Chapter 393: Chapter 392 Middle Eastern Fans
Another forward on the Argentine strike force also had quite the reputation, and his name was Maxi Lopez.
With flowing golden locks and a playing style akin to that of the legendary Argentine, he was regarded by domestic fans as the next Batistuta.
It was rumored that Barcelona was keeping an eye on this forward, hoping to bring him into their ranks within the next two or three years.
However, for fans in the years to come, Maxi Lopez was perhaps best known as the "ex-husband of the famous Argentine bombshell Wanda."
In defense, the Argentine squad also boasted Gonzalo Rodriguez and Pablo Zabaleta.
The former would spend a long time at Villarreal and Fiorentina, playing at the level of a top league competitor.
The latter would become a Manchester City stalwart and was even described by Messi as "a great captain."
Of course, aside from Tevez, the biggest draw of this Argentine team lay in the midfield at that time.
Javier Mascherano.
A man of "fierce spirit!"
This was a midfield genius, already eyed by Ajax. However, due to FIFA’s ban on under-18 player transfers across borders, he could not make the move to the Dutch league.
Yet rumors were that clubs including Liverpool and Barcelona were keeping tabs on him.
Like several players called up by Sporting Lisbon this summer, Mascherano would one day become the world’s number one defensive midfielder.
He was also a Chinese Super League legend, joining Hebei China Fortune at the tail end of his career.
In the 2014 World Cup semifinals between the Netherlands and Argentina, Robben made a break in the 91st minute and almost scored a decisive goal, only for Mascherano to make a heroic block.
But this block caused Mascherano to tear a muscle in his buttocks.
Afterwards, fans dubbed him "the man with the torn anus!"
With such a splendid lineup, the Argentine team was rated second in winning probability for the Youth Championship, just behind Portugal.
As it proved, winning odds sometimes reflected everything.
Seven to one!
Deng Kai, as if he had a score to settle with the Argentine team, played with extraordinary excitement in the match, with two goals and four assists, earning the title of the best player on the field.
Tying with Deng Kai in scoring was Cristiano Ronaldo, who in this match achieved his first grand slam in a major world competition. Had it not been for that last-minute chance when he passed the ball to Almeida, he might have even scored a quintuple.
With Tevez eliminated, Ronaldo’s grand slam helped him secure the tournament’s Golden Boot ahead of time.
...
In the end, the teams from Portugal and Brazil would meet in the final.
Compared to Argentina’s dazzling squadron, this edition’s Brazilian youth team lineup was slightly inferior.
But their talented forward Neymar had some connections with Argentina.
Neymar, excelling in dribbling, was jokingly referred to as "Neymaradona."
Reports indicated that Real Madrid had Neymar listed as a transfer target, and his first stop in Europe could very likely be the Bernabeu.
Additionally, the Brazilian team had a talented midfielder.
His height, playing style, and even looks, closely resembled those of Argentine Mascherano.
This player was named Fernando Luis Roza, but his friends called him Fernandinho.
Sure enough, he would also become a Manchester City legend.
The reason their playing styles were so similar had to do with the fact that the same "Pep" coached them both.
However, in terms of competitive level, Mascherano reached the peak of this playing style, entering the ranks of the world’s number one defensive midfielders. While Fernandinho, even at his best, was merely world-class, so the gap between them was sizeable.
Last but not least, Brazil’s right-back prodigy was also no anonymous figure.
Dani Alves, the future player with the most titles in history, would go on to collect forty-six Championship Trophies throughout his career.
At one point, he was considered the world’s number one right-back.
However, his more famous title was "the player who assisted Messi the most".
Four to zero!
The Samba battalion fell under Portugal’s strong and well-armed forces.
Their Brazilian Maradona was powerless in front of Portugal’s Ronaldo.
In the end, a stellar performance earned CR7 the Golden Boot for this tournament.
CR7: ???
CR7: Wasn’t this mentioned before? Shouldn’t it be the best player?
And Deng Kai, with his consistent outstanding performance throughout the match, won the Golden Ball, which is the best player award for the Trinidad and Tobago World Youth Championship!
...
"Deng Kai, this way..." After the award ceremony, Jiang Yunzhu found Deng Kai, "There is an important person who has invited you to the VIP box to meet, he says he’s a fan of yours."
Deng Kai frowned: "From our country?"
Jiang Yunzhu shook her head: "He has already returned to his country. It’s someone from abroad, the Middle East... from the UAE."
A tycoon?
"Ronaldo, stay here to hold onto the trophy for me; don’t wander off. I’ll go and buy you some Middle Eastern specialties," Deng Kai handed the Championship Trophy to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo quickly followed suit, insisting on joining Deng Kai to see the world.
Then, both of them went to the luxurious VIP box at the stadium.
On their way there, they passed by no less than ten burly men in black suits outside the box.
Clearly, this was no ordinary tycoon.
The doors to the box opened, and pure Middle Eastern-accented English came through: "Hello, Kai, thank you for allowing me to witness such a thrilling football match."
The man appeared quite young and had a refined demeanor, which deviated greatly from the typical image of a Middle Eastern tycoon.
Ronaldo was momentarily frozen, unsure of how to address the individual.
Jiang Yunzhu wanted to make the introduction: "This is..."
"I know." Deng Kai extended his hand to interrupt Jiang Yunzhu, then reached out to shake hands with the other party, "Sheikh Mansour, how is your father’s health?"
The next moment, several bodyguards’ hands moved towards their pockets.
Sheikh Mansour was indeed the son of the current President of the UAE.
And that President’s health was not in good condition at the moment.
From Mansour’s name to his father’s health status, this was not information known to the average person.
There was a significant issue with Deng Kai’s comment.
After the initial surprise, Mansour shook his head.
Ronaldo was terrified by the scene.
Deng Kai also felt a bit nervous inside, but having already known Jiang Yunzhu’s identity beforehand, he dared to directly reveal Mansour’s identity to assert dominance, increasing his own stature in the eyes of the other party.
While the comparison was not perfectly apt since there was a large gap between legitimate and illegitimate status, when considering the specific circumstances within the country, Jiang Yunzhu’s position could be loosely compared to Mansour’s.
Of course, it was only a comparison, as Jiang Yunzhu fell far short of Mansour in terms of both power and wealth.
The systems of the two countries were different, and many things were also different.
Sure enough, Mansour then turned to look at Jiang Yunzhu: "It seems that Miss Jiang is quite informed about our situation."
Jiang Yunzhu shook her head: "I’m only interested in football, he wouldn’t discuss these matters with me."
This "he" was clearly Jiang Yunzhu’s father.
