Chapter 524: Chapter 523: Bombarding Brazil, France Squad Lists
Four from Sporting Lisbon make the cut.
Of course, outside this UEFA Champions League Best XI, there are many talents left out.
Sporting Lisbon’s Kaka, Drogba, and Vidic.
Leverkusen’s Ze Roberto, Ballack.
Barcelona’s Rivaldo.
Manchester United’s Giggs, Keane, Scholes.
Arsenal’s Vieira, Henry.
Juventus’s Nedved, Trezeguet, Thuram.
Inter Milan’s Ronaldo, Vieri, Viana.
But there are only so many spots.
In the end, only a few can achieve their desires.
...
Kicker: "Leverkusen’s defeat is no injustice! Sporting Lisbon is an opponent even Real Madrid couldn’t beat!"
Bild: "Sporting Lisbon opened this season with the corpse of Bayern and ended it perfectly with that of Real Madrid!"
The Times: "Two years, eight trophies! Youth reigns supreme! Who can stop this Sporting Lisbon team now?"
Sky Sports: "Ronaldo: Golden Boot, Golden Boot, and still Golden Boot! Deng Kai: The best, the best, always the best!"
Milan Sport Newspaper: "A true god emerges! A final hat-trick forges a legendary Champions League match, Deng Kai’s rise is inevitable!"
Il Romanista: "League + Champions League, Deng Kai 33+30, Ronaldo 45+6, Ronaldinho 19+15, Kaka 15+22!"
France Football: "Hierro blasts Florentino, accusing Real Madrid of becoming the next Inter Milan!"
Diario Sport: "Moratti furiously claims that Real Madrid has no right to compare with Inter. Inter has a league title, while Real Madrid only has a Copa del Rey this season!"
AS Newspaper: "Now, it’s time to consider Real Madrid’s summer signings! Ferdinand, is there hope? Nesta, is it possible?"
Marca: "Melinge refuses all superstar midfield and forward additions this summer, unless they are Deng Kai and Ronaldo!"
A world turned upside down!
Sporting Lisbon’s triumph has completely disrupted the football landscape in Europe.
It’s a whirlwind that’s not just confined to the green fields of play.
Before the end of the season, every team had a draft list for signings.
This list was relatively scientific.
But!
With Sporting Lisbon piercing the heavens, any team hoping to gain fan support, must revise their draft list.
To feature the names of Sporting Lisbon players.
And to operate frenziedly for these names.
Such operations are often not so scientific.
But if you don’t act this way, the fans definitely won’t buy it.
This is the classic chaos of troubled times.
Never mind Deng Kai, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho - the absolute core players.
Even the likes of Feng Te, Evra, and Veloso, who are considered fringe options, now have many clubs lining up to buy them.
This fervor continued until the major national teams announced their twenty-three-man World Cup squads, when it finally settled down.
Because among these rosters, some were as expected.
And others... were disappointing.
Mourinho was among the first to blast Brazil’s squad: "The Brazil team’s coaching staff is a pile of dog shit! Deco is one of Europe’s best midfielders this year! Apart from Deng Kai, there’s no one definitively better than him!"
"He won the UEFA Cup! Yet he doesn’t qualify for Brazil’s squad!"
"Ronaldinho and Kaka are definitely not better than Deco!"
"Without Deng Kai, this year’s Sporting Lisbon wouldn’t be able to beat Porto! I’m telling you!"
Yes, Ronaldinho and Kaká were selected!
The Brazilian twin stars were lucky, but Maicon wasn’t so lucky, he naturally missed out, after all, he was just an important substitute at Sporting, not an absolute starter.
Even within the viral teams, there is a vast difference in popularity.
Maicon’s spring will have to wait a while longer.
And the blooming period for Kaká and Ronaldinho is almost upon us.
Besides them, the Brazil squad also included Lucio, Carlos, Gilberto Silva, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Cafu, Dida, Juninho, Denilson, Ricardinho, and others.
Each one was a top-notch soldier.
Deco not being selected is not unjust.
Brazil’s midfield and attack are stacked with superstars and geniuses.
Even the absolute midfield force Ze Roberto from Leverkusen was left out, wasn’t he?
Those not chosen might feel regretful, but none of the ones who were selected were undeserved.
But Deco himself expressed his disappointment in an interview with reporters, "It’s a pity I wasn’t selected for the Brazil national team. If the UEFA Cup isn’t enough of a qualification, I really don’t know what else to do."
"I see no hope left!"
"I may have to seriously consider my future, especially regarding the national team."
Deco now somewhat regrets not accepting the invitation from the Portuguese football federation.
But he has decided to join the Portugal national team after the World Cup.
Brazil hurt him too deeply.
Both core players at Porto, Deco was left out, and Mourinho stood up for him.
However, striker Jardel was also left out, and Mourinho didn’t make a peep.
This enraged Jardel.
While he criticized the Brazil national team, he also lashed out at Porto and the Portuguese league.
He announced that he would transfer this summer; he could no longer tolerate the drag of a rubbish league!
He wanted to go to a place where he could truly become a world-class star.
He wanted to go to the best platform!
Similarly, the France squad had its controversy.
Lizarazu, Vieira, Djorkaeff, Blanc, Desailly, Thuram, Zidane, Deschamps, Henry, Anelka, Pires, Wiltord, Makelele, Petit, Trezeguet... there wasn’t much issue with these selections.
The France team was strong and sturdy.
Deschamps also made it onto the bench by virtue of his experience and the championship he mixed in with at Sporting.
But the selection of Barcelona center-back Christanval was baffling to many.
This player’s performance this season at Barça was absolutely disastrous.
Barça bought him to counter Deng Kai-led Sporting, but he didn’t make any significant impact.
Moreover, his lack of technical finesse became a serious weakness in Barça’s backline, more fatal than a lack of height.
Barça gave up using Christanval in many crucial matches in the second half of the season.
The French team’s explanation was that they needed some reserve center-backs.
With their forwards and midfield already filled with excellent players.
But the fans were still not convinced, especially those of Sporting.
They believed Drogba deserved to be selected.
They didn’t care that Henry and Trezeguet were already the perfect answer for France’s frontline.
Drogba was well aware that even if he were selected for France, he could only expect a seat on the bench in front of the formidable French duo.
And this duo was still very young, and the situation might continue for a long time.
Driven by patriotism, the day after France announced their squad, Drogba declared his decision to play for his motherland, Ivory Coast.
Even though Ivory Coast did not qualify for this World Cup, Drogba was confident in leading them in the Africa Cup and the next World Cup!
