to say that anyone who lived through that year would agree with me.

When we wanted to excavate in the Netherlands and suddenly found a Zhang Jun, perhaps we were more worried than surprised. The tradition of Chinese football is like a modern football version of "Hurt Zhongyong", "It's been a lot, but it's not necessarily good". We also witnessed the 2001 national youth team's victory over Argentina and became a super platinum generation, and poured countless hearts and hopes into them. But at the end of the day, we can only watch as ultra-platinum turns into rough platinum.

Therefore, when Zhang Jun and Yang Pan were born, few expected individuals to really take them seriously, and few people dared to put their expectations on the two young people. When I decided to follow them, even I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, for I wasn't working, it was more like a gamble, a gamble on the future of my career.

Thankfully, this time I won the bet.

I don't want to say that Zhang Jun is a late bloomer, because he became famous very early. But unlike Ronaldo, it wasn't until he was twenty-eight years old that he really got the world's recognition and praise, getting everything a professional player deserves. For a person with serious ankle problems, the age of twenty-eight is the golden age, and after that, no one can say. Even if one day he suddenly falls on the pitch and never gets up again, I don't think I'll be surprised.

From his debut at the age of 20 in Warrendam to the 28th anniversary of his reign, Zhang Jun has spent almost six of his eight years entangled with injuries and other factors. During this period, no one lost faith in him and turned their heads to attack him, but many people were attracted by his football and charisma and joined his fans - there is no shortage of these two people around me. The only thing I can be proud of is that I always trust and support him at all times, and I have never regretted my choice. Some people say I have a good eye, and some people say I have good luck, but it's neither. If I have to say it, I can only say that it is because of my long-term contact with Zhang Jun that I like this young man more and more, maybe even if he has nothing and achieves nothing, I will trust him and support him. Because he is like my brother, I have no reason to give up on my brother.

Because I have been helping him speak, some people even installed Zhang Jun's "royal literati" signboard on me, and to be honest, now I really want to thank the people who sneered at me at the beginning. Later, he became a great weapon and became a king, and many people said that my years of unremitting efforts were finally rewarded—and I knew how much they counted when they said this, because even if it was another ten years, I could smell it clearly when I looked through the past records.

But this is not the result of my unremitting efforts, but the reward of Zhang Jun's unremitting efforts. I'm just a spectator, just waving and shouting "come on" when the players are exhausted, this kind of effort is too easy for me, but the fighter who fights against fate in the arena is even harder, he put in almost all the effort, and now it's time for him to reap, and this seems to be an incredible reward, but because he has put in more sweat and tears, and even blood than everyone else.

When we watched Zhang Jun standing in front of the camera with a gold cup in his hand and smiling, we applauded and cheered for him, and at the same time, I could guess that Zhang Jun himself must understand: for himself, today's glory is temporary, and honor will eventually leave him. As soon as his form declines, or as he gets older, the harsh critics and the media will immediately forget all about the accolades he has received and turn to him for being a good man.

We all know very well that this is the rule of this circle, a cruel rule that no one can get rid of. There is never a shortage of geniuses here, and when a genius is gone, there will inevitably be more geniuses who will come out to make up for the emptiness of people's expectations.

But I think for those who really support and like Zhang Jun, even if he decides to leave this stadium one day, no matter whether he is in the limelight or down, they will continue to support him and sincerely wish him a smooth journey. Because what we cherish more than those splendid trophies is the countless good memories he brought us......

——Excerpt from the book "Witness of Legends" by the famous football journalist Li Yan, first edition in July 20258, first printing.