Chapter 525: Chapter 524 The Portugal Squad
The Spain national team’s call-up list is very normal, with a perfect blend of old, middle-aged, and young players.
Casillas, Puyol, Hierro, Torres, Juan Fran, Guardiola, Mendieta, Morientes, Raul, Xavi, Luis Enrique, Elgera, Reina, Joaquin.
Reina’s selection is largely related to his excellent performance this season at Sporting Lisbon.
Of course, being selected is already a great recognition.
To play in the matches, Reina has almost no chance.
Additionally, the young talent Joaquin, dubbed "the Spanish Figo," made a name for himself with his extraordinary performance this season, earning a spot in the squad at a very young age.
His peak may not be very high, but his career is long; he is still a starter in La Liga at the age of forty-two.
Like Ze Roberto, he will become a player of historical significance.
Following France and Brazil, the most attention should probably go to the England team’s lineup.
The Three Lions are always hot favorites to win the championship each time.
Himan, Martin, James, Ferdinand, Campbell, Southgate, Ashley Cole, Bridge, Mills, Brown, Keown, Beckham, Scholes, Gerard, Dyer, Butt, Hargreaves, Joe Cole, Owen, Heskey, Fowler, Sheringham...
Beckham, as the captain of the England team, is satisfied with the list.
In fact, this list shows that the approach to player selection is similar for all countries.
Young players can hardly get chances in the first two years when they start to emerge.
This year, Lampard, who has had a rather good season in the Premier League, did not make the cut.
Gerard would also not have been able to make it, if it were not for his slip in the last season’s UEFA Cup final which drew much attention.
Notoriety is still fame.
Sometimes, failure can be more beneficial than success.
Gerard used his impressive performances this season to retain the spotlight and move on from the shadow of his slip, starting to become a superstar.
Following closely is the Netherlands national team, which announced their squad: "Stam, Rezeg, Deboer, Dai Weisi, Cocu, Seedorf, Van Bommel, Van der Vaart, Bogkamp, Cruyff, Overmars, Van Nistelrooy, Maxa..."
Aside from the prodigious Van der Vaart, Robben, Fan Peixi, and Sneijder, each of them considered a genius, none made it to the World Cup.
Van der Vaart is the oldest among them and just meets the expectations, otherwise, he would not have been included.
The Italy national team’s squad is: "Buffon, Toldo, Cannavaro, Nesta, Maldini, Cocu, Matrazzi, Juliano, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Totti, Vieri, Pierro, Yin Zhaji... Barzagli!"
Among them, the selection of twenty-one-year-old Barzagli fully reflects the respect Italy has for the UEFA Champions League.
The more unattainable it is, the more it is desired.
In recent three to four years, Italian clubs, let alone winning, haven’t even made it to the Champions League final.
The prestigious World Cup, if they don’t put focus on the Champions League, they are indeed falling behind.
Deng Kai and other teammates congratulated Barzagli at the first opportunity.
Barzagli also became the fifth player from Sporting Lisbon to be selected for the national team, following the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Guardiola, and Reina.
Subsequently, the Sweden national team announced the superstar Ibrahimovic made the squad!
Without a doubt, the Denmark national team was led by Schmeichel!
Among the popular teams, the Germany national team was one of the last to announce its squad.
"Kahn, Lehmann, Butt, Metzelder, Linke, Brehme, Ballack, Jeremies, Shi Naide, Asamoah, Bierhoff, Neuville, Jancker, Lemelo, Klose, Hamann, Frings, Kehl and... Matthaus!"
This was a pleasant surprise to German fans.
Because after the national team was eliminated in the group stage of Euro 2000, Matthaus had retired from the national team.
His return to the national squad now might not impact the team’s strength much, but at least it gives the fans confidence and strength.
Considering he played a key role this season in helping Lisbon to achieve a treble, including the Champions League, his strength also seems beyond reproach!
Matthaus became the first player to participate in six World Cups, and his record is almost unbreakable.
The German team’s morale was sky-high, and their chances to win the championship soared to match those of Brazil and France.
To date, Lisbon has produced eight international players!
People could clearly see the power of Lisbon.
But the much-anticipated Portuguese national team roster was not forthcoming.
In the end, the Portuguese football association even released a coaching appointment before the roster.
Inviting Trigella to become an assistant coach of the Portuguese national team for this tournament.
Many thought this was a positive sign.
But...
"Attending a yacht party? Deng Kai attended a yacht party hosted by Victoria, with Kate Knightley in full dress!"
"Starting holiday mode? Does Deng Kai want to relax before joining the Portuguese national team?"
"Indulging post-Champions League success, Deng Kai’s behavior is abnormal, having maintained high-intensity competition and training during the past three off-seasons!"
"Indeed, he should relax! He’s been through the Euro Youth and World Youth Championships back to back, and this year he’s heading to the World Cup, Deng Kai is stol enjoying a break amidst the bustle!"
"Portuguese squad still not announced! Insiders reveal that this has to do with Deng Kai and Ronaldo!"
"WTF! Could Deng Kai and Ronaldo possibly be omitted from the Portuguese squad?"
As time passed, the football world was filled with countless question marks.
"Newbie fans" who may only pay attention to football because of the upcoming World Cup might still be asking who Deng Kai and Ronaldo are.
But the seasoned fans were already cursing in the streets.
"No way? Is the news fake? The Portuguese football association isn’t really thinking of excluding Deng Kai and Ronaldo, are they?"
"I heard it’s a power struggle, the kind that goes beyond football."
"Champions League best player, top scorer, assist leader not playing in the World Cup? That’s ridiculous!"
"Step down! The relevant Portuguese football association higher-ups should resign immediately!"
The public opinion became complex.
Portugal’s authoritative media, Bola newspaper, stepped out to lead the direction: "Is it really better to be strong? We admit that Deng Kai and Ronaldo’s performances at their clubs are top-notch, but it took them four years of playing together to get to where they are today."
"Whereas the current members of the Portuguese national team have been playing together for several sets of four years! Their chemistry is something Deng Kai and Ronaldo can’t understand. Adding CD rashly, this Portuguese Rhapsody might not necessarily become more perfect."
Goodness gracious, they even made perfect use of metaphors and nicknames!
"On the contrary, incorporating Trigella and making tactical fine-tunings is the final step for this Portuguese team before going into battle. In fact, if it weren’t for Maxa joining the Chinese team’s coaching staff, Maxa would have been part of Portugal’s coaching team as well."
"We believe that efforts in this area are the truly correct ones."
"As for the player aspect, when we already have Figo, Rui Costa, Gomes, and Baia, why would we greedily think of Deng Kai and Ronaldo?"
"China has a proverb to share, ’Grasp too much, and you won’t be able to chew!’"
The stance taken by Bola newspaper garnered some agreement.
Deng Kai and Ronaldo indeed had two crazy years in the Portuguese league, attracting too many fans.
But Figo and Rui Costa have been shining like this for five and eight years, respectively!
In this timeframe, if it came down to choosing between the Portuguese Golden Generation and Lisbon CD, the vast majority of Portuguese would still choose the Golden Generation.
