Chapter 391: Chapter 390 Better Late Than Never Soccer Emperor
Is the football shoe accusation justified?
Of course not!
Taking money is the issue. Does it matter whose money it is?
The problem lies with the "Portugal Five" not willing to pay up.
They had sent messages long ago.
But Wu Xudong and others were always reluctant to pay.
Without the backing of Feng Xiaoting’s Shide Club and an unwillingness to pay, why should they let you in?
The football shoe insiders have their own logic that forms a closed loop.
They even believe that the public outrage arose because people like Wu Xudong were not actively paying, and they planned to discipline these young players internally.
Ultimately, the football shoe officials stepped forward to address public doubts about the first team selection, "We have our own comprehensive selection mechanism, and the players we train ourselves are just as excellent."
"Two years ago, the National Youth Team achieved a great result by placing fourth at the Toulon Tournament, proving our point."
"As for young players who go abroad to play, they are not necessarily of high quality. At least it’s difficult for us to grasp their exact level, making it troublesome to call them up."
"Furthermore, aside from the impact on strength, being away from domestic football for a long time also makes it hard for overseas players to integrate into the existing tactical systems of domestic teams. Given our consideration for results and the responsibility we owe to fans, we can only choose players who are more stable and reliable."
This statement sounds quite proper on the surface.
But upon analysis, it’s full of malice.
Jiang Yunzhu, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sports Weekly, which had just officially surpassed Football in domestic sales and topped the domestic football media rankings, and the person in charge overseas, refuted the statement personally, "The fourth place at the Toulon Cup is indeed commendable."
"However, the team that knocked out China was none other than Portugal."
"If we are to use the Toulon Cup as an example, then it makes even more sense to call up players like Wu Xudong and Yu Shihao, who have done well in Portuguese youth training. Their response is a blatant lie, deceiving the public."
"The idea that overseas players have difficulty fitting into the domestic tactical system is even more laughable. Speaking of football, European football is the center of the world, and why do we send our youth to Europe? Isn’t it to learn advanced techniques, tactics, and get accustomed to a superior development environment and system?"
"If they have learned and then you teach them a regressive way when they come back, what’s the point of continuously updating and improving our domestic training environment?"
"Are we expecting world football to adapt to our mainland’s football tactics? I would love to see that day, because it would mean that Chinese football has surpassed European football."
"The comrades in football shoes have achieved advancements decades ahead of the English Premier League, a congratulatory event indeed! I suggest they be nominated for this year’s Touching China Top Ten figures!"
"Lastly, youth player competitions focus more on development than results, and I can hardly agree with the football shoes’ responsibility for results."
Jiang Yunzhu went full throttle, stirring up a storm of controversy in the domestic football industry.
The football shoe higher-ups went directly to Sports Weekly, warning them to silence Jiang Yunzhu.
But Sports Weekly helplessly told them that they were unable to do so, Jiang Yunzhu had significant backing.
After much investigation, the football shoe leaders couldn’t find out who Jiang Yunzhu’s connections were, and finally, they issued an ultimatum to Sports Weekly, demanding that they fire Jiang Yunzhu.
Jiang Yunzhu, not wanting to cause trouble for her former employer, submitted her resignation proactively.
Only then did Sports Weekly weather the storm.
However, the high-ups at the football shoe company didn’t stay happy for two days when suddenly clips from "The Deng Kai Autobiography Documentary" began appearing in China.
"At first, they all called me Caesar, not because they thought I was a great monarch, but because they labeled me a fraud."
"That day, I met Eusebio, Figo, and Guardiola, and afterward, I joined the Sporting Lisbon youth academy."
"No one believed in me, so I told myself, if my skin color and heritage can’t bring me glory, then I am willing to make the most perfect interpretation of my skin color and heritage!"
"To this day, I am still on this path. Most European media and clubs still don’t recognize my future, but they can’t strip the UEFA Cup Championship Trophy and Best Player Trophy from my hands!"
"My first contact with Chinese football was the Wahaha team, or perhaps I have always been a part of Chinese football, as I am a Chinese descendant, ..."
"In this FIFA U-17 World Cup, Ronaldo and I only had one goal, and that was to be champions. Of course, I also looked forward to the Chinese team achieving satisfactory results!"
"If there were Wu Xudong, Yu Shihao, Chen Tao, Shao Jiawei, and Hao Junmin, China’s team would surely have no problem progressing from the group stage. But since Chinese football shoes have better options, then... the semi-finals? Well, I hope the Chinese team can make it to the semi-finals this time! Folks, I’ll be waiting for you in the semifinals!"
This documentary revealed many stories about Deng Kai’s upbringing.
Some footage even included precious clips filmed by Deng Kai himself.
Especially after Sporting Lisbon clinched the treble this summer, when Sporting announced that most of their core players wouldn’t be leaving and they were still reinforcing the squad, the amount of attention on Deng Kai was imaginable.
Not to mention Chinese media, even European media were broadcasting and quoting these reports on a large scale.
Fans pay attention to stars.
Media professionals naturally focus on their peers.
Such internal documents would not be possible without deep cooperation from Deng Kai.
Which journalist had such prowess?
Later, everyone discovered that all these news pieces came from the same football website—Dongqiu Di (All-Knowing Emperor).
Better late than never to Dongqiu Di!
Now if Chen Cong planned to create a football website, he’d have to think of another name.
It was a football website registered overseas, offering multiple language options including Chinese, mainly covering European and domestic football news. The legal person was a nobody, but according to domestic media colleagues, the actual controller of the website was—Jiang Yunzhu!
What nobody knew was that the website was actually co-owned by Deng Kai and Jiang Yunzhu.
Brother Kai has started a business.
With this wave of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the name of "All-Knowing Emperor" had become well-known domestically.
If you want to know about Deng Kai, come to "All-Knowing Emperor".
Internationally, this media outlet has also been frequently publishing Deng Kai’s opinions, including his views on Sporting Lisbon’s recent transfers, attracting a lot of attention as a result.
"All-Knowing Emperor": "Deng Kai believes Reina can become a world-class goalkeeper!"
"All-Knowing Emperor": "Deng Kai states that Evra has the potential to be the strongest full-back in a club like Manchester United over a period of about twenty years!"
"All-Knowing Emperor": "Deng Kai: Vidic will be one of the best center-backs in the world, and currently, there’s no center-back in Barca who can compare with him."
"All-Knowing Emperor": "Yaya Touré is underrated by the whole world; he will revolutionize the football world’s demands on midfield players, becoming a phenomenal player!"
