Chapter 38: La Liga opener
In the early morning, just after dawn, a parakeet stopped in front of Levi's window.
After returning to Barcelona, Levi rented a single-family villa in Barcelona's Sarria district as a temporary residence for the duration of his rental.
The landlord was none other than Van Bronckhorst, who had not sold the property since the Dutchman's transfer, and Levi had just rented it.
This is the traditional rich area of Barcelona, but the natural environment is not particularly good, it is located under the mountains, which just blocks the sea breeze from the sea, and is one of the more polluted areas of Barcelona.
The main reason why Li Wei chose this place is because it is an area where consulates from various countries gather, including the Chinese consulate in Barcelona is also here, and the security environment is relatively good.
After all, in addition to being known as the "capital of architecture", Barcelona is also known as the "capital of thieves in the world" with more than 300 burglaries every year.
After getting up and stretching, Levi went to the kitchen and made himself breakfast.
After dining with Rogo in Amsterdam, Ronaldo shared his healthy recipes with him while he was drinking, and Levi naturally wrote them down.
Low-fat yogurt, cereal chips, fruit juices, boiled eggs, ham...
Well, it's not very tasty.
After the meal, Levi drove to the training camp, and the time was just half past six in the morning.
...
Every La Liga team has a nickname for itself.
Real Espanyol, nicknamed the "Parrot Army", was originally formed to create a club of Espanyol native players, founded in 1900 by university student Rodriguez Ruiz.
Barcelona at that time was founded by foreigners, and the players were almost entirely made up of foreign players.
When the Spaniards were formed, it can be said that they carried the label of xenophobia and nationalism.
But after 108 years, the positions of the two have been completely reversed, which has to be said to be a subtle irony.
The Spaniards were the first to use the Estadio Sarria as their home stadium since its creation, and the blue parakeets that flew around the stadium earned the team the nickname "Parakeets".
Later, due to financial and other reasons, the Spaniards wandered from pitch to pitch, earning them the nickname "Wandering Spaniards".
The team's new home stadium has not yet been completed, and it is temporarily using one of the venues for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, the Mozousi Olympic Stadium, which is also the Espanyol's seventh home stadium.
...
At seven o'clock in the evening, the Spaniard's bus stopped outside the Olympic Stadium in Mozous.
From the car window, you can see Barcelona's famous Montjuïc hills.
Espanyol fans in blue and white jerseys have gathered outside the stadium and chanting the team's song.
Coach Tinting Marquez announced his starting line-up for the match on the bus.
Unsurprisingly, Levi made the starting lineup.
Other than that, only Thiago Silva started the young signings, alongside captain Jarque at centre-back.
With several players in his own plans being sold this season, the head coach has not been happy for a while.
But as soon as the Brazilian landed, it didn't take much time for the Brazilian to conquer everyone with his solid defensive performance, and he took over the No. 2 shirt after Chica was sold to Real Betis.
Levi, on the other hand, took over the number 7 shirt from Valdo, who was sold to Malaga.
"I'm not on the list."
Levi heard a small mutter, and Diego Costa, who was beside him, had unhappiness written all over his face.
The wrinkles on his face have changed the visual age of the nineteen-year-old young center from thirty to forty.
"It's okay, Diego."
Levi patted his toned thighs and said with a smile:
"You're going to get your chance, I believe in your quality. In the future you will definitely be a feared centre-forward and you will play in the big clubs. ”
"Really?"
Diego Costa doesn't know why Levi trusts himself so much.
"Of course."
After joining Espanyol, his relationship with some of his teammates was strained.
The main reason is that due to his somewhat aggressive physical confrontation, this guy is simply a beast when it comes to scrambling.
"How many goals are you aiming for this season?" Levi asked.
"Eight! If I have enough chances to play. ”
Diego Costa thought for a moment and said.
"Fifteen! You want to go back to Atletico, right, with so many goals, they're going to bring you back. ”
Levi whispered to Diego Costa.
"You're crazy, it's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible, because I pass the ball to you!"
The bus was parked, and Levi looked out the window.
Diego Costa lowered his head and muttered something.
Levi's promise sounded a little outrageous, but from his mouth, there was a magic that could make people believe.
During this time, several new signings have been very close to Levi, and there is a certain degree of conflict in the dressing room of each team, and the new signings also need to huddle together to keep warm.
Until their performance conquers all their teammates and all their fans.
and even conquer opponents.
...
"CCTV! Cctv! ”
In the studio, He Wei's eyes were filled with fluttering blue and white flags, and the simple and elegant Mozuxi Stadium was crowded.
The 55,000 seats are full, and all the sight is a dazzling sea blue.
"Good morning spectators, and welcome to the live broadcast of the opening match of the 2008-2009 Spanish Primera Division!"
There is a time difference of more than six hours between the two countries, and it is already two o'clock in the morning in China, but there are still many fans who wake up from the fog with their alarm clocks, and turn on the TV to find that the screen is not a replay of a snooker tournament or a tennis match.
They all breathed a sigh of relief.
Levy's rise to prominence has been rapid, but in continental football, it's not jaw-dropping.
But in China, it is different, this is mainly due to the bottom line of psychological expectations, the same jump to a height of 10,000 meters, jumping from Mount Everest, and jumping in the Dead Sea, is not the same concept.
The super record of several friendly matches has made countless fans pay attention to him.
All eyes are on him to see if he can continue his previous performances in the top flight.
Whether it's stunning or hurtful Zhongyong, most people don't want the latter.
"I believe that many viewers have high expectations for this game, this is the first game of the new season, and it is also the first step for new players to embark on a new journey!"
He Wei's voice was faintly excited, he had witnessed Levi's performance in the game against Russia.
"I'm the commentator He Wei, and I and Xu Yang will guide you to bring you the commentary in this game."
Mozutin Arena is different from other modern stadiums in that it is a sandstone building with a classical atmosphere.
The rostrum is a large dome 40 meters wide and 130 meters long.
The main entrance is flanked by a replica of the famous Greek sculpture of a horse rider, and the north entrance once housed the torch stand of the 1992 Olympic Games.
"Some may remember the scene 16 years ago, when this stadium hosted the famous opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympic Games."
"We are here to witness Antonio Repolo lighting the Olympic flame with a bow and arrow."
"It also witnessed the classic moment of African ethnic unity in the last lap of the women's 10,000-meter event, including Ethiopian black athlete Tulu and South African white athlete Ilana Meyer, running hand in hand to the finish line."
Xu Yang vividly introduced the history of this stadium.
After the opening ceremony of La Liga, the players of both teams will enter, He Wei continued:
Just like the famous sentence in Charles Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities": Love always triumphs over hate, evil is often short-lived, and good lasts forever! It is hoped that sports events like Barcelona and Beidu, which symbolize 'peace, friendship and progress', can forever pass on the beauty of competitive sports." ”
Levi stood in the middle of the tunnel with a small caddie's hand.
The little girl, who was only eight or nine years old, looked a little restrained, turned her head away from looking at Levi, and struggled several times to break free from him.
The child's heart is always unhidden, and the little girl opened her mouth crisply.
"I heard my dad say..."
Little Face looked up at Levi, his face full of suspicion.
"What?"
Levi crouched down and listened to her with a smile.
"My dad said you were a playboy from Barcelona and spent a lot of money on us, and he said he didn't trust you!"
Levi suddenly laughed dumbly.
During this time, as he became famous, the British newspaper The Sun began to use its traditional art to frantically dig up all kinds of gossip about Levy.
And Jennifer Brown, the female reporter of the "Scotsman" before, also revealed her love history in her column, and accused Levi of being a negative man.
Manchester United fans don't care, this is nothing compared to the lace news of Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo.
What's more, there is also George Best in the history of the team.
can be born in the Barcelona scandal, which caused distrust among Espanyol fans.
Many people are afraid that the club will spend a high salary, and in the end it will attract an embroidered pillow that is not useful.
"Kode la Pena is also a Barça player."
Levi pointed to De La Pena, who was standing in front of him, the "Little Living Buddha" was also from La Masia and had played for Barcelona.
"Why can you trust him?"
The little girl glared at Levi, as if Levi had rebuked her family, and immediately began to protect the calf.
"How can you compare to de la Pena, who has scored goals for Espanyol! You don't! ”
"I like players who score for Espanyol!"
Levi smiled and spoke softly.
"So how many goals did I score for Espanyol and you liked it?"
"Hmm... Three. Oh no, five! ”
The little girl Lion opened her mouth and added: "It's not a game, it's a season. ”
"What's your name?"
"Brooklyn!" The little girl said.
Levi held out his little thumb.
"Well, I promise to score five goals as a gift to you."